Your hair is called your crowning glory for a reason: it is what frames your face, and what sometimes defines you. There are all sorts of hairstyles that can help show off your personality; long, medium, short, blunt cut, a bob, a lob, colored, curly, straight, wavy, there is a whole array of combinations and styles that you can do to be unique. There is also always a trend of coloring your hair, whether it be outlandish and shocking, to subtle and almost natural.
According to WebMD, every scalp has about 100,000 hairs and each of these strands has its own life cycle. “A follicle produces a single hair that grows at a rate of half an inch per month. It hangs in there for 2 to 6 years, then stops for about a month. When the next cycle starts up, that hair falls out. At any given time, most of your locks are in the growth phase.”1
But what causes hair LOSS? Maybe trying to figure that out first, then we can figure out how to treat it. So there are several reasons why you could be have thinning hair, or worse, you may be losing your hair.
Hormones: Usually if the cause of hair loss is hormones, it means that your body is not producing enough or there has been change in your hormonal make up, like when a woman is pregnant. Most women say that during pregnancy, their hair is thick and full of life, but once she gives birth, there is a significant hair loss that coincides with changes in her body.
– Diet: as with most things, when we want to change things in our body, we must be able to take the gut into consideration. The diet that you have may not be good for maintaining your hair growth or thickness. Check the nutrition of your food and you may find a culprit there.
– Stress: We all know that stress can change your metabolic make up so if this is the cause, please learn to relax. Try a few breathing exercises or take more walks to clear your head.
– Medications and Illness: There are just some things that trigger hair loss. This is one of them. If the body goes through a major burst in medicine or goes through a certain procedure, this may just be the trigger to your hair loss.
– Hairstyles: There are some of us that sure put our hair through the ringer. Not blaming you, you just want to look good. But those years of pulling and tucking and gelling your hair have come at a price. The damage to the scalp if styling too much can cause baldness.
Another reason for the lackluster head of hair, is from the fact that as we grow older, our cells do not regenerate as quickly or as well as it did when we were younger. It slows down, and we see that in our bodies, and some see it in their gradual hair loss. There are of course many other reasons why hair loss occurs, like an iron deficiency perhaps or something hormonal like hypothyroidism, which stunts the hair growth and slows metabolism, or other autoimmune diseases.
Good news is that the hair loss can be stemmed or even prevented. There are a few things you can do. Here’s a list of our suggestions:
Nutrients
Maybe you know that your hair thinning and hair loss is because of poor diet, and not enough nutrients. Then it would be prudent to start looking at foods that can help your hair grow. Vegetables and fruits are always good and can be eaten on the go. These can help augment the nutrients you are lacking. And maybe start drinking some vitamin supplements. Add more eggs and fish into there and you should be seeing changes in a couple of weeks!
Aloe Vera
Some people treat aloe vera as a weed, but in recent times it has seen a resurgence in households. This is because the aloe vera plant is really easy to take care of and it has multiple uses around the home. You may already know that the gelatin in its leaves can help with most burns that you may have, and are the best for soothing sunburnt skin, but did you know that putting some on your hair, specifically on the natural parting of your hair helps as well? Apparently, aloe vera helps not only stimulate growth of your hair, but also helps your hair become glossier and fuller.
Dermatologist
If you still cannot figure out what’s going on with your head of hair, maybe a trip to the dermatologist is in order. The dermatologist? Yes, the dermatologist. Your scalp is still made up of skin, right? It just has thicker hair growing out of it than say, your arm. Nonetheless, if you’re completely baffled and have tried one or more of these suggestions, maybe it is time to bring in the big guns to diagnose the situation properly.
A little trim
Making sure that you hair is in tip top shape not only from the inside, but on the outside helps too. Whether or not your hair is long, you should always schedule yourself for a little trim. It keeps the weight off the hair, and it helps control split ends which make your hair look frayed and unkempt.
Be kind
Be kind to your hair. Check out what’s written on your shampoo bottle, learn what those ingredients are. Some are just really so harsh you shouldn’t be anywhere near them, much less your hair! Also take a break from all the styling, pulling and tugging of your hair. This will for sure stop breakages. Try to let your hair down for awhile, literally. Keeping your hair in a bun all the time, or in a tight ponytail would be GREAT for the office, but not for your follicles that are put under stress when that is done to them. As with everything, you have got to let your scalp relax every so often.
[1] https://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/hair-loss/ss/slideshow-womens-hair-loss
[2] https://www.healthline.com/health/beauty-skin-care/regrow-hair-naturally
[3] https://www.cosmopolitan.com/style-beauty/beauty/advice/a36065/tricks-for-growing-your-hair-really-really-long/
[4] https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk/fashion-beauty/hair-advice/a565563/female-pattern-hair-loss-treatment-how-to-increase-hair-growth/
[5] https://www.harpersbazaar.com/beauty/hair/a31252794/how-to-grow-hair-faster/
[6] https://www.thecut.com/article/how-to-grow-hair-faster.html
