The Better Blog

If you were a dancer or cheerleader as a child, then you probably have experience with tight hairstyles that caused headaches and a sore scalp! As kids, these high-tension hairstyles just caused a little discomfort. But over time, repeatedly putting our hair into tight ballerina buns and high ponytails can do more than that—these styles can cause damage to our hair known as traction alopecia. Thinning hair and hair loss near the hairline and crown are classic signs of traction alopecia, which can especially wreak havoc on aging hair.

But there's positive news: You can prevent and even reverse traction alopecia. Read on to learn more about hairstyles that can cause hair loss, along with protective hairstyles for traction alopecia and how you can help reverse traction alopecia!

Not feeling or looking your best after a night of too many cocktails isn’t uncommon. In fact, many of us are familiar with the toll alcohol can take on our body and skin—but how about our hair?

Alcoholism and female hair loss may not be something you’ve ever considered, but it’s something to be knowledgeable about. While drinking a glass of wine at dinner each night probably won’t have any real negative effects, if you’re someone who regularly tosses back a few a day, drinking alcohol and hair loss as well as alcohol and thinning hair could be possibilities.

Research surrounding alcoholism and female hair loss, as well as alcohol and dry scalp and alcohol and hair thinning, is minimal, but links have been found. Vitamin deficiency, inflammation, dehydration and stress are all side effects of excessive alcohol consumption, and none of these promote healthy hair. What’s most important to remember, though, is that a lot of what happens with your hair comes down to genetics and how you’re taking care of it (and your whole body). Here’s what you need to know about how drinking alcohol impacts hair loss, hair thinning, dry scalp and more!

It's easy for a thinning female hairline to sneak up on us as we age. Hairstyles with face-framing layers or bangs can camouflage hair loss along our temples and forehead. And when we finally do notice a thinning hairline, it's super frustrating because we don't think of women losing hair at the hairline—that's where men tend to lose hair. 

Sure, our hair thins a bit as we age, but the natural edges of our hairline? Those are supposed to stay put, right? 

Not always, unfortunately. 

We can take steps, however, to not just keep our delicate hairline healthy but combat hairline thinning, whether from female pattern hair loss or female traction alopecia. If you’re experiencing hair loss at your hairline, it's important to figure out what's causing your hair thinning and start a hair-care routine specifically tailored to support a healthy scalp and hairline.

Read on to learn more about how to support a healthy hairline and how to treat thinning edges on natural hair as well as all hair types. Plus, we share how to tell if your thinning tresses are due to female traction alopecia.

We often hear hair loss and hair shedding used interchangeably, but there is a difference between hair shedding and hair loss.

Hair shedding is a normal part of the hair growth cycle as the hair releases from the bulb, sheds and is replaced by new hair growth. Hair shedding occurs during the final phase of our natural hair growth cycle, while our follicles prepare for the start of the new cycle. There are times when hair shedding may seem pronounced and this may be an instance of seasonal hair shedding—but this too is normal and temporary.

Hair loss occurs when the natural hair growth cycle is disrupted (by something external or internal) and hair strands shed prematurely or grow back more slowly—at the far end of this spectrum is when hair growth stops completely and follicles no longer produce new hair strands. In cases of excessive shedding that lead to hair loss, healthy hair growth won’t resume until the cause of the hair loss stops or until treatment occurs. 

Keep reading to learn more about your natural hair growth cycle, how much hair shedding is normal and how you can fight excess hair shedding and hair loss.

TikTok is a treasure trove of all manner of things. Whether you’re looking for comedy skits, baby animals, baby animals doing comedy skits, or something else entirely, you’re sure to find it on the social media platform. What you can also find are all kinds of tips, tricks and hacks for your everyday life. One of the most plentiful things you’ll find are TikTok hair trends. 

TikTok hair trends can include anything from cool, new haircuts to hair color combos to try. But in this corner of TikTok, you’ll also find “hacks” for growing your hair longer, making it shinier and more. The thing about TikTok, though, is you can’t always count on it being true. 

If you’ve been scrolling and wondered, does brushing my hair before I shower prevent hair loss or can I bleach my hair with toothpaste? Let us help you get to the bottom of these TikTok hair trends and find out if they’re fact or fiction.

If you have ever experienced a scalp massage, you know how relaxing it can be. When we get our hair shampooed at the salon, the stylist often gives us a simultaneous massage. A scalp massage is essentially the kneading and rubbing of your head, a profoundly calming process that relaxes your skull and neck muscles.

Hairspray can make or break a bad hair day. It fixes flyaways and helps keep gorgeous updos in place. And if you're like us, you've probably been using hairspray for decades. Using hairspray correctly seems like a no-brainer on the surface—simply apply the hairspray until your hair holds the style you want, right? 

Not exactly. 

Many of us aren't using hairspray correctly, which can damage our hair and cause a loss of hair shine and hair volume due to buildup. Keep reading to learn more about six common mistakes we make when applying hairspray and how you can make sure you're using hairspray correctly!

After the hot, muggy days of summer, crisp, cool autumn days are a welcome change! There's nothing better than kissing humidity and frizz goodbye for the year. Plus, there's football, cozy outfits and pumpkin spice lattes—yes, please! 

But these changes aren't the only ones that come with autumn. Along with switching up your outfits and latte orders, it's also essential to update your summer hair-care routine for one better suited to autumn weather and its decrease in sunlight for hair growth. (You can check out our after-summer hair-care guide here.) 

We know that we get less sunlight in autumn, but what is the effect of sunlight on our hair, exactly? Does it help or hurt our hair? And how do the sun's UV rays and vitamin D factor into sunlight's effect on our hair? 

Not to worry—we've got you! We dug into the role of sunlight for hair growth, how shorter days can impact our hair growth cycle and even the benefits of drying your hair in the sun. (Yes, there are benefits!) Keep reading to learn more about the effect of sunlight on your hair and how you can have healthy, gorgeous locks this autumn!

Rosemary is having a major moment in the spotlight, and we don't mean as a food seasoning. (Even though we love it for that, too!) TikTok and Instagram influencers tout the benefits of rosemary for hair, including increasing hair shine and preventing hair loss. From rosemary hair serums to homemade rosemary recipes for scalp care, the internet is buzzing about this herb's hair- and scalp-care possibilities! 

But does rosemary live up to all the hype? Do rosemary's hair benefits really include adding hair shine and fighting hair loss? 

We dug into what the science says about the benefits of rosemary for hair and scalp care to learn more about rosemary's real hair benefits. Keep reading to learn more about why we love rosemary hair serums for shinier-, thicker-looking hair and a healthier scalp!

Saying farewell to summer is always a bit of a drag, but your summer hairstyles can easily become autumn hairstyles without a whole lot of work on your part. We know, you love the carefree nature of summer hair that’s simple and out of the way, but even when the seasons change, the weather is still warm and a hassle-free hairstyle is still important. 

As we transition into the fall months, check one thing off your list and don’t worry about a new autumn hairstyle. Bring that summer ‘do with you into autumn and keep living that effortless lifestyle. Here’s how to bring your cute, easy summer hairstyles into fall.