Nearly two out of every three men will start a balding process by the time they reach 60 years of age. It’s a painful truth because being bald carries a lot of stigma to many men.
The main reasons that men try to hold onto the last thread of hair they can, it’s because they don’t want to feel old or ugly. There’s some insecurity in both reasons that are perfectly understandable. That’s why we try our best to avoid things that could cause baldness.
That got me thinking, does wearing a cap cause hair loss? The answer is no. Wearing a cap will not cause anyone to lose hair. It will speed up the process though if your cap is dirty. Dirty caps may cause bacterial infection on your scalp, and that speed up the hair loss process.
Now, there are things that can cause hair loss, and there are things that are not hair loss but can be damaging to your hair that you can get from wearing a cap. Below we’ll explore each one of those options.
Anyway, the truth is that nothing like hats, caps, and hair products will cause hair loss. Now, even though those things won’t cause hair loss, they may speed up the process. They will make the inevitable arrive earlier. Maybe even by a decade. So, keep reading and find out what you should avoid.
What Damages A Cap Causes To Your Hair
We did get out of the way that a cap won’t cause hair loss. So, if you’re currently experiencing any hair loss, the problem is most likely genetic. Still, there are damages to your follicles that a cap can cause.
In this case, the main problem is that caps can cause scalp infections. This only happens when your cap is dirty. This can lead to a scalp infection, which in turns speed up the hair loss process.
The best alternative for this, it’s to constantly rotate your caps. You could also always make sure that they’re clean. If this is not enough for you, you can stop wearing caps altogether.
It’s important to point out though, that stop wearing caps is not necessary. You can still do it, just make sure that yours is always clean. Otherwise, you will develop minor scalp infections that will accelerate your hair loss. I recommend the quick drying Ellewin Cap (link to Amazon).
Now, assuming that you always take care of your caps and they’re always clean, you should still worry about the health of your hair follicles. Don’t wear a cap for long hours because it doesn’t allow the scalp and the hair to breathe.
Dandruff Can Happen
In most cases, dandruff won’t happen due to the wearing of caps. Still, they can stimulate their appearance. Not only that but if you are sensitive to oleic acid, it will cause irritation on your scalp.
Also, wearing caps for long periods will make your scalp humid and warm, which are perfect conditions for bacterial infection and even fungi. That’s why is never a good idea to spend a whole day wearing a cap.
You can alternate and not wear it every day or take it off when you’re indoors. As long as you don’t spend hours wearing a cap, you’ll be fine. A good tip is to notice if your head is itching or in pain.
Now, it’s not only important to make sure that your cap is clean and that you don’t wear it for far too long, but to also make sure that your hair is always clean. To avoid developing dandruff, make sure that your hair is always clean and that your scalp isn’t too oily. If you have a problem with dandruff, try Nizoral Anti-Dandruff shampoo (link to Amazon).
Why You’re Losing Hair
So, we’re talking about caps and how they speed up the hair loss process. Although it’s important to point out that they don’t technically speed up the process, the bacterial infection does, which is caused by wearing dirty caps.
Now, it’s important to begin to explain why you’re losing your hair. The answer can be complex but it’s not that difficult to get to it. Hair loss happens due to genetic factors.
Usually, all the other things are either myths or things that speed up something that would already happen in any other way. This means that you would go bald whether you wore the caps or you used a certain product.
Still, if you knew that you could go bald at 70 instead of at 60, I believe you’d rather go bald at 70, which brings the obvious solutions. Avoid the external factors that can speed up the hair loss process.
Below there are the 2 main culprits when we talk about hair loss; genetics and hormones.
Genetics
Genetics is like the lottery. You can either win big or get out of there with nothing. The worse thing is that you can’t do anything to avoid the outcome. Although environmental and behavioral factors do play a role, you can pretty much say that you’re destined to become a bald guy no matter what you do.
The good news, so we don’t all get depressed, is that there are treatments for it. Propecia and Rogaine are new treatments that are showing promising results of, at least, slowing down the hair loss process.
Going back to genetics, there’s this idea that you get your baldness heritage from your mother. It is somewhat true since the genes come from the X chromosome, but if your father was bald, you have more chances of becoming part of the group.
So, your baldness does come from your mother’s side but your father’s history is important as well. The best you can do is to pay attention if your hair is getting thinner and go see a specialist.
Hormones
Hormones are responsible for a lot of things in our bodies, including hair growth. For that reason, they can be involved in your hair loss. Now, the hair loss due to a hormonal imbalance may be caused by another illness.
It could also be a genetic factor playing a larger role in your hormonal imbalance, which would ultimately make this about your genetics again. If it is due to illness, you’ll have to treat that one first, and hair growth will follow.
Now, what matters to you is that if your hair loss comes from a hormonal issue, you could treat it with hormonal injections. This is something that you will have to discuss with your physician.
Hormonal imbalance can be avoided with a healthy diet. There’s no scientific proven hair growth diet, but there are certain foods that can help you produce more of certain hormones. In that case, it’s always a good idea to try and see what works for you.
Emotional Trauma Can Accelerate the Process
In this case, emotional trauma can be depression, stress, or the loss of a loved one. Some of these things are avoidable and some aren’t. The ones that are under your control, you should do your best to minimize them.
Here’s what happens, emotional trauma in itself won’t make you lose your hair. Actually, it can but not permanently. If you ever lose your hair due to emotional trauma, it will grow back.
Now, if you already have the genes to go bald, stress can speed up the process. The constant chemical imbalance would activate the genetic factors faster and start the process of, at least, making your hair thinner.
Obviously, the best you can do is to avoid those agents. Try to relax more and minimize all the daily stress. Exercise more and look for activities that would eliminate stress and avoid depression.
Wash Your Caps Frequently
As we’ve stressed quite a lot in this article, wearing caps won’t make you go bald, but they can speed up the process. The only way they can do that is if you wear dirty hats. Those caps can cause bacterial infection on your scalp that in turn could make you go bald.
So, the best way to avoid this is to wash your caps frequently. I recommend Shout Staining Removing Gel (link to Amazon) if you have sweat stains on your cap. Here’s what you can do. Never wear the same cap two days in a row. Never wear a cap that your head sweat while wearing it or that you didn’t wash.
If you do this, you’re pretty much good to go. Just always wear clean caps and your hair will be fine.
Related Questions:
Does wearing a cap slow hair growth?
Yes. Although wearing a cap won’t make you go bald, it will slow hair growth. Wearing caps prevent the pores in your scalp from breathing. This is essential for hair growth. So, if you’re using a product for hair loss or you’ve recently lost hair due to stress, you should avoid wearing caps at all cost.
Why does my scalp hurt after wearing a hat?
There are two main reasons why. The first one is that your hair follicle spends a long time bent when you’re wearing a cap. This makes it put pressure on the scalp, which in turn make it itchy and in pain. Now, the other reason is that you might be putting too much pressure on your skull and thus causing the pain.
