The everyday habit of vigorously rubbing wet hair dry with a towel may accelerate hair loss, experts say. While many assume that only brushing or frequent dyeing threatens hair health, the real danger lies in the brief moment of drying.
Citing hair experts, Britain's Daily Mail reported Thursday that rubbing water-soaked hair hard with a towel is devastating to the strands.
Repeatedly rubbing one spot breaks the hair there, and over time the bare patches grow until they harden into permanent hair loss, according to the explanation. An official at a local hair transplant center pointed out that hair becomes most fragile when wet.
"A rough towel touches it at precisely that vulnerable moment," he said. "Because people unconsciously focus only on the top of the head, the hair in that area thins out and the surface becomes uneven." He stressed that the towel is "the most overlooked factor among the causes of hair loss."
Behind this phenomenon lies the chemical structure of hair. The framework of a hair strand is keratin protein, held firmly together by two types of bonds. When the moisture-sensitive bonds loosen upon contact with water, the hair stretches like a rubber band and breaks easily under even slight force.
Even healthy hair stretches about 30 percent longer than usual when wet, leaving it defenseless against external impact. For this reason, dermatologists view the styling immediately after a shower, rather than the shower itself, as the greater culprit of damage.
The habit of wrapping a towel around the head like a turban poses the same risk. Pulling force concentrates on thin, delicate areas such as above the forehead, increasing the damage.
The alternative is surprisingly simple. Instead of rubbing, wrap the hair in a towel and gently press, absorbing the water from root to tip. Lighter microfiber products or an old cotton T-shirt are more effective at reducing friction than a heavy cotton towel.
Microfiber material absorbs up to seven times its own weight in water while protecting the hair surface. The habit of falling asleep with soaking wet hair was also cited as something to avoid. Simply switching pillowcases from cotton to silk can significantly reduce the friction that occurs during sleep.
