One of the biggest fears any man may have is losing their hair. And, while this issue might avoid you, over 80% of men worldwide have some hair loss at some point in their lives. Yes, we know that this might be hard for you. For the other 20%, we can’t say anything more, but – you’re lucky! Genetics plays a huge role in hair loss, and therefore, if you have it or don’t have it, you should thank your mom and dad or your grandfather or grandmother. You Never really know whom you got the hair loss gene from.

People say that in most cases, it’s from the maternal side, but this hasn’t been proven, and we can’t say that it’s true. For those people who have hair loss, as we said, in more than 95% it’s thanks to genetics. For the other 5%, hair loss might occur because of different factors. Stress, constant pulling of your hair (yes, it’s a disease called trichotillomania), some accident or regular yearly hair shed fall into this category. But, there is something that is often mentioned, and in this article, we’ll see if that is true or not. And it’s that wearing a hat causes baldness. 

It’s ironic. When you see people outside who have hair loss, they wear hats to cover it up in most cases. So, why would they wear them if it will make their condition even worse? We’ll find out shortly. Before we dive into all of this, we need to take a closer look at how hair loss works and the science behind it. We need to see the process behind balding to provide you with the best answers and debunk this myth once and for all. Have you ever watched “Mythbusters”? Well, science helps them to debunk myths. That’s why we need some science to come up with a valid conclusion.

Hair Loss

It needs to be mentioned that we will mostly talk about Male Pattern Baldness. Although women can also have hair loss, compared to men, they are in the minority. In this article, we’ll cover the male side of this problem and answer some questions. 

As we said, Male Pattern Baldness, often referred to as “MPB” is a genetic issue, which makes your hair fall out. That’s in simple words. If we want to dig a bit deeper, we would see that a cause is a little hormone called DHT or dihydrotestosterone. It’s a male steroid created by your body daily, the same as its more popular brother testosterone. When you grow up, DHT is essential. It helps your body to develop male characteristics. Think of facial hair, body hair, muscles, and so on. So yeah, it’s an important hormone. But, DHT can cause some “damage” when you are an adult. It binds to the hair follicles and, if you’re genetically prone to it, DHT will start to attack your har. In simpler words, your hair will begin to miniaturize and will grow weaker and thinner every cycle (hair grows in a cycle). If you are prone to it – it is a pre-existing genetic disposition. And there is little you can do about it. 

You’ll probably lose your hair first on your hairline and get the classical “M” shaped hairline, and after that, your crown might start thinning as well. There are some medicals you can take and try to battle this issue. One of them is “Propecia.” It’s a prostate drug, but when taken orally in a smaller dose, it stops hair from falling out. People take this medicine, but what you need to know is that it has various side effects, some of which very dangerous.

Think of erectile dysfunction, libido loss, and brain fog. So, if you want to try this medicine, definitely talk to your doctor before it. We aren’t professionals, and we really can’t say if you should take it or not. Another medicine is called “Minoxidil,” It’s a liquid type medicine that you apply directly to the place where your hair might fall out. People say it’s effective, but as with Propecia, six months to a year need to pass for you to see if it’s working for you.

So, yes, hair loss can be treated to some degree, and even if you take this “Propecia” or “Minoxidil,” it doesn’t mean your hair fall will stop. The chances are 50:50 that the medicine won’t work for you, and you’ll have to wait for over a year for the first results. Now that we know what’s the science behind hair loss, let’s jump to the topic of the day. Can wearing a hat make your hall out?

Hair Loss And Hats

Short answer? No. And if you’re looking for a bit more complex solution, here it is. In 99% of cases, wearing a hat won’t make your hair fall out. That’s not how things work. Some people say that your scalp can’t breathe under a hat, and your hair won’t have enough oxygen for it to function normally. Total nonsense. Your hair will be just fine. Some say that if you sweat too much under a hat, it can damage your hair follicles. Although sweat, dirt, and other things can get stuck on your scalp, washing your hair regularly will get rid of it and make your scalp and hair fresh.

Another thing we heard is that wearing a hat will make your hair thinned out, and some people find individual strands of hair inside. Firstly, if you wear anything on your head for more than an hour, it will make your hair look flat and give an illusion it might be thin. For the second part, a few strands of hair shouldn’t worry you as scientists say that an average person loses about 100 hair per day! Yeah, we didn’t believe ourselves when we read this the first time. But it’s the truth.

So, a few strands of hair in your hat aren’t a sign of anything. But, can then hats cause hair loss in any situation? The only condition where it can cause some hair loss is if you wear your hat very tight and therefore pull strands of hair when you take it off and put it on. It’s called traction alopecia. So, it would help if you were careful that your hat isn’t tight on your head as it might pull a few strands of hair – but you will notice this as it will hurt.

Another thing you should keep in mind, but this is an extreme one, is to know from which fabric is your hat made of. What do we mean? Well, certain people might have an allergic reaction to specific materials. Therefore, if you are allergic to a material from which your hat is made, you might want to look for another one. These allergic reactions may make your hair fall out. Again, this is pretty subjective, and different people might react differently. Some may have some redness on the scalp, but hair might start to fall out for some.

Another thing you should keep in mind is to clean your hat regularly. As we said, some hair will stay in your hat. Imagine a shock you would have if you would notice, after a year of wearing, tens of hair strands inside the hat. It could make you stressed out and feel desperate, where it isn’t time to. It has been proven that often thinking about hair loss and stressing over it can cause even more hair fall, and therefore you enter the never-ending cycle.

To Sum Up

To conclude, no, wearing hats won’t cause hair loss. We know that this topic has been discussed a lot in the hat-wearing community, and frankly, we were a bit suspicious as well. But science has our backs. And if you read a bit on the Internet, you’ll notice that a lot of people agree with us when we say that hats won’t cause any baldness. There isn’t any reason to, and quite frankly, it would be stupid.

If you notice that your hat is filling up with your hair, or you see more hairs lying around your pillow, or while showering, then that should investigate a bit. Maybe you are experiencing hair loss, and your hat doesn’t have anything to do with it. You should contact your dermatologist and talk with him about further measures you should take.

As for the hats, just rock them. Don’t overthink about it damaging your hair follicles, and wear any hat you like. Hats are made to rest comfortably on your head, and we doubt that their existence has a hair damaging aspect. They can even sometimes help you hide your bedhead.