Like many women, I fight the daily battle of hair loss and have been silently doing so for almost 20 years.This has been a difficult thing to go through, and it has affected my confidence. As a women, we face additional challenges as we try to figure out why we are losing our hair and what, if anything, we can do about it. There seem to be more options for men to help with their type of hair loss, but for us women it is an uphill battle. I have just recently found new hair care routines and natural products that seem to be working with my body to promote hair growth…exciting times!
Why are you losing your hair?
A common reason for female pattern hair loss (alopecia) is due to hormonal changes. Androgenetic Alopecia, refers to the androgens hormones in our bodes, which is responsible for hair growth. As we age, our bodies develop more androgens, which results in a shorter lifespan for each of the precious hairs on our head. The androgens can then cause changes within the follicle, causing a new hair to take a lot longer to grow, or a new hair to grow thinner and without color, or maybe no new hair to grow at all. The difficult thing here is that this type of hair loss is often genetic, so if you have close female relatives with this type of hair loss, then you are more likely to live with it as well.
Other hormonal causes can be pregnancy, menopause or birth control pills. I began losing hair in my early 20’s, and I was on the birth control pill for many years. Not once did any doctor mention to me that the pill could be contributing to my hair loss! This is why it is important to educate yourself about your health, doctors can only provide so much information. Do your research and know your options.
Another reason could be some type of trauma to your body. Something like a major surgery, where your body undergoes changes as it goes through the healing process. In my experience, after my brain surgery, my entire body went through changes in order to heal from that trauma. For about a year afterward, my hair wasn’t falling out. I thought I was on my way to a full head of hair…but, after that first year, the fallout started up again, this time more aggressive than before.
There are many more possible reasons why you might be experiencing hair loss. It is different for each of us, and although we might now know the “why” behind it, we can still make improvements to our health which might be of some help.
How can you begin your hair and scalp health journey?
If your goal is healthy hair and the growth of new hairs, then you need to take care of your scalp. Properly caring for your scalp will promote happy, healthy hair growth. Even if you do not see any immediate results, your body will be thankful for the new love you are giving it!
– You can start with simple things, like a 5 minute scalp massage before going to bed or first thing in the morning. You can use your fingers or try a cute little scalp massager.
– Exfoliate your scalp before your head into your wash routine. This is just like exfoliating your face or other parts of your body. There are great natural scalp exfoliators you can purchase or try making your own with some coffee grounds and pink himalayan salt.
– When washing your hair, your may have to wash a couple of times to ensure your scalp is clean from all product and oils. When using conditioner, try to keep it off your freshly cleaned scalp.
– Keep your scalp protected from the sun. Those of us with thin hair need to be mindful of Mr. Golden Sun! Wear a loose fitting hat or scarf to protect your head from those rays.
– You know your scalp best. You know if it is dry or oily or that it might depend on weather conditions and the season. Adjust your scalp treatments as needed. You may need to moisturize with a leave-in treatment more often when it is dry.
– A scalp facial…yes, a facial for your scalp. Steam can do wonders, and it feels so nice. Steam has many benefits for your face and scalp. Besides opening up the hair cuticle, allowing it to absorb and retain moisture, steam will help clean out build-up from dead skin cells and increase circulation to your scalp. Do this for about 15 minutes or so, you will feel wonderful afterward!
Harmful ingredients to keep in mind.
We are bombarded with commercials on TV or the internet for every kind of beauty and hair care product out there. Although many of these ads are quite convincing and do a great job of selling us on their pitch, we need to do some research before we make the purchase and use their product. Many of these products we have seen on the market for years are filled with harsh chemicals which might help us look good in the short-term, but are actually hurting us and will continue doing so, if we don’t make some changes. Read the ingredients in these products, and stay away from:
– Parabens – used as a preservative in many hair care and beauty products. Parabens have been linked to an increase in estrogen in women and also linked to an increase in breast cancer in women. There are a number of other health problems that are associated with parabens, be on the lookout for them. Parabens are harmful to your hair and scalp because they can cause drying, itching, irritation, color changes, and yes, even hair loss. There have been studies, where scientists collected urine from both men and women where they found parabens in their urine. This tells us that what we put on our bodies and on our scalps, enters into our pores then our bloodstream, causing hidden problems along the way. Look for a Paraben Free symbol on the product before your buy.
– Sulfates – sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) is a very common ingredient found in shampoo. This is used as a surfactant – it helps the shampoo lather and foam up, giving the impression that it is doing you some good, but it is actually drying out your hair and scalp. This leads to irritation, itching and again…hair loss.
– Formaldehyde – it’s bad for our health and it causes hair loss. It can get into our DNA and even cause cancer.
– Phthalates – these are commonly found in hairsprays. These are particularly harmful because they are known endocrine disruptors. This means that phthalates can cause early puberty in young females and low sperm count in males.
– Isopropyl Alcohol and Propanal Alcohol – these will really dry out your hair and cause damage to the hairs as well as hair loss
– Propylene Glycol – this also leads to drying and irritation. Again, this will also contribute to hair thinning and fading in the hair.
Unfortunately, there are many other additives and chemicals which can be harmful to your hair health. This is why is is imperative that you read labels and educate yourself before you use a product.
Keep your head held high!
I know all of this information coming at you is overwhelming, believe me, I am feeling it too. Here are some tips to help you keep that beautiful smile on your face and your confidence levels up high!
– Get outside. Get some fresh air and just breathe. Enjoy these moments of reflection and peace.
– Take some time to plan out your hair and scalp care routine. This might be only a few minutes of planning ahead, but it will definitely help.
– Look at yourself in the mirror – really look at yourself. Sometimes when we look in the mirror we might not be happy with what we see, but let’s take a different approach. Look at every detail which you might think you aren’t happy with, then think again. Learn to appreciate and love yourself for every one of those little details. You are beautifully and wonderfully made. Each of us is different and we all have insecurities, but do not let those thoughts win. Learn to love yourself. Once you love yourself, you will learn that it doesn’t matter what the rest of the world thinks. And guess what… you can love yourself and still want to work toward making positive changes. They key is having the right mindset. When you love yourself, you will attract love from others, so let it shine!
Natural products to promote hair growth.
My hair and scalp health journey is still very much a work in progress. I have found these natural products fairly recently and I have been very happy with the results I have seen so far.
