Whom of us, men or women, don’t like a full head of hair? It is the first noticeable part of our physical appearance. It adds to our beauty and attractiveness as well as enhances our personality and our self-confidence. The absolute dread of that morning when you look in the bathroom mirror, with the light shining on your head, and you see that your lush mane has made way for a balding scalp.
Immediately you go into panic mode and think no it can’t be! Your mind races between ‘when did this happen?’ to ‘why is this happening?’ and ‘what can I do?’ Immediately your confidence drops down a few notches.
When Do We Lose Hair?
Hair loss can appear in many different ways; it can either be suddenly or gradually. In this article we will only concentrate on the those locks growing on your head.
Typically, we lose 50 to 100 strains of hairs a day. This is not noticeable because new hair is growing rapidly as well. It only becomes noticeable when new hair don’t replace those that has fallen out.
Sudden loss of lustrous locks may be because of emotional shock and will come out by the handfuls when being combed or washed. This is usually just temporary.
Gradual thinning affects people as they age. In men it begins to recede at the hairline on the forehead as well as on top of their heads. When thinning happens, the scalp can be seen.
With women, it’s a little bit different. Instead of having one balding patch, the thinning of locks targets a much broader surface of the head. Either they will gradually lose hundreds of strains across their head or have one patch of clear baldness – either on the crown or forehead. These bald spots can be circular or patchy.
Learn more about female pattern baldness here: https://www.healthline.com/health/womens-health/female-pattern-baldness.
Why Do We Lose Our Locks?
There are many reasons why men and women struggle with hair loss, here are a few of the most common reasons why:
Ancestors and Genetics
Firstly, we can thank our ancestors if we are blessed with a full set of locks. When you and most of your family members have a full mane until late in your 50s then you should thank your bloodline. If this is not the case, then you can be upset with your predecessors.
Those who lose their locks because of genetics have a condition called androgenic alopecia – male-pattern and female-pattern baldness. When your great grandmother had thinning hair along the crown of her scalp and your great-great grandfather had a receding hairline, then chances are you will have too. Luckily your great-great grandfather could hide his bald spots under his hat due to the fashion of that time.
Hormones
Women, in general, undergo many hormonal changes due to pregnancy, childbirth, menopause, thyroid problems, and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). All these transformations have an effect on a woman’s body and might also cause the loss of hair – either temporarily or permanently.
Medical Conditions
Medical conditions such as alopecia areata, immune system deficiencies, and the disorder trichotillomania. They can cause patchiness and baldness. Chemotherapy treatment for patients with cancer can also have a horrible effect on people’s growth.
Ringworms can also be added onto the list of miseries. Not only does it cause baldness but also scalp infections.
Too Many Visits to the Salon
To maintain our beautiful mane, many of us have regular visits with our best friend and confidante – our hairdressers. Together we plan the latest hairstyles, colors, and treatments. Year in and year out we style, perm, bleach, color, and dye. As a result of excessive styling we may lose the thickness and shininess of our once thick locks.
Hot oil treatments and perms also causes loss. If you aren’t careful, scarring occurs and permanent lock loss. Be careful of excessive styling, heat exposure, and pulling your strands to tightly in a pigtail. It causes a lot of stress on the scalp and a condition called traction alopecia can occur.
Emotional Distress
As we get older, we are more prone to chronic medical conditions. Some conditions caused by living life can include high blood pressure, heart problems, arthritis, gout, and depression. Medication for these types of conditions can cause side effects like hair loss.
After a traumatic event, physical or emotional, we might experience thinning, even months after the incident. Luckily, this is usually just temporary and can be cured once the person overcome emotional trauma.
Tips and Cures
What can we do to prevent the risk of losing our beautiful mane?
Unfortunately, we can’t do much about our genetics of male and female pattern baldness. But we can use the following tips to help avoid preventable types of hair.
- Adapt your diet to include healthier foods like: eggs that are abundant in protein and biotin, spinach that contains vitamin A that is needed for the sebum on your scalp, yoghurt that is full of protein and rich in probiotics, blueberries for Vitamin C, and salmon that is full of omega-3 fatty acids
- Be gentle with your locks. Avoid using harsh treatments like hot straighteners and curling irons. Aggressive brushing and tugging on after washing or swimming will also leave your scalp in a state. Protect your head from sunlight in the same way as you would do for your skin
- There are numerous products available specifically created to restore growth. Find out from your doctor or pharmacist what the best options will be
- Our favorite is going for regular scalp massages. Who doesn’t calm down and doze off with someone massaging your scalp with their fingertips in circular movements? Not only does it reduce stress immediately it also promotes regrowth
Whether the loss of your mane is permanent or temporary, you will need to take action and assess what the causes are. You can prevent further loss and promote growth by following simple instructions from your general healthcare practitioner.