Let’s talk hair loss; you may not want to admit it, but you could be suffering from hair loss or even baldness. However, this isn’t something that many women want to admit. The reality is that women are now covering up their hair with weave after weave or tight plaits/braids that lead to breakage. Also, the effects of long term use of chemicals on hair is finally catching up with many women and the result is hair loss. All is not lost and it is entirely possible to manage and reverse the hair loss process.

Hair Loss After Childbirth

Having a baby is an exciting time for most women, but the hair loss that comes soon after for most is unwelcome. Well, it is said to be perfectly normal to lose hair the first couple of months after childbirth. However, this doesn’t stop many new moms across the globe from worrying about their tresses.

What happens is that the increased estrogen levels in pregnant women causes continuous growth of hair. While normally only about 85 to 95% grows while the 5 to 15% stays in the resting stage. The hair of a pregnant woman will continue to grow and barely any hair stays in the resting phase. When estrogen levels drop after childbirth a number of hair follicles go into the resting phase and the result is losing chunks of hair, which may seem alarming to most women.

Hard as it is to just do nothing and wait out the next spurt of hair growth to replace your fallen tresses, that is precisely what you should do. it is also important to note that it is mostly women with long hair who will suffer from hair loss after childbirth and even fewer will notice it.

Hair Loss Due to Cleanses and Drastic Weight Loss

The number of women who are consistently going on cleanses or diets to lose weight is very high. Women are by nature wired to have a lot of concern over the image they project and weight plays an important role in this equation. Cleanses often provide a quick and easy solution to weight loss, but they come at the price of hair loss in some instances.

Studies have shown that, irregardless of the method used for weight loss, people who shed between 25 to 60 pounds suffer from 15 to 50% of hair loss. However, once the weight loss process is stopped and a healthy diet resumes normal hair growth also resumes.

If you suffer from hair loss associated by losing weight rapidly, the solution is to first of all go back on a healthy diet. Remember that your hair needs proper nutrition feeding its follicles to stimulate growth. Give cleanses a break, if you often go on them, so that your hair can grow once again.

Hair Loss Caused by Stress

There are scores of women battling with stress and they bottle it up not knowing that it is also affecting their tresses.

To once again explain the hair growth cycle; everyone has about 120,000 to 150,000 hair stands. Only about 85 to 95% of these hairs are in the growth phase, while the others are usually in the resting stage. Normally, you will lose about 100 strands of hair on a daily basis.  After 3 to 4 months, the hairs that are in the resting stage naturally fall off and are replaced by new ones. However, if you are suffering from stress it could affect this cycle and cause accelerated hair loss.

Hair loss brought about by the body going through physiological stress related to diet changes, lifestyle changes or medical reasons. To work on this, see a doctor to determine whether the hair loss is due to an underlying medical condition. Your doctor should be able to recommend a proper course of treatment based on the stressor causing the hair loss.

Genetic Hair Loss

Women with a family history of hair loss are often susceptible to suffering from the same. Known as Androgenetic Alopecia, genetic hair loss has been identified as the common cause behind  women’s hair loss.

Thinning of the hairline is often the first symptom women who are suffering from genetic hair loss get. The condition is said to develop slowly and it often becomes more apparent with aging. However, women in their 20s might start developing this problem.

A visit to your dermatologist helps to rule out other reasons for hair loss. If you are conclusively diagnosed with Androgenic Alopecia you can start by slowing down the hair loss process. Rogaine is one of the drugs that is FDA approved and you can use to help with hair loss. The dermatologist also should be able to prescribe other medication to help with the hair loss.

How to Reverse/Prevent Hair Loss

Hair loss is an inevitable process, but there are things that you can do to reverse or prevent the process.

Your hair’s overall health is an important aspect when it comes to reversing/preventing hair loss. If you haven’t been taking good care of your hair it is time to start right now. Shampoo every other week with a sulfate-free shampoo, condition after every wash, moisturize and lock in the moisture.  Take note of how your hair responds to different products or how stressors affect it. Change regimes if need be to handle hair loss brought about by your hair care regime.

‘Feed your hair’ it needs proper nourishment to keep growing and this nutrition comes from both within and outside. What you eat feeds your hair follicles and stimulates hair growth. This is the reason why restrictive diets affect hair growth and sometimes lead to hair loss.  Hair is largely made of protein and including about 120g of protein containing amino acids works well. Also have a protein conditioner done weekly to promote growth and strengthen your follicles.

If you seem to have tried everything and nothing works, try some of the cutting-edge treatments that are available to treat hair loss. This could be at-home laser treatments such as laser combs or laser caps. They are designed to stimulate the hair follices  and promote hair growth.