Hair loss in women is much more common than you may think.
Surprisingly, 1 in 3 women will experience hair loss at some point in their lives.
So if you're experiencing hair loss, you're not alone.
There is a multitude of different reasons why you may be losing hair.
The first step to helping improve the situation:
To identify why you might be experiencing hair loss, so you can treat it accordingly.
Different types of hair loss in women
In an interview with Cosmopolitan, Trichologist Anabel Kingsley explains that there are different types of hair loss; genetic and reactive.
Genetic:
Hair loss can be hereditary.
Genetic hair loss is identified by hair volume decreasing over time.
It's not so much hair shedding, but hair follicles gradually shrinking and getting shorter during each hair growth cycle.
Reactive:
If you're not aware of hair loss running in the family, then your hair loss is likely triggered.
There is a multitude of hair loss triggers.
Your hormones, lifestyle, diet, and illness can all be what attributes to hair loss over time.
The nature of reactive hair loss is excessive daily hair shedding.
If you suddenly notice significantly more hair than usual is falling out during the day, and when you brush or wash your hair, you're likely experiencing reactive hair loss.
What are the most common causes of hair loss in women?
1. Your hormones may be causing hair loss
Ah, another bodily problem that comes down to hormones.
*sigh*
As if acne, PMS and weight gain aren't enough...
A hormone imbalance can trigger hair loss too.
How?
Our hormones regulate most of the major bodily processes.
Including the hair growth cycle.
The female hormones; oestrogens promote hair growth.
While the male hormones; androgens are not as 'pro hair growth' and can actually shorten the hair growth cycle.
This is why hair loss can occur in situations where our hormone levels change drastically.
Particularly during pregnancy, menopause or even going off the contraceptive pill.
Other symptoms commonly associated with hormonal imbalance in women are:
- unexplained weight gain or weight loss
- insomnia
- heavy, irregular or painful periods
- dry skin or skin rashes
- irritability and anxiety
- unexplained and long-term fatigue
- depression
- headaches
- bloating
- changes in appetite
- reduced sex drive
- blurred vision
The good news is that it's a passing phase and not a permanent condition.
There are treatments to assist re-balancing your hormones.
And once your hormones are balanced again, your hair should resume growing as normal.
Of course, we understand experiencing hair loss can be seriously traumatising and affect your confidence a lot.
We have women of all ages get in touch with us after purchasing their Sitting Pretty Halo, to let us know how much it helped with their confidence during the process of getting their hormones and hair growth back on track.
If you're considering hair extensions to help you feel better through a difficult time with your own click here for a safe and gentle hair extension solution.
2. Auto-immune disorders
An auto-immune disorder is essentially when your body attacks itself.
When your body is triggered into fight or flight mode - it'll shut down any unnecessary bodily processes.
Using any nutrients to protect and sustain the most vital organs in order to survive.
Which means healthy hair growth takes a backseat.
Some auto-immune diseases that can cause degrees of hair loss are:
- Alopecia Areata
- Lupus
- Hashimoto’s disease
- Celiac disease
- Graves’ disease
Auto-immune diseases can be tricky to diagnose.
We've heard several stories of women not being diagnosed with an auto-immune disease until multiple medical consultations.
Un-diagnosed hair loss can prevent treating and curing the cause, so be sure to seek a second opinion if you're current hair growth treatments aren't working as expected.
Click here to read Georgia's experience with an auto-immune disease as well as hair loss.
3. Your thyroid gland could be causing hair loss
The thyroid gland produces hormones that regulate the metabolism.
It does this by controlling protein production and tissue use of oxygen.
There are two types of thyroid imbalances which can cause hair loss.
- Hypothyroidism - a decrease in hormone production.
- Hyperthyroidism - an overactive amount of hormone production.
The hair follicle is essentially made up of a protein called keratin.
So if your thyroid is imbalanced...
And isn't correctly producing protein...
It can have a direct effect on hair growth.
4. Diet deficiencies
Your hair is what you eat.
You know that your hair is made up of protein.
And the best way to get protein is:
To eat it.
Whether you eat meat or plant-based, it's important to ensure your body is getting sufficient proteins.
The result of not nourishing your body correctly can be Anemia:
A condition where your body doesn't have enough healthy red blood cells to carry adequate oxygen.
Types of anemias such as vitamin B12, zinc or iodine deficiencies can often cause hair loss.
As Trichologist Anthony Pearce explained to mamamia.com:
"When your body lacks the vitamins it needs, the first thing it will do is take the support from your hair as it is non-essential tissue."
B12 is a vitamin primarily consumed from animal proteins, so if you eat vegetarian or vegan - B12 supplements can prevent deficiency.
Animal proteins are also a high source of Zinc and Iodine, however certain legumes and nuts can also help you consume enough zinc and iodine.
Read next: The Most Nourishing Foods For Healthy Skin & Hair
5. Stress
Do not underestimate the power of stress.
Stress is a primal instinct.
It's meant to alert our body that it's time to go into survival mode.
Which means if you're living in an ongoing state of stress - your body is constantly fighting to survive.
As we covered before:
When your body is on a mission to survive, it's neglecting non-essential body processes such as hair growth.
Extended, severe stress from traumatic experiences can result in hair loss.
Keep in mind:
According to healthline.com, there's a 3-month delay between a stressful event and when it may trigger hair loss.
So you may not initially recognise that the hair loss your experiencing is due to stress.
6. Tight Hairstyles
Are you more comfortable wearing your hair up?
Or are you required to wear your hair in tight, neat ponytails or buns for work?
You may not think twice about it.
Yet wearing your hair in the same tight hairstyle every day can cause your hairline to recede.
To prevent this from happening, it's important to regularly switch up how you wear your hair.
Avoid hairstyles that constantly pull at the roots of your hair from the same direction.
I.e wearing your hair pulled back in a high ponytail every day.
7. Heat Styling & Colouring
No surprises here.
Many women experience hair loss due to excessive heat styling or bleaching hair.
The simple solution to this is to give your hair a much-needed break!
I know.
None of us want to hear it.
Especially the un-natural blondes in the room.
But burning your hair with curls and flat irons...
Not to mention chemically bleaching your hair...
Is a recipe for damaged, thinning hair.
Instead:
Try embracing your natural hair.
Cut off those split ends.
Invest in a good hair repair treatment and watch your healthy hair make a come-back.
You might also love: 10 Instant Ways To Grow Your Hair Faster
8. Permanent Hair Extensions
Now there's some serious irony here...
Because women seek extensions to make their hair look thicker, longer and healthier.
The harsh truth is:
Permanent extensions like tapes, weaves and beads can damage your hair. Thus, giving you the opposite result to what you wanted to start with.
Tapes and beads are glued to the hair, meaning there is extra weight tugging on the hair follicle.
Over time this can weaken the hair and cause breakage, leaving your hair thinner than before.
As for weaves...
If the braids are too tight this can cause pulling and breakage.
Or if the weaves are glued in, the glue can damage the hair.
The good news?
If you're interested in hair extensions for thicker, long hair - our halo hair extensions are completely damage-free.
Click here to find out why the Sitting Pretty Halo is the best extension for damaged hair.
Our advice on dealing with hair loss:
The important thing to remember is hair loss isn't always permanent.
According to Anthony Pearce, permanent hair conditions of any type are very rare. While some conditions can only be treated and not cured, around 75 per cent of hair conditions can be cured.
So take in a deep sigh of relief knowing there's a big chance it isn't a forever thing.
Either way, there are great treatments to help you get your hair healthy and thriving again.
Since hair loss is commonly caused by an underlying health issue, it's important to consult a medical professional to identify what treatment is right for you.
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