Hair Loss Reasons why it’s falling out and ways to fix it.
Working in the salon I would get asked many questions on a daily basis but the one that really stood out was when clients would as me asking me “Am I going bald?”
The truth is we naturally lose 50-100 strands a day but when it’s more than that we worry and we feel too embarrassed to talk about it or come up with excuses not to seek medical help blaming hormones or age (although these can be factors).
We may all suffer from some sort of hair loss in our life some more noticeable than others. In this post, I will be explaining the reasons why your hair is falling out, what causes hair loss and more importantly what we can do to fix it.
I experienced hair loss myself when I moved from one part of the county to the other but the hair loss didn’t happen immediately it was 6 months after. My hair started falling excessively to the point I had to see my GP.
Thankfully after a routine blood test and results coming back as normal, the only reason for my hair loss was the stress of the moving. Stress can be the reason why your hair’s falling out and it can actually have a delayed effect.
If you’re currently suffering from hair loss think back over the past year to see if it could be related to a very stressful time in your life.
Getting back to my client’s question, I completely understood what they were going through and would always start by asking a few questions to try and figure out what exactly was going on.
Disclaimer – I’m not a medical Dr or claim to be one. The reasons for hair loss and advice I give in this post is from 20 years of experience working with hair in a salon. If you are suffering from hair loss I always recommend you see your Dr.
Ask Yourself these following questions.
- Have you been stressed?
- Have you recently had a baby?
- Are you pregnant (I used to get a few “yes, but it’s a secret” answer to this question and always felt so privileged to now be in on the secret).
- Have you recently changed your diet or been on a drastic diet weight loss/weight gain?
- Do you suffer from anaemia?
- Are you vegetarian/vegan? – Low meat intake can affect your iron levels causing hair loss.
If you answered yes to any of these questions read below for more information.
Reasons for hair loss
- Low Iron/Anemia – Iron deficiency is one of the major triggers of hair loss. The lack of iron sends your body into survival mode. Your body channels oxygen to support vital functions as opposed to ones like keeping your hair intact.
- Stress – Telogen effluvium or to put it simply stress causes hair growth to go into a “resting” state. Your hair falls out in the Anagen phase the stress has caused your hair to rest. This gives it the look and feel of thinner hair. Hair loss due to stress can sometimes only appear many months after the stress in your life.
- Pre-pregnancy – You’ve most likely heard of the “pregnancy glow” but only a small number of women will experience this. Most pre-pregnancy women will find their hair is drier, knottier and thinning. All due to the surge of hormones and again Telogen effluvium.
- Post Pregnancy – If your one of the lucky ones that does experience that “Pregnancy glow”. That’s because when pregnant your body holds onto every single strand of hair for 9 months. However, you will start to lose this hair from around 4 months after birth. This usually slows down after 7-8 months and will be back to normal around 9 months.
- Chemical damage – Ok not a natural reason for hair loss but I wanted to still cover it. If you bleach your hair or colour it often(with high levels of peroxide) this will cause severe damage and breakage not just to the ends of your hair but also around your hairline where the hair is naturally weaker.
Simple Ways to Treat Hair loss
- The advice I give my clients is, firstly go and see your Dr ask for a blood test to check your Iron levels they may also check for thyroid problems.
- Start taking hair, skin & Nail Vitamins from your local Pharmacy. These will contain Iron, Omegas and Biotin key vitamins to boost your hair health.
- Be kinder to your hair, especially when your hair is wet. Massage scalp with hair growth serums and I would highly recommend a Wet Brush for detangling fragile hair. This will put less tension on your hair when combing causing less breakage.
- Nioxin 3 System Trial Kit works on building strength within the core structure to help it to grow back thicker & healthier. Nioxin strongly believes that you will see a significant improvement in your hair that they offer a Money-Back Guarantee (see website for details Nioxin.com)
- Be careful of the Bleach! I love having blonde hair too and as long as you are just topping up the roots/regrowth then this is absolutely fine. For damaged hair use Olaplex No 3 treatment this will help improve the bonds in your hair making it stronger and keeping it in better condition.
- Book a salon appointment!
One more thing…….
Cutting your hair won’t make it grow!
It’s a myth! Cutting off the split ends on your hair it will keep it in a tip-top condition which is exactly what you want to help it grow long. Not cutting the split ends off will mean they will split further up your hair shaft which will mean when you do get it cut you will need more off.
Sadly there is no special treatment that will fix split ends there are serums that will stick the split ends together until you get them cut but that’s it.