In the News – Combing Too Often Means Hair Loss?

Snippet from the article:

Put that comb back in your handbag — a study by an Israeli dermatologist has found that too much combing of the coiffure leads to hair loss, the daily Haaretz reported on Monday.

During a test 14 women recorded their daily hair loss and combing habits, with those combing more losing more hair, the research found.

Read the full article — Don’t brush with baldness: put down that comb

The Internet is full of useful information, but as I’m sure you all know, some of it can be deceiving. The article states that an Israeli dermatologist studied just over a dozen women and came to the conclusion that women that comb their hair twice a day have far more hair loss. The study went on for just a month, but what is unknown is the type of hair the women have, their ages, health condition, type of brush used, plus various other factors that would be important to note in a study like this. In fact, I found the original article published in Israel, with a quote from the dermatologist that conducted the study. He says, “It’s a very simple experiment, very primitive, you could say, not high-tech.” I’d have to agree with that. It seems to be pretty incomplete… but it sure makes for a good headline in the news.

Bottom line, if you are rough with the comb and your hair is long and you pull on it when you comb it, it may just fall out eventually. Men with genetic balding and miniaturization have a more fragile hair that is easily traumatized, so I always suggest that people are careful when they comb their hair and not be abusive to it. Gentle combing done very frequently will not cause hair loss.