5 Ways You Might Be Ruining Your Hair Without Even Knowing It

Whether its long hot days in the sun, or braving blistering cold winds in mid-winter, our hair can take quite a beating from the elements. But while we may not be able to control the weather, or the effect it has on our hair, there are other changes we can make to our haircare to protect our locks.

As it turns out, several of our everyday hair habits could be causing unwanted and unnecessary damage without us even knowing. So, to help you bust the breakage, we’ve compiled a handy list of some of things to watch out for when it comes to protecting your hair.

1. Styling With Too Much Heat

When it comes to styling, overusing tools with high heat settings can cause some serious damage. High heat settings on straighteners, hairdryers, and curling tongs leads to frazzled and split ends resulting in breakage.

In fact, hairdryers are one of the biggest culprits of hair damage. While they may work at lower temperatures than straighteners, the long-term damage from the heat of a hairdryer (and also from hair brushing while styling) is bad news. This is because we use hairdryers on wet hair, which is when our strands are weaker and so more susceptible to breakage.

Make sure to protect your hair from excessive heat from hairdryers and their styling counterparts by turning the temperature settings down to a lower heat and using a heat protector on your locks, like the HSI Professional Argan Oil Heat Protector ($14.99, Amazon), before styling.

2. Brushing Your Hair When Wet

It’s never a good idea to brush your hair directly after washing it. The wetness weakens your hair, meaning it is more likely to break as you brush out the tangles. Wait until your hair is at least towel dried (be sure to gently squeeze as much water out as possible instead of using a rubbing motion), then apply a leave-in conditioner and work through knots with a wide-tooth comb.

3. Using Conditioner in the Wrong Place

You’d think using conditioner would make your locks even more luscious and well-nourished, but this isn’t always the case. It turns out that the main thing you need to consider when applying conditioner is where you place it.

To make the most of your conditioner and lock in the right amount of moisture, try using it only on the mid-lengths ends of your hair. Applying it on the roots will only make your hair get greasy quickly, resulting in you needing to wash and style it more frequently.

4. Tying Your Hair Up

It seems like a harmless hack to keep hair out of your face and can be a fashion-forward way to rock an updo, but scraping your hair back into a ponytail can also be harming your hair. Hair ties can lead to hairs snapping by becoming tangled in your tresses. Reduce the risk by using tangle-free hair ties.

5. Eating the Wrong Foods

Yep, unfortunately indulging in some of your favorite treats may actually be having a damaging effect on your hair. Try to eat a balanced diet of healthy foods to combat hair loss and breakage, and while it’s fine to have a cheat day every now and then, it’s best not to eat greasy, sugary foods every day.