How Can Hair Ties Be Harmful

Children's hair ties are available in a variety of colors.

Hair ties have been a staple in women's fashion for years because of their practical and stylish benefits. Starting from a young age, many females use colorful hair ties and elastics on a daily basis to style their hair into ponytails, pig-tails and braids. However, the stylish accessories can cause a variety of problems, from split ends to the potential spread of sexually transmitted diseases.

Hair Damage

The most common harm that results from using hair ties is damage to your hair in the form of split ends. Rubber hair elastics that aren't covered with a soft fabric, or hair elastics that are secured with a metal band can snag and break strands of your hair as you are putting them in and taking them out of the hair. Wet hair is especially vulnerable to damage from hair bands, as it is more elastic than dry hair, reports Short-Hair-Style.com.

Head Lice

Although children are often taught to share, they should keep their hair accessories to themselves, as sharing hair ties could cause the spread of head lice.The head louse is an extremely contagious human parasite that is particularly prevalent among children and is spread through person-to-person contact. According to NYC.gov, a person who has contracted head lice should throw out her hair accessories.

Questionable Materials

In 2008, a news story emerged claiming that some Chinese-manufactured hair elastics were made from recylced used condoms. It isn't clear whether the condoms were merely recycled prophylactics that had not met code or condoms that had been used for their intended purpose, but Chinese state media confirmed that the latter was possible, reports TruthorFiction.com. If true, the hair elastics in question could have retained traces of sexually transmitted diseases.

Unconfirmed Myths

A popular, well-circulated e-mail containing rape prevention tips claims that the number one feature rapists look for in a victim is long hair that is tied up in a ponytail or braid, as it gives the attacker something to grab hold of. According to Snopes.com, this view is not shared by law enforcement officials nor reflected in statistics regarding rape victims.

Solutions

In order to minimize the harmful effects of hair ties, ensure that you purchase good-quality products. "Ouchless" hair elastics are covered in soft fabric and don't have a metal band on them, so they don't cause as much breakage. Also, using the same hairstyle every day, such as a ponytail, can cause repeated damage in one area, according to Short-Hair-Style.com. Varying your hairstyle from day to day will keep portion of your hair from sustaining more than the rest.

Tags: hair elastics, your hair, elastics that, hair accessories, hair elastics that, hair ties