Hair falling out is a common factor for everyone and it happens almost every day when you brush your hair or simply blow it dry. On an average day, we lose 50-100 strands but this is not that noticeable as it is the normal process and new hairs also grows at the same time. It is a processing cycle of hair growing and losing and when this cycle is interrupted; hair loss occurs. This is not only the factor of hair losing although there are several other reasons which are taken into consideration including:
- Hormonal changes.
- Medical conditions.
- Heredity.
- Medications etc.
Though the loss of hair is mostly seen in men but women are more likely to get affected by it which is seen when they turn into their 50s or 60s but it can occur in any age due to various reasons and here in this article, we will look after 12 major causes of hair loss in women and hair loss prevention.
12. Tight Hairstyles
Though the hairstyles look good and funky but these can be the risk factor for your hair and may cause hair loss, when you wear your hair too tightly or use rollers too often then you are likely to lose your hair. If you want to make some hairstyles to look good then follow some of the below things:
- When you have washed your hair for any kind of styling then let it dry on its own instead of using hair dryers because they worsen the condition of your hair cuticle.
- Apply conditioner to nourish your hair and make sure they are dry enough before you go for styling.
- Lose or gently gathered hairstyles are preferred in order to avoid hair loss.
- When you are doing any hairstyle, do not apply or force your hair.
- Use a wide tooth comb.
- Don’t tie your hair too tightly.
- Avoid hairstyles which puts a lot of stress on the roots of hairs including cornrow braids and dreadlocks.
11. Hair Products
The hair products we use might contain the toxic chemicals which are harmful for the scalp. However, women are more likely to use hair products compared to men and then even they complain that my hair is thinning, it is good to use the products but not in extra amount; this weakens your hair and damage them; it may also result in the burning scalp or the redness of scalp and this also refers to the hair relaxers we mostly use.
There are various chemicals which should be checked before buying any hair product listed below:
- Ingredients which causes irritations and thin dry hair: diethanolamine (DEA) and triethanolamine (TEA).
- Almost all the hair products contains alcohol which dehydrates your hair.
- Greasing agents such as lanolin and petroleum.
- The most common ingredient used in shampoos or hair products is Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS), not only your hair scalp but it also effects on your immune system. Try using coconut milk shampoos or products.
10. Ringworm
Ringworm is a skin infection, children are mostly affected by it, and there are numerous types of fungus and from these, some can impact the hairs. If you there is no other sign of hair fall and you get confused that why is my hair falling out then check for the below symptoms:
- Having severe dandruff on different places on the scalp which may be mistaken for psoriasis in the starting days.
- Large boggy swelling in section of the scalp.
- If you are suffering from high fever and the glands in the neck swelled.
If you find all these indications then you have been infected by ringworm which will cause hair loss. Causes of Ringworm are as follows:
- This infection is spreadable, anyone can catch it via touching or even sharing towels.
- This can also be caused by touching the objects which is infected by ringworm such as combs, brushes or clothing.
9. Anti-Depressants
There are numerous medications which people take to prevent complications in them for certain conditions which includes heart disease and other problems but they also cause hair loss. These medicines can cause telogen effluvium; it is occurred when there is a slight change in number of hair follicles growing hair. The medications which should be taken includes:
- Doxepin (Adapin, Sinequan).
- Imipramine (Janimine, Tofranil PM and Tofranil).
- Paroxetine (Paxil) etc.
8. Anxiety
Anxiety is the type of stress which people mostly take when they are in some problem or facing hard conditions and it does not only have impact on how you feel but also on your physical health and appearance.
The state of anxiety causes the lymph glands converted to sugar for instant energy which makes the nutrients of body to recompense. Any person dealing with anxiety is causing harm to his physical and mental health. Those people who are experiencing mild hair loss might be because of stress or the anti-depressants. Anxiety causes several conditions that results in hair loss containing:
- Alopecia Areata – loss of large clumps of hair.
- Trichotillomania – a condition when a person pulls out hairs without noticing.
Moreover, there are some people who start to feel anxiety when they are experiencing hair loss; it may be the anxiety trigger and they are like my hair is falling out and it causes a greater level of stress.
The hair loss caused by anxiety can be reduced if you try to lessen the stress level; when you try to decrease the stress level, you will see the symptom of hair loss diminish. Those people who suffer with anxiety can experience hair loss or hair thinning but most of them see this reversed when they try to lessen their stress and deal with anxiety issues.
7. Aging
As the women gets older, the process of hair growth slows down resulting in the hair loss as the hair strands have less pigment and hairs become finer, grey and thinner. Almost all the activities slows down when we age. The natural factors such as blood flow, loss of the cellular reproduction or hormone changes can also impact the hairs. You can follow a proper diet in order to keep the hairs healthy such as eat whole foods which will help you in keeping your body young and hairs healthy.
6. Chemotherapy Treatment
Those people diagnosed with cancer gets worried about their hair loss, when an individual has to undergo chemotherapy, the loss of hair is very real in this case; although it totally depends on the type or dose of medications you are given.
Why does my hair fall out when going through the treatment of cancer? It is the most common question asked by various people. The drugs which are used during the treatment are to attack the cells of cancer which grows rapidly but unfortunately, these drugs also affect the cells of your body including the cells of your hair roots. However, the hair loss from the chemotherapy can sometimes be temporary, anyone can expect regrow of hair after the treatment in 3-6 months but they might be of different texture of color.
Though your hair loss cannot be prevented but at least it can be handled before, during and after the treatment. Follow the below steps to reduce the frustration of losing hair:
Before the treatment:
- Try to cut your hairs into short so that if they even fall, it will not be that noticeable.
- Don’t bleach or color your hair, this might weaken your hairs.
- Avoid using heating devices on your hair.
- Air-dry your hair.
- Use the head coverings such as scarves or other things in which you feel comfortable.
During the treatment:
- Protect your scalp with sunscreen or head covering.
- Some people feel the itchiness or irritation on the scalp during the treatment so it is good to shave your head which can lessen the irritation.
- Use a soft brush on your remaining hairs.
After the treatment:
- The most important thing to do after the treatment is to be patient.
- Do not bleach or color your new hair as they will not be strong enough to face the hardness of these things.
5. Severe Diet
When you are on severe diet and does not provide your body with the required vitamins and other nutrients then you are most likely to lose your hairs with the loss of some pounds. For example; too little intake of protein can damage your healthy hair and stops your body’s skill to produce hair follicles. However, your hairs can regrow when you start to follow the proper diet again.
4. Heredity
The most common reason of losing hairs is the condition of heredity known as the male-pattern baldness or female-pattern baldness. It occurs gradually or in some patterns, these patterns including fading hairline or baldness in men and thinning hair in women. The hair loss caused by heredity can occur any time even during the teen years.
3. Medical Conditions
There are certain medical conditions which results in the loss of hair, these include:
- Folliculitis: It is the infection which is associated with the itchiness or soreness of the scalp, it is often temporary but in severe cases, it can cause damage to hair or bald patches on the scalp. The symptoms of folliculitis are; when you find small spots like acne with small rings of inflammation nearby the opening of hair follicle and also when you are experiencing itchiness or soreness, the increase in this infection causes the hair fall.
- Alopcia Areta: It is the auto-immune disease which causes hair fall in patches. This is because of the own immune system which attacks healthy hair follicles. Though this damage is not mostly seen but in some cases, people can lose all the hairs on their head and body.
- Scalp Psoriasis: It is the common skin disorder which causes red, raised or scaly patches. It can affect your entire scalp and also can extend to forehead or behind the ears. You can catch this infection when there is something wrong with your immune system which makes the skin cells to grow quickly and shape into patches.
2. Hormonal Imbalance
The hormones of women can start declining and misbalancing from the age of 30 which also causes hair loss. There are several hormonal issues which can turn into thinning hair comprising:
- Birth control pills: There are a lot of women who takes birth control pills are not aware of its side-effects which includes hair loss.
- Pregnancy: During the pregnancy, women find their hairs thicker due to the high levels of hormones but as the baby is born, when hormones get back to their normal level, hairs are most likely to fall more than expected.
- Thyroid issues: It is a gland at the front of the neck, if it does not produce enough of thyroid hormone then the growth of hair cycle may change resulting in the thinning hair.
1. Deficiencies
Not getting enough of vitamins can result in hair loss. You should improve your health and wellness, the most important thing for caring of hair is to get enough of vitamin D and for that, go out more, make sure you spend some of your time in sun and if you cannot do that then try to take vitamin D supplements. Hair loss can also be occurred if you have deficiency of copper, zinc or amino acid and also ensure that you get enough of protein.
Treatment Of Hair Loss
Though in the above causes, treatments are already provided but here we are going to mention further easy treatments which you can do on the daily basis.
- Make the habit of oiling your hair scalp which will help increasing the blood flow to the hair follicles and will improve the strength of your hairs.
- Apply onion juice on your hairs which will help in restoring hair follicles and decrease inflammation.
- The gel of aloe Vera is there to directly promote your hair growth.
- Take a glass of Beetroot juice.
- Apply coconut milk on the scalp of your hair, it helps in preventing hair loss.
Do’s
- Use good quality serums or hair oils.
- Wash and condition your hair scalp.
- Use lemon juice for some extra shine.
- Drink lots of water.
- Keep your styling tools neat and clean.
Don’ts
- Don’t pull your hairs too tightly.
- Don’t dry out your hair with hair dryer.
- Don’t use too much chemicals on your hair scalp.
- Don’t overheat your hair.
- Don’t take a lot of stress.
