Whether it’s stress, diet or health, your hair will tell you if things have got to change…
Realising your hair is falling out is pretty scary, especially if you have no idea why.
The bad news is that there are a lot of causes to hair loss, but the good news is that most causes can be identified and easily treated yourself.
Here are a few reasons your hair is packing up, abandoning your scalp and opting for a better life down the plug hole, in your hairbrush, or on just about every item of clothing you own.
1. Stress
Whether it’s your job, your children, or financial struggle, we’ve all had moments we want to literally tear our hair out, but this can lead to devastating effects on your hair.
There are three types of hair loss related to stress:
• Telogen effluvium: this is possibly the most common type of stress-related hair loss. Telogen effluvium sends many of your hair follicles into a resting phase, which stops them from growing. This pause means several months after the stress, the resting hair may start to fall out, but as you notice a greater number of hairs shedding than normal, you are likely to be on the road to recovery when you realise you’ve been suffering from it.
• Alopecia areata: this involves the immune system attacking the hair follicles, which causes them to fall out in large sections. Although stress has been related to alopecia, there are other reasons for the cause, so it’s best to seek advice from a trichologist.
• Trichotillomania: Trichotillomania is a condition where an individual physically pulls their hair out, and isn’t limited to their scalp hair. Patients can also pull out their eyelashes, eyebrows or hair from other parts of their body. Pulling hair out is a coping mechanism for stress, anxiety, depression and even boredom. If you are experiencing signs of Trichotillomania, you should contact a trichologist or seek advice from your doctor.
2. Immune System
While alopecia is an extreme condition, it’s not the only time your immune system can affect your hair.
When you’re ill your body doesn’t consider your hair a necessity, so blood flow to the scalp and follicles will be one of the first things that it sacrifices first to focus on your vital organs and immune system.
So just in case you weren’t feeling rubbish enough, your hair can get greasy and shed more too.
Brilliant.
3. Hormones
Unhappy hormones = unhappy hair.
Women’s hormones can begin declining and losing balance as early as the age of 30.
Women are powered by oestrogen, so you’d think higher levels would turn us into Wonder Woman, but it actually sends us crazy and can make our hair fall out.
If you think that’s unfair, women who have too much testosterone can experience hair loss on their head and hair growth in all the wrong places like your chin and upper lip!
Your thyroid hormone levels can also cause hair loss. People who suffer from an overactive or underachieve thyroid will usually have problems with their weight as the thyroid is responsible for the metabolism.
They can also experience a range of other issues including muscle pain, headaches, weak nails, dry skin and low blood pressure.
So if you have one of more of these symptoms, see your GP for a blood test.
4. Heat/Chemical Damage
Come on ladies, you know this one!
Never, EVER use a heated tool on your hair without a good protector or it will snap off.
Think of your hair like a silk cloth, if you keep ironing over it eventually it’s going to disintegrate isn’t it?
Remember the sun is pretty hot too, so next time you plan a beach day, pack a hair product with UV protection.
You should also make sure your hairdresser is only colouring your roots (if you’re having the same colour) and never hair that has already been coloured.
5. Diet
You’ve heard it before but we’ll say it again, diet plays a massive role in your hair’s health.
If your diet lacks protein, you’ll be shedding all over the place, but if you love your protein you could also experience shedding if you’re deficient in iron or essential vitamins needed for healthy hair like vitamin D and zinc.
This is where Help Hair’s protein shake will really help, as your daily dose of hair vitamins is packed into a 20g scoop of natural powder.
If you’re guilty about any of the above, book an appointment with your GP and get a blood test.
If your results come back clear, book in for a consultation with a trichologist (we’re based in Perth FYI).
