Did you know that over 35 million women in the United States experience hair loss or hair thinning? While commonly thought of as a male-centric issue, hair loss will affect 50% of women at some point in their life. Although most women experience noticeable hair loss in their 50s or 60s, hair loss can happen at any age and for a variety of reasons.
In Your Genes
Ever notice if your mother, father, or close relatives experience similar or greater amounts of hair loss? There is a good chance that their hair loss patterns are inherited. A big factor in hereditary female-pattern hair loss is hormones. Most women will start to see hair loss during menopause. Each time a normal hair follicle is shed, a thinner hair follicle takes its place. Overtime, the hair follicles shrink and eventually quit growing. Early diagnosis is key with genetic hair loss, as starting treatments as soon as possible can delay symptoms.
Medical and Other Conditions
Unlike female-pattern hair loss, hair loss caused by medical or other conditions does not affect hair follicle size and has a sudden onset. Some potential causes include:
- Postpartum
- Menopause
- Thyroid Disorders
- Anemia
- Autoimmune Diseases
- Skin Conditions
- Extreme Stress
- Physical Trauma
- Excessive Vitamin A
These causes of hair loss are typically treatable with help from a medical professional.
Hair Styling
Hair is a part of our identity. To express ourselves, it’s extremely common to regularly change up our hair, whether it be through hairstyles, hair dye, or heat styling products. The downside is that tight hairstyles, chemical treatments, harsh brushing, and heat styling products can result in damage, breakage, and potential hair loss or thinning.
While it isn’t harmful to wear your hair in a ponytail or bun every once in a while, constantly wearing styles that pull your hair will cause strands to break or fall out. Doing this over and over can result in permanent hair loss due to the damaged hair follicles. These styles include:
- Ponytails, buns, or up-dos that are tightly pulled
- Cornrows
- Dreadlocks
- Tight braids
- Hair extensions or weaves
- Rollers (overnight)
Some alternative and safer solutions to these include wearing loose braids, opting for thicker dreadlocks or braids, or not wearing a braided style for more than 3 months.
Harsh brushing
The way you brush your hair may unintentionally be creating damage. This can cause breakage and thinning. You can prevent any added stressors to your hair by making sure to use a brush/comb appropriate for your hair, brush no more than twice a day, and avoid brushing wet hair. Gently detangling from the bottom of your hair to the root is a good way to minimize breakage.
Heat styling products
While heat certainly leads to breakage, another added con is that hair protectants often contain chemicals that negatively affect your hair in other ways. However, heat protectant mists are often safer and should be used, while heat styling products (straighteners, curling irons, etc.) should never be above 180 degrees.
Looking Ahead to Effective Solutions
If you're experiencing hair loss, it's important to get to the root of what is causing your symptoms. Different types of hair loss can be managed through different remedies and methods, so it's important to understand your medical history and reflect on recent psychological or physical stressors.
In the meantime, turn to gentle hair care practices and strengthening products like the Revela Hair Revival Serum in order to help maintain healthy hair.
