Hair Panic

Hair Panic

Are you experiencing hair panic because your hair is thinning and you don't know what to do about it?

What Is The Real Answer?

Unfortunately there is no easy answer.  Hair can thin from many different causes ranging from, but not limited to the following possibilities:

1.  Stress, which is a very real proven cause of hair loss/thinning

2.  Hormonal shifts, birth control, onset of puberty, peri-menopause, menopause or post menopause

3.  Pregnancy, post-pregnancy hair shedding and/or related hair transitions

4.  Thyroid issues due to hypo, hyper thyroid or other thyroid malfunctions

5.  Diet changes which may trigger lack of proper nutrients and vitamins

6.  Improper hair care techniques including use of hair damaging styling tools

7.  Use of hair chemicals and/or toxic styling products including those with sulfates or similar

8.  Excessive hair cleansing including overuse of hot water when wet-washing

9.  Natural aging hair thinning and/or loss

10.  Family history, genetic markers and/or hereditary triggers related to male pattern baldness (MPB)

11.  Traction alopecia due to overly tight hairstyling or hair accessory wearing habits

12.  Environmental stress such as excessive heat, cold, wind or similar

13.  Prescription medication side effects

14. Chronic illness such as cancer, stroke, MS, Parkinsons or similar

15.  Excessive weight loss and/or eating disorders

16.  Diabetes or related sugar disorders

17.  Dehydration is sometimes ties to hair loss triggers

18.  Over-consumption of artificial sweeteners

19.  Food or other related allergies

20.  Wearing of non-protective hairstyles

21.  Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) hair pulling

22.  Abusive relationships involving hair pulling

23.  Sleep deprivation

24.  Toxic water supply, lack of toxic free water for hair wet-washing

Toxic Styling Products

A common cause of hair panic is using hair styling products which contributes to hair thinning and hair loss?

If you love using off-the-shelf hair care and styling products  such as mousses, gels and hairsprays you may be experiencing accelerated hair thinning and/or shedding.

This may be due to exposure to some of the toxins in the hair care products.

Many off-the-shelf  hair products are known to be full of toxic chemicals which have a known link to hair shedding, breakage or overall thinning.

Hair Thinning Due To Hair Products With Parabens

Switching to natural hair care products is one way to insure you aren’t absorbing any chemicals into your scalp, hair and/or skin.

Parabens mimic estrogen and may be a direct cause of cancer.  Some people have paraben allergies which may manifest as skin irritation and rashes.

Due to the alarm over parabens, many hair consumers are switching to paraben free hair products.

Anyone concerned with possible paraben reactions should definitely test out paraben free products.

Keep a daily diary to determine how your hair feels after you've discontinued parabens or other known toxic ingredients.

Switching to a Vegan Diet Plan

A significant number of people have reported noticeable hair shedding the first 6-12 months of switching from a traditional to a Vegan diet.

Why? Hair reacts significantly in many cases to a nutritional change. Also, Vegan diets derive their protein from non-animal sources which many impact the hair.

Traction Alopecia From Overly Tight Hairstyling Or Accessory Habits

In some cases, although rare, wearing headbands, hair clips and even hats which cause rubbing or friction can lead to traction alopecia. Also, if hair is held back too tightly with headbands or clips for extended periods of times, it possible to cause thinning.

Hair extensions which are attached too tightly or when too much hair is added, this can also add to an potential traction alopecia situation.

The key to avoiding any problems is to change things up. Don't always wear your hair in the same style, don't always clip it or band it in the same place. Don't wear it too tight. Let hair breathe to minimize the potential of developing traction alopecia.

Take A Hair Inventory

The best thing to do is take a complete hair inventory which would include analyzing as clearly as possible when your hair started thinning/shedding.  Try to remember when you first noticing the thinning.

Was it a particular time of the year?  Or had you just gone through a major life change?  Did you change doctors, medications, birth control, thyroid supplements, vitamins, minerals...etc.

The more time you take to try and figure it out, the better chance you have of getting to the base cause and isolating the most likely reasons for your thinning hair.

Once you've narrowed down the possibilities, start to test your hypothesis by changing your hair related behaviors which could mean changing your products, eating a different diet or similar.

Summary - Hair Panic

Hair panic may set in when hair thinning and/or loss occurs.  There are many reasons why hair may begin to fall.

Hair thinning or loss may occur for a number of reasons.  The best way to address hair thinning or loss is to keep a hair inventory to try and isolate the true cause.

Once a hypothetical cause of the loss is determined, the best approach is to work with an expert to address the issue.