Whether you sport a man bun (cool with us), a top knot (nope), or a man braid (heeeellllll no), all that pulling on your scalp could hurt your style in the long run. It's called traction alopecia, and it's hair loss that occurs after gentle pulling on the roots for weeks or months on end. It causes the roots to become inflamed and basically ditch the follicle like a bad boyfriend. Even worse, you might not even know this is happening until your after precious locks start falling out—like the universe's way of letting you know how stupid you look.

As if you needed more reasons to avoid top knots and man braids, this should settle the score once and for all. And, if you happen to sport longer locks and put it up in a bun from time to time, don't forget to let it all down every once in a while. You won't just look good, but you'll guarantee you've got a flowing, handsome mane for years to come.

Jake Woolf is a writer who has covered men’s style for over ten years and has contributed to GQ since 2014. A graduate of Parsons The New School for Design (good school, long name), he also has bylines at Robb Report, HighSnobiety, Pitchfork, and the defunct #menswear website Four Pins... Read moreWriterXRelated Stories for GQHair