Marina | February 26, 2014 | Hair |

Healthy hair does not only come from using the best hair products out there. There are also lots of other things that affect hair health like the environment, weather and your lifestyle. You may not notice it but some of your habits may be affecting your hair. Here are 5 bad habits to avoid for healthier hair.

• Wearing tight hairstyles – we all love the sleek look we get from putting our hair up in tight updos but did you know that every time you slick your hair back into a tight hairstyle, especially for long periods of time, you scalp gets inflamed and irritated and over time, this could lead to hair loss. For everyday hairstyles, opt for those that don’t require you to tug and pull your hair as much. There are lots of simple hairstyles that you can do that are chic and easy on the hair.

• Using direct heat on your hair – the direct heat you let your hair get in contact with from using hair straightening irons and curling wands may give you glamorous hair but it causes lots of damage to it as well. Exposing your hair to direct heat over and over again makes hair more fragile and prone to breakage. Of course, it’s inevitable to use these styling tools, especially that they’re super quick, easy and convenient – perfect for the busy lifestyle most of us live. Always remember to use a heat protectant on your hair before using these tools to reduce damage. You can also try overnight heatless hairstyles which give you equally glamorous results minus the damage.

• Having your hair undergo chemical processes – semi-permanent curls, hair rebonding, hair dyeing – all these processes and any other hair treatment that makes use of chemicals can cause damage to your hair, no matter how ‘mild’ the package claims the formula to be. Not only do these processes / treatments cause the hair to become rough and brittle, they can also damage your scalp and hair follicles and when done on a regular basis, this can make you lose the ability to grow hair.

• Irregular intake of meds that affect hormone production – some of the most common medications that affect hormone production are birth control pills. Going on and off the pill or switching from one kind to the other messes your hormones up and this affects hair growth and production. Ask your doctor about the side effects of certain pills and other medication before taking them so that you don’t have to constantly change from one brand to the next.

• Stressing yourself out often – believe it or not, higher levels of stress actually does affect women’s hair health. When you stress yourself out often, even with the most trivial things, you are more likely to suffer from hair fall and hair loss. To avoid this, find an activity that calms you down. Try therapeutic hobbies or find recreational activities that you can use as an outlet to release your stress.