What Can Women Do About Hair Loss?
Written By: Taylor Rao
For a lot of women, thick, luscious locks of hair are one of their defining features. Whether you wear it long or short (hello, pixie cut or sassy bob!) a lot of us associate our hair with femininity, creativity, and girl power. In many ways our hair provides a sense of security and, for the most part, women grow up without worrying about experiencing hair loss as they age. Except, maybe we need to.
It’s totally normal for women to lose 50 to 100 strands of hair per day, that annoying shower-clogging shedding is not the problem. However, 50% of women will, at some point, experience significant hair loss, according to the Cleveland Clinic. When this starts to happen, it can become a major concern, that affects our self-esteem and becomes something most of us can (and should want to) stop ASAP.
Before you can find the right solution, it’s important to become aware of some of the causes of female hair loss. If hair loss is already a major problem, you should involve your doctor. But if the thinning and shedding you’re experiencing is mild or just beginning, there are some ways it can be counteracted. Here are some common causes of female hair loss you should know about so that you can be proactive before you need to be reactive.
Common causes for female hair loss:
Vitamin B12 and/or iron deficiency
Stress
Pregnancy and postpartum hormones
Genetics or hormonal imbalances
Age (post-menopausal)
Dramatic weight loss
Endocrine conditions involving the thyroid
Hairstyles that pull too tightly on the hair
Even though the potential causes of hair loss are all over the map, the signs are somewhat easy to recognize over the course of a few months. If your ponytails are becoming smaller, you notice more breakage in your hair, see your part widening, or feel more hair falling out than the usual amount in the shower, on your hairbrush or on your pillow at night, it’s time to start thinking about how you can prevent further thinning and work to restore the fullness of your hair, if you are experiencing significant female hair loss.
Switch up your style
It’s easy to fall into a specific hair habit where you style your hair the same way every day, but if that style involves you tightly pulling back pieces of hair, whether in a tight ponytail, cornrows, or using tiny hair ties or tons of bobby pins to hold things into place, repeating these styles can have a long-lasting effect on your overall hair health.
For example, the now-popular “top knot” places stress on your strands and can cause serious breakage by pulling on your hairline. Try to wear your hair down a few days a week, or swap your tight hair tie for a looser scrunchie now and then. If you wear your hair up at night while you sleep, switch to the loosest tie possible. It’s also helpful to avoid certain hair products that add unnecessary weight to your hair like serums or styling creams.
Turn the heat down
Standard hair styling tools like blow dryers, straighteners, curlers and wave irons are a necessity for most of us, but what’s not a necessity is turning the dial up all the way to the highest heat setting. This is one of the most common tips you’ll hear while you’re sitting in the salon chair, and if you listen carefully to your stylist, you’d know that excessive heat on the hair will cause your strands to fracture, break off and eventually fall out.
While it’s not always possible to air dry and go natural 24/7, start by lowering the heat setting on your styling tools to the lowest effective setting, and ensure you’re not leaving heat on one section of hair for too long (AKA longer than 10 seconds). Additionally using a products like blow dry mist, heat protectant or coconut oil spray are highly recommended to coat your locks so they stay strong as possible while withstanding the heat.
Eat more Protein (and supplement it)
A diet filled with protein and vitamins can go a long way toward improving your overall body health, from your energy, to your skin, all the way up to the hair on your head. Vitamin B12 deficiency is one of the top causes of female hair loss, which can be found in food products like meat, poultry, fish, eggs or milk products. Paying more attention to your protein intake while also including lots of leafy greens, beans and healthy fats(like the one in nuts) can help build up your hair to be stronger and grow longer.
And hey, if Vitamin B12 doesn’t fit into your diet on the reg, you can take a daily supplement to make sure you’re getting the amount you need. Other multivitamins and supplements like fish oil, biotin and Vitamin D are also known to support healthy hair.
Try hair restoration
Hair restoration might seem like a last resort, but it’s a growing market for women. Forget all of the old school “men’s club” commercials that have typically been associated with products like Rogaine. The active ingredient in Rogaine, Minoxidil, has the potential to help women regrow hair too. Thankfully brands are starting to understand that hair loss isn’t just a problem for men, and women need viable solutions tailored to their physiological needs. Some of the leading names in hair restoration like Bosley, offer products tailored to both men and women also with free consultations and information kits for women who want to know more.
Talk to your Doctor
We mentioned this before, but it bears repeating, have a chat with your doctor. During your annual physical, or in a separate consultation mention your hair loss concerns to your doctor and get their feedback. It’s not vanity, it’s not a cosmetic concern, there are some real health-related possible causes for hair loss and it’s worth having that conversation to make sure there isn’t a deeper cause behind your hair loss, and also to discuss the viability of various treatments. Hair loss among women is more common that most people think, and we don’t have to accept it as “one of those things that happens as we get older. Discuss your worries with your doctor, talk about with the various dietary and lifestyle changes you can make and find the best path forward for your health and happiness.
PS - No matter what you’re hair looks like, you’re beautiful.
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