The internet is awash with scary stories from women with tearful testimonials lamenting about scalp issues, thinning hair, balding spots and split ends that they believe were caused by shampoos. The narrative gets, even more, petrifying when you take into account that most standard shampoos in the market utilize questionable and long-worded ingredients that do little or nothing for your hair's health. But can shampoo cause hair loss? And, most importantly, is it normal to lose hair in the shower? Let's do a deep dive into this highly contested and debated topic.
Is There a Specific Shampoo that Causes Hair Loss? Debunking the Myth
There have been reports that there is a specific type of shampoo that causes hair loss. But even before extrapolating further on this, it is imperative to first-of-all understand how exactly a shampoo can aggravate your strands to the point of causing hair loss or breakage. Here's the thing, the continual build-up of hair products and shampoo ingredients on your scalp can block the development of hair follicles and cause inflammation. This eventually culminates into weaker hair strands and insufficiently nourished tresses.
It's probable that your shampoo is the only product that you regularly and routine massage directly into the scalp. As such, it is exceedingly critical that all ingredients wash off completely as soon as you step out of the shower. Ordinary shampoos contain a selection of thickening resins, emulsifying compounds, silicons, and conditioners that can stick to your strands, scalp or follicles potentially precipitating hair loss.
So, does shampoo cause hair loss? The answer to this dilemma is not as straightforward as we would like to think. For starters, at this juncture, you probably already know that no two people have exactly the same type of skin. As such, it then goes without saying our scalps have entirely different needs and what works for your hair follicles may not necessarily work for the next person. In short, shampooing is more or less a personal preference that is chiefly dictated by an individual's scalp type, the texture of their hair and the frequency of their washing regimen.
And this leads us to the following question; can shampoo make your hair fall out? As much as overwashing the strands have been linked to perpetual dryness and subsequent damage almost always follows, irregular and infrequent washing at times will most certainly lead to lifeless and greasy hair for most people.
The reason being, just like your skin, the cells of the scalp also secrete sebum. When optimally produced, the sebum keeps your scalp adequately moisturized and gives the tresses a healthy sheen. Excessive sebum, on the other extreme side of the spectrum, creates an unwanted breeding ground for dandruff-causing yeast while also predisposing it to a wide range of bacterial infections.
Speaking of which, regular use of cosmetic hair styling products such as mouse, gel, hair sprays and dry shampoos can lead to a product buildup on your scalp. The layers of dead skin cells, dirt, oil and assorted hair care ingredients can progressively clog your pores, something that can result in damaged hair and scalp infections. That's the reason it is important to cleanse your scalp regularly and properly, as this goes a long way in eliminating product buildup.
This brings up the question, can certain shampoos cause hair loss? Well, standard shampoos contain an array of chemicals known as surfactants that assist in clearing surface debris from the hair and scalp by bringing it to the 'surface' where you can then wash it off as you rinse your tresses. However, other shampoos will additionally contain sulfates. These sulfates produce a rich and texturized lather that cleans the scalp thoroughly and gets rid of excess oil.
Having said that, shampoos that contain too much sulfate in their formulation are not ideal for the health of your hair as they typically result in damage and dryness in the long run. If anything, that's the reason it's imperative to incorporate a conditioner since it acts as a much-needed moisturizing agent for the strands, adding that extra smoothness, texture and shine needed to restore the balance of pH and biochemicals to your hair. Failure to condition your hair properly may seem like using shampoo makes hair fall out.
That aside here's a quick primer on whether or not specific subsets of shampoos cause hair loss.
Does Dandruff Shampoo Cause Hair Loss?
One of the major concerns regarding shampoo usage revolves around questions like, "does dandruff shampoo cause hair loss?". Well, among the numerous floating around washing your hair with dandruff shampoos, the most common one is that over-shampooing could lead to loss of hair. Let's attempt to debunk it.
Predominantly speaking, anti-dandruff shampoos contain selenium sulfide which plays a vital role as an antifungal agent that can address the irritation and itching on the scalp. Intrinsically, as much as dandruff can be an extremely frustrating and embarrassing condition, the genesis of the itch can be traced to fungal organisms or, in certain cases, the overexposure of scalp irritants. The selenium sulfide that is added to conventional anti-dandruff shampoos to stem the proliferation of seborrhoeic dermatitis-causing organisms is capable of causing extreme hair dryness or even some minor hair discoloration in some people.
Nonetheless, you have to remember that dandruff (or seborrhoeic dermatitis) by itself typically leads to hair loss, especially if not addressed promptly. As such, it is not uncommon for people suffering from this condition to experience some minimal hair loss either way. The selenium sulfide in this type of shampoos can exacerbate hair loss by irritating the scalp even further. This may make it seem like the anti-dandruff shampoo is causing you to lose your hair, but in reality, it is not.
Can Dry Shampoo Cause Hair Loss?
Anyone who is considering shifting to this type of shampoo has asked themself this question at some point, "Can dry shampoo cause hair loss?" The short answer to this persistently present query is, maybe, but only when used wrongly and in excess.
The long story? Whether or not using dry shampoo can lead to hair loss will depend on you and your hair or skin type. Your scalp health also comes into play, as well as the habits that characterize your shampooing regime including the routine you use. Dry shampoo, at the end of the day, is an oil-absorbing powder and its build-up (like any other cosmetic product) may irritate your scalp to the point of weakening your hair follicles and trigger hair loss.
The solution here is to try and limit the usage of such a shampoo to not more than twice a week. In fact, experts recommend using it only as a stop-gap additive to your normal shampooing regime but not as the main replacement for standard shampooing.
Therefore, to answer the question, does dry shampoo make your hair fall out? Using a dry shampoo can make it seem like your hair is falling off even when it is actually not and everything is normal. At the end of the day, dry shampoo is one sticky substance that tends to build up progressively, particularly when used frequently. Under certain circumstances, this stickiness resembles bald spots since the strands get tangled together during grooming and adhere to the comb when brushing through it.
Does 2 in 1 Shampoo Cause Hair Loss?
You may have heard about this unique type of shampoo that combines a cleansing agent and an accompanying conditioner in one medium, And one of the many pertinent issues that most people have about this is, does 2 in 1 shampoo cause hair loss?
The thing is that shampoos are, at their most basic form, nothing but cleansing agents. Fundamentally, they are designed to wash out grime and dead cells while lifting off product build-up from your otherwise sensitive scalp. The reason using a 2-in-1 shampoo plus conditioner is not recommended for people with already thinning hair emanates from the fact that such hair cleansers are typically loaded with a flurry of ingredients that are tailored to linger within your hair strands even after a proper rinsing out session. In a way, this does not usually translate to a very healthy scalp, mostly for people with very oily ones.
Can Purple Shampoo Cause Hair Loss?
Some women swear by this niche-specific product, but does purple shampoo make your hair fall out?
The truth is that color-correcting and hair highlighting shampoos are a bit of a mystery. Most people have a love-hate relationship with them in that while they may be quite useful in helping you deal with brassiness, overdoing it leaves behind a certain unsightly purple haze to your hair. And this mainly applies to those with a color-treated blonde mane that stains easily or has an extremely high color porosity.
In other words, as long as you are using the right purple shade to correct your hair's brassiness, a purple shampoo should not leave behind that unappealing shade of bluish-green haze on your stresses. And just like any other shampoo, correct and consistent usage is required to avert possible hair loss.
Chemical in Shampoo that Causes Hair Loss
As much as these hair cleansers are really handy in keeping our precious tresses in excellent condition, there's no denying that there are certain chemical in shampoo that causes hair loss. Trichologists and dermatologists would advise you to take a long and hard look at your shampooing regime when you start seeing a lot of shed hair strands in your shower drain. And this leads to the mind-boggling question, what ingredients in shampoo cause hair loss?
As much as manufacturers of hair products may not directly reveal what is in shampoo that causes hair loss, the following not-so-friendly chemical compounds are usually the main culprits.
- Laureth sulfate
- Sodium lauryl sulfate
- Chemical Fragrances
- Sodium Chloride
- Parabens
- Propylene Glycol
- Diethanolamine (DEA) and Triethanolamine (TEA)
As you can see, most of the above ingredients are synthetically grown compounds that add zero value to the health of your locks. And the only way to avoid this pitfall and steer clear of potential hair loss is to go for shampoos and hair conditioners that utilize only 100% natural ingredients that actually impart beneficial properties to your mane and not just laden with fillers.
A good example of such a product is Bloommy's Biotin Collagen and Keratin Shampoo. This hair cleansing gem specifically excludes silicone, parabens and artificial fragrances in its formulation to protect your tresses from dryness and possible damage while at the same time infusing a concoction of useful elements into your scalp to support the thriving of a healthy-looking mane.
The Takeaway
The art and practice of shampooing has really come a long way - from the days of yore when a bar of soap and water was all that was used to maintain hair hygiene. Nonetheless, despite the remarkable leaps and bounds that we have made in hair care, some cosmetic product manufacturers are still cutting corners and putting out substandard shampoos in the market. It's your duty to thoroughly scrutinize the list of ingredients in any hair cleanser (prior to using it) just to make sure that you're not allergic to any of them.
