How Hair Loss Affects Women

Hair loss can negatively impact anyone, but it can be especially detrimental for women. Losing your hair can cause serious anxiety, and the problem is, there are so many potential causes for it.

For women, hair loss can occur because of age, genetics, medical treatments, a pre-existing medical condition, or lifestyle habits.

Hair loss occurs when your hair starts to thin or come out in clumps. In either situation, the hair is falling out from the root not just breaking off somewhere in between.

In some cases, if the hair loss is the result of something such as a lifestyle change, perhaps an imbalance in your diet, you might notice your hair becoming slightly more brittle and breaking off as it also starts to fall out and thin from the scalp.

While it is truly overwhelming to face hair loss as a woman and you might feel social pressure to have long, luxurious hair, hair loss is not irreversible.

There are plenty of remedies that you can integrate into your routine to help combat the issue.

Hormonal Causes

Women who are losing hair could be suffering from major hormonal changes. The most common is menopause, which causes a fluctuation of hormones in women that can influence the levels of hair production.

Because of this, women will see thinning hair as a side effect of menopause. Hair loss can take place before a menstrual period has ended because of the declining levels of hormones.

This period wherein the hormone levels in a women decline is called peri-menopause and can sometimes last for years.

Women who are experiencing hair loss or hair thinning might also be pregnant or nursing.

During these periods in the life of a woman, the amount of progesterone and estrogen dramatically fluctuate in order to create an environment conducive to the growth of a child.

In these cases, the primary role of the woman’s hormones is to support or prepare for the child which means that other functions in the body are inhibited or poorly affected, including hair growth. Hair texture, as well as hair loss, is linked directly to the levels of hormones which mean that women can experience daily hair loss or a drastic change in the texture of their hair if they are pregnant or nursing.

Generally, this is a temporary condition and after six months, the process returns to normal. However, that is not always the case.

How Remedies Work

There are many remedies available for thinning hair. Each of them focuses on the cycles of hair growth.

When your hair grows, it must go through a period where the old hair begins to fall out and new hair grows in its place.If you use certain thinning hair remedies you can combat the process by speeding up the shedding of old hair and the growth of new hair.

However, this will not combat the underlying problem and only lasts as long as you are taking the treatments plus—give or take—an additional six months after discontinued use. This is perfect for people experiencing hair thinning due to temporary problems.

Another remedy involves using chemical hair products or medications that have niacin or salicylic acid in them.

These particular products with natural ingredients increase the blood circulation and remove toxins from your hair follicles.

Products that have harsher chemicals, such as sodium lauryl sulfate (the main ingredient in toothpaste and shampoo that causes both to bubble), can bleach your hair and strip the oils.

So obviously these are things you want to avoid. If at all possible when you are looking for chemical products to apply to your hair you want natural products.

Using Natural Oils

A simpler approach is to apply an overnight treatment once per week to try and stimulate your hair follicles and simultaneously remove toxins from your scalp.

You can prepare the overnight treatment at home simply by mixing castor oil with vegetable, coconut, or extra virgin olive oil. Regardless of the ingredients you use, the results you desire are the same.

The overnight treatment fills any brittle or porous areas to increase your hair’s natural oil and strength. The oils help to address a possible vitamin B7 deficiency that could be contributing to your hair loss.

By using this treatment once per week, you increase the health of the scalp so that new growth is healthier as well.

While on the note of natural oils you also want to make sure you are increasing your consumption of vitamins B, C, and E.

You can mix vitamin liquid supplements in with your oil regimen but you also want to increase your consumption through your food. Think of this as a double-edged attack to hair loss: you are working your way from the inside out and the outside in.

If you are reluctant to change your diet, you can find vitamins or supplements with these vitamins included.

Increasing your intake of these vitamins will help to increase your cell production and simultaneously stimulate blood circulation so that your new hair follicles stay strong.

Obviously, if you are uncomfortable taking vitamins and supplements, you can simply identify foods like fruits and vegetables that include these vitamins and add them to your diet.

Medications

There are of course topical medications that you can use and medications that you can consume orally if the hair loss is the result of a genetic condition or the situation needs a quick remedy.

The best way to address severe hair loss conditions is to speak with your doctor and see if there is a prescription available. The FDA has approved three different drugs that women can use to combat hair loss.

These drugs are finasteride, dutasteride, and minoxidil. One of the most commonly known over-the-counter medications for hair loss is Rogaine, which contains minoxidil.

While this is a topical solution, not an oral solution, there are oral solutions available if you need that instead. With these treatments, the new hair growth starts as soon as you start taking the medication.

However, the new growth is only going to continue as long as you continue taking or using the medication. As soon as you discontinue use, it may fall out again.

This is why some people like to combine several techniques to strengthen the hair follicles long-term. These solutions are best for patients who are experiencing severe or moderate hair loss, especially resulting from medications like chemotherapy.

Diet

Your diet really is one of the most important medicines you have for fixing any ailment you might face.

Your hair is comprised of different proteins which is why you want to increase not only the vitamin B that you consume but also the protein. Proteins break down and help build up your strength on a cellular level thanks to amino acids and antioxidants.

The more protein you can consume in a healthy balance, and the more vitamins you can get naturally through foods that you eat, the healthier your hair is going to be.

As a woman, it can be demoralizing to face hair loss, but thankfully, there are plenty of natural and healthy solutions that are perfectly safe.

You can combine these solutions with over-the-counter medications and prescription medications to find the best solution for your situation.