There has been a myth about hair fall and its relation to wearing hats for a long time, but no scientific explanations support this myth. To understand this statement, first, we need to understand the process of hair fall and all the factors that play a role in it.
Some of these factors are environmental, while some are related to the genes of a person. Let’s discuss these factors one by one and see if any of these provide us any proof of hair loss due to hats.
Environmental Factors:
The surroundings play a significant role in the physical health of a person. Much like the skin color that becomes tan due to continuous exposure to the sunlight, other environmental factors play a role in hair loss.
1- Dust
The amount of dust and other pollutants in the air can play a significant role in hair loss if they exceed an average set point. Many dust particles can stick to the scalp and cause hair roots to damage over time. This leads to the weakening of the hair and can, over time, cause significant hair loss.
Wearing a hat in such an environment can help reduce hair loss. The hat acts as a barrier between the hair and the dust and does not let the dust reach the hair scalp or the roots. Under such conditions, it is advisable to wear a hat to protect your hair from any damage.
2- Moisture
In the hair roots, there are sebaceous glands that produce sebum. The scalp of our hair has to be washed regularly to prevent this sebum buildup in the roots that causes the weakening of the hair roots. If the moisture in the environment is more than an average point, it can cause excess sebum production that leads to hair loss over time.
Wearing a hat in such conditions can mitigate the effect of the moisture in the air and lead to excess sebum and sweat in the hair follicles. The accumulation of sweat and sebum thus causes hair root damage and promotes hair loss.
3- Water
Water has a significant impact on the health of your hair. In many places, the water has some heavy metals and other salts that can have devastating effects on the health of one’s hair. Heavy metals and such salts damage the hair, body, and roots. This makes the rough and brittle, thus leading to acute hair loss.
Wearing a hat under such circumstances can prevent the rough and brittle hair from further damage due to environmental factors but does not cause hair loss.
How can Hats cause hair loss?
Wearing a hat can prevent any damage from environmental factors, but a question arises here: Can a hat cause hair loss in any way or cause hair damage? The answer to this question is yes. There are some conditions under which wearing a hat can affect your hairline. They are mentioned below.
-Wearing a tight hat.
A tight hat can put pressure on your head and cause hair loss in several ways. The fundamental reason is that a tight hat puts pressure around your head and can cause your hair to pull due to the pressure. This external pressure causes the hair roots to pull and eventually become weak. The weak hair roots do not have enough holding power to hold the hair in place, and thus the loose hair breaks off and causes hair loss.
Another way through which a tight hat can cause hair loss is by damaging the hair body. The hair body becomes weak by constant pressure and eventually breaks off. This also leads to hair loss and a receding hairline.
-Wearing a thick hat.
The type of fabric that your hat is made up of also affects the hair. For example, wearing a hat manufactured using a thick fabric will not allow any air to pass through the hat and cause sweating of the hair scalp. The sebum and the sweat will weaken the hair roots and eventually start hair loss.
-Duration you wear a hat.
A hat does not affect your scalp hair if it is worn for short durations of time during the day, but if you continue to wear a hat for a much more extended period, such as the whole day, it can cause some hair damage. This occurs on the same principle as described above. The longer you wear a hat, the longer you restrict airflow in your scalp hair. The loss of hair flow leads to damage to the hair roots. Under such conditions, the hair begins to fall due to restricted airflow and free movement.
2-Genetic Factors
Apart from the environmental factors, a person’s genetic makeup has a massive impact on hair loss. The problem of hair loss is far more significant in men than women due to hormones and genetic makeup. This may be attributed to the excess testosterone hormone in the male body that causes hair loss in men compared to women. Since this hormone is much greater in men than women, men face hair loss much more than the opposite gender.
The hair loss in men may also be attributed to pattern baldness. This is a genetic factor that depends on the genetic makeup of the affected person. You may have pattern baldness running in your family and maybe genetically disposed to hair loss over time.
Conclusion:
Properly wearing a hat causes no hair loss as long as you take care of your hair in a proper manner and do not wear a hat that damages your hair. A hat can act as a barrier between the environmental pollutants and prevent hair loss if it is due to environmental factors and not genetic factors.