Today we want to share some causes of winter hair loss and what you can do about it. Some hair loss is normal. Our hair’s natural cycle of growth, rest and shed, and the fact that we all have around 100,000 hair follicles, each with its own hair, means that we can lose between 30-150 hairs every day, without noticing any bald patches or thinning. Most of us notice this hair loss when we wash or brush our hair and pull the odd strand off our clothes throughout the day. But sometimes hair loss is more than this. There are many reasons why you might have noticed more hair loss than usual this winter, but the good news is, there’s usually plenty that you can do to reduce or even stop it and stimulate new growth.
Here’s a look at some of the common causes of winter hair loss, and some ideas of how you can treat it.
Cause: Genetics
Sometimes, hair loss in women has nothing to do with the weather, or how we are looking after our hair. Female pattern hair loss is fairly common and usually hereditary. If your mum had thinning hair, there’s a good chance that you will at some point experience excess hair loss too.
What to Do: Treatment
The good news is that hereditary hair loss in women can be treated. A treatment or special shampoo from a site like Chemist4U can reduce hair loss, stimulate new growth, and help you to prevent hair loss in the future. The earlier you seek treatment, the more hair you can save, so if you are worried, and have noticed more hair loss than you’d expect, try treatment as soon as possible.
Cause: Stress
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When we’re dealing with significant stress, it has physical effects on our bodies. Some people find that stress affects their digestive system or sleep cycle. Others get spotty when they are stressed out, or find that their immune system struggles to keep them healthy, and some people suffer from stress-related hair loss.
There are two main reasons for this. Firstly, our hormones can change when we are stressed out, and this imbalance can cause our hair follicles to push more hairs than usual out in the growth phase of their cycle, which means there are more to fall out all in one go. This can cause our natural hair life cycle to change significantly for many months.
The other is that we often respond to stress physically. Some people do this by pulling their hair out to try to help them control their emotions. These people often have bald patches and may even pull out their eyelashes and eyebrows.
What to Do: Find Ways to Reduce Stress
If stress is the cause of your hair loss, it can take a while for your hair follicles to get back to their usual cycle, so treatment to stimulate growth and care for your scalp is a great idea. But in the long-term, you should also try your best to reduce stress and manage it more effectively. Some of the things that you can do include:
- Spending time with friends. Spending more time with people who make you laugh, and who you can talk to about your worries is one of the most effective ways to keep your stress levels down. Just make sure you are with positive people who care about you, and not wasting the time on toxic relationships and negativity.
- If you’ve got a lot on your to-do list, you might be very stressed out and feel as though you haven’t got time to do anything. Delegating tasks, and even learning how to say no when people ask you to do things can be a great way to reduce stress and make time to do things that help you to relax.
- Make time for yourself. Spending time doing something that’s just for you, whether it’s something big like a spa day, or something small like reading a few pages while you enjoy a cup of coffee, will make you far less likely to feel like pulling your hair out.
- This a great way to boost your mood and confidence, increase the happy chemicals in your brain and balance your hormones, all of which can keep stress at bay.
- Get outdoors. Spending time outside is a great way to get fresh air and vitamin D, boost circulation and clear your mind. If you are worried about hair loss, just make sure you wear a hat to protect it from the weather.
- Eat well. Eating a healthy and well-balanced diet, with treats in moderation can be great for your stress levels.
- Limit social media use. Reducing the time that you spend online can reduce stress and boost mental health.
Cause: Cold Weather
Very hot weather can damage our skin and hair, leaving it burnt, discoloured and sore. But very cold weather can have a negative effect too. In winter, you might find that if you are out in the wind, your hair gets knotted, and so it breaks and falls out more than usual. You might also find that your scalp is very dry, which can limit your hair’s ability to grow, and speed up the shedding phase of its life cycle.
What to Do: Protect and Hydrate
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There are a few things that you can do to protect your hair and scalp from poor weather while keeping it hydrated and healthy. These include:
- Wear a hat. Wearing a hat when you are out in cold weather will keep your scalp warm and promote good blood flow while reducing dryness and protecting your hair from harsh winds which could lead to knots, breakages, and frizz. Make sure you wash your hat regularly to avoid spreading grease.
- Massage your scalp. If your scalp is very dry, massaging a little oil into it can boost circulation and limit dryness by increasing hydration and moisturising the skin.
- Brush less often. You should brush your hair; it boosts circulation and helps it to stay healthy looking. But use a gentle brush, be careful and don’t brush any more than you need to.
- Dry your hair carefully. Going out with wet hair in cold weather can make it much colder and cause more damage. But you shouldn’t dry it at very high temperatures either. Use a gentle setting on your dryer and a heat protection spray.
Cause: Over-Styling
Most of us style our hair at least some of the time. We wash it often, we add serums, sprays, and other styling products, and we apply very high temperatures when we dry it, curl it, or straighten it. Even brushing your hair can cause damage.
What to Do: Go Natural
Washing your hair less often, skipping heat styling, and having as many days as possible where you don’t use any styling products can keep your hair feeling light, and reduce hair loss significantly.
Cause: Poor Diet
What you eat has a big effect on your health, but also the appearance of your nails, skin, and hair. Too much greasy and fatty food can leave your hair oily and lifeless, and not enough fruit and vegetables can mean that it lacks hydration and the essential vitamins and minerals that it needs to stay strong.
What to Do: Make Healthy Swaps
Swap your greasy dinners for healthier options, and indulgent treats for fruit and veg to keep your hair soft and clean, and to make sure it’s got everything that it needs to grow well.
There are several reasons why you might be losing hair. Fortunately, this means there are plenty of options when it comes to reducing your loss and keeping your hair strong and healthy.
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