False. Most experts do not believe that wearing a hat can cause baldness. To cause hair loss, the hat would have to be tight enough to cut off circulation to the scalp. To be on the safe side, if you do wear hats, make sure they are breathable and not tight enough to cause discomfort.

Hair loss is inherited from your mother’s side

Undetermined. I have seen it said that hair loss is hereditarily passed down on the X chromosome, therefore mothers pass down the gene that causes baldness.

Shaving your hair will cause it to grow back thicker

False. This is another widely believed myth, even though it has no scientific backing.

Hanging upside down will stop hair loss

False. The hair loss market has produced some strange products, but one of the strangest is a device that allows the user to hang upside down for long periods of time. The theory is that the increased blood flow to the brain will stimulate hair growth. Don’t try this one at home, there is no evidence of any medical benefit from this therapy. And all that blood rushing to your head can give a pounding headache.

Vitamin Deficiencies cause hair loss

False, in most cases. In developed countries such as the US, vitamin deficiencies are rare. The mineral zinc, however, is believed by some to help stop hair loss. In extreme cases of malnourishment hair loss may result as a side effect of general poor health. This can occur in people with eating disorders, such as Anorexia and Bulimia. Taking a multivitamin is recommended by the American Hair Growth Centers, many physicians and dermatologists, so this is a rather harmless myth.

Unfortunately, both sodium laureth sulfate and its cousin are also very dangerous, highly irritating chemicals. Far from giving “healthy shining hair” and “beautiful skin”, soaps and shampoos containing sodium laureth sulfate can lead to direct damage to the hair follicle, skin damage, permanent eye damage in children and even liver toxicity.

Although sodium laureth sulfate is somewhat less irritating than SLS, it cannot be metabolised by the liver and its effects are therefore much longer-lasting. This not only means it stays in the body tissues for longer, but much more precious energy is used getting rid of it.

A report published in the Journal of The American College of Toxicology in 1983 showed that concentrations of SLS as low as 0.5% could cause irritation and concentrations of 10-30% caused skin corrosion and severe irritation. National Institutes of Health “Household Products Directory” of chemical ingredients lists over 80 products that contain SLS and SLES. Some soaps have concentrations of up to 30%, which the ACT report called “highly irritating and dangerous”.

Shampoos are among the most frequently reported products to the FDA. Reports include eye irritation, scalp irritation, tangled hair, swelling of the hands, face and arms and split and fuzzy hair. This is highly characteristic of sodium laureth sulfate and almost definitely directly related to its use.

Here’s the academy’s list of possible causes of hair loss:

• Stress caused by an illness or major surgery. This type of hair loss often is temporary.
• Changes in hormone levels, such as those caused by pregnancy or a thyroid disorder.
• Use of certain medications, such as blood thinners, antidepressants, oral contraceptives, heart medications, gout treatments or vitamin A.
• A fungal infection of the scalp.
• An underlying disease, such as diabetes or lupus.