Hair Thinning.
Recently I have had quite a few clients come to me in regards to hair thinning. Now, before I go forward, I want to say that I am NOT a licensed Doctor, or Health Care Provider, but I do know people who are struggling so these are a few of my thoughts & ideas.
Ever since Covid, the numbers of people dealing with thinning hair has risen. Hair thinning was brought to our attention because when people suffer from a high fever, or illness, temporary hair loss is a thing. However, it still doesn’t make it any less alarming when you notice how much hair is coming out while in the shower.
There are multiple reasons for hair thinning, & if this is an ongoing issue, my first recommendation is to check with your health care provider first, check up on your blood levels, & make sure this isn’t a sign of something more alarming. But here are a three scenarios that I find to be the most common with unexpected hair loss & thinning;
Why do I suggest that first?! Because Hello, my name is Abby Hart & I am a auto immune warrior. Part of my symptoms when it comes to my health is thinning, breaking hair. I tried all the shampoos, treatments, etc. However, it either just masked the real issue like a band-aid, or did nothing for me at all. Because, my body was trying to protect me in other ways, & my hair wasn’t my body’s main priority.. (even though it was mine) So this is why I highly recommend seeking a medical health professional first, instead of going through all the treatments, & everything else that’s not really helping the real situation at hand. There’s something deeper that needs attention first & foremost before your hair, & its okay.
Second, if you are someone who typically washes their hair once a week, this could be the reason your seeing a bit more hair loss in the shower. On average a person loses 50-100 hair per day. When you shampoo your hair your cleansing your scalp, due to build up on the scalp from washing once a week, these hairs are in a sense trapped, so its completely normal for you to experience shedding in the shower. So if on average a person loses 50-100 hairs per day, but washes only once a week, excessive shedding makes the math add up!
Third; high fever, catching a cold, or stress. Hair has three phases of hair growth, the Anagen Phase, Catagen Phase, & the Telogen Phase. Now this isn’t an Anatomy class but, the Anagen phase is the growth phase. The Catagen Phase is like limbo between growth & resting. Lastly, the Telogen Phase, is the resting phase & the final phase when the hair begins to shed. When our bodies are stressed there are mechanisms set in place as a type of security system. So when we are suffering from a bad cold, stress, even allergies, our bodies react to protect us from real harm. When this happens it will actually push our hair faster to the Telogen phase which causes our hair to shed. I like to think of this process as a plant during winter, it will shed its leaves to protect the body during the harsh winter months.
Hair thinning is a real bitch. There is simply no other way to say it. I know first hand how much it sucks to see your hair falling out before your eyes. Now that I have my own answers, I wanted to write this blog post for those who suffer too. Maybe it will help someone, but whenever in doubt go get checked out. Then, thank your body for protecting you, our bodies are kinda cool.
