Hair Shaft Damage Causes Thinning Hair

Has thinning hair become a problem? The shafts of your hair may be damaged. Here's what causes hair shaft damage, and what you can do about it.

Your hair is thinning fast and you don’t know why. It could be that the shafts of your hair have been damaged. Here’s what you need to know about how hair shaft damage causes thinning hair, and how to fix the problem fast.

What is a hair shaft?
The hair shaft is the portion of your hair that projects from your scalp. It is nonliving and cannot replace or replenish itself. Your hair shaft is made up of three parts: cuticle, cortex, and medulla.

The medulla is the innermost part of the hair shaft. It is responsible for the core strength of the hair. The cortex surrounds the medulla and is protected by the cuticle, which is composed of six to eight layers of flattened cells that overlap each other from root to the tip. A normal cuticle has a smooth surface that allows light to penetrate to the cortex. But this smooth surface is vulnerable to damage from weather and chemical treatments. When it's damaged, the cuticle is not able to provide enough protection to the cortex, which leaves the cortex exposed to heat and pollution, among other harmful conditions, and ultimately causes damaged and thinning hair.

How does the hair shaft become damaged in the first place?
Because the hair shaft is largely exposed to the elements (wind, dry climate, sun, chlorine, humidity) and is affected by cosmetics and hair treatments (gels, dyes, hot irons, chemical treatments, coloring), it can be damaged in many ways. Here's the bottom line, though: The most typical causes of hair damage are the frequent use of chemical treatments (permanents or relaxers) and the improper use of styling equipment (hair dryers, hot irons, curling rods, and so forth).

What can I do?
Because the hair shaft is generally damaged by excessive grooming, fussing, styling, coloring, processing, heating, and other harmful treatments, you need to stop abusing your hair. Here's how:

• Minimize or eliminate the use of hair-styling treatments that involve harsh chemicals.
• Give up your blow-dryer, curling iron, straightening iron, hot rollers, and other harsh grooming tools, and let your hair dry naturally.
• Keep hair healthy with regular trims and deep-conditioning treatments.
• Avoid excessive exposure to the sun's UV rays, chlorine, salt water, and intense climates.
• Use only natural, gentle hair care products — the fewer additives, the better.
• Avoid pulling and knotting hair into tightly wound styles that pull on the hair shaft.

You can’t reverse hair shaft damage or thicken the hair that has thinned, but you can stop the damage in its tracks and keep your remaining hair thicker longer.