Since the period there has been a lot of talks, that people who wear helmets or caps over a long time are probably to experience hair loss, even with no genetic probability of baldness. The condition is called “traction alopecia,” and it occurs when people put on helmets or caps repeatedly and allow the helmet to pull on the hairs and loosen the roots from the scalp.
Research has found there are two ways that helmets and caps affect hair loss. First, is the repeated use of helmets and caps themselves, and the second is bacteria that naturally gathers on the scalp surface, which can be exacerbated by helmet or cap use.
Often, helmet use is for sports or recreational activities outdoors in the elements. Whether you are riding dirt bikes, playing football or baseball, or enjoying a day on a beach, your cap or helmet gathers sweat from your head, dirt and other foreign matter from the environment and keeps those pollutants near your scalp until you take it off. While you may wash your hair and scalp, it is not uncommon to forget to wash your helmet or cap with regularity. Every time you wear a helmet or cap without washing, the bacteria that was there has a greater chance to spread. Not surprisingly, this bacteria then infect your scalp, increasing the chance of stunted hair growth and ultimately resulting in hair loss.
Now, the hat or helmet itself.
As hairs get pulled by a hat or helmet, eventually follicles aren’t able to anchor into the scalp and fall away over time.
One suggestion to combat hair loss is to spray an anti-bacterial solution inside the helmet or cap and let it dry thoroughly, or give it a complete wipe-down with anti-bacterial cloths or towels between wears. The idea is to eliminate dirt, sweat and any other pollutants from getting into your scalp; this is because your scalp is similar to your skin in that it has pores or holes where the hair grows, and those pores have to be clean in order to keep the hair growing.
