Doing This Will Make Men Lose Hair Faster!

It’s a stereotype that only women are vain. Men, in fact, can be just as guilty. And it’s not hard to see why—a full head of hair has cultural implications of youth and virility, so it’s no surprise that men would love their locks too. According to consumer analysts, Mintel, 1 in 3 men from the U.K. use hair products every single day.

Among Asian men, almost 47% are said to experience some level of androgenetic alopecia (the scientific term for male pattern baldness) within their lifetime. The main culprits? Age, hereditary, and stress. But do you know the other suspects lurking in the shadows? We’ll be focusing on how these other factors could sabotage your hair health.

But first, let’s learn more about hair and what makes it shed.

The anatomy of hair

Hair growth is categorized in three distinct phases from growth to shedding: anagen (growing phase), catagen (regression phase), and telogen (resting phase).

Most of a follicle’s life span is spent in Phase 1 (anagen) for about 2 to 7 years. Here, its bulb is still attached to the dermal papilla—a region of skin that nourishes the hair strand. The more a follicle remains in this phase, the thicker and longer it becomes. This creates the effect of a dense, thick head of hair.

However, when a person undergoes male pattern balding, affected scalp regions experience a shortened anagen phase. This means that hair growth is stunted, leaving thinner, weaker, and shorter strands that don’t grow to its maximum potential before falling off. The result? A sparse appearance worsening over time.

The excessive use of hair products can shorten our hair’s anagen phase and accelerate hair loss. Keep scrolling to find out more:

Watch out for this ingredient!

Take a look at the ingredients label on your hair products. You might find alcohol among the top few entries on this list—the closer the ingredient is to the top, the higher its composition.

Known for its astringent properties, alcohol in hair products is known to increase scalp dryness. The product seeps into the tiny pores of your skin, drying up the delicate dermal papilla. When this is repeated over a long run, the follicle bulb detaches prematurely.

Alcohol also dries up the natural oil on your scalp. A bit of natural oil is good for your hair to retain its luster and shine. Without it, hair becomes dull-looking, dry and brittle, causing more hair breakage (on top of hair loss!) and a lower density of hair.

So to keep your mane in tip-top shape, here are four easy tips that you can follow:

1. Moderate your use of hair styling products

Sure,we can’t always avoid using hair styling products. So instead of daily wear, why not try reducing the amount of product you use? Or how about giving your hair a rest during the weekend?

For casual styling, consider swapping viscous pomades for lighter products like a water-based hair wax. We recommend applying a 5-cent size dollop of wax first. If you need a stronger hold for neater styles, simply build on product in tiny, incremental amounts.

2. Do not apply hair products on the root of hair.

As a rule of thumb, apply products mid-strand upwards.

The same goes with hairspray—don’t spray it directly on your scalp. This dries your skin, causing your scalp to overcompensate its oil production. An extra oily scalp in the long run leads to the weakening of hair follicles and sparser hair densities.

3. Use a deep cleansing shampoo once a week

Not all shampoos are made equal. Despite maintaining a healthy washing schedule, there might still be residual product lodged in the microscopic crevices of your follicle pores.

This is why you should use a deep cleansing shampoo once a week. This stronger formula gets into the nooks and crannies of your follicles, and washes away any residual hair product that might have accumulated over the week.

4. Don’t sleep with hair products still on

Just like how it’s not recommended to sleep with makeup on, it’s advised to wash off residual hair product at the end of the day. If you used a stronger holding product, give your hair a second wash to cleanse the gunk.

Hair loss is a part and parcel of ageing—and that’s okay. After all, there’s more to love about yourself than mere outward appearances. But following the above advice can certainly stave off its onset. The next time you meet your other male friends, share these useful tips with them. They’d be sure to thank you!