Same parting equals damage?

[Saeth]

I watched a youtube video recently which stated that wearing your parting the same way constantly will lead to damage and the parting beginning to look bigger and more like a bald line/patch, in the end. Is this true? It alarmed me a bit as I already have issues with skin showing through a bit more than normal, due to hair sheds, but I wear my parting the same way constantly. I've started wearing it different ways now, and it's giving me a sore scalp! :mad:

So, what's your experience/opinions?

[vanity_acefake]

I would agree with it. There is a condition called Traction Alopecia that is caused by styling your hair in the same updo constantly.

[Firefly]

Yes, from what I've read I do believe this to be true.

[Saeth]

Oh dear, I'm really going to have to sort myself out on styles and updos then. To say I'm challenged outside of wearing it down or just a boring ponytail wouldn't be an adequate description...

Maybe I should start a part styling thread :rolleyes:

[Majorane]

How far,approximately, one has to move her or his parting around to prevent this damage? I usually part my hair on the right side of my head but the one day a bit closer to my ear and the next an inch more to the middle of my head, so to say.

Do you have to really go from left to middle to right or just sort of be sloppy and move your parting around by an inch?

[Revontuletar]

Oh dear, I hope this isn't true. My hair falls naturally into a part dead straight down the middle :S It doesn't seem to ever want to go differently even if I try to part it differently. I'm worried now!

[Revontuletar]

I do remember that when I was constantly dyeing my hair black a few years ago that it fell out quite a lot and it ended up looking like I had a bald stripe down the middle. I think this looked quite exaggerated though since blonde regrowth kind of gives that bald stripe kind of look, but it definitely would have been a combination of that and the dye making it fall out and break everywhere.

[Annibelle]

You can start by just moving your part a TINY bit and work your way further down, and then start on the other side, and just switch it up. If you're having trouble keeping it down, make sure you're parting it while it's damp or wet-- that should help. And when it's dry, maybe put a very small amount on oil on your hands and smooth it over your hair around the part to keep them steady. :) DH refuses to part his hair anywhere but straight down the middle, and he's thinning there because of it. He's SO stubborn.

[Saeth]

Majorne: I'm wondering this too. I put my parting to the side after reading it but I just cut my fringe/bangs for a centre parting, so now my hair is not behaving at all. Also I don't like side partings as it emphasises the already high forehead.

Revontuetar: My hair is like this too. I've always had it centre part since I was knee high. My parting is looking a bit 'uh oh' right now, however I'm also having some pretty bad problems with shedding so it's most likely this causing the skin to show through. Certainly I had this about two years ago or so when I lost a lot of hair even my hairdresser was alarmed.

[Nini]

I wouldn't worry overly much. I've parted my hair in much the same place for as long as I can remember and I don't have less hair there.

[Saeth]

Annibelle: Eeek at DH! I have been trying to leave my hair alone while it's wet/damp but I suppose I'll try 'setting' the parting in a new area now. Ah, the joys of hair vanity!

[Saeth]

Nini: Oh and you have a similar hair type to Revon and I as well. I wonder if it just sorta depends on individual scalps too. I wish my hair wasn't shedding so bad, but atm this complicates judging what's making my parting look funny.

[RitaCeleste]

I've worn my hair parted the same way on the side for forever. I notice the top layers of hair get more wear and tear, but no real problems with the roots or scalp showing more. I mostly wear hair down and parted to one side. I'm not using a comb to make the part so it probably isn't perfectly the exact same every time.

[Revontuletar]

I will have a go at parting it slightly differently when it's wet and see how it goes. At the moment it doesn't seem to be any thinner at the top than everywhere else, but it can't help to try and be on the safe side.

[Revontuletar]

I suppose it doesn't help that my favourite hairstyle happens to be high pigtails, parted in the middle but that's only when I am dressing up and bothering with it, the rest of the time it's in a ponytail.

[Majorane]

Saeth: I have changed my parting two years ago due to an enthousiast hairdresser and matching cut. It was total warfare on my scalp for two weeks. After that my hair gave up, did what I asked and since then has no trouble doing whatever parting I want, left, right, middle, upside down... It seems to have gotten used to several partings. So it does get better after a fairly short time. Your bangs of course are a different matter, if you fluff them up and go for a "I just rode my bycicle really fast"look won't that sort of take care of the uneven look...?

[Saeth]

Majorane: Your post made me lol I'll have to try the fluffy bangs look. I'm stretching washings atm so they're looking quite sorry and very limp (and to think I can't wash my hair for another 24hrs!). I think perhaps Aloe gel might work to help tame the battle of the wills going on too? I suspect though in the end it'll be my lack of imagination and knowledge which will make this one of my Hair Wars...

[Madora]

Yes, the part in your hair will grow wider if you part your hair in the same place, time after time.

Think of a farmer, going to his far pasture by the same route every day. At first, the grass beneath is feet is green and lush. But over weeks, that grass is flattened, and finally, destroyed, leaving nothing but bare earth.

Mr. George Michael, the famed long hair guru, recommends parting your hair on the right hand side.

Also, when you change the part in your hair, your roots will hurt. They are not used to being parted in a new direction. It will take time for them to readjust.

If you can manage it, give up all partings. Better for your hair.

[spidermom]

I've noticed that parts seem to get wider over time.

I wear my hair pulled back most days, but I've been changing my part around since I was a teenager, after I read about the importance of doing so in Seventeen magazine.

[Saeth]

Madore: I'm not really sure how I can not have a parting without an updo or down (I confess to wearing my hair down when I get the chance, if it's not windy or things like this). But updos especially? :confused:

Any particular reason for parting on the right side? I tried to think about it but can't see why.

[spidermom]

It's been a long time since I've parted my hair. I'll take a finger and kind of lift and push my hair in the direction I want it to go. Even for twin braids/buns, I'll stick my finger through the hair at the center of my neck and bring half to each side, and when I'm done it looks like a crooked part, which is how I like it. I'm not fond of the look of a straight, precise slash of scalp.

[Madora]

@ Saeth, and other interested parties:

"George Michael's Secrets for Beautiful Hair" Doubleday, 1982:

Start with a Part

Since most classic, informal hairdos require a part, the initial lesson to learn about styling is: where to place that part.

Perhaps you've always simplified this problem by planting a part smack in the middle of your head. Unfortunately, this is a mistake. For one thing, if you pull your hair back from a center part, this puts additional stress on the weakest hairs on the head and if repeated for years can result in thinning. But center parts are a real horror aesthetically, too. Every face has two different sides--an angelic side and a diabolic side. (Look at yourself in profile from both the left and right sides and you'll realize each side is just a little different.) Unfortunately, the diabolic or less attractive side always wins the center-part battle, not your prettier side. A middle part is literallyasking for criticism by playing up your worst features as well...a bumpy nose, a disappearing upper lip, a receding chinline. This very precise attention-calling part should only be worn by two types of people: the very ugly (who are hopeless anyway) or the very beautiful (who can get away with anything). The 99 percent of women who are "normal" shoud always wear a side part.

The question is which side--and the answer is: the right side.

While you're protesting, listen to these scientific reasons, which give strength to any aesthetic reasons I can offer for the right-side rule. Most of us sleep on the right side of the face during most of the night. Don't roll your eyes around trying to figure this one out because even scientists can't explain why; they only known after years of research in Germany that this is a fact. (Perhaps it has to do with the location of your heart, but no one is sure). In any case, since we spend so much time sleeping on the right, the hair on the right side of the head tends to be thinner and finer on everybody than the hair on the left side. (You'll find less hair on your right eyebrow than on your left, too, as an instant indicator that what I'm saying is accurate).

In addition, although hair follicles grow all around the base of the head in a uniform circle, on top of the head the follicles grow from the left to the right. It's okay for men to wear a left-side part because they don't need added height for their hair styles, but a woman should part her hair on the right, AGAINST the growth, for natural height. A right-side part has your hair doing push-ups for you and you are automatically exercising your scalp by parting it on this side.

[Ashenputtel]

I changed my part yesterday and the new part is so tiny. I'm sold to that idea now.

[spidermom]

I almost exclusively sleep on my left side; that's how contrary I am.

I notice that sometimes I'll start with my hair pushed in one direction, and if I notice that my hair has gone rather flat later in the day, I get instant lift if I push it in the opposite direction.

[Sundial]

In addition, although hair follicles grow all around the base of the head in a uniform circle, on top of the head the follicles grow from the left to the right. It's okay for men to wear a left-side part because they don't need added height for their hair styles, but a woman should part her hair on the right, AGAINST the growth, for natural height. A right-side part has your hair doing push-ups for you and you are automatically exercising your scalp by parting it on this side.

Now I finally understand why my hair is fluffy when I part it on the right and flat when I part it on the left! I have always blamed it on my widow's peak because I couldn't find any other reasons for it. It does work out fine though - when I want a sleek look I just part on the left, and when I need more volume I part on the right.

I've read in some magazines that keeping the same part is not good so I have been switching around for years. One annoying thing about not having a fixed parting is that it confuses hairstylists because they have problems trimming the fringe accordingly. I always end up having to compromise the look of the bangs to facilitate flexibility of switching partings and I hated that.

I usually change my part when my hair is wet otherwise it doesn't hold well. It did hurt during the first few switches but it doesn't hurt anymore now.

[spidermom]

Since I have no preference, my stylist cuts with my hair parted in the middle.

[pittsburgpam]

I don't worry about it. My hair naturally wants to part slightly off center to the right. I almost always just let it go where it wants if I'm not combing it back into a bun. Sometimes I part it more to the right if I am wearing my hair down. It's been this way since as long as I can remember and I don't see any thinning.

Think about it... if someone has a cowlick and the hair stubbornly grows a certain way, is it always thinner there? I wouldn't think so.

[FluffSpider]

I suggest you comb your hair with NO part when bunning or ponytailing for the night. If it won't stay, use a pin to hold it in place. 99% of my updos are without a part-so you could try that. I like the 'no part' because it gives me more volume on the crown area. As for the thinning with a recurring part, here:
http://aurinko.net.pl/pliki/tuomas/tuomas1.jpg

[Kaijah]

I don't quite understand how you can have no part.... would that mean like, brushing all the hair straight back from your forehead? Wouldn't the sides still technically be parted? I'm just really having a hard time picturing/understanding this, probably because I've never really paid any attention to it... I've also never really visited stylists, so maybe that's a factor as to why I don't get it.

I don't quite understand why a right hand part would be better, other than personal aesthetic tastes. (I know in my case, I don't need volume help at all. And parting to either side = poof.) :confused:

My hair naturally wants to part straight down the middle (though the front kind of does a zig zaggy thing). I don't guide it... I can rinse out my hair upside down, flip right side up and bam, its always fallen center. I tried parting my hair on the right, and then on the left, and I didn't notice any difference between the thickness of those parts and the thickness of my normal part - even when my hair was "straight" from bunning instead of actually curly.

[ghilliegirl_an]

I'm sorry but I don't really believe what that article says, I do sleep on my right side but my right eyebrow is considerably thicker than my left and my hair is the same thickness on either side maybe a little thicker on the right actually. I'm also a little confused as to why parting your hair on the side that's thinner(supposedly) would be more aesthetically pleasing, that would just make your hair look more unbalanced if you ask me. I personally have never experienced thinning from a center part but I get a headache if I part it too far to the side, that of course doesn't mean others don't experience thinning but I think for a lot of people that do it is because of pulling the hair tight from whatever part is made.

[vanillabones]

Well, this has been enough convincing for me. *switches part to the right* I used to always wear my part at the right until a hairdresser told me my natural part is more to the left. I prefer it more to the left. My baby hairs are not liking this! :) after a shower the switch will stay easier... I wonder if anyone will notice ;)
I'm going to switch mine every month!

[Kherome]

Sounds awfully silly to me. My hair has had the same center part since I was a wee one. No loss of hair for me.

[Kherome]

@ Saeth, and other interested parties:

"George Michael's Secrets for Beautiful Hair" Doubleday, 1982:

Start with a Part

Since most classic, informal hairdos require a part, the initial lesson to learn about styling is: where to place that part.

Perhaps you've always simplified this problem by planting a part smack in the middle of your head. Unfortunately, this is a mistake. For one thing, if you pull your hair back from a center part, this puts additional stress on the weakest hairs on the head and if repeated for years can result in thinning. But center parts are a real horror aesthetically, too. Every face has two different sides--an angelic side and a diabolic side. (Look at yourself in profile from both the left and right sides and you'll realize each side is just a little different.) Unfortunately, the diabolic or less attractive side always wins the center-part battle, not your prettier side. A middle part is literallyasking for criticism by playing up your worst features as well...a bumpy nose, a disappearing upper lip, a receding chinline. This very precise attention-calling part should only be worn by two types of people: the very ugly (who are hopeless anyway) or the very beautiful (who can get away with anything). The 99 percent of women who are "normal" shoud always wear a side part.

The question is which side--and the answer is: the right side.

While you're protesting, listen to these scientific reasons, which give strength to any aesthetic reasons I can offer for the right-side rule. Most of us sleep on the right side of the face during most of the night. Don't roll your eyes around trying to figure this one out because even scientists can't explain why; they only known after years of research in Germany that this is a fact. (Perhaps it has to do with the location of your heart, but no one is sure). In any case, since we spend so much time sleeping on the right, the hair on the right side of the head tends to be thinner and finer on everybody than the hair on the left side. (You'll find less hair on your right eyebrow than on your left, too, as an instant indicator that what I'm saying is accurate).

In addition, although hair follicles grow all around the base of the head in a uniform circle, on top of the head the follicles grow from the left to the right. It's okay for men to wear a left-side part because they don't need added height for their hair styles, but a woman should part her hair on the right, AGAINST the growth, for natural height. A right-side part has your hair doing push-ups for you and you are automatically exercising your scalp by parting it on this side.

This is like something you'd find in a trash rag at the checkout counter. Who says something like "only ugly hopeless people" can do something? Tacky, and inappropriate. (Not the poster, the author)

[gthlvrmx]

I don't quite understand how you can have no part.... would that mean like, brushing all the hair straight back from your forehead? Wouldn't the sides still technically be parted? I'm just really having a hard time picturing/understanding this, probably because I've never really paid any attention to it... I've also never really visited stylists, so maybe that's a factor as to why I don't get it.

I don't quite understand why a right hand part would be better, other than personal aesthetic tastes. (I know in my case, I don't need volume help at all. And parting to either side = poof.) :confused:

My hair naturally wants to part straight down the middle (though the front kind of does a zig zaggy thing). I don't guide it... I can rinse out my hair upside down, flip right side up and bam, its always fallen center. I tried parting my hair on the right, and then on the left, and I didn't notice any difference between the thickness of those parts and the thickness of my normal part - even when my hair was "straight" from bunning instead of actually curly.


I don't have an obvious part, i don't know if it's because of the curlies, but you can only see one small line on the very top back of my head and that's it. I used to just have it fall to the left, but i never had an obvious line or any sort. My hair just falls back

[spidermom]

This is like something you'd find in a trash rag at the checkout counter. Who says something like "only ugly hopeless people" can do something? Tacky, and inappropriate. (Not the poster, the author)

I can't argue with that.

[Revontuletar]

I don't have an obvious part, i don't know if it's because of the curlies, but you can only see one small line on the very top back of my head and that's it. I used to just have it fall to the left, but i never had an obvious line or any sort. My hair just falls back

I think that maybe this might be because of your hair type. For me it is impossible not to have a part - it just doesn't work. It seems like my hair is just not dense or thick enough for it to just "fall back." even if I toss it down and flick it back it still goes straight to the middle. And if I try to cover the middle part up it will still be a part somewhere else, although this does not last long, as it constantly wants to go back to the middle.

And with regards to that article, it sounds like a load of trash to me. Anything that says beautiful people can get away with anything and ugly people just shouldn't bother really doesn't sound like something worth listening to, to be honest.

[prettykitty]

Hmm, I'd always wondered about this-have you ever seen a lady with a sharp parting that's a good quarter of an inch wide? Scary.
Maybe I'll wiggle mine around a bit more, just to be on the safe side. It'll be an adventure!

[pixiestar]

I've always had a left side parting which did seem thinner at the temple:( But since I joined here it is already grown new hair and looks much thicker. So personally I think its how you treat your hair that matters:D

[HoneyJubilee]

Parting my hair on the right side doesn't give me any extra volume, it just makes it look like I have like 5 hairs on the right side and a big comb-over :rolleyes:
It also makes my face look weirdly narrow.

My mother always gave me a far right part when I was little and when I was in middle school I decided to move my part to the center where it's been ever since. I don't have any weird bald spots where the side part was or where my center part is.

[Regan]

I always part my hair on the right but I've never noticed any thinning.. knock on wood :x

[Revontuletar]

Parting my hair on the right side doesn't give me any extra volume, it just makes it look like I have like 5 hairs on the right side and a big comb-over :rolleyes:
It also makes my face look weirdly narrow.

Hahaha that's exactly what I was about to say - it makes me look like I have an egg head...and a combover!:eek: I don't think I will be trying to change my part dramatically...I might have a go at zig-zagging it after each time I wash it, maybe that will look better and it won't protest as much.

[Alix]

I don't have a natural strait part so I've never worried about it. But I would think it's the straight intentional parting that can have more damage.

[Revontuletar]

I just washed my hair and put it in a messy, random zigzaggy part centered around the middle where I always have it. It seems to like that much more than parting it to the right or left combover-style, although strands keep falling in my face. I put it into a ponytail and although it feels weird it is ok, and hopefully it will get used to me changing it around randomly like that. I will see how it goes. Can't hurt to be cautious I don't want to end up with an atrocious bald stripe like I used to have.

[Gulbahar]

What a silly article! And anyway, my right side hair is thicker than the left and it grows faster too.
I think the impression that hair at a part gets thinner over time comes a) from the fact that the follicles "change direction" slightly when you keep the part at the same place. So the hair falls apart more readily - and b) from the fact that many people's hair gets thinner with age anyway. So it would make no difference where the part was or is, it would be thinner either way.

[Revontuletar]

What a silly article! And anyway, my right side hair is thicker than the left and it grows faster too.

I had a look at my eyebrows though and indeed, the left one is slightly thicker than the right!

[FluffSpider]

No parting means (as far as I know) something along the lines of this:

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZzcWz36FqZ0/TGq55bwNMmI/AAAAAAAABW0/a5q1wlxlcwY/s1600/sarah-jessica-parker-high-updo-bun-hairstyle-chanel-party-08.jpg

The thinning probably depends on how much those hairs are tugged. for instance, if you have a very tight bun which tugs specifically on the 'parting' hairs, ( not a balanced weight distribution) that might cause (in time!) weakening of those areas. Or if you always wear it down, and the tug is on those hairs.I've noticed breakage when always wearing a part, and I've seen people actually having noticeably less hair on their part. For instance, a friend of mine had very thick curly BSL hair. He shaved it all off, for I don't know what reason. He had about... 3-4 mm of hair on his head, and you could see a way thinner line where his parting was. That, and the Nightwish dude convinced me to change my parting once in a while.

[Gulbahar]

I had a look at my eyebrows though and indeed, the left one is slightly thicker than the right!
Yeah, but that's normal - nobody is symmetrical. For you it's the right eyebrow, for someone else it's the left one that is thicker. I just don't care for this kind of "fundamental facts" that are said to be true for everyone.

[janeytilllie]

I use to leave my parting the same way(in the middle) I then noticed my parting slowly started increasing in thiness.

I now part my hair 2 different ways every time I wash. My hair can't stand side partings. So I make the parting near where my middle parting was. I will switch it up by doing the right side then another week the left.

I found that parting my hair when dry made my scalp very sore. Parting the hair when wet doesn't give my scalp soreness or pain :)

My hair is now growing thicker in the middle.

[Revontuletar]

Yeah, but that's normal - nobody is symmetrical. For you it's the right eyebrow, for someone else it's the left one that is thicker. I just don't care for this kind of "fundamental facts" that are said to be true for everyone.
Yeah I think you might be right about that one!

[hibiscus]

--------------------------

[hibiscus]

What a silly article! And anyway, my right side hair is thicker than the left and it grows faster too.
I think the impression that hair at a part gets thinner over time comes a) from the fact that the follicles "change direction" slightly when you keep the part at the same place. So the hair falls apart more readily - and b) from the fact that many people's hair gets thinner with age anyway. So it would make no difference where the part was or is, it would be thinner either way.

I agree, well said.

[Ligeia_13]

Nothing odd about my eyebrows either. And there's not less hair on the right side. Quite the opposite, actually.

[hibiscus]

This is like something you'd find in a trash rag at the checkout counter. Who says something like "only ugly hopeless people" can do something? Tacky, and inappropriate. (Not the poster, the author)

I also agree with this. How silly and unkind!

[Misty'sMess]

My aunt has alway parted her hair down the centre and the other day I noticed that her part is really big, almost a cm wide. I think it is true you loss more hair if you leave your part in the same place day after day.

I wonder if I should tell her?

[hibiscus]

----------------------

[Saeth]

Well having read through everything, I came to the conclusion that for some people this would be a problem, for others, maybe not, depending on various factors.

For someone who has had problems with shedding and went through a long period of time of terribly neglected hair, for me, the parting thing does hold some weight. My hair got very long at one point but it was a mess, thin, straggly in an unhealthy way and I always wore it tied up, always with same parting, so I think that perhaps some damage was done. Having seen also how neat and tiny the new parts are, it's quite nice, though I still have a problem with a thin part around my bangs showing through. So I suspect I'll develop the habit of switching it about, and just having a straight parting for when it's very much needed, and not having a parting when I can get away from it.

Overall though, it was very interesting to read everyone's responses :D I parted my hair while damp last night and yes it wasn't so sore, thank goodness. It felt like a bear had been swinging off my locks!

[prettykitty]

This kind of has me fascinated, as I've parted my hair on the left for years and years, and while I've noticed no thinning there, the hair was pretty flat along the part.
For a week or so I played around with it, moving the part to the middle, or an inch or so to the left or right of my normal part, but this morning I completely flipped it to the right side.
What a nightmare! My hair was so resistant to the change that I had to smooth it with the fine teeth or a tail comb (now that was a dusty old item, lols) several times to get it to part at all, and use hairspray to hold it down a little.
I then put it into a pony and braided the length, but on inspection in the mirror there are all these little baby hairs stubbornly poking in the opposite direction to the part, which I find oddly cute.
I think I'll try switching it back and forth regularly, as I also noticed there is not as much color along this right side parting (you guessed it, I've been keeping it parted when I henna). I'm hoping that I can get it to the point where it doesn't care where I part it and I can flip it from one side to the other from day to day, I just have to put in the effort to 'untrain' it first.

[Bohemian Haze]

I've always had the same parting. Even when I've tried to convince my hair to part on the other side - it just flips back over to it's usual off-centre position on my left.

The part IS a little bit wider than if I look at the roots when I part the hair on the other side. But, not so much that anyone would notice. Only me.

I suppose it could be something to do with hairtype?

[seaj]

I can understand how using the same parting all the time can cause damage. Hair near the partings and hairlines get the most exposure to the elements, and I find that those areas are also subject to the most tension when I put my hair in ponytails, most likely because they are in direct contact with the hairbands. This is also probably why it's recommended to put your ponytail in a different spot everyday.

My hair part is naturally on the right, but I like to switch it up periodically. Not too forcefully though. Hair is very flexible but I feel like it can also be damaging to force your hair to lay flat in a position opposite of it's direction of growth.

[lines-wine]

Am I odd in the fact that I don't part at all, preferring brush my hair straight back instead?

[Madora]

Am I odd in the fact that I don't part at all, preferring brush my hair straight back instead?

Not at all! I don't like parts either but I brush all my hair in front of me, then style it.

[jeanniet]

My hair has a strong natural part and it's been the same more or less my entire life, and the hair there is the same as it's always been, so I really think it depends on your individual hair. Sometimes I part over on the side, but it always tends to migrate back to the middle because that's where it wants to be!

[Sarahlabyrinth]

My hair just likes the middle parting too. And it has been parted in the middle pretty much ever since I have had enough hair to need a parting. So far I have seen no thinning there or widening of the parting.

And my hair is definitely thicker on my right side, the one I sleep on...

[petali]

Wow, I didn't know it hurt for some people when they switched the parts! The only part I can't do with my hair is straight back. It doesn't hurt, but it naturally migrates to the left side of my head.

[akilina]

This is an old thread...but I am in the boat where this hasn't damaged anything for me.
I have been parting on the right side for the last oh.....9 years and Im still good :)
I can't part anywhere else, It just looks wrong!

[palaeoqueen]

My hair has a strong natural part and it's been the same more or less my entire life, and the hair there is the same as it's always been, so I really think it depends on your individual hair. Sometimes I part over on the side, but it always tends to migrate back to the middle because that's where it wants to be!

Same here except my hair parts naturally on the left. I don't put the parting there myself, I don't even touch my hair after leaving the shower, it just falls that way as it dries. It's not the exact same part each time of course, which probably helps, but it's always left of the middle. I have a cowlick on the left of my crown so I really can't part it any other way, even if I wanted to, without a massive amount of styling to get it to sit flat. The styling would be more damaging for my hair than wearing it in the same part every day.

I imagine if the hairs in the part are being put under a lot of stress and strain it could be true but it's hardly true for everyone.

I'm also rather irritated by the suggestion that I must part it on the right (even if this wasn't rubbish, I sleep on my left anyway) and the comment in that article about "ugly" people. How unkind and untrue.

[PrincessIdril]

I personally don't believe this.
I've had a centre part for about 10 years now and looking at old pictures I can see that it's no bigger than it used to be. And my mum (who has very different hair to me!) has always had a centre part, and her part is no wider than mine!
Then again the constant claim that ponytails create a halo of broken hairs where you tie them off doesn't seem to apply to our hair either...

And as for that article claiming that women should always part their hair on the right. Well that is simply ridicilious, I look much better with my hair in a centre part than I do with it in a side part or with no part at all. Instead of following such "advice" it's much better to learn what you like and suits your face.

[VioletCurlyhair]

I have parted my hair on the left for a long time. And I usually don't need to actually do anything to put it there. My hair is no less thick than it would be if I put the part somewhere new every day. Now, I have seen someone with a really thick part. I think it might happen if one yanks their comb on their scalp, or pulls the two sides (of the part) too tight on a regular basis. Otherwise, I don't think there's much to worry about.

I don't really agree with that article, for quite a few reasons. Center parts don't look any particular way on me, but I've seen them look great on others. I think it has far more to do with the face shape rather than something like 'a bumpy nose'. And then saying that only 'very ugly' or 'very beautiful' people can wear it, and calling the 'ugly' people 'hopeless'. That's just wrong! Who decides who is 'hopelessly ugly'? And why would the opinion of someone who would think that of someone else even matter?

And then it says it is a fact that most people sleep on the right side, and goes on to assume the reader does so as well, and that everyone who does so has thinner hair on the right side because of it. Why try to put everyone in some 'uniform unit' like that? I for one, sleep on the left side pretty much all the time, and I don't even move when sleeping, so there's no, 'Well, maybe you move to your right side in your sleep.' The left side of my hair seems to be naturally thicker than my right, and the outer edge of my left eyebrow is thinner. Now according to that guy's logic, how would that happen?

And then the suggestions for where to place the part are just... Ok, why wouldn't men 'need' added height to their styles? Why would women 'need' added height? It doesn't make much sense. No one 'needs' it. Maybe they want it, but I highly doubt their survival, or even looking good depends on it. Now, if your hair is thinner on the right side, then parting it on the left might look kind of weird, if you don't usually do so. Think about it, there might be 'added height (whatever that even means)' but the right side of the part would even thinner because you made there be even less hair on that side, do you follow? But if you part it on the left, that balance it out, (if balance is what you even want in the first place) because you put more hair on the side that has less hair, like: start: (L)7 (R)3 -->after left part (L)5 (R)5
If that makes any sense, if it doesn't, I apologize.

I don't know, it just seems like what he's saying is just a formula for people to have this uniform look. And it doesn't even seem to take into account hair that is very curly or kinky. I'm telling you, now, when my hair was shorter and grew upwards, it wouldn't matter where my part was, I would still have 'added height'. Seriously, what is the purpose of this 'added height'? Like, to make one look taller??? I don't even know.

Ah, I kind of went into a rant there. I really didn't meant for the post to get this long.

[CaughtRedHeaded]

I agree but I think it depends on the weight of your hair and if you actually put your hair up in a bun/ponytail or leave it out. After wearing the same bun everyday for a few years I noticed a slightly thinner hairline. I still have to tame my hair for work so I do a long low braid now and change the part around. I am trying to start bumping my hair in the front and then doing the long braid to better protect my hairline. I just don't know if that will make my hair thinner in other areas. Anyone know?

[melusine963]

This is the case for me. Until I learned to control my frizz somewhat, I always had to have a parting. Now I wear my hair brushed straight back, but I can always tell where the parting used to be at my hairline because there's a tiny little bald spot.

[gnome82]

I have parted my hair on the left for a long time. And I usually don't need to actually do anything to put it there. My hair is no less thick than it would be if I put the part somewhere new every day. Now, I have seen someone with a really thick part. I think it might happen if one yanks their comb on their scalp, or pulls the two sides (of the part) too tight on a regular basis. Otherwise, I don't think there's much to worry about.

I don't really agree with that article, for quite a few reasons. Center parts don't look any particular way on me, but I've seen them look great on others. I think it has far more to do with the face shape rather than something like 'a bumpy nose'. And then saying that only 'very ugly' or 'very beautiful' people can wear it, and calling the 'ugly' people 'hopeless'. That's just wrong! Who decides who is 'hopelessly ugly'? And why would the opinion of someone who would think that of someone else even matter?

And then it says it is a fact that most people sleep on the right side, and goes on to assume the reader does so as well, and that everyone who does so has thinner hair on the right side because of it. Why try to put everyone in some 'uniform unit' like that? I for one, sleep on the left side pretty much all the time, and I don't even move when sleeping, so there's no, 'Well, maybe you move to your right side in your sleep.' The left side of my hair seems to be naturally thicker than my right, and the outer edge of my left eyebrow is thinner. Now according to that guy's logic, how would that happen?

And then the suggestions for where to place the part are just... Ok, why wouldn't men 'need' added height to their styles? Why would women 'need' added height? It doesn't make much sense. No one 'needs' it. Maybe they want it, but I highly doubt their survival, or even looking good depends on it. Now, if your hair is thinner on the right side, then parting it on the left might look kind of weird, if you don't usually do so. Think about it, there might be 'added height (whatever that even means)' but the right side of the part would even thinner because you made there be even less hair on that side, do you follow? But if you part it on the left, that balance it out, (if balance is what you even want in the first place) because you put more hair on the side that has less hair, like: start: (L)7 (R)3 -->after left part (L)5 (R)5
If that makes any sense, if it doesn't, I apologize.

I don't know, it just seems like what he's saying is just a formula for people to have this uniform look. And it doesn't even seem to take into account hair that is very curly or kinky. I'm telling you, now, when my hair was shorter and grew upwards, it wouldn't matter where my part was, I would still have 'added height'. Seriously, what is the purpose of this 'added height'? Like, to make one look taller??? I don't even know.

Ah, I kind of went into a rant there. I really didn't meant for the post to get this long.

I agree :applause:twocents:

[cathair]

When I parted my hair in the same place it did fall out, it looked horrible. When it was at it worst, if I looked in the mirror at my scalp down the parting, you could see skin from my forehead to the back of my head, especially since my hair stands up a little way away from my scalp anyway. I could imagine what I would look like with a shaved head a stubble. I do move it every time I wash it, but it seems to naturally part more easier on the left and I am more used to the weight that way. I guess I know now that is easier because it grows left to right. I should try it more to the right.

But I am also very prone to traction apoplectic. When I used to put my hair in a ponytail every day, I used to have a bald patch at the front of my middle parting that was an inch or two squared.

I don't sleep on my right hardly ever, I sleep on my left and sometimes my back.

I can only imagine how you could not have a parting if you keep it up 100% of the time. I quite often use my hand to pull my hair back over my head so there is no parting during the day, because it feels good, but it would never stay like that on it's own. Is there a trick to it? Do you non-parters use any styling products to keep the partings at bay?

[Mesmerise]

Lol at that article, or whatever it was ;). Errm logically... if your hair is thinner on the right... wouldn't it make sense to part it on the LEFT so you'd get more hair volume to the right to counteract the fact that it's thinner? If your hair is thinner on the right, and you part it on the right, then the left gets a doubly whammy of extra hair!!

(That and errm... that whole excerpt was pretty stupid... some people look better with center parts, some with left, and some with right!). When I was a child my mum parted my hair in the center, and then at some point I switched it to the left, where it's been ever since (which apparently makes it flat lol...).

When I wear my hair pulled back, I rarely have a part at all, except when I deliberately put one in for a different look.

However, I will keep an eye on my part, cause the last thing I need is THINNER hair in that area! I already have a lot of thinning at the front, that I'm quite conscious of.

[Isilme]

That article is funny in a sad way. I will not say it can't be true for some people, but I have been wearing the same part for years and years except for when everything is combed back and I still have an enormous amount of hair compared to most people I have met (again, except for some people here, but the statistics are a bit off here)

[Anabell]

Yes, I think it is make a little damage. If you look around you will see that a lot of people have one part line (the middle, the most of the time) that wider than the others. It is exposed to the sun and air pollution longer, so it has a little less hair density than a new parting lines.
You can move your parting a little way from the center, in different place every day. It not have to be extremely side parting- that kind maybe can cause a sore if you don't used to it.
You also can wear your hair without part a all, like in french\ dutch braids.
But don't worry about it too much- make your hair the way you feel comfortable with it.

[jacqueline101]

I'd say its true I did the same style for months day and night my hair started shedding. When I switched updos it stopped.

[blaketob]

I used to switch my part from left to right because my hair was noticeably thinner and more damaged on one side than the other. I part my hair down the middle now and it seems to grow more evenly and not just break on one side. I think other factors play a part in this for example the side that I had breakage on I also sleep on the side continuously.

[goldloli]

I've noticed that parts seem to get wider over time.

I wear my hair pulled back most days, but I've been changing my part around since I was a teenager, after I read about the importance of doing so in Seventeen magazine.
So much this!

Generally my parting falls on my left side to go with my right right bangs but I don't really have a parting. Everyday it falls somewhere a lil different. Years ago I used to style this perfect part and would get frustrated if it didn't go into place, i noticed it kills volume and movement and is way harder to maintain along with peoples widening parts.

Now I flip it around during the day, along with my bangs, I even got reverse v side bangs so I can wear either side or with a centre part.