Hair loss is a common concern that affects many people at some point in their lives. Whether it is thinning hair, a receding hairline, or patchy spots, the cause can often feel like a mystery.
If you have noticed your hair thinning recently, you may be wondering what could be behind it. One possible culprit that may have crossed your mind is your headphones. You may be asking yourself if wearing headphones can cause hair loss.
Below, we will explore the role your headphones could play. Then, we will show you how you can prevent or at least minimise hair loss.
To get started, let us explore the main causes of hair falling out.
What Causes Hair Loss?
Before we can answer the question “Can wearing headphones cause hair loss?”, you will need to understand why it happens. Understanding how this loss can happen will also help you understand your situation.
Common Reasons for Hair Loss
You can lose your hair for a number of natural or accidental reasons. The following are the most likely reasons your hair may fall:
-
Traction alopecia: This refers to when you lose hair due to pulling, like when you often wear tight buns or braids.
-
Genetics: You could have a predisposition for male or female-patterned baldness.
-
Medical treatment: Some treatments, such as chemotherapy, can cause temporary or permanent loss of hair.
-
Stress: Stress or an emotional shock can cause temporary baldness.
-
Poor nutrition: If your diet is low in iron, your hair may fall out.
-
Age: As you age, your hair may thin out naturally.
-
Medical condition: Some diseases can cause hair loss.
-
Scarring: Scarring from injuries or burns can create bald spots.
Temporary vs. Permanent Hair Loss
Your loss or thinning of hair can be temporary or permanent. Usually, only scarring, chemotherapy to the head, and genetic and age-related hair fallout will be permanent.
The rest of the common causes of hair fall, such as traction alopecia, will be temporary since they will go away once you deal with the underlying issue.
This is because chemotherapy to the head can affect the way hair grows on your head. Meanwhile, age and genetic-related reasons are caused by hormones. Nevertheless, you may be able to manage or slow it down with medication.
The Connection between Headphones and Hair Loss
Wearing headphones can be a normal part of your life, so learning that it could affect your hair could be worrying. To help you deal with these concerns, we will discuss the effect of headphones on your scalp.
Can Wearing Headphones Really Cause Hair Loss?
Generally, wearing headphones occasionally will not affect your hair. So, when can wearing headphones cause hair loss?
You are more likely to lose your hair if you wear headphones with a tight headband or on-ear cups that press on your hair. It is only when you wear headphones for a long time, such as for radio hosting, telemarketing, streaming, or gaming, that you might be at risk. e, or frequently move your headphones.
Traction Alopecia: A Hair Loss Risk to Watch for
When you wear tight headphones for a long time, the headband may pull on your hair. This tension on your hair follicles can cause traction alopecia.
This causes your hair to fall out at a more rapid rate than it grows back. Over the course of months, you will lose more and more hair.
Myths vs. Reality: Headphones and Hair Loss
Although it is true that you may lose some hair while wearing headphones, some myths are just that: Myths.
To help you sort out the facts from the unproven theories, here are a few hair loss myths science has already debunked:
-
Headphone traction alopecia is impossible because there is no headband baldness. Actually, reports show that wearing a tight headband that pulls on your hair will cause baldness.
-
Headphone traction alopecia is impossible because there is no sleep-baldness. The fact is babies can have sleep-baldness simply from lying down in the same position, causing frequent friction that causes hair to fall out. The reason why adults are less likely to have this problem is because babies sleep 5 – 7 hours more than adults according to reports.
-
Balding is only caused by genetics: Balding can have many other reasons apart from genetics. Studies even show that smoking can cause balding.
How to Prevent Hair Loss while Using Headphones
Even if the answer to the question “Can wearing headphones cause hair loss?” is yes, there are things you can do to minimise this effect.
The following advice will help you prevent your hair from falling out.
Choosing the Right Headphones
When you want to minimise losing your hair, you should buy open-ear headphones that are high quality and fit you properly.
A great example is OpenFit Air. These open-ear models have the following features you should be on the lookout for that reduce hair fallout:
-
No ear cups: Your headphones should have no ear cups that press on your hairline. The OpenFit Air does not cover your ears; instead, it uses bone conduction to transmit sound.
-
Quality material: The headphones should have quality material to prevent rubbing or friction from affecting your hair. For instance, the OpenFit Air has a matte silicone material that does not cause hair breakage.
-
No overhead band: You should choose a pair of headphones that do not have an overhead headband, like the OpenFit Air. Instead, this model wraps around your ears, preventing any hair-pulling.
Adjusting Your Headphone Usage Habits
Even if you wear headphones often, you can prevent hair loss by changing how you use them. The following tips will make wearing headphones less likely to cause hair fall out:
-
Take breaks: By wearing your headphones less, you will reduce the tension that causes your hair to fall out.
-
Maintain your hair well: You should clean your scalp and hair and have a balanced diet to ensure your hair is not so brittle that friction cuts it.
-
Wear headphones lower: Instead of wearing your headphones with the band pressing down on the crown of your head, you should wear it lower. The band should wrap around the back of your head.
-
Use a cushion: Wear a beanie or other fabric on your head or on the headphone band to minimise friction on your hair.
Conclusion
In this blog, we have had a thorough discussion on “Can wearing headphones cause hair loss”, and found that the answer can be yes at times.
Occasional headphone use will not cause your hair to fall out. Still, if you do wear them often or they are tight on your head or on your ears, the tension can cause hair to fall out.
Nevertheless, you should keep in mind that a number of other reasons, from poor nutrition to old age, can also cause hair loss. Some of these causes can be managed, so you should use our hair fall prevention tips listed above to help you keep your hair.
As for your headphones, switch to a model that does not add tension to your head, like the OpenFit Air. This open-ear model from Shokz will warp around your ear, and its silicone material will not break your hair.
