UBU Color Salon, Tampa: Hair Loss & How to PREVENT It!

We, men and women, are all accustomed to small amounts of hair falling out each day. Tiny clumps when you shower or brush your hair is totally normal. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, we lose about 50-100 hairs each day. EACH DAY!

But....... what happens when you start losing large amounts of hair and it’s not regenerating? What about when your thick tresses start to grow thinner and thinner? Don’t stress too much (that causes hair loss too), because we’re going to dive into what might be causing your hair loss and ways to treat it!

What’s causing my hair to fall out and start thinning?

The main factors that aide in hair loss are diet, genetics, deficiencies, and hormones. While you can’t do anything about your genes, there is plenty you can alter when it comes to diet, hormones, and nutrient deficiencies.

Proper nutrients are essential to maintain healthy hair. Not only can poor diet effect hair loss; it can also make your hair become brittle, dry, dull, and flakey. In correlation to diet, deficiencies of nutrients such as vitamin D and Iron can become a factor when you are losing your hair.

Stress and hormones also play an important role in the consistency of your hair. Age is something inevitable that will effect your hormones. When we start to reach about 50 years old, it is common for your hair to start thinning or for you to start balding. For us women, pregnancy and menopause can also be big factors in the changing of your hair.

Stress is a big one. Stress can cause a condition called telogen effluvium, a disorder in which hair enters the telogen (resting) phase and causes thinning and shedding. TE is the 2^nd most common form of hair loss.

Good thing for us, though, is that there are plenty of solutions to our thinning problems.

Medications

There are a couple medications that are meant to stop hair loss and help achieve regrowth. Minoxidil is a medication that is applied topically. This can be prescribed, or found in many over-the-counter hair treatments, such as Rogaine. Minoxidil takes about 6-12 months to have noticeable affect and is something that would have to be used continuously throughout your life. When you stop using products like Minoxidil, hair tends to fall out or start thinning again.

Finasteride is a prescription only medication that is taken orally. People that use finasteride have already tried products with minoxidil and have been unsuccessful.

Home remedies

Home remedies are easy and convenient. These remedies usually have no scientific backing to whether they will work or not; however, definitely will not hurt you.

Alter your diet to contain the proteins, fats, and nutrients you need to help hair regrowth. Foods like eggs, brazil nuts, fatty fish, and walnuts are all good examples.

Vitamin deficiencies like lack of vitamin D and Iron can be regulated with simple things like sun exposure (don’t forget your sunscreen!) and supplements.

Add essential oils into your routine. Oils such as rosemary oil, peppermint oil, cedarwood, lavender oil, and tulsi oil may help give your hair a little boost in growth. Remember, though, when using essential oils to always use a carrier oil, like coconut or jojoba, to combat skin irritation.

Also remember to keep your hair hydrated. Don’t skip conditioner!

Laser and Transplant therapy

Lastly, you have laser or transplant therapy. There is a laser therapy, known as low level laser therapy, that improves the density of your hair with the application of red and near infa-red light. LLLT stimulates the follicles to induce thicker, fuller hair. This is a non-invasive and pain free procedure.

Alternative to laser therapy, you have transplant therapy. Transplant therapy can be expensive and painful and cause bleeding and scarring. A plastic surgeon or dermatologist removes small patches of hair from the back or side of the head, somewhere unnoticeable, and implants it to the bald spots near the top and front of the head.