13 Hair-Damaging Practices ...

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When used excessively, the chemicals in hair dyes can cause your hair to become weak and dry. This leads to dullness, breakage, and even hair loss.

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Excessive bleaching can cause your cuticles to open up irreversibly. This leads to dry and damaged hair that is prone to breakage. Leaving the bleach on the hair too long can give the hair a gummy consistency.

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Using the curling/straightening iron and blow dryer every single day is not such a good idea. Heat styling, when done frequently, can permanently open up the hair cuticles. When this happens, the hair will lose its strength, and that's when breakage occurs.

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The sun's UV rays can also affect your scalp and hair. The result of too much sun exposure can be dry, weak, and dull hair.

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Perming can cause damage to the hair cuticles. Without proper aftercare, or without the proper treatment, you may experience hair breakage and hair loss. Chemical straightening treatments, when done incorrectly or frequently, can cause dry scalp and flakes. The treatments can also cause hair follicle weakening, which leads to hair breakage, loss, and thinning.

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Your hair is extra vulnerable to damage when it is wet. Brushing wet hair can cause tearing and breaking of the strands. The same things can happen when you rub your hair vigorously in an attempt to dry it.

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Excessive brushing creates too much friction for your hair to handle. This can cause split ends and hair breakage.

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Not all hair accessories on the market are hair-friendly. Rubber bands, scrunchies with metal connectors, and metal barrettes can cause tearing of the hair strands.

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Salt or chlorinated water causes your hair to lose moisture. Frequent exposure to these things can make your hair dry, dull, and weak.

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Pulling on your hair too much may eventually lead to hair loss. Think about this before you put up your hair in tight ponytails, tiny braids, or tight buns or coils.

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Hair products, when used to a minimum, can make your hair feel smooth and look shiny. However, overuse of hair products can cause build up and hair damage. The alcohol in hair products can cause your hair to lose moisture, making them dry and dull. The build up of products on your hair and scalp can make your hair feel greasy.

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Washing your hair too much can cause dry scalp, which in turn creates flakes. Over-washing can also cause your hair to look dull and dry because of the loss of natural oils.

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Like the rest of your body parts, hair needs vitamins and nutrients to grow and be healthy. Excessive dieting can lead to weak and dry hair. It can also lead to hair loss.

Many of the things we do to enhance our hair can actually damage it. This is especially true when done frequently and excessively. Why don't we try to embrace and care for the natural state of our hair? In the end, we could be saving our budget and our crowning glory.

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