Comments on: My Hijab Is Making Me Bald!

By: laila

laila — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 19:46:49 +0000

hijab does make your hair fall out!!! i wear hijab…it doesnt bother me much i just find stuff to make my hair stronger and what not.
the main reason for hair loss when wearing the hijab is if you wear it to long! (and i do… sometimes 12 hours!!!!) whenever you can take a break and take it off let your scalp breathe!!!! number two its the lack of sun…..hair is dead cells but it deffinately needs sun to be ‘nourished’ and thus grow. this actually the leading cause of hair loss when it comes to hijab….so just sit in the sun for a half hour everyday…even if its just by a window in your home. it helps a lot.
another thing you can do is to use natural herb oils. certain oils help strength the hair folicales and help hair grow back and what not….you can go online and find the right one. also make sure that the hijab pieces are not to tight.
it shouldnt be an excuse…but it is bothersome…im palestinian and to us our long pretty hair is something we take pride in….. so we look for ways to keep it nice even when wearing hijab! :D:D

By: Muslima

Muslima — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 09:18:36 +0000

Whoops, sorry, nena, I didn’t reply about the rain thing. Yes, that does seem to be a problem. Then again, anyone in a soaked dress is liable to fall over from the weight of it. I think that the solution is for niqabis in rainy areas to carry those fold up umbrellas with them in their bags as well as perhaps wearing less heavy clothing, maybe just abaya with niqab.

By: Muslima

Muslima — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 09:15:24 +0000

Dear nena franks,

I really doubt if it’s the black robes they wear that make them so hot, and here’s why. I’m a hijabi living in an African country where temperatures zoom up to 110 degrees Farenheit regularly during most of the year. My grandmother, who’s non-Muslim, wears the very lightest of her light cotton clothing, and still suffers heat rash, fatigue, and complaining of how hot the weather is even in winter. My brothers , who wear t-shirts and shorter clothes than I do, all suffer from prickly heat rash. Now here’s the interesting part…I can easily wear two, three layers no-problemo when I’m going out, and I AM THE ONLY MEMBER OF MY CLOSE FAMILY WHO HAS NEVER SUFFERED FROM THE HEAT. You need something covering you up in the summer to protect you from the sun, and you need something covering you up in winter to protect you from the cold! Easy-peasy.

But I do think that more cultural-based black-robed hijabis have a very bad time because (because of norms in their culture) they don’t get enough exercise and get out enough, and where I live, this is very obvious in the women, especially the older ones.

I’m a big supporter of safe niqab (as in wearing something not so trippable by being able to button it up and walk like a coat), and I like seeing niqabis wearing light or earth toned colors as my aunt does, instead of never-ending BLACK.

By: Muslima

Muslima — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 09:01:11 +0000

Wow, there are so many posts that I can’t read them all! I have been wearing hijab casually since I was in kindergarten, but I only became officially muhajjaba i.e. “Always covered unless family, kids or girls” a few years back when I entered puberty.

I have uncontrollably long, tangly, curly hair that only behaves itself in braids, so my hair is always braided beneath my hijab. A BIG WARNING; do NOT part your hair slam bang on the middle of your head because this causes your hijab to rub against your scalp and causes hair loss. Part it to the right or left and alternate every couple of weeks or so.

I agree that pulling your hair back in a bun or even a braid at the back of your head gives headaches and hair loss, so I would advise hijabis with thick manes to do two braids and pin them over each other at the back of the head (this is a good option for those who don’t like their hairdo to show beneath a one-piece hijab) or just pin each braid up in that little-girl style.

I like Nic’s advice about vitamins, but I think that hijabis should get sunlight by sitting next to windows that have blinds on them in a manner that brings light in but doesn’t let outsiders see inside the window. In the Middle East and Arab countries, get that sunshine in the courtyard or roof of your house, as long as you’re not in a position where someone can see you from outside/above the house. To other people, have you considered getting thicker windows that are translucent so that plenty of light gets in, but cannot be seen through? Or how about those mirror-type windows, so that indoors the light gets in and you can see out, but outdoors you cannot see in the house?

Sorry for such a rambling post. :)

By: Nic

Nic — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 04:08:18 +0000

I became Muslim summer of 07′ and was wearing the hijab by Nov 07′. Before that, I was known for my long huge black hair, and I teased it, curled it, blow dryed it, anything you can think of, but it remained thick and stubbornly strong. It has now been a lil more than 2 years since I wore hijab, and everything from the thickness of my hair to the texture has changed. In the past two years I rarely even pull out the dryer or heating products, and never tease or style my hair, so shouldn’t my hair be in better shape instead of worse? I am still young, and haven’t had any children yet. I did some research and what we as hijabis are suffering from is called “Traction Alopecia”, or “Ballerina Baldness”. The Ballerina Baldness name for “Traction Alopecia” came from the large percentage of Ballet dancers who suffered from this condition due to tension caused from excess pulling of their hair into buns for long periods of time. Men of the Siqkh faith are also in the largest percentage due to the “top knots” they have their hair pulled in. I have very long hair, and in order to keep it from sticking out of the bottom of my already long pashmina hijabs, I have to tye it up at the base of my neck, but the daily tying for all hours of the day is not the normal intention when God blessed women with beautiful manes, so the tension pulls from the front portion of your scalp, no matter how loose you tie it, your still pulling on the front of your scalf, and pressing the follicles down with fabrics. This is why we have the “hat head” look when we remove our hijabs at the end of the day. I spend time researching and designing new ways to cover my hair, without placing unnatural tension on hair follicles. I won’t give up till find an answer ladies…when it says God does not wish for following our faith to cause distress, well I believe him, so currently I am searching for a way to relieve this distress from myself, and Inshallah others…without having to stop presenting myself as a religious woman.

Few Proven Medical Facts to Add:
The hair loss is follicle, from the root, not from moisture, oil will soften your hair, but will not assist in hair loss due to root tension.
Yes, pulling your hair back daily and then wrapping fabric around it, (wearing hijab) is exactly why you noticed your hair is thinner since you started wearing it. Lets be truthful about this without trying to scare people, or trying to hide this fact out of fear it makes hijab look unattractive. If you wear it, you probably aren’t one to be thrown off by this obstacle, just stop tying back your hair, wear hijab loosely around your scalp, doing your best to keep it from being exposed.
Take Vitamin D, as well as a separate multi vitamin. We do not get much sun light, and there is nothing you can eat that has the adequete amount of Vitamin D to replenish your system. The multi vitamins for women also contain enough iron and protein to assist in regrowth, Prenatal Multi’s are great as well.

By: Nor

Nor — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 19:01:06 +0000

I have to agree with the above fact a bit. I have oily scalp to start with and it needs to be fully aired and washed daily. When I don a jihab, my scalp would turn into an oil slick at the end of the day and even after washing, the accumulated oil will create dandruffs. These in turn, caused my hair to fall out more.

By: Leila

Leila — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 19:55:44 +0000

Salaams – I just want to add to what Farisha just said masha’allah – she is correct I believe. Hair is already dead – it is only the root which is alive so you need to nourish the rootes with good nutrition as she said and wearing some cloth over your hair will not make you bald!! HOWEVER I would say that if you used to wear your hair loose most of the time before Hijab, it is likely you are now wearing it tied up all the time under your hijab. If you tie your hair too tightly, you put stress on the hair root and that WILL make it fall out. In addition you should not leave the house with wet hair in cold weather as it can make the hair follicles ‘freeze’ and snap off. But don’t tie your hair up tight – have it relaxed and comfortable tied up and not too high on the head and you will placed far less strain on the hair follicle.

By: Farisha

Farisha — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 10:46:47 +0000

I just wanted to let you ladies know, hijab is not the reason that you are losing hair…and if any doctor is telling you that, then your doctor is leading you in the wrong direction. I have been wearing hijab for the past three years and yes I did notice my hair was not as thick as it used to be, but after discussing this situation with my doctor, we came to a simple conclusion. In the past three years, I have obviously gotten older, and with that comes stress from various areas in my life. And along with stress, I can be negligent when it comes to my health and not getting the nutrients I need…so he advised me to start taking women’s multivitamins, eat properly, get adequate amount of rest, drink water, and try to manage my stress in a healthy way by exercising …and this was all information my doctor gave to me. He’s not Muslim, but he’s a great doctor and he told me cloth wrapped on my head is definitely not why I was losing hair. He told me there is not medical information to back that theory up and that God would not punish me for obeying his command…He has a point!

By: suzan

suzan — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 16:24:12 +0000

alsalmo alikom
i wear my hegab 10 years ago before that i had the most healthy hair since then i had dandroff and i lost most of my hair yes it my not be for all hair types but this is an issue with most sisters that wear higab

By: Aminah Gad

Aminah Gad — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 10:58:23 +0000

As salaamu alaykum,

1. Do not tie hair into ponytail very tight

2. Use a moisturizing conditioner on your hair. Let hair dry natural, do not use heat on your hair after washing it.

3. The beat advice is to wear a head scarf that is pure silk to prevent lose of hair. Also, Sleep on a pillow with silk covering. Do not apply any cotton fabric directly onto hair.

4. Change your eating habits, drink plenty of water and take vitamins.

All of this will prevent hair loss and re-structure unhealthy hair back to healthy hair.

Salaam