Hair fall is a concern that affects almost all women, especially in the modern day and age. While it is completely normal to lose about 50-100 strands of hair every single day, the problem starts when you either lose more than this amount of hair, or your body doesn’t grow hair at the same rate. This is when you start to develop other related problems such as hair thinning and even bald spots.
As scary as this problem sounds, don’t worry, it is not impossible to deal with. But if you are particularly dejected after having tried everything from switching up your hair care products to whipping up quite a few DIY recipes, but to no avail, then you’re in for a treat. Read on as we walk you through the causes, symptoms, preventions as well as some really effective hair fall solutions.
- 1. Causes of hair fall
- 2. Effective hair fall solutions
- 3. Most common symptoms of hair fall
- 4. Frequently asked questions about hair fall
1. Causes of hair fall
Before we look at various hair fall solutions, it is important to know about the possible causes. This will help you deal with this problem in a more streamlined manner by treating it from the root.
i) Hormones –
This is a fairly common cause of hair fall, especially in women. Changes in hormones caused due to PCOS, menopause, childbirth, etc., end up affecting the hair growth cycle and can lead to hair fall.
ii) Heredity –
Genetics is another natural cause of hair loss in both men and women. If your parents or grandparents have gone bald naturally, then that could be a cause of male pattern baldness or hereditary pattern baldness.
iii) Stress –
If you are experiencing too much emotional or mental stress, it sends your body into trauma mode, meaning that your hair stops receiving essential vitamins and nutrients, leading to a lot of hair loss and thinning. Removing a little time of the day to meditate, relax or indulge in an activity you love, helps reduce stress and is very beneficial for healthy hair.
iv) Lifestyle –
Smoking, sleep deprivation, excessive sun exposure, too much physical stress, etc., end up affecting the functioning of your body, leading to internal stress and hormonal imbalance. This, in turn, causes too much hair fall.
v) Medication –
If you are taking any medicines for thyroid issues, high blood pressure, cancer, antidepressants or heart problems, then that could be causing hair fall. Speak to your doctor about this issue, so that they can put you on some sort of medication to reduce hair fall.
vi) Nutritional deficiency –
This is usually a fairly common problem with a vegetarian diet. Additionally, thanks to the modern lifestyle and eating habits, our hair does not receive the required amount of nutrition such as proteins, amino acids, vitamins, etc. All of these elements could come together to cause hair fall.
vii) Hairstyling –
Using heat on your hair too often or regularly styling your hair in tight hairstyles ends up putting a lot of tensile stress on your follicles. This leads to weaker hair bonds, causing permanent hair loss.
2. Effective hair fall solutions
Now that you know about the various causes of hair fall, dealing with this issue won’t be that much of a problem. To make things easier for you, we listed some of the best hair fall solutions that you need to try.
A great solution to major hair fall is visiting a doctor and asking him/her to put you on medication for stopping hair fall and improving hair growth. Some common hair regrowth medicines include minoxidil, finasteride and phenylephrine. These medicines do everything from stimulating dormant hair follicles and slowing down hair loss to promoting new hair growth. But when it comes to consuming medicines, it is always better to consult your doctor to prevent any sort of side effects.
This is the best way to deal with genetic hair loss. Subjecting your scalp to low levels of red light therapy or laser, helps in improving hair density as well as stimulating epidermal stem cells. This goes a long way in renewing your hair follicles and improving hair growth.
As discussed earlier, if the cause for your hair loss is vitamin and nutrient deficiency, then including certain supplements as a part of your daily diet will ensure that you notice positive changes. Including a multivitamin tablet with vitamins A, D, E, works really well to improve cell turnover and reduce hair fall. Additionally, biotin is another essential supplement to improve the hair growth cycle and prevent your hair from falling out.
This is a modern surgical option to treat hair loss and balding in both men and women. As the name suggests, this surgery involves reducing the area of the scalp that is balding or experiencing severe hair fall and covering it up with that part of your scalp that has normal follicles. This is a great way to reduce the amount of area that would require hair transplantation.
A very common procedure to cover up male pattern baldness, hair transplantation involves taking healthy and active hair follicles from a region of your own body and placing them on your scalp for a healthier and thicker looking mane. This is a very low invasive surgical option and has hardly any downtime.
Another really effective and common way to deal with hair fall is changing your diet. Consuming foods that are rich in proteins, antioxidants, amino acids, fatty acids and vitamins work really well to improve the health of your hair, strengthening your follicles and reducing hair fall over a period of time.
3. Most common symptoms of hair fall
While hair fall is treatable in most cases, it is extremely important to take timely action as this can prevent a lot of damage. To help you understand when exactly you should take this matter seriously, here’s a list of symptoms to watch out for:
- Slow thinning of your hair starting close to the hairline
- Alopecia or losing hair in a circular patch at the top of the head
- Losing hair in patches all over the scalp. This condition is known as patchy hair loss
- Full body hair loss
- Hair starting to feel really loose and breaks easily
4. Frequently asked questions about hair fall
Q. What are some ways to prevent hair fall?
A. Use a gentle SLS-free shampoo and conditioner. Use a hair strengthening hair mask at least once a week. Regularly massages your scalp with hair oils. Avoid tight hairstyles. Reduce frequent hair styling. Eat a balanced diet.
Q. Which foods help reduce hair fall?
A. Foods that are rich in protein, good fats, amino acids, vitamins A, C and E all work really well to reduce hair fall, strengthen the hair follicles and promote hair growth. Consume more carrots, eggs, walnuts, almonds, chia seeds, flax seeds, fish, tofu, etc., for healthy, lustrous hair.
Q. What is the best hair fall solution?
A. According to doctors, consuming low doses of minoxidil and finasteride are the best ways to treat hair fall. These treatments are especially beneficial for people suffering from male pattern baldness. Even though these medicines are easily available over the counter, it is best to consult a doctor to figure out your dosage, as overdoing it can cause problems like scalp irritation, scalp acne, etc.
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Written by Urvi Dalal on 12th Jan 2021
Writer, avid reader and hardcore beauty enthusiast is the best way to describe Urvi Dalal. With over 5 years of writing experience in the beauty industry, you can trust her to have the latest skin, hair and makeup tidbits on her fingertips. In her time working as a beauty writer, she has had the opportunity to interact and work closely with a string of dermatologists, makeup artists and hairstylists. All that knowledge exchange, coupled with her flair and love for writing make it possible for her to bring you some authentic yet fun beauty content. When Urvi isn’t working, you’d usually catch her curled up with a big, fat book, drinking a cup of tea or practising her makeup skills; there is no in-between!