Healthy habits for your hair

Throughout our lives, we all develop habits that have an impact on our bodies. Some of these habits are beneficial, while others can be harmful, so it is important to ensure that the good habits far outweigh the bad ones. As expected, these habits also influence good hair health. For this reason, maintaining healthy habits for your hair is essential.

As we all know, one of the worst habits we can have is smoking. Tobacco consumption introduces toxins into the body, which are carried through the bloodstream from the lungs to every organ and tissue. This also affects the hair follicles, which become weakened due to the vasoconstriction caused by nicotine, reducing their blood supply and nutrient delivery. As a result, the follicles weaken, reach the end of their life cycle sooner, and hair loss may progress more rapidly.

It is also important to maintain healthy eating habits, as a diet high in ultra-processed foods, fats, and sugars may contribute to the progression of hair loss.

The Importance of Healthy Habits for Your Hair

Other habits, however, are beneficial for our hair health. These include washing your hair with lukewarm water and using a pH-neutral shampoo during bathing. Good overall hydration, achieved by drinking two to three litres of water a day, together with a balanced diet, helps provide the nutrients necessary to maintain healthy, well-nourished hair.

It is also important not to overuse chemical products applied to the hair, such as hairspray, gel, or wax, in order to prevent damage to the follicles. Continuous and/or daily use of these products can hinder proper oxygenation of the hair and may also damage the internal properties of the follicle.

On the other hand, a good healthy habit for your hair is regular physical exercise, including both strength training and cardio. These are routines that should therefore be incorporated into our daily lives.

Frequently asked questions

Do good habits influence a hair transplant?

Good habits influence our entire life, and it is advisable to maintain them whether or not we are going to undergo a procedure. However, answering the question is simple: yes, a hair transplant combined with healthy habits can lead to faster recovery and better progression.

Is it necessary to stop smoking days before a hair transplant?

It is advisable to quit smoking as early as possible and, although it is not strictly necessary, it is recommended to avoid smoking in the days prior to the procedure.

Can good habits reduce hair loss?

Androgenetic alopecia is a type of hair loss that will develop whether or not we have good habits. However, taking care of our body can make it progress more slowly and may help it stabilize sooner compared to unhealthy habits.

Dr. Espinosa Custodio works at Instituto Médico del Prado, his hair clinic in Madrid, and performs hair transplants in Mexico, twice a year. If you would like to make an appointment, you can contact us on +34 912 468 664, on WhatsApp +34 627 396 322 or on the contact page of our website. From Mexico you can contact us at +52 55 4590 9909.