The Surprising Habit Thinning Your Hair

Hair loss is pretty common among women. The American Academy of Dermatology estimates that about 40 percent of women experience visible hair loss by the time they hit 40. Lots of things can cause this—stress, not eating right, age, hormonal changes… It’s no fun.

Most of the time, women don’t go full-on bald, unless there’s an underlying health reason—more commonly, our hair just begins to thin out. What used to be your long, luscious locks turn into sad-looking straggly strands of hair. Sound familiar?

Personally, I notice this the most in the bathroom. I’m constantly finding loose strands of my hair in the sink or shower drain. And when we’re in the kitchen, my husband is regularly picking it out of his food. (TMI? I’m sorry.) If you have thinning hair too, you (and your spouse or roommate) probably know the struggle of this!

I used to think that thinning hair was just a genetic thing and there was nothing I could do to stop it, nor did I think there was something I could be doing that was causing my hair to thin out.

But it turns out there is a weird habit that could be causing your hair to thin. Especially if you’re noticing that it’s only thinning on one side. 

Are you guilty of this hair-thinning culprit?

First, I want you to think about every time you’re leaving your house. For example, maybe you put the dog in his crate, turn out the lights, grab your keys—what else?

Do you sling a purse over your shoulder, perhaps? Now, think about which side you usually wear your purse. Is it the side where you have thinner hair on your head?

How do the two connect, you ask? Answer: The wear and tear of your purse strap pulling on the strands of your hair can actually cause your hair follicles to become weak, causing breakage and thinning.

It can even cause you to accidentally pull the hair out completely, especially if you’re in a hurry. I can’t even count how many times I’ve yanked on my hair under the purse strap to get it out of there! I had no idea that was possibly causing damage to my locks.

How to avoid this daily habit ruining your hair

If you too are the culprit of this annoying purse-hair struggle, don’t fret. Here’s what you can do to avoid worsening hair damage:

  1. Opt for a clutch.

    Clutches don’t have a strap and let you hold the bag far away from your precious hair.

  2. Clip your hair back.

    Put your hair in a side pony tail opposite the side you carry your bag on. That will lessen the chance of any hair getting caught under the straps.

  3. Use a no-slip hair tie.

    If you’re more of a hair-down kind of girl, use a hair tie that won’t cause creases to your hair to tie your hair back. Just use it during the time you’re walking with your purse, and take it out when you’re ready to set your purse down. Win-win for all!

What do you think about this annoying hair-thinning culprit? Are you victim to purse hair?