By I think you’ll agree with me when I say:
“Women’s hair loss. It’s a topic that isn’t covered much; the focus tends to be on men’s receding hairlines.”
But losing hair is a problem that many women face, as well.
Studies have shown that up to 40% of women will notice hair loss by the time that they are forty. But it can start even earlier than that: Most women experiencing hair loss say that they first noticed that their hair was thinning when they were between twenty-five and thirty-five.
The emotional turmoil that women can feel when losing their hair is staggering: 24% said that it felt like they had lost a limb.
The causes of hair loss vary widely. It’s not something that is easy to pin down: It can be caused by any number of things, including natural processes like pregnancy and hormones.
Of course, the most well-known reason behind sudden hair loss in women is stress. It’s so well-known, that it’s become a television trope, something to laugh about.
Of course for those who are suffering, not only from stress or other physical or mental problems, but from hair loss, as well, most likely don’t find this funny at all; they find it traumatic.
There are, of course, a number of treatments available to use. They all promise to help grow back your hair, and to keep it thick and healthy.
But these treatments tend to be harsh, full of potentially harmful chemicals that can damage the hair that you have left. The products that you can pick up at the grocery store are a fairly iffy bet; the treatments that you’ll receive if you go to the doctor may be worse.
And of course, we can’t overlook one little detail: Most of these products are formulated for men. While there are some options available that cater to women, most are just marketed towards males.
Main Causes of Women Hair Loss
- Stress
As mentioned above, stress is a very common cause for female hair loss. There might be many reasons for it, but there is one that most scientists seem to agree on: Women feel stress more acutely than men, thus experiencing it in a greater amount.
Because women are so stressed, they are more likely to lose their hair to it than a man would be. This is another reason that treating women’s hair loss with chemicals and treatments out of a bottle might not work: Some of these problems are psychological, and beyond the help of the hair care section of the pharmacy.
- Pregnancy
This might be a rather surprising cause. For a lot of women, pregnancy is equated with a glowing mother with tons of extra healthy, beautiful, shiny hair. That isn’t the truth for every expectant mother.
Some find that their brush is full of hair every morning; they might even begin to see bald spots. This is because, during pregnancy, your hair will sometimes go into a resting phase.
The resting phase is a part of the hair loss cycle, where it is easily removed from the scalp. This condition can linger into your postpartum period, lasting as long as four months.
Androgenic Alopecia (“Female Pattern Baldness”)
This is a form of hair loss that is the hardest to deal with. While other causes of hair loss can be addressed and done away with, androgenic alopecia can’t truly be cured, through traditional, Western-science options, nor through natural therapies.
However, that certainly doesn’t mean that you’ll be stuck with bald spots forever! If you believe you are suffering from androgenic alopecia, there are a multitude of options available to you to slow or even stop your hair loss!
It isn’t a permanent fix, and is definitely something you should do on a fairly regular basis, but it’s a great way to start fixing this problem.
- Hormones
Hormones play a huge role in every bit of your health, both physical and mental. This includes hair loss.
The most common culprit when it comes to hormonal hair loss in women is a crafty little hormone called DHT. DHT, or dihydrotestosterone is a hormone typically found in greater quantities in men. It’s basically like testosterone, but a lot more potent.
Men who have this tend to experience hair loss. A buildup of DHT is rare in women; estrogen tends to neutralize it.
However, there is a chance that you can have too much DHT, resulting in hair loss.
- Anemia
Anemia is a very common condition, found in both men and women, but largely targeting females. Between 9% and 12% of Caucasian women will experience anemia at some point in her life.
This makes it even more likely that you will experience hair loss. Anemia causes hair loss because of a lack of iron.
This lack means that your hair will be more brittle, making it break and simply pull out of your bed easier. The best option to prevent this would be some red meat, but an iron supplement is a good idea, as well.
Natural Solutions for Women’s Hair Loss
- Scalp Massage
This is definitely something that seems more luxurious, and less helpful. Most people don’t think about comfortable, soothing ways to stop their hair loss.
It’s a bit hard to believe that something so calming could actually be stopping your hair loss in its tracks.
But how?
When you massage a scalp, you are stimulating their skin. This causes all of your blood circulate better on the scalp, helping to reawaken your hair follicles. If you’re looking for a quick, no-nonsense sort of option, this is probably the best for you. Besides that, a massage just feels good!
- Vitamins
This is definitely a great step to take when you find that your hair is falling out or thinning. Quite a few of the causes of women’s hair loss can be linked to a lack of specific vitamins and minerals that a person needs.
Taking a specially formulated multivitamin every day can certainly help to slow or even stop your hair loss; it’s also a great way to prevent it.
When looking for a vitamin that’s right for you, keep in mind that it should have a good amount of iron in it; iron deficiency is one of the key causes of women’s hair loss.
- Saw Palmetto
Saw palmetto is one of the most common natural ingredients found in all sorts of treatment for women’s health. And studies are showing that it certainly helps to prevent hair loss in women.
The main reason behind that is that it helps to maintain a woman’s natural hormonal balance.
Because androgenic alopecia (“female pattern hair loss”) is thought to be caused by a woman having too much DHT, something that helps to boost your production of estrogen is a surefire way to treat it. That’s why, if you’re looking for something to stop hair loss naturally, you should use a product containing saw palmetto.
- Potassium
Another ingredient to look for when choosing a vitamin is potassium; you can also try eating potassium-rich foods, like bananas, in lieu of a vitamin.
Potassium deficiency can cause hair loss in both men and women, but, generally speaking, women tend to be less likely to get the amount of nutrients they need. Because of this, they’re more likely to develop a deficiency severe enough to result in actual hair loss than men.
Most vitamins that you’ll find have potassium; there are also potassium supplements out there. Research a few foods, and you’ll find that a lot of them have a high potassium content, as well!
- Meditation
Lastly, but certainly not least, is meditation.
Because one of the most common factors in women’s hair loss is stress, meditation can do a lot to stop the thinning and breakage. Meditating is a great way to soothe concerns and anxiety, which will, in turn, stop stress-related hair loss in women.
Even if you think that you suffer from something other than anxiety-induced hair loss, it’s worth adding this to your list of treatments.
Even stressing too much about hair loss causes by another factor can increase the amount of hair loss you’ll see! You can do this on your own, or find internet communities to help.
Preventing Further Hair Loss
- Avoid Unnecessary Disturbance of Hair
It can be hard, to not handle your hair, especially when it’s such a concerning subject.
But, if you find that your hair is breaking easily or coming out in clumps, the best thing you can do is not to bother it any more than absolutely necessary.
This means no running your fingers through it to check how much comes out, no scalp massages (even those mentioned above), and very limited shampooing. If at all possible, don’t towel- or blow-dry your hair after a shower; let it air dry naturally.
- Don’t Over Style or Pull Back Hair Too Tightly
This is almost an extension of the tip listed above, but even more strenuous.
Don’t over style your hair.
This means that you should limit yourself to your natural texture. Curling, crimping, or straightening your hair can lead to further hair loss in women.
You should also avoid tight hairstyles, such as braids, cornrows, fancy updos, and even too-tight ponytails.
When you do put your hair up, try to use soft cloth hair ties, instead of traditional hair ties or, the absolute worst, rubber bands.
When you need your hair out of your face, try a cloth headband instead of one of the hard plastic variety, or sunglasses, both of which are likely to snare and pull out strands.
- Avoid Crash Diets
This is something that causes hair loss in both genders, but that women are more likely to do than men.
A lot of the causes of hair loss can be attributed to one thing: Poor nutrition. In order to avoid this hair loss (or a repeat of hair loss, if it’s happened before), you should avoid any “crash diet”, which is a diet that claims to offer extreme weight loss quickly, but that doesn’t offer proper nutrition.
Just say no to unbalanced meals!
Your waist might be smaller for that class reunion, but you’ll be too focused on your thinning hair to enjoy it.
- Take an Appropriate Multivitamin
Once again, an extension of the tip above. Proper nutrition is something you must put time and effort into in order to avoid hair loss.
Unfortunately, getting all of the nutrients you need every day can be a hassle, and it isn’t always possible. So you should definitely make sure that you’re taking a multivitamin everyday.
Try to find one that is specially formulated for you: A prenatal one, for example, or one for women over the age of fifty.
Whichever vitamin you choose, check that it contains both iron and potassium: Lacking either can cause hair loss.
- Manage Your Stress
This is one that you should definitely follow, hair loss or not. Stress is unhealthy in large doses, and should be carefully managed. Meditation can help (see above), as can certain calming teas.
You can get a bit of exercise along with your peace of mind if you try a yoga routine, whether on your own, or in a class. If your stress is unmanageable, and nothing seems to be helping, you might want to speak to a therapist.
Talk therapy is definitely something that you shouldn’t overlook; it’s a great way to reduce anxiety.
As you’ve seen, hair loss in women is certainly something that is more common than previously thought. If you are aged forty or above, there is a 40% chance that you’ve noticed hair loss at some point in your life. This can be caused by a variety of things: Stress, a lack of proper nutrition, or even pregnancy.
Thankfully, you no long have to rely solely upon harsh chemical treatments (normally formulated for men). Instead, there are natural solutions for you to try.
Whether you’re stepping up your nutrition, popping a multivitamin, meditating the stress away, or trying an invigorating scalp massage, there are many positive, all-natural options for women’s hair loss.
