Is It Bad To Touch Your Hair A Lot?

In the weeks leading up to my high school finals, I developed a habit of touching my hair (and sometimes pulling) when I was studying. My classmate warned me of imminent hair loss but I didn’t think much of it. But is it bad to touch your hair a lot?

Let’s admit it – almost everyone likes to play with their hair.

You are probably guilty of always trying to make sure that your hair looks its best.

You, therefore, find yourself trying to touch your hair after every few minutes.

As much as touching and playing with your hair may seem harmless, this habit can eventually lead to you damaging your hair.

However, in the case where you have perfectly healthy hair, touching your hair occasionally during the day shouldn’t be a problem.

However, doing it too much can cause problems over time.

Why Is Touching Your Hair Too Much Bad?

In the event that your hair gets damaged, you may be quick to blame it on hair products, the weather, water, and a whole host of things.

Well, while some of these things could be the culprits, the act of playing with your hair absent-mindedly may be the cause of your problems.

I know it touching your hair sounds like a harmless thing to do, but there are a few reasons why you really need to tone it down.

 

It makes your hair greasy

First, touching your hair makes it too greasy.

Nobody likes oily hair.

When you are used to touching your hair frequently, the oils present on your hands eventually get transferred to your hair.

This is worse when you have hands that are naturally oily hands.

Just because you cannot keep your hands off your hair, you are stuck with a greasy head of hair.

 

Disrupts the hair’s moisture levels

In contrast to the build-up of extra oils in your hair, you can also remove the natural oils present in your hair by touching it too much.

Remember the natural oils and moisture are what make your hair look shiny and healthy.

So when you have your hands up in your hair every two minutes, it can disrupt your hair’s moisture levels.

As a result, your hair becomes less elastic.

It also ends up getting quite dry and prone to breakage.

 

Tangled hair

Touching your hair often also increases the chances of getting your hair tangled, which is not a good thing.

You probably know how difficult it is to deal with tangled hair.

Working your way out of tangled hair is a task you would not want on your plate.

It is, therefore, better to keep your hands off your hair.

 

Dirt transfer

In your day-to-day activities, your hands accumulate dirt that may not be good for your hair.

Dirt is not healthy for your hair and may even clog your hair follicles.

If you are a length chaser, the first thing you’ll want to keep your scalp clean.

This is because a clean scalp promotes the fast growth of healthy hair.

External dirt and oils mixing with your hair’s natural oils can never end well.

The visible dirt, therefore, causes an unnecessary build-up.

Your hair, thus, doesn’t grow very well.

With this in mind, you might want to keep your hands off your hair.

 

It causes frizz

Touching your hair too much causes frizz.

As your fingers touch your hair, they steal away the natural oils in your hair, making the strands dry and susceptible to breakage.

You can always avoid the temptation of touching your hair and making it frizzy by putting it up in a bun if it’s long enough.

 

Hair thinning

Ok, I saved the worst for last.

The thing is that constant pulling and playing with the hair strains your scalp.

Pulling your hair often can also eventually cause damage to your hair cuticle.

A strained scalp and damaged hair cuticle is a perfect recipe for your hair to thin out.

In severe situations, you may end up in a situation where your hair falls out.

This creates bald patches on your head.

Now that is a gruesome image, and you wouldn’t want that kind of struggle.

 

How Do You Keep Your Hands Out Of Your Hair?

It is probably overwhelming how touching your hair frequently could be damaging to your hair.

You are probably wondering how you can stop this habit.

The good thing is that even if it may seem impossible for now, you can actually learn how to keep your hands off your hair.

Here are a few tips to help you refrain from touching your hair.

 

Focus on something else

Another way of getting your hands off your hair is to focus your mind (and hands) on something else.

It may sound like a challenging thing to do, but you can achieve it.

Focus your hands-on activities that will keep them busy like writing, cooking, or a hobby that fulfills you.

You will notice that your hand-in-hair syndrome slowly fades away as you get more active and engage in other things.

 

Know your triggers

It is also essential that you know your triggers.

In most cases, the hand-in-hair syndrome tends to be a reflex action.

In my case back in high school, I was stressed out over the upcoming final and subconsciously started touching my hair, and eventually started pulling it.

It wasn’t until I pulled out several strands of hair one day that I realized that this was now becoming a problem.

I knew my trigger was the stress and anxiety that was building up over the upcoming finals.

Once I started telling myself that the finals were not the end of the world, the situation started to improve.

You should probably try to take note and monitor when you continuously touch your hair.

By doing this, you will help yourself get mindful as to when you try to touch your hair and eventually stop yourself from playing with it.

 

Tying your hair in a bun

As I’d mentioned in one of the sections above, tying your hair in a bun will prevent your hands from wandering into the hair.

A bun keeps your hair intact. Make sure the bun is not too tight to avoid damaging your edges.

 

Wear a protective style

Getting a protective hairstyle will also help in keeping your strands locked away.

A protective hairstyle is a hairdo that tucks your ends away and protects the hair from constant manipulation (such as the hand-in-hair habit) and extreme weather conditions.

Examples of protective hairstyles include braids, wigs, weaves, or cornrows.

Wearing low manipulation styles could also be an excellent choice to keep your hands off your hair.

It is fulfilling to look good and protect your hair at the same time.

 

Covering your hair

When you’re at home, try covering your hair with a satin scarf or satin bonnet to avoid the temptation to touch your hair.

This is an effective way to help keep your hands off your hair.

 

Conclusion

Keeping your hair healthy is everyone’s goal, and watching it get damaged is never a delightful sight.

Touching the hair too much may seem harmless, but doing this does a lot of damage to your hair and your scalp.

Playing with your hair creates frizz, makes your hair tangle, disrupt your hair’s moisture levels, make it greasy and cause the build-up of dirt.

In the worst-case scenario, it can cause your hair to thin, which can eventually lead to hair loss.

So, Is it bad to touch your hair a lot? Yes.

Pulling your hair can lead to bald patches in your hair.

Who wants to end up in such a situation?

It is, therefore, important that you avoid playing with your hair.

This may sound like a goal that is difficult to achieve, but you can do it by following simple and practical tips such as trying to focus on other things and knowing your triggers.

This can help you break the hand-in-hair syndrome and maintain healthy hair.