You need to be switching up your hair part —here’s why

Every time I get a haircut, which is actually pretty often, my hairdresser asks, “Where are we parting your hair today?” This is a more important question than you might think. She never asks me, “Where do you part your hair?” because we never part my hair in the same place. I’m constantly changing it up, depending on my mood and my current beauty look. Sometimes my hair looks a little flat, and switching up the part helps me better achieve volume. Sometimes I need a deep side part to help cover up an eyebrow that isn’t exactly on fleek.

And sometimes, I’m just bored with my hair, and switching up my hair part is a really easy way to get a fresh look. Apparently, I’ve been unknowingly practicing a really healthy habit. 

That’s right — switching up your part on the regular is basically exercise for your strands, especially if you use heat stylers. Annie Rush, a hairstylist at Eva Scrivo Salon in New York City, recently spoke to Allure about the benefits of changing your hair part.

“The longer we wear the same part, the more we wear the hair down in that area and cause breakage,” she said. If you suffer from those super annoying flyaways (which happen due in part to breakage from heat styling), Rush noted that changing your part is a great way to disguise them. She added that when we wear our hair with the same part for too long, we’re at risk of overexposing the same strands of hair to heat damage.

Allure also consulted with Dr. Carlos Wesley, a NYC-based cosmetic surgeon and hair loss specialist, who said this practice is especially helpful for those suffering from alopecia. The practice won’t prevent hair loss, but it will help prevent constant tension on the same strands of hair.

The best part of playing with a new part is that it’s a free, easy way to change your look. It’s perfect if you’re bored with your hair but aren’t quite ready to cut or dye it. It’s also a nifty way to disguise roots, dandruff, or gray hairs. A new part can be imperfect, diagonal, zig-zagged, or straight. You can even add glitter to your part if you want — it’s definitely something to have fun with.