Mythbusters: Can Smoking Harm Hair

We’ve said it here time and time again: bad lifestyle habits like drinking and smoking can negatively harm your health as well as your hair.

But how exactly does it happen? On today’s ZALA Mythbusters, we’ll answer in detail the question: can smoking harm hair?

The myth: smoking harms hair

Even the most staunch supporters of smoking would probably know that smoking does have a lot of negatives. Aside from the obvious medical issues like lung damage and throat damage, smoking is also said to have a slew of other effects, even to our hair.

One of the most common myths that you will hear is that smoking can cause early hair loss, especially in men. Apparently, smoking a lot in your younger years will cause your hair to gradually become thinner until one day, most of it is already gone.

That’s how the myth goes. But is it really a myth, or can smoking really harm hair?

How smoking affects our body

We could make an entire list of how smoking can negatively affect your body.

Heart diseases are some of the most common ailments that affect smokers, outside of the possibility of terminal illnesses like cancer. That’s because smoking leads to thicker arteries, restricting blood flow and therefore increasing the risks of getting a heart attack.

Smoking is also a common cause of asthma, colds, coughs, and wheezing. Smoking tends to damage the lungs and throat, causing those effects. Smokers also have an 84% chance of dying of lung cancer and an 83% chance of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease .

How smoking affects hair

So, we already know how smoking affects our bodies. How does smoking affect hair in particular? One study conducted in 2007 reported that smokers actually experience a higher rate of hair loss compared to non-smokers.

There are two main reasons for this. One, cigarettes contain a lot of toxins, such as nicotine, arsenic, and cyanide. Over time, these toxins can damage the hair follicles, therefore affecting how they function. Since hair follicles are responsible for growing healthy strands, if they’re damaged, then you’ll certainly notice a decrease in hair count.

Two, since cigarettes can restrict blood flow, that means that blood won’t circulate properly on your scalp either. This effectively lessens the necessary nutrients that your hair will receive, which will eventually cause it to thin and eventually fall out.

In men, smoking is especially bad because smoking actually increases DHT, an androgen that reduces the size of hair follicles. Men who smoke will experience receding hairlines and baldness much earlier than men who don’t smoke.

Can smoking harm hair?

There’s no doubt about it, smoking harms hair. More than that, in fact. Smoking harms our entire body. It doesn't even have any good benefits that could save it from all these negative effects. Smoking cigarettes is basically like voluntarily inhaling poison into your body. If you love your hair, and your health, it’s time to ditch the cigs once and for all.

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