Expert Advice - Poor Hair Washing And Nutrition Can Cause Hair Loss

This page explains that, if your hair washing and diet are both bad, any existing hair loss problem you have can be made worse. But, whilst some hair care professionals believe these two things can also cause hair loss, this theory is simply not true!

Hair loss will, sooner or later, affect nearly all men and most women on the planet!

Most hair loss experts agree that the genetic predisposition towards hair loss, as well as a male sex hormone called dihydrotestosterone (DHT) is the reason for male pattern baldness (MPB).

However, whilst these two things have definitely been linked to MPB, there has been much debate within the hair loss industry about the actual mechanism that will cause hair to fall from either the front, the back, or both these regions of the scalp.

As a result, a number of different theories exist.

The "hair washing" theory involves a lack of hygiene - as opposed to over washing hair:

Some people believe that hair washing too often will cause hair loss. This idea is, quite simply, wrong! Only weak hair, that's ready to fall anyway, will do so. When wet, and given a vigorous massage (that's assuming you're hair washing properly) your hair can seem to fall out much more so than during the rest of the day. (The same can also be said of combing hair - some believe over brushing will cause extensive hair loss too!)

In fact, by hair washing frequently you are probably helping your hair to grow. That's because, when you're hair washing, you are also massaging the scalp - an action which, along with warm water (to encourage scalp circulation) can only help hair to grow.

So, how can a lack of proper hair washing
cause hair loss?

This theory focuses on an overproduction of sebum.

Sebum is an oily substance produced and secreted by sebaceous glands in the follicles that grow hair. Its job is to condition the hair, allowing it smooth passage as it grows along the follicle. It also provides a degree of waterproofing. The amount of sebum produced is related to the quantity of DHT present in the scalp (more sebum is formed if more DHT is present). That's why, during puberty, many men get very greasy skin:

A lack of hygiene at puberty can lead to bacterial infection and spots developing quite extensively. Poor hair washing will also lead to a very thick layer of sebum quickly forming on scalp hair. (Obviously by face and hair washing quite frequently, perhaps even every day, these problems can be overcome).

But sebum overproduction is not restricted to puberty. This theory states that ill health, stress, and a poor diet can also have the same effect in anyone.

So, how does all this excess sebum cause hair loss?

If sebum is produced much more quickly than the rate at which the hair grows, it will do far more than simply lubricate the hair as it moves along its follicle. Any excess can easily ooze back down the hair shaft and fill the follicle with oil. This hardens to form a waxy plug, which then obstructs the passage of the hair shaft as it tries to grow along.

And, if the hair roots become clogged, hair production begins to choke. It can slow down or even stop completely if the follicle becomes totally blocked.

This theory claims that, for both men and women, hair loss can be permanent if the rate of sebum production is not reduced, or sebum is not removed (i.e., by hair washing frequently in order to maintain an extremely high level of hygiene). Note: Given that sebum has waterproofing properties, simply hair washing with water is inadequate. Some people believe that living a more "natural" life is preferable.

This includes hair washing with warm water only so as to allow the body to regulate (reduce) sebum production naturally. This is a great idea if you can avoid smoke, car fumes, dust, etc. Unfortunately, unless you live outside the mainstream society, you are extremely unlikely to be able to avoid such pollutants. As such, hair washing with shampoo (which is designed to tackle sebum) is your only real option.

Most hair loss experts agree that far fewer women than men suffer MPB simply because they produce far less DHT.

However, this theory offers an alternative reason - hair follicles in women lie at an angle within the scalp, which means their hair will grow at an angle to the skin. This could allow sebum to slide along the hair shaft away from the follicle. But, in men, hair grows out from the scalp at a more perpendicular angle, and so sebum could more easily slide back down to the hair roots.

This idea can be extended to explain why male pattern baldness only seems to affect the top of the head.

Hair on the crown of the scalp grows upwards as it emerges from the skin. And so, as before, sebum can easily sink back down into the follicle. But, hair at the back and sides of the head grows in a more downward direction, and so the sebum produced there is much more likely to slide along the hair shaft away from the root and out from the surface of the skin.

At first glance, this idea seems quite convincing, doesn't it? It can even be further supported by the influence of a junk food diet.

Can diet cause hair loss?

It was stated earlier that DHT has definitely been associated with male pattern baldness.

DHT is formed from testosterone - a derivative of pregnenolone (each of which is a steroid hormone). Pregnenolone, in turn, is derived from cholesterol. And this, as you probably know all too well, is produced from fat.

It gets worse...

Not only that, but any food surplus to your body's energy and nutritional requirements can be converted into fat for storage. This includes protein and carbohydrates (including sugar). This fact obviously places great emphasis on the need to follow a balanced diet - something far too few people manage to do.

Poor lifestyle habits can compound this problem still further - a lack of exercise means that any extra calories you consume will be converted into fat rather than burnt to produce energy.

So, if you eat too much fat, it's easy to see how your DHT production can also increase. (This of course means that, if you already suffer male pattern baldness, your junk food diet is likely to make it even worse!)

Sebum is designed to help hair. And, in small amounts, that's exactly what it does (as stated earlier). But, too much sebum must be considered as a waste product. If the fat you eat, or your body produces, is surplus to requirements, then your body will try to get rid of it via the follicles of your skin. (In fact, the skin is often referred to as "the third kidney" because of its ability to excrete excesses from the body).

But, can a junk food diet, or a lack of hair washing, actually trigger male pattern baldness?

No, is the simple answer to that!

These are the reasons why:

1. There's a huge number of people who enjoy a junk food diet, but also enjoy a full head of hair. Many may even be grossly overweight, or at serious risk of developing diabetes, cardiovascular disease, etc, but despite such high fat and sugar consumption, they still remain completely unaffected by male pattern baldness.

2. There are also many people with poor hygiene levels, and who lack proper hair washing. But, they retain a full head of hair too.

3. Excessive fat consumption within our diet has only been a relatively recent problem (certainly no more than 100 years) but hair loss has affected our species for thousands of years.

Poor nutrition can produce too much sebum, and a lack of hair washing won't remove this excess from your scalp. But, whilst these two things can make an existing hair loss problem worse, they can't cause extensive baldness throughout the scalp to actually start. They also fail to answer these questions:

1. Why does remnant hair sometimes last long after baldness has developed? (Remnant hair is thick, strong, healthy hair that grows within the MPB region despite extensive hair loss all around it).

2. Why do 20% of men start losing hair at puberty, whilst others don't start until much later on in life?

3. Why do some people lose hair from the front, back or both these regions of the scalp?

4. Why is it that hair can fall faster in one region of the scalp than it does in the other?

Skull expansion however, does provide answers to all these questions. Put quite simply, the skull shape and size varies between those who lose hair, and those who do not. This graphic shows you that, those who lose hair generally have a more rounded skull shape, whilst those who keep their hair have a more flat skull shape. But you can also see this for yourself. Simply look around you - People you meet everyday, watch on your way to work, or see in newspapers, magazines or on tv. Just look at the skull shape of those with hair, and those with complete hair loss.

The evidence is impossible to ignore!

Skull expansion is the true cause of male pattern baldness.

Find out what it is, and how it helped me to completely reverse my own hair loss problem - Skull Expansion Causes Hair Loss.

For a full explanation of skull expansion grab your copy of Skull Expansion – True Cause of Genetic Hair Loss.

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