Crying For Your Hair

Introduction - Crying For Your Hair

Although crying for your hair may occur due to a bad haircut or just a horrible hair day, those tears are actually very beneficial for your tresses.

Ironically, shedding tears when crying for your tresses will help you eliminate hair harming stress.

It's a well-known fact that there is a direct connection between stress and stalled hair growth or accelerated hair loss.

Alopecia Areata &Telogen Effluvium

Severe stress can trigger alopecia areata. During an onset of alopecia areata the white blood cells attack the hair follicles halting hair growth and causing hair to fall at a much faster rate. It can also trigger telogen effluvium of TE.

In this stress related hair condition, a large numbers of growing hair are pushed suddenly into a resting phase. These hairs will be rapidly shed shortly afterwards.

Besides alopecia areata and telogen effluvium, stress can trigger compulsive hair pulling or trichotillomania.

Charles Darwin - Crying For Your Hair Benefits

All three of these known stress related hair growth blocking and loss conditions are helped by crying for your hair. More than 100 years ago Charles Darwin noted the soothing benefits of crying which can instantly reduce or eliminate stress.

Crying for your hair will dump the stress and save your hair. It's also a known fact that if you get your stress under control, your hair will recover. Go ahead and have a long and ugly cry. Although your eyes may get puffy and swollen, ultimately your tresses will enjoy the benefit.

Pituitary Gland And Prolactin

Scientists like William Frey, Ph.D. of the Ramsey Dry Eye and Tear Center in St. Paul, Minnesota have explained why crying for your hair is beneficial. According to Frey, when human are under stress, the pituitary gland churns out prolactin which is an anxiety-causing hormone. Studies on mice have shown that high levels of prolactin actually retard hair regrowth.

Crying for your hair not only relieves stress, it literally washes out the prolactin which can also block healthy hair growth.

Besides the stress reduction benefits of having a good cry, tears can improve not only your hair, but your overall health. Several studies link the build-up of prolactin and similar stress hormones to an increased rick of heart disease and Alzheimers.

Women Cry More Then Men

Ironically, women cry four to five times more often then men. Of course you're more likely to hear of a female crying over her hair than a male. Cameron Diaz even made headlines when she recently admitted crying over a bad haircut.

Some scientists believe this may explain why women tend to outlive men. Although social conditioning generally makes it more acceptable for women to cry, there is an actually biological reason why women cry more often then the majority of men.

Larger Tear Glands In Women

As young children, boys and girls cry an equal amount. However, during puberty, prolactin levels skyrocket in females which result in tear glands which are much larger and more productive than the tear glands in males. Which again may explain why women cry more than men.

Summary - Crying For Your Hair

Some therapists believe a great way to eliminate stress quickly is to schedule a good cry. How? Watch a sad movie like Beaches, Bridges of Madison County, Marley or Steel Magnolias.

Of course, on those days when you're having a really bad hair day or have just had your hair butchered at the salon go ahead indulge in crying for your hair. Not only will it make you feel much better, it's will actually help your hair be healthier, grow faster and fall out less. Now go ahead and help your hair... reach for the tissues.