Main Causes of Hair Loss and How to Prevent It

What are the main cause of hair loss in women?

1. Hormonal Changes

Hormones play such a significant role in most conditions of a body. Each change of hormones will directly affect your health and emotions. There are many reasons that answer for hormonal changes such as pregnancy, childbirth, aging, menopause, stress, unhealthy lifestyle,.. All of them can break the balance of androgens and estrogens in women. A little increase of androgens or sensitivity to them can lead to hair thinning and shedding.

2. Stress

Not everyone knows the second reason since it seems like a far logic. Stress can cause hair thinning and loss. A high-stress level may trigger telogen effluvium, like some medications, and alopecia areata if the distress is severe. Fortunately, these causes are not permanent as you learn to manage stress.

A person that has trichotillomania also causes hair loss. Trichotillomania is a psychological illness in which a person may want to pull or even eat their hair to respond to stressful situations. Therapy can help a person who experiences this illness. Doctors will also give them other ways to cope.

3. Diet and Nutrition

Crash diets, eating disorders, and poor diet lacking nutritions, especially vitamins and minerals can lead to hair loss in women. There is a list of essential nutritions that impact on your hair health

Vitamin

- Vitamin D: Important for hair follicle cycling and affect the hair growth process. Adult men and women need about 600 IU (international units) per day, while children need approximately 400 IU per day.

- Vitamin A: Vitamin A is a very important nutrition that impacts on your general health. However, over-absorb vitamin A can cause hair loss. Adult women need 700 mcg RAE per day while pregnant women and lactating women need 770 and 1300 mcg RAE per day respectively.

- Vitamin 7 (Biotin): Biotin or Vitamin B7 is called “hair vitamin” because it plays a crucial role in hair health. An adult needs 30 mcg per day and children need from 5-12 mcg per day based on their age.

- Vitamin E: It helps improve blood circulation and strengthen hair scalp that is very important to hair growth. To increase general health and avoid hair loss, adults need 700-900 mcg RAE and children need 6-7 mg daily.

- Vitamin C: It is important for collagen production, which is a structural protein that supports hair strength. The recommended amount of vitamin C an adult needs is 75-90 mg a day and 15-25 mg for children.

Iron

Iron is an essential mineral fundamental to the overall functioning of the body, contributing to a range of processes such as the transportation of oxygen, the generation of energy, and the promotion of hair growth. 

Zinc

Zinc holds significance in the preservation of both skin and hair health. Insufficient zinc levels within the body can result in a state known as zinc deficiency, which may present itself in diverse manners, including the thinning and loss of hair.

If you're concerned about hair loss, it's advisable to focus on a well-rounded diet that provides all necessary vitamins and minerals rather than focusing solely on one nutrient. If you suspect a nutritional deficiency may be contributing to your hair loss, it's a good idea to consult with a healthcare professional who can help you identify any deficiencies and recommend appropriate dietary changes or supplements.

4. Hairstyling and Treatment

The pursuit of beautiful and trendy hairstyles often involves the use of heat styling tools and an array of hair care products. However, heat styling and hair care products containing toxic chemicals can damage your scalp and lead to hair loss. Excessive use of heat styling tools such as hair blowers, flat iron will weaken your hair’s texture and lead to shedding.

Choosing the right products to take care of your hair is very important. Manufacturers tend to add toxic chemicals into their products to get temporary beauty but it will weaken your hair and scalp in the long term.

There is a list of shampoos that cause hair loss you need to avoid:

Tresemmé Keratin Shampoo and Conditioner

Advertised as a first choice of professional hair salon, but Tresemmé Keratin Shampoo and Conditioner is really bad. According to many customer reviews, not only did this kit not make your hair become shiny and smooth as advertised, the sulfates inside it also dried your hair and removed the natural protective coat from your hair. 

Johnson & Johnson OGX Shampoo

The same as Tresemmé, Johnson & Johnson OGX Shampoo won the prize for bad hair shampoo. Salt and sulfates in OGX Shampoo will ruin your hair because this mixture cleans your hair so harshly. Moreover, it also contains Silicones, which make your hair smooth but it will build up your hair and stop your hair from absorbing moisture.

Head & Shoulders 2 in 1

Head & Shoulders 2 in 1 work very well on removing dandruff, but it is not for everyone. A large amount of sulfate used for removing dandruff can cause damage to your follicle and breakage. If your hair scalp is not strong enough, it may cause hair fall.

Sunsilk Super-Shine Shampoo

Another massive shampoo that contains toxic chemicals that are very bad for your hair is Sunsilk Super-Shine Shampoo. Bad reviews about this shampoo are everywhere on big beauty forums. In conclusion, this product is a black sheep of Sunsilk with frizziness and fly-aways at the top of the head.

5. Medical treatment

Some medical treatments and medications may cause a bald woman to lose her hair. One of the famous examples of this is chemotherapy. The primary function of chemotherapy is to kill the cancer cells by detecting what is rapidly growing. Unfortunately, the hair also divides quickly.

Not all chemotherapy can cause baldness or hair loss, and not all people experience it when doing chemotherapy. Some may only have hair thinning, while others are unaffected by it. 

Some drugs may have side effects that may lead to telogen effluvium or anagen effluvium. The first one prohibits hair from growing temporarily. While the hair follicles are not active, the remaining hair will fall or shed. Meanwhile, anagen effluvium prevents the division of cells.

Examples of drugs with these side effects that a bald woman might have taken are acne medications, antidepressants and mood stabilizers, birth control pills, and anti-hypertensives.

How To Prevent From Hair Loss?

You must first know what causes your hair loss. If you are unsure and the condition keeps progressing, it is best to see a doctor. Don’t be shy to face them as you are not the first bald woman they have encountered. Not all causes are permanent, and so you will have a chance to grow them back,

If you notice parts of your hair are thinning or falling, but it is not yet alarming, you can try to save it in the different ways below. 

1. Natural Oil

Some oils used explicitly for hair growth include argan oil, coconut oil, and rosemary oil. You may treat hot oil at least once a week or directly massage these oils to your scalp. The process will also improve blood flow, which promotes hair growth.

2. Have Nourishing Foods

Not just for preventing from hair loss, you have to have nourishing food to keep your health in the best condition. Moreover, you have to focus on the nutrients I mentioned before, especially Zinc, Biotin, Vitamin E, C, D. Make sure you eat a variety of nutrients in a meal.

3. Minoxidil

You can buy minoxidil in the pharmacy, promoting hair growth and thickening it. The Food and Drug Administration agrees that this drug is safe to use. However, withdrawal is highly discouraged if you choose to depend on this drug.

4. Hormone Therapy

As previously said, one of the common causes of turning into a bald woman may be signs of aging or hormonal change. There are hormone supplements that you can take to increase estrogen or progesterone. Some are also antiandrogen, which stops hair loss.

5. Hair Products

You may try the new hair products for thicker hair. Great shampoo and conditioner brands produce these, and many customers seem to like the result. We suggest you use herbal-based hair care products to take care of your hair and your scalp.

6. Wigs and Hair Extensions

If nothing works for you, you may always wear wigs and hair extensions to cover your hair. It will boost confidence if you are not yet willing to accept being a bald woman. You may choose from various hair textures, lengths, and colors.

Other preventive ways may include surgery, but it may be expensive and unnecessary. You must still be careful while trying to treat hair thinning.  

Frequently Asked Questions:

1. How to cope with hair loss?

If you are scared of getting thinner hair young, know that other girls encounter this problem. You may try ways to conceal the hair loss, or you can get emotional support by talking to a professional about what you are going through.

2. Do all bald women suffer from an illness?

Most of the women who are experiencing hair loss may have any of the mentioned causes. However, a bald woman may also be her choice. Some women shave their heads to protest against the standard or want to show their boldness and creativity.

3. Are there benefits to going bald? 

There are many advantages to shaving your head and becoming a bald woman. First, it cuts costs on hair products as you won’t need to maintain them anymore. You can help people with medical conditions by donating your hair. Bald is also great for summer as it is refreshing.

Summary

Hair loss may be hard to accept at first, but it doesn’t mean there is no hope for you anymore. It may just be temporary, or you can still prevent it. Besides, there is nothing wrong with being a bald woman. You might even find yourself rocking your new look.