IS this a myth--having the same part

[mamaherrera]

Ok I've always heard that you should switch your part up, for varying reasons--because the hair gets used to that position and lies flatter, more manipulation, etc. Lots of different reasons. But today I read in a magazine that you should move your part because those hairs in the part get more stressed and the hair follicles open up, allowing the hair to fall out easier. Is that true?? I'm freaked out because it's easy to move my center part, that's all good (although my hair is very stubborn and especially in the shower, it reverts right back to center part) but I'm more concerned with the fact that I always have bangs, so that "behind the bang" part is something that can't be messed with/changed. So how can I protect those poor hair follicles in my bang part?? I don't want to end up bald there. Just wondering if this is true. :soapbox:

[hannabiss]

I have bangs and am also interested in an answer. :)

[meteor]

The hair that is the most exposed to the elements (unprotected by the remaining hair) is more likely to get frayed more than hair hidden underneath, and many people notice that canopy hair is a bit more damaged than nape hair. Putting hair up, covering it with hats and scarves is helpful.

The parting you choose is probably not really an issue unless you pull on the hair to make a part - which could, in bad cases, cause traction alopecia. If the updo feels too tight, re-do it to make it more loose. Ballerinas and people with curly hair who like to pull hair back straight sometimes develop traction alopecia, so it's something to be aware of.

[Madora]

It is good to mix up your hair partings so you don't put undue pressure on the fine, weak hairs in the front and side. If you've been parting in the center for ages, then that center part is going be hard to retrain to part on the right (which is the best side for a part according to Dr. Michael). Every time you center part you are putting just a touch more pressure on that part and those follicles. Too much pressure/touching on that center area can lead to breakage and eventual widening of the part itself. Some ballerinas have fallen prey to not only traction alopecia (from pulling their hair back tightly into buns) but widening parts due to always parting their hair in the center.

[Knifegill]

I have a horrendous cowlick whorl on the back of my head which is only tamed by a diagonal part from front left to right/center back. Looks like a bald spot, but it's just that all the hair lies flat and pushes away from that spot like a lawn weed. My part rarely wanders. I'd like to know the answer, too. Perhaps when it's longer I can more easily train it to be more part-less. Does long hair pull a mean cowlick straight?

[YGDW]

I wouldn't worry too much about it. Like Madora and others said, the hair is more exposed to the elements leading to potentially more breakage, and if you put too much stress on your part, it may lead to traction alopecia. However, tons of people I know who have been treating their hair carefully have had the same part for sometimes 60 or more years and still have a nice part without signs of hair loss.

I think the part near your bangs is - unless you pull your hair back very tightly, subject to even less tension, so I doubt whether it will widen. I've never seen a women with a wide 'bangs part' in any case!

[mamaherrera]

good deal I Hope not. Even when I pull my hair back, which is daily, either without a part, from my bangs straight back or with a part, but I never slick it or pull it tightly.

[Panth]

I think another factor is female pattern baldness (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2684510/) (yes, it is an actual condition, with a distinct balding pattern). It is quite common (e.g. ~25 % of women over 49 have at least some hair loss) and is more common with increasing age. Unlike male pattern baldness, the hair is lost from the crown/top of the head, leaving the hairline intact. Generally, the whole top of the head starts to thin, before (in extreme cases) completely losing all the hair.

Because of the pattern of hair loss, a centre parting makes it much more visible, whilst a side parting is less likely to hit the thinned areas (as it is the top of the head that preferentially loses hair) and a "slicked-back otter" style will cover it up, at least in milder cases.

IMO, this is the real reason for the vast majority of the "a centre parting causes hair thining!!" myths. Whilst I don't doubt that it is technically possible to cause traction alopecia along a parting, typically this is only seen in exceedingly tight styles (ballerinas' styles being an example of that - they must remain flawless even after high leaps and high-speed pirouettes, so are typically done exceedingly tightly and usually also with a metric ton of product; another example is over-tightened cornrows). I very much doubt that the majority of women who habitually wear a centre parting are causing (or even risking) traction alopecia. Every example of a bun with a centre part that I've seen (or done) passes Rowie's "finger test" for over-tightness, or at the very least passes this test for the hair on either side of the parting. I could not say the same for many of the "slicked-back otter" style buns that I see.

(I do agree that hair around any parting that is worn habitually is more exposed to the elements and with weather a bit more. However, that is a) true of any parting or, indeed, the parts of the canopy exposed by the "slicked-back otter" style and b) reversible damage, not irreversible hair loss.)

[Siowiel]

I have worn my hair in a middle part for all of my life. It hasn't widened, it hasn't flattened (on the contrary - the longer it gets, the more life it seems to have) and the hair around my part isn't more damaged than the other hairs.
I have a little cowlick just at the front/center of my hair, so a side part would look... uhm... well, unusual, and I don't like the look of side parts and the subsequently following "hair longer on one side than the other"-problem (for me it's a problem, at least).

George Michael, of course, says differently, but in my opinion, he' also just stating an opinion with no real proof behind it, like other statements of his (ideal hair length/parting on the right etc. etc.).

During my ballet times, I didn't part my hair at all for that signature bun we all had, I and everyone else dancing with me brushed it back without a part and bunned it. Hurt like hell for me, because my hair is trained to be in a middle part.

[mamaherrera]

Well I can say for mine, my middle part "looks" wider than my side part, but honestly it has to be because the hairs are so used to being "Open like a book" so they just do it on command, whereas my side part, those hairs don't want to be separated, so they stay a bit more taught. Kind of like that "worn in" pair of pants you have that has stretched because you wear it so often, and those "just washed" jeans that feel tighter. But if my husband sticks a comb between hairs in either part, it's the same, it's just the hairs have gotten "used" to going in a certain direction and in the "untrained" parts, the hairs are NOT used to going in those directions so they fight against it more. It's not a "major difference" in my parts, but you can tell the hairs go in different directions, thus allowing more scalp to be seen. But that's my wurly curly hair . . . . everyone who's seen my part (and I've shown many because I was worried about my part) says it looks totally normal, so for me, yes a "always worn" part might look wider, because it's trained to do it's thing. That's my opinion.

[lapushka]

My God if I were to believe everything they wrote... :rolleyes: I've had the same part for close to 40 years (I'm 42 BTW) and I still have hair, thankyouverymuch. :lol: No, total myth, unless you have an issue with getting bald spots. But that's different entirely!

[butter52]

Well in my experience it actually happens.

When I wear my part on one side for a long time (2 years or so) it does get a bit less dense, it parts easier and I can see the difference if I part on another side (I dont go bald obviously, but I do see the hair density lower).
So I do change sides every 2 or 3 years.

[sarahthegemini]

Honestly I think that is a load of rubbish. How on earth does wearing a centre part (which for many, myself included, is how the hair falls/lays naturally) put excess pressure on the hair? Unless you're constantly flattening your part by smacking your scalp...Really people pull these ideas out of thin air.

[Gertrude]

I just had lunch with a dear friend with a widened centre part. But actually it's thinning all over the top, and her hair is jet black so it easily shows scalp. She remarked on it herself today and will see her GP. I agree with the theory that parting dead centre shows any thinning more dramatically than a side part. Her mum has a centre part too and it has never changed.

I have a cowlick and my hair parts naturally on the left, just a bit off centre and it isn't a straight line. Hair dressers have tried a deep side part which looks good but is hard to maintain and the George Michael part on the right where within minutes after leaving the salon my face is covered in hair as it falls like a curtain over it. My hair is just fine without the part on the right and not an ideal length.

[spidermom]

I think the most damaging is if you drag something along the part every day to make it absolutely straight. As a teenager, I read in Seventeen magazine that a part done in the same place all the time gets wider with time, so I've moved my part all around since then. I don't use anything to part my hair, I just push the hair on top-front from one side to the other with my fingers.

[Madora]

I think the most damaging is if you drag something along the part every day to make it absolutely straight. As a teenager, I read in Seventeen magazine that a part done in the same place all the time gets wider with time, so I've moved my part all around since then. I don't use anything to part my hair, I just push the hair on top-front from one side to the other with my fingers.

[COLOR="#FF0000"]Spidermom, that is EXACTLY why center parts can be damaging over time. You are always tracing the same path through your hair with the edge of your comb. Heaven only knows if you are bearing down on that comb too much as you do it. That's what leads to widening parts. I've seen pictures of widened center parts (at Dr. Michael's salon. They were horrid.

And to clarify the terminology a little for newbies...traction alopecia is a condition related to pulling your hair back too tightly, time after time. Traction alopecia causes the fragile hairs in the front and sides of your hair to weaken and fall out. Your hairline can suffer greatly from TA. Widening parts are caused by constantly parting your hair in the same place for years on end.

And yes, some people can get away with doing a center or side part for years on end. I believe it is how hard/soft they pull that comb through their hair when parting it that makes all the difference in whether their part stays normal..or widens.

Dr. Michael studied hair intensively, and saw hair in all its various states. People came to him with their tension alopecia problems. Recovering from TA is possible, but it takes a boatload of patience...and money..and a long period of time to do so.

[lilin]

I wouldn't worry about it, unless you're pulling your hair back tightly while parted.

As others said, any hair often exposed to the elements is more likely to sustain damage and consequently break, but that doesn't mean it will fall out or the follicles will die. Heck, if that were true, we'd all have hairless forearms, I suspect. What gets more abuse than our hands and arms?

I had a center part for 15 years. No loss. I've worn a side part for about 10. No loss. Now, I try to move it around a bit, just to protect my canopy.

I've never had a lot of trouble moving my part. If you part your hair while wet, it will stay that way while dry. For me, it doesn't matter how many years I wore it in one place; if it's wet, it'll adapt to a new shape.

For women who are older, it's important to determine if hair loss is due to traction, medication/illness or genetics. Women who pull their hair tightly may lose hair where it's being pulled (all around the edges, and possibly also at their part). But, also look at your family. Some women are more prone to hair loss than others, especially after having a child, or with increasing age. My family doesn't have any significant female hair loss, but my grandmother's hair has definitely thinned in the years since she turned 80 (though at 80, I think most of us have more important things to worry about). It may be due to meds (one of my aunts is on a med that causes hair loss and thinning, and unfortunately has for her too), or just being very elderly.

[Siowiel]

And yes, some people can get away with doing a center or side part for years on end. I believe it is how hard/soft they pull that comb through their hair when parting it that makes all the difference in whether their part stays normal..or widens.

Dr. Michael studied hair intensively, and saw hair in all its various states. People came to him with their tension alopecia problems. Recovering from TA is possible, but it takes a boatload of patience...and money..and a long period of time to do so.

In needn't use a comb for parting... my hair falls that way.
And if that theory was true, all kinds of parts would be affected by it, even the part on the right side GM favours.

All due respect, Madora, but I think you're putting a bit too much weight on George Michael and his "studies/research".

[Gertrude]

In needn't use a comb for parting... my hair falls that way.
And if that theory was true, all kinds of parts would be affected by it, even the part on the right side GM favours.

All due respect, Madora, but I think you're putting a bit too much weight on George Michael and his "studies/research".


I forgot to say that my natural parting doesn't involve any comb at all either. It falls that way. Pulling hard on hair and keeping it pulled tight in an updo or other style is not to do with any parting but with pulling.

And yes, the George Michael right part, on me, requires a comb and then pinning down firmly to stay. Hair doesn't know if it is parted, let alone where. So if parting with a comb did it it would happen all over. The George Michael parting is, as I understand it, meant to be a parting for your lifetime on the right. So unchanging.

I think the centre part hair loss idea comes from the Victorian era when hair was centre parted very firmly and then both sides of the hair pulled straight backwards. With some force, over combs. Many women in photos have widened parts either due to thinning from a natural cause, or the pulling .........

Also treatment of traction alopecia is really stopping the pulling completely, treat hair very gently, and then hope that over time hair re- grows. If it doesn't I don't see that a lot of money will bring it back. Time costs nothing........

[Chromis]

Well I can say for mine, my middle part "looks" wider than my side part, but honestly it has to be because the hairs are so used to being "Open like a book" so they just do it on command, whereas my side part, those hairs don't want to be separated, so they stay a bit more taught. Kind of like that "worn in" pair of pants you have that has stretched because you wear it so often, and those "just washed" jeans that feel tighter. But if my husband sticks a comb between hairs in either part, it's the same, it's just the hairs have gotten "used" to going in a certain direction and in the "untrained" parts, the hairs are NOT used to going in those directions so they fight against it more. It's not a "major difference" in my parts, but you can tell the hairs go in different directions, thus allowing more scalp to be seen. But that's my wurly curly hair . . . . everyone who's seen my part (and I've shown many because I was worried about my part) says it looks totally normal, so for me, yes a "always worn" part might look wider, because it's trained to do it's thing. That's my opinion.

My hair is mostly straight and I think you are on to something here!

Like others, I don't need to comb my part, that is just the way it lies. It is not perfectly straight and if I try to comb it straighter I get the same effect...until it reasserts itself anyhow. I've never seen any actual widening though and I've worn the same part my whole life. I tried waaaay back in junior high to wear a side part, but my centre-part just bullied its way back in. I figure at this point it likely would do more harm trying to fight with it so I let it be.

Bit of hunour: Upthread I managed to misread female pattern baldness as female pattern boldness and thought, "Yep, guilty as charged!"

[Gertrude]

Female Pattern Boldness! I want some (-: Where may I reliably obtain it? (-; Sorry, very off topic. Meeting my daughter's teacher today and feel like I am back in school.........

[Eastbound&Down]

I let my hair part itself naturally and leave it alone. It's pulled back in to a loose braid or bun 98% of the time though.

[dogzdinner]

Sounds like its more about how you treat your parting rather then where it is then. Id believe that... mine has always been a middleish parting (just how it falls, I dont attempt to wrangle it!) and I havent noticed any thinness. Id love to try more side partings but then I end up with a pathetic amount of hair on one side of my head.

[lapushka]

I'm thinking... didn't we have this discussion once before? :hmm:

[Chromis]

I'm thinking... didn't we have this discussion once before? :hmm:

Many times! A lot of topics come up every few months or years. Or weeks...although I haven't seen another "do split ends really travel" thread in a bit. I think certain questions are just really common.

[chen bao jun]

Yes, I think if you let your hair part naturally or part it very gently (I just use my fingers and I've never cared if my part is straight) you will be fine. I agree that a part can reveal thinning hair but I don't think they cause thinning hair unless you are very rough.
By the way, curlies aren't prone to traction alopecia any more than anyone else. People with afro-curly hair types specifically--not curlies in general but tightly curlies tend to HAVE a lot of traction alopecia, though. This is because of cultural habits, not genetics. As in, really tight cornrow type braiding (I mean, so tight that your scalp hurts when the braider is done, and keeps hurting) that you leave in for weeks at a time; chemicals that can melt coca cola cans applied to the hair or else very high heat and then an extreme amount of pulling to 'smooth' the hair at the edges, plus rough brushing to flatten it out; tracks for hair weaves applied to hair, so heavy that they pull on fragile hair (and people do this constantly for years) or else braiding and adding heavy extensions to the braids and often still pulling on the hair further to make tight updoes. If you are not doing any of those things, you are not going to get traction alopecia simply from having curly hair, even extra-fine and fragile tightly curly hair and doing an updo, or from parting your hair.

[jeanniet]

If using a comb to part hair is causing hair loss, that's mechanical damage and not from the part itself. As already pointed out, that could happen anywhere the hair is parted if it's treated roughly. There's really no logical reason why a center part should be worse than a side part, all other things being equal.

[mamaherrera]

OK I gotcha yall. The same part for years is fine--WHEW!! But I gotta be honest, there are times when I go at my part a little rough with the rattail comb (the point). And if it's not completely straight, I do it again and again. This type of mechanical damage from doing it with the pick of a comb. . . . what does it to. . . . be honest, does it break hairs like close to the root or what????

[lapushka]

OK I gotcha yall. The same part for years is fine--WHEW!! But I gotta be honest, there are times when I go at my part a little rough with the rattail comb (the point). And if it's not completely straight, I do it again and again. This type of mechanical damage from doing it with the pick of a comb. . . . what does it to. . . . be honest, does it break hairs like close to the root or what????

That's totally fine. A lot of people draw their parting like that. I'd not worry about it so much. ;)

[mamaherrera]

Thanks Lapushka, so many people on here are so careful and have beautiful hair and say all these things are bad. . . and I have that tendency to freak out (you know me). so thanks for reassurance. Sometimes I even plaster those hairs down close to my part to make sure it's straight, and I pull on them a bit (because my roots grow up and out, so they never "sit down" but I only do it for like 30 seconds and then I them up, I never have them pulled like that all day. My husband says, "it gives those hairs a little workout, probably sends some extra blood to them. " He always calms me down telling me that other people treat their hair way worse than you and don't lose hair cuz of it." People on this site make me a little more OCD than what I am at times, but yeah ,just for the record, sometimes I am a little rough with that rattail comb, its' just cuz my hairs are SO stubborn and don't like to be made into a perfect part.

[DreadfulWoman]

I know that for me, my old center part that I had throughout childhood and into my teens is definitely thinner than the rest of my hair. And although I never part my hair down the middle anymore, my hair falls quite naturally to either side of that part if I let it. For that part to get actually thinner though, there has to be damage going on at the root level, not just to the hair itself. For myself, I blame a combination of a lot of sunburns when I was younger, and some less-than-gentle brushing and styling in my teens.

It's possible to have a center part without it thinning over time, but it can happen. You just have to be smart about the way you treat your hair, and it is a good idea to mix it up a bit from time to time.


If using a comb to part hair is causing hair loss, that's mechanical damage and not from the part itself. As already pointed out, that could happen anywhere the hair is parted if it's treated roughly. There's really no logical reason why a center part should be worse than a side part, all other things being equal.

I think the trouble with center part is that the center is always the center. A side part is going to tend to drift back and forth a bit over time, but if you're aiming for dead center every time you are going to be causing the most damage to the same hairs (and follicles) over and over, and that damage can accumulate over time.

[mamaherrera]

Be careful though, eh? Mine is an illusion, it's not less dense, it's just the hairs change their growth pattern and dutifully open up on command at that "same part" whereas in new parts, the hairs fight against it more and stick together, so it can appear. Look at my bangs where the cowlick is, man it looks super wide there, because of the direction in which the hairs are going!

[Larki]

My hair naturally parts itself in the center and unless I have a bad period with my trich, which hasn't happened since its onset, it's not wide at all. :) I look weird with any other type of parting, anyway.

[lapushka]

Thanks Lapushka, so many people on here are so careful and have beautiful hair and say all these things are bad. . . and I have that tendency to freak out (you know me). so thanks for reassurance. Sometimes I even plaster those hairs down close to my part to make sure it's straight, and I pull on them a bit (because my roots grow up and out, so they never "sit down" but I only do it for like 30 seconds and then I them up, I never have them pulled like that all day. My husband says, "it gives those hairs a little workout, probably sends some extra blood to them. " He always calms me down telling me that other people treat their hair way worse than you and don't lose hair cuz of it." People on this site make me a little more OCD than what I am at times, but yeah ,just for the record, sometimes I am a little rough with that rattail comb, its' just cuz my hairs are SO stubborn and don't like to be made into a perfect part.

I just let my parting fall to the side a bit, then we "beautify" it here and there (draw it in places) with a rattail comb. You can avoid having to draw it all by encouraging your hair to part a bit, by smoothing it over with your hands (hmm, how do I explain this right?)

[mamaherrera]

OH no, I am fine with "not perfect partings" and I know how to do it with my hands, I"m just saying when I'm trying to get it "perfect" (those times when we want to be perefct) then that is when I do the whole, do it again and again thing, to get it perfect, flatten those hairs down to recheck. But it's not always. But I'm gonna quit, not worry I'll turn bald from it, just quit. But just to clarify, when people talk about mechanical damage, such as this, it's more about breaking, not pulling actual hairs out, right? LIike you said before, you'd have to yank pretty darn hard to pull. But others say that traction alopecia can pull out hairs, just from having them under tension, but that's when you do it every day, all day, right? NOt just for two minutes like I do at times, right?

[lapushka]

But just to clarify, when people talk about mechanical damage, such as this, it's more about breaking, not pulling actual hairs out, right? LIike you said before, you'd have to yank pretty darn hard to pull. But others say that traction alopecia can pull out hairs, just from having them under tension, but that's when you do it every day, all day, right? NOt just for two minutes like I do at times, right?

I'm sure you're fine. You can't possibly get actual traction alopecia from drawing parts in. Come on now. :D

[mamaherrera]

Yeah!! :-)))



i'm sure you're fine. You can't possibly get actual traction alopecia from drawing parts in. Come on now. :d

[Mitzy]

My sister has bad traction alopecia so I worry about it sometimes. She also has untreated PCOS because she can't understand what it is so she doesn't take care of it (she's mentally delayed) and she insists on bleaching it and wearing a tight ponytail all the time.
I have a pretty big scar on the top of my head, near the back, and my hair IS going to part there (I fell out of a moving truck when I was a child and cracked my head open. Kids, wear your seatbelts!!) I try to move my part around and don't wear tight ponytails or updos, but I have seen traction alopecia on several older members in my family.

[Panth]

Spidermom, that is EXACTLY why center parts can be damaging over time. You are always tracing the same path through your hair with the edge of your comb. Heaven only knows if you are bearing down on that comb too much as you do it. That's what leads to widening parts. I've seen pictures of widened center parts (at Dr. Michael's salon. They were horrid.

And to clarify the terminology a little for newbies...traction alopecia is a condition related to pulling your hair back too tightly, time after time. Traction alopecia causes the fragile hairs in the front and sides of your hair to weaken and fall out. Your hairline can suffer greatly from TA. Widening parts are caused by constantly parting your hair in the same place for years on end.

And yes, some people can get away with doing a center or side part for years on end. I believe it is how hard/soft they pull that comb through their hair when parting it that makes all the difference in whether their part stays normal..or widens.

Dr. Michael studied hair intensively, and saw hair in all its various states. People came to him with their tension alopecia problems. Recovering from TA is possible, but it takes a boatload of patience...and money..and a long period of time to do so.

If, as you say, "traction alopecia is a condition related to pulling your hair back too tightly, time after time", how on earth is a centre parting supposed to cause it? Even if you draw your centre part with a comb, rather than just having it form naturally, you're putting tension on each hair (by pressing on it with a comb), what? 1 second, once a day? A fraction of a second?

There are two types of hairstyles commonly associated with traction alopecia. 1) Cornrows (which, as Chen says, cause traction alopecia when done so tightly that the scalp aches for a long time and are left in for weeks, so the hairs remain under the exact same excessive tension for a long time). 2) Scraped-back ponytails/buns (think ballerina or what is referred to as a "Croyden face-lift") worn day after day - in both of those, the hair is pulled back so tightly that it physically hurts and it actually pulls out any wrinkles you have on your forehead and raises your eyebrows a bit. A centre parting on its own in no way creates tension on the hairs and certainly not to the extent that it hurts. Equally, why would a centre parting be any different to a side parting?

I fear Dr. Michael a) not being a scientist, nor someone who ever did actual scientific experiments and b) forming most of his ideas before there was any major hair science has muddled up correlation with causation. Centre partings are definitely correlated with widened partings and thinning - especially in older women - as they make female-pattern baldness much more visible. They do not cause the widened parting / thinning (unless also associated with repeated use of exceedingly high-tension styling, which is not what we're talking about here). This is provable, because female pattern baldness (like male pattern baldness) is caused by susceptibility of the hair follicles to androgen hormones, resulting in the hair follicles miniaturising and turning into ones more like those on the face. Traction alopecia is purely mechanical and is the result of the hairs being pulled out / rubbed off. Female pattern baldness is treated with hormonal therapy. Traction alopecia is treated by cessation of the causative hairstyle.

I'm sorry, but Dr. Michael did not "study" hair. He observed it. And because he relied simply on observation of biased samples (i.e. people in his clinic), anecdotes, what is now incredibly outdated and mostly disproven scientific theory, his own gut intuition and his (very biased, very personal) beliefs he came to some very incorrect conclusions. Whilst his ideas are interesting, they certainly should not be treated like gospel, particularly when discussing the science of hair rather than the aesthetics.

[lapushka]

I'm sorry, but Dr. Michael did not "study" hair. He observed it. And because he relied simply on observation of biased samples (i.e. people in his clinic), anecdotes, what is now incredibly outdated and mostly disproven scientific theory, his own gut intuition and his (very biased, very personal) beliefs he came to some very incorrect conclusions. Whilst his ideas are interesting, they certainly should not be treated like gospel, particularly when discussing the science of hair rather than the aesthetics.

Amen! Hallelujah! :)

[jeanniet]

Excellent post, Panth, very clear points. Although we see a lot of correlation, not causation when it comes to hair, and not just from Dr. Michael!

[Panth]

Excellent post, Panth, very clear points. Although we see a lot of correlation, not causation when it comes to hair, and not just from Dr. Michael!

Oh, most definitely. I wish schools taught how empiricism / the scientific method actually works, rather than just scientific knowledge...

[Gertrude]

Off topic , sorry. But I do think it is so terribly sad that so many desperately worried people go to see their hairdresser, or their hairdresser with a mail order trichology " qualification" or who has published a book on curly hair care, or long hair care but still, in the end, a hairdresser when they have a real medical problem and need a doctor. And the hairdresser does not say " No I won't take your money, please go see your doctor" and not being doctors they're not ethically compelled to do so. They can't be struck off a register.

Like old Philip Kingsley and his trichology clinic. They say that every day they see women under 35 with female pattern baldness. My unscientific theory is that there's a lot more of that going on and at much younger ages, under 35 as well as in the post-menopausal than is believed by mainstream scientific opinion. A lot more common. Those women weeping in the hair salon are in the wrong place.

Losing our hair is a deep-seated fear, whether we want to have long hair or short hair, we all do naturally fear it even if we are not consciously aware of it. A fear easily exploited. If you are guilty and responsible for your hair loss you can mend your ways and reverse it. Rather than that you didn't cause it at all.

It's like colic in babies. There are lots of remedies for that. But it ends whether you were following a scientifically inspired routine or just praying it will end or dancing round the Maypole. Like what you lost is in the last place you look, the last thing you were doing seems to cure the colic as it naturally ended.

If your hair thins the last thing you did, whatever, parting, styling, bunning, shampooing, not eating greens, not taking vitamins, taking the wrong vitamins, has nothing to do with it usually. Female pattern baldness is real so see a real doctor. Unless you do make your face look botoxed by pulling your hair up. That said a teacher at my daughter's school wears her hair that way a lot, and she still has lovely thick hair on the days she doesn't with no broken hairs at the hairline or a receding hairline. You need to do a lot to get traction alopecia. A whole lot. Not that it doesn't exist but it's a lot less common than hormonal thinning.

[fiðrildi]

Honestly, I don't care. I have a very funny cowlick at the upper right of my head, so I can't consider the possibility of changing my part, unless I want to look like I have a bald spot.
I have always had the same part, and I have always had a reasonable thick amount of hair... so yes, I really don't mind about it :wink:

[Fufu]

I do try to change my partings on and off ... irregular basis though.

i used to have middle parting, full bangs, and now I part on the left side.

my hair is fine...

[Knifegill]

I just tried to part the other way and, yeah, still look massively bald when I do thanks to cowlick. So keeping it where it is. :)

[TheBlondieDream]

I was wondering about TA and i think i might be in the case.
I pulled my hair back and in a bun for SO long that actually my natural center part has thinned (besides two little cowlicks) and my hairline has thinned also at the temples.
I now stopped the bunning (peace to my Rhythmic Gymnastics coach and her "you must ballerina bun your hair") because i didn't realized how much bad was for my hair before coming here.
Question is: is it reversible? can it go better? can my thinned zones turn back to normal?
I'm just 31 and idk, i really want it to go better.

[lapushka]

I was wondering about TA and i think i might be in the case.
I pulled my hair back and in a bun for SO long that actually my natural center part has thinned (besides two little cowlicks) and my hairline has thinned also at the temples.
I now stopped the bunning (peace to my Rhythmic Gymnastics coach and her "you must ballerina bun your hair") because i didn't realized how much bad was for my hair before coming here.
Question is: is it reversible? can it go better? can my thinned zones turn back to normal?
I'm just 31 and idk, i really want it to go better.

Try not pulling it back so tight or at all and you might already see change. Change is going to take a long time, though. All those hairs need to grow out from scratch, so...

[TheBlondieDream]

Try not pulling it back so tight or at all and you might already see change. Change is going to take a long time, though. All those hairs need to grow out from scratch, so...

Yeah, i completely stopped pulling them back, as it's so strange to me having my hair down and sometimes i feel the urge to take my scrunchie and take it up but i try to resist. Hope time will help. how long do you think it might take?

[LadyLongLocks]

I have had a center part for years. I was told by a long hair expert who studied under George Michael that I should part the hair on the right.He claimed the hair then could do "push ups" as it grows right to left (don't quote me, Im pretty sure thats what he said years ago) Still, I hate a right part and if I part on one side it was the left, but I don't like it and my hair hates it. I love a center part. I was also told that parting in the center can cause the part to widen and also lengthen, as in starting to part farther down the back.He also claimed it could cause thinning and weakness if worn in a center part.
At the time we talked about this I was having thinning in the hem in the center. We were talking about several reasons why this might be happening, the part was a possibility. I am thinking my hair grows slower in the center.I had no thinning on the scalp.
When I wear buns I often have no part. When I part on one side, it does look slightly more compact with a thinner part, but I believe it is because the hair is not used to laying in that direction and it is folding over slightly. The center parted hair is used to laying that way so it tends to make the part look wider. I have been keeping an eye on this for years! I never pull the parted hair tight in buns, if I did I think my part might get thinner just due to the stress. But that would happen anyplace on the head wouldn't it?
I love balance and I just have to have a center part:p
If anyone notices an issue with a thinning part, change it up and check the tightness of your hairstyles.

[lapushka]

Yeah, i completely stopped pulling them back, as it's so strange to me having my hair down and sometimes i feel the urge to take my scrunchie and take it up but i try to resist. Hope time will help. how long do you think it might take?

It's like starting from beyond bald for those bits that were "pulled out by strain". So, you figure it out. A long time!

[TheBlondieDream]

Oh, ohw. Well, long journey.

[ShDiHa]

I'm a little worried about this, as well. I like my hair parted to the right. Ever since I was a child (except in middle school, I had a middle parting).