- It’s unlikely that your motocycle helmet is the cause of your hair loss.
- It’s far more likely to be caused by the hormone DHT.
- There is a condition called Traction Alopecia, which is basically hair loss caused by regular pulling on the hair.
- If the hair is regularly pulled tight by a hat, helmet or ponytail for example, it may lead the hair follicles to grow nearer and nearer to the surface of the scalp skin, until eventually they no longer grow at all. However…
- It’s far more likely that your hair loss is caused by DHT. In which case you should read this article on how to reduce DHT and trigger rapid hair regrowth.
Regularly wearing a motorcycle helmet pulls on hairs, which over time may train the hair roots to move closer to the scalp surface. This is a process called “traction alopecia“, in which the hairs, typically towards the front of the scalp stop growing because their roots become too close to the skins surface until they lose their anchoring in the scalp.
Traction Alopecia is Real
Traction alopecia can be quite clearly observed in people who have styled their hair in tight weaves or braids for many years. The same cause of hair loss experienced by people who have styled their hair in tight weaves and braids may also occur in people who have worn motorcycle helmets regularly for many years.
How motorcyclists can prevent traction alopecia
The key is to make sure hairs are not being pulled tightly at the roots. To prevent this, follow these steps when putting your helmet on:
- Put your helmet on as normal, then lift it up slightly, then put it back down and lift it up slightly again
- Repeat the above process until you can feel that your hair is not being pulled at the roots and is loose
Repeat this gentle jigging action several times until you can feel that none of your hairs are being tightly pulled from your scalp. This is the key to preventing traction alopecia caused by long term motorcycle helmet use.
Every time you put your bike helmet on make sure you jig it until it is not pulling on the hairs and the hairs are clearly not pulling away from the scalp. Making sure you follow this procedure every time you put your helmet on is key to preventing hair loss caused by wearing a helmet.
Bacteria in Your Helmet May Also Impact on Hair Growth
Due to sweating, dirt, food particles and air born bacteria getting rubbed into the helmet padding and breeding in the warm environment, it is possible that your scalp may become infected. If so it could impact on scalp health and even hair growth.
Solution
The solution to this is to spray anti-bacterial solution (common 99.99% kitchen surface cleaner will do) into your helmet regularly, making sure to air it and allow it to dry completely so that it is hygienic and bacteria free. This will help prevent infection in your scalp, which may lead to hair loss.
What can you do to reverse hair loss caused by wearing a helmet?
In the case of traction alopecia this is difficult because the hair roots may no longer be connected to the blood vessels in the scalp. However the best approach to reversing this form of hair loss is to use scalp blood circulation improvement methods. The stronger you can make the blood circulation at the surface of the scalp the more chance you have of recovering hair lost to traction alopecia.
There are several powerful methods for increasing blood flow to the hair follicles outlined in my eBook, including:
- The Alternation Method, which provokes a harmless and invisible healing reaction in the scalp causing your body to send blood to the scalp
- A simple scalp massage method, which improves scalp skin elasticity and relaxes the muscles enabling freer blood flow
- Special superfoods and supplements that boost blood flow to your hair
To learn more read this article about the eBook.
