In this episode: Why "traction alopecia" is exploding in women's press and Reddit threads this summer What is actually happening under the skin when you pull your hair up tight, every day, for years The three signs that tell you this is happening to you (before the mirror does)
She was thirty-eight, fit, successful — and she pulled off her sunglasses in Esmael's chair last Tuesday and said, "My mother is seventy-two, and she has more hair at her temples than I do. What is going on?"
The answer took one question — "How do you wear your hair every day?" — and one honest laugh. Slick ponytail for the school run. Slick bun for the gym. Slick low pony for meetings. Every single day. For seven years.
Her hair wasn't falling out. It was being pulled out — slowly, follicle by follicle — by the very habit she thought was making her look put together.
In this episode, Esmael Gilis — founder of HEADS – The Art Of Hairdressing (Belgium, 1998), with 28 years behind the chair, two nominations at the Belgian Hairdressing Awards, and thousands of clients across his career — walks through what tight, slicked, daily styles are actually doing to the tiny anchoring fibres that hold your follicles in place, why the damage is invisible until it isn't, and the six practical shifts that can stop traction alopecia in its tracks.
In this episode:
Why "traction alopecia" is exploding in women's press and Reddit threads this summer
What is actually happening under the skin when you pull your hair up tight, every day, for years
The three signs that tell you this is happening to you (before the mirror does)
The 6 practical shifts — including the one aesthetic decision you'll hate but need to hear
The one red flag that means see a dermatologist within four weeks, not four months
Why traction alopecia is one of the most recoverable patterns of hair loss — if you catch it early
Free companion guide — The 7 Types of Hair Loss:
👉 https://heads-hairacademy.com/hair-recovery
A 14-page plain-language guide that walks through the seven recognized patterns of hair loss (including traction) with photos and a self-check, the single blood panel worth asking your GP for, what to stop doing immediately, and how to take a baseline photo that doesn't lie to you. No cost, no card, no spam.
Watch on YouTube:
📺 https://www.youtube.com/@HairHormonesHonestTalk
This episode complements your doctor's advice and does not replace it. Esmael Gilis is a professional hairdresser, not a medical professional. If your hairline is inflamed, sore, or scabbing — see a dermatologist.