Stress and the Hair

Lets talk about stress!Imagine this scenario. Your alarm clock doesn’t go off so you wake up late. You take a quick shower, toss your wet hair up into a ponytail or bun and then you run out the door. Realizing you forgot your keys on the table, you go back in, grab your keys and once again you're out the door and in the car, now on your way to work. Just as this scenario can cause you emotional and mental stress, there are common everyday things that can cause your hair the same level of stress.

Common Hair Stressors

The following are common actions that can cause damaging stress to the hair.

• Wearing your hair up daily

• Using harmful accessories such as metal elastics, clips and rubber bands

• Wearing your hair up while it's wet

• Tightening your hair ties too tight

Avoiding the Hair Stressors

No dramatic changes are necessary, and a good rule of thumb when it comes to your hair is everything in moderation. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying you can’t wear your hair up ever, but moderation is key. Try to be more mindful of how often you wear your hair up.

Tension and Wearing Your Hair Up

When you pull your hair back, where do you put it up? Is it low, medium, or high? Before you answer that question, think about why that could be an issue. If you wear your hair up, try to avoid wearing it in the same place every time. Switch up how you wear your buns and pony tails. Pulling the hair back requires tension. Tension is the state of being stretched tight. After awhile, prolonged use of a hair tie will cause breakage of the hair.

Limiting Hair Tension

How much tension should you allow for your hair? Be mindful of how tight you wrap your hair ties, keep them as loose as possible. The tighter a hair tie is worn, the more tension is put onto your hair strands.

Stress and Wet Hair

Hair is in its most fragile state when it's wet. Wearing your hair up when it's wet is one of the worst things you can do when it comes to limiting hair tension. While your hair is wet it naturally stretches, putting in a hair tie or sock bun exacerbates this tension, slowly stretching and pulling your hair as long as it is up.

Your Hair and Working Out

For workouts opt for a loose braid or two French braids instead of a ponytail or bun to lessen the tension put on your hair if you have to put it up. Be sure to choose metal-free hair ties, a soft headband, cloth hair tie, a silicone band or an invisibobble®.The invisibobble® is a corkscrew hair tie that provides great hold with virtually no tugging on the hair, eliminating hair tension when wearing the hair up.

What’s the difference between hairties?

Headbands and cloth hairties are the softest and allow for the least tension.Metal-free hairties are the most common, but its important to limit the level of tightness you choose.Silicone bands offer a good hold and because of that a ponytail can be fashioned a lot looser creating less tension.

Tips for Limiting Hair Tension

The key to not stressing out your hair is to avoid tension directly on the hair. To avoid tension on the hair resulting from the scenarios above, choose one of the following options.

• Avoid wearing your hair up when its wet. If you must wear your hair up when its wet, choose a loose ponytail or braid it and secure it with an elastic.

• Try switching the locations at which you tie your hair back. Try a variety of styles, you can use two hair ties for pigtails or cycle through low, medium and high ponytails.

• Sleep on a silk pillow case.

By actively avoiding stress and tension inflicted upon your hair by everyday common styling practices you can improve its overall health, look and growth rate. Keep your hair healthy and happy!♥ HBK