Although approximately one-third of women are affected by hair loss, many people think it solely affects men. However, unlike men, women frequently experience hair thinning without going bald, and the problem can have a range of diverse core causes.
Some have an aggressive component. A female pattern can be seen in some hair loss. The good news is that medicine may frequently stabilize this hair thinning and, in some cases, may reverse it. When it’s not, several contemporary cosmetic methods can be useful.
Identifying thinning hair
The initial step in dealing with hair loss is to identify what takes place in your body that causes those extra strands to end up on your shoulders and brush. Some hair loss is normal. Hair thinning affects everyone due to the three-stage biological growth cycle of hair.
- When a hair strand is continuously producing, it is at the anagen stage. This period can last anywhere between two and eight years.
- The catagen stage is a brief period of transition that may take up to three weeks. The hair has stopped growing and has started to fall out.
- The hair is lost from the follicle, which is the organ in charge of creating and storing hair, during a stage of the hair cycle called the telogen stage. After hair falls out, the follicle is dormant for nearly three months before new hair starts to grow.
There are variations among individuals in typical hair thinning. Most individuals are aware of their threshold for hair thinning. If you find that you are unexpectedly losing more hair than usual, that your hair is falling out in clumps, or that your hair looks to be significantly thinning, it may be a sign that there’s something is not right.
The main causes of hair loss
There are numerous conditions that might lead to female hair thinning. A few of them are external, such as taking particular drugs, constantly sporting tight-pulling haircuts, or even undergoing a demanding operation like surgery. Sometimes, thinning hair is caused by a medical condition like a thyroid problem, a shift in hormone levels, a recent being pregnancy, or an inflammatory disease.
Additionally, baldness may run over generations. The most common inherited condition is androgenic alopecia, generally known as female-pattern hair loss. A woman may begin to notice a widening of the section at the top of her head, which is a usual sign of this condition when she is in her 40s, 50s, or older. You might experience this if specific genes from one or both of your parents are inherited. Hormonal changes brought on by menopause could also promote it.
Another factor contributing to hair loss in females is an inflammatory condition that affects the scalp. That could be psoriasis, eczema, or frontal fibrosing alopecia, a condition that frequently causes scarring and hair loss above the forehead, sometimes permanently.
Two additional common causes of hair loss include overusing damaging hair care items or tools like hairdryers and other devices that heat the hair. In addition to these causes, autoimmune diseases like lupus, nutritional deficiencies, and hormonal imbalances can also result in hair loss.
How to avoid, manage, and handle hair loss
1. Frequently, but not excessively, clean and condition your hair
Most likely, you don’t need to wash your hair on a daily basis. Don’t rinse your hair more than twice or three times a week, let it get dirty. When you wash your hair too regularly, it loses its natural oils, and when you wash it infrequently, it can become limp and lifeless, particularly if you apply excessive dry shampoo. If you’re blessed with natural hair, you should clean it even less frequently because it tends to be drier, more brittle, and even more prone to breaking and losing hair color.
If your hair is thinning, use gentle products. Many hair products, such as shampoos, conditioners, hair sprays, and other things, have substances that are hard on the scalp and hair, which can speed up hair loss and damage the remaining hair.
Use keratin complex shampoo or shampoo free of sulfate and alcohol-free shampoo. These elements damage and severely dry out hair. Look for a conditioner that doesn’t include silicones. These pull the hair down and must be eliminated with sulfate shampoo.
2. Comb locks
Instead of brushing, comb your hair. Your hair tends to fall more easily when you brush it, especially when it’s damp. The kindest way to get rid of the tangles is with a wide-tooth comb. Untangle the knots at the bottom of your hair before moving up towards the roots, starting at the tips.
3. Allow hair to air-dry
To avoid removing excessive hair after your shower, gently massage your hair using a soft towel instead of wringing it dry or toweling it hard. Let your hair air dry rather than using dryers because the heat that comes from it can dry out and harm hair.
4. Use heat-free styling techniques
In a similar mentality, avoid using curling irons, flattening irons, or any other type of heat styling equipment on your hair. When you can, accept and respect the natural texture of your hair. When utilizing heat styling tools, employ the lowest, coldest setting conceivable.
You may style your hair in a variety of styles without using heat Experiment with different curling and straightening techniques to find the one that works best for you.
5. Increasing your protein intake
If you don’t receive enough of it, which is one of your hair’s constituents, you could experience hair thinning. Vegetarians and vegans frequently experience hair thinning when they don’t take enough protein. You should eat more of the following foods:
Fish, poultry, meat, and pork
Other legumes, like chickpeas and black beans
Dairy and tofu goods
6. Take additional biotin
The B vitamin biotin, which supports a healthy scalp, hair, and nails, is found in animal products. That’s why biotin supplements are commonly marketed as vitamins that encourage hair development. Eat additional biotin-rich meals like liver and other meats, walnuts, and leafy greens, or take biotin supplements as advised.