Your beautiful hair is under constant attack. You probably don’t realize all the damage that your daily life is doing to it. If you can cut down on this damage, you’ll find it much easier to maintain a healthy head of hair with less effort. Here are the 6 worst things that life does to your hair and what you can do to save it.

Harsh Chemicals

Most styling products and treatments use chemicals, especially those that color and straighten hair. Bleach is by far the worst culprit. This doesn’t mean that they’re all bad, but just that you should exercise moderation in using them. Chemical damage to hair is the most severe when you do several treatments at once, so pick one at a time and stick with it. Also, don’t change your color too often. Check out this post if you want more information on how to color your hair safely.

Heat and Dry Air

There’s another common way styling products and treatments damage your hair – by frying it. Most products use heat, and this heat dries out your scalp and deprives it of the moisture it desperately needs. This is the worst when you use blow dryers and other products too often and too close to the scalp. For anything that heats, use it sparingly and make sure it’s as far as possible from your scalp. Also, make sure that you know how to use your hair dryer accessories properly and effectively.

Excessive Brushing and Combing

It’s good to brush and comb, but if you do it too much, you could be breaking and tearing your hair and this causes damage. It’s especially bad when your hair is wet. You may also be using the wrong brush. Use a wide-toothed comb and a brush with natural fibers. Be sure to follow our tips on how to keep your hair healthy, cut down on your brushing if at all possible and always make sure you’re extra gentle.

Sun Damage

The sun damages your hair just like it damages your skin. Those same UV rays do a little bit of damage every time your hair is exposed to them. If you’re a sun worshipper, the time you spend basking could be really causing problems. Whenever you go out in the sun, cover up with a hat and protect your locks from its rays.

Chlorine and Salt in Water

The water we swim in contains things that aren’t nice to hair. Chlorine and copper in pool water can leave deposits in your hair that are hard to remove and can leave you with green hair. The salt in ocean water dries out your hair and causes it to fall out. Whenever you go swimming, rinse well both before you dive in and after you towel off. If you spend lots of time swimming, you might want to try swimmers’ shampoo that’s formulated especially for deep protection.

Washing Too Much

It may come as a surprise, but actually washing your hair too much can cause damage. It depends on your hair type and the shampoo that you’re using. If you have dry hair, washing too much may make your scalp even drier and leech away the natural oils it needs to look and feel its best. Try skipping every other day or learn how to go shampoo free.  Also check out our dry hair care tips.

If you’re in the best overall health possible, this will protect your hair against the daily damage life causes. Your hair is a reflection of the state of your body. Eat well, exercise, reduce stress and make sure that you use a shampoo and conditioner with a good pH balance.

I would like to hear your thoughts about what you think will damage your hair the most. Maybe you have personal experience with a product that really messed up your hair or you have learned a lesson the hard way.