Causes of Hair Damage

Hair damage may cause splitting, breaking and thinning of your hair and result in complications such as patchy or complete baldness if left untreated. The causes of hair damage include personal habits, hygiene practices, exposure or overdose of certain chemicals and infections of the scalp. Consider this information about the causes of hair damage from the National Library of Medicine.

Styling

• Excessive brushing or pulling hair into tight styles, such as buns and ponytails, may cause your hair to break or split.

Dyes

• Hair dyes, especially those that contain hydrogen peroxide, can damage the shaft and follicles of your hair, causing hair to fall out or break.

Relaxers and Perms

• Chemical hair relaxers that straighten hair, as well as perms that use chemicals to make hair wave or curl, can damage the scalp and hair shaft.

Appliances

• Appliances such as hair dryers and curling or straightening irons can pull your hair and cause breakage of the hair shaft if they are frequently or improperly used.

Vitamin Overdose

• Taking too many multivitamin or dietary supplements, especially those that contain selenium, can cause toxicity that results in hair loss.

Folliculitis

• Folliculitis is a bacterial infection of your hair follicles that can cause hair to fall out and prevent new hair from growing.

Poisoning

• Poisoning from chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides and manufacturing chemicals can cause breakage, thinning and hair loss.