There are many causes of hair loss and it can therefore be difficult to find the final solution that suits you. Hair loss can be due to hormonal imbalance, stress and lack of vitamins.
Most people have experienced hair loss to a greater or lesser degree over several periods of their lives. It can be periods both when your hair falls out more than usual, or periods when your scalp itches and dries out. Most often it is due to particularly busy periods with poor diet and under-prioritization of daily exercise and good products. Healthy hair is generally of great importance to our self-confidence and we are therefore willing to go to great lengths to find a cure for hair loss.
Table of contents
- Hair cycle
- Symptoms of hair loss
- Causes and help for hair loss
Hair cycle
Our hair grows on average approximately one cm per month, but can vary from person to person, as both your genes and your lifestyle affect this. We lose approximately 100 hairs a day, which can come as a surprise to most. Therefore, do not panic when you see that your first is full of hair.
It is such that the hair is in 3 different growth phases.
The first phase is called the Anagen phase. 85-90% of the hairs are typically in this phase where the hairs grow and remain for several years. Here genetics will play a role, as your genes will determine how long your hair stay in the growing phase.
The second phase goes by the name Catagen phase, which is a transitional phase. It is characterized by follicular regression, where 2-3% of the hairs are in this phase. Here the hair follicle rests and lets go of the hair.
The last phase is called the Telogen phase. In this phase, 10-15% of the hairs go through a resting phase of approx. 3 months. At the end of this phase, the hair is lost.
At the end of the Telogen phase, the hair follicle prepares for a new Anagen phase, where it can grow a brand-new hair.
Each follicle is independent, and they go through the cycles at different times – so that not all your hair falls out at the same time.
Symptoms of hair loss
Hair loss can manifest itself in many ways, depending on the cause of it. You may either experience hair loss as a sudden hair loss or gradual thinning. Hair loss can also be caused by growth cycle disruption, such as metabolic imbalances, illness, improper nutrition or wrong restrictive dieting.
If your hair cycle is constantly disrupted, you may experience that the hair is not able to stay in the growth phase for very long, and will never reach its fullest potential.
Gradual thinning of the hair on the head:
This is the most common cause of hair loss in men and women. Everyone can be affected by this type of hair loss. In men, it is most often seen as receding hairline, as the thinning occurs from the top and of the sides of the head. However, this is rarely seen in women.
Hair loss in bald spots:
Some people also experience hair loss, in the form of smooth, bald spots. This type of hair loss usually only affects the scalp, but it can also occur in beard growth in men or in the eyebrows. In some cases, your skin may become itchy or sore before a visible hair loss appears.
A sudden hair loss:
A sudden hair loss is when you experience losing a lot of hair over a short period of time - almost from one day to the next. A sudden hair loss can be caused by a physical or emotional shock in the body, such as extreme stress or caused by severe illness.
Irritated and itchy spots on the scalp:
This type of irritation can be a sign of a fungal or bacterial infection of the scalp, which damages your hair follicles. It can cause red, itchy spots on the scalp and where hair loss will subsequently occur in the area. However, this type of hair loss is most seen in children. It may be accompanied by redness, swelling and sometimes soreness and a burning feeling.
Causes and help for hair loss
Hair loss can be caused by unhealthy lifestyle, lack of vitamins and minerals, hormonal changes in men and women and genetics. No matter what the cause of your hair loss, there is help to be found right here.
Genetic hair loss:
The most common cause of hair loss is due to genetics. If your mom or dad tended to lose hair early, this can happen to you too. This is because the genes are one of the most common causes of hair loss in both men and women, as the genes controls the grown phase of the hair. Hereditary hair loss can be experienced for some as early as in their 20’s, but for most people it occurs at a later age. This type of hair loss does not happen in the same way as in men and women. In men it is often seen in the form of receding hairlines, where in women it is seen as a uniform fading of the hair.
But do not despair, if you start early, you can successfully enter the fight against hair loss, and slow down the process. There are many preventative tips and treatments for your hair loss. Prevention of genetic hair loss includes good products, good hair hygiene, a healthy lifestyle with varied diet and extra supplements for the hair. In Beauty Bear HAIR Vitamins you will find essential vitamins and minerals for maintaining healthy hair.
Unhealthy lifestyle and stress:
An unhealthy lifestyle is a typical cause of hair loss. Poor diet, too little exercise, sudden weight loss, alcohol, smoking and stress are all factors that can contribute to loss of hair.
In general, an unhealthy lifestyle increases stress levels in many people. Most people in our society experience stress from work, society high demands, and a busy everyday life where we want to achieve more than what we can. Stress causes the body to get into hormonal imbalance.
You may have read about cortisol? Cortisol is a hormone that is often associated with stress. During stress and in stressful situations, the hormone cortisol is released, which makes you function differently both physically and mentally. Like when you experience other hormonal influences or imbalances. You are in this state until the cortisol level has returned to balance. This can take minutes, hours, days, weeks or months and depends on the level of your stress and how severe it is. The release of cortisol alters the cycles of the hair follicles and accelerates important elements of our skin, such as hyaluronan and proteoglycans, which leads to dry and dull skin.
If you think that stress is the cause of your hair loss, then the best solution is to work on your daily routine and try to reduce stress, even though it may be difficult. It may seem overwhelming to have to make major changes in one's daily life, but it is necessary if your hair loss is caused by stress.
As a sidenote, prolonged high levels of stress and cortisol also leads lower bone formation, reduces calcium absorption, lowers production of collagen (Skin & joints), suppresses the immune system, breaks down proteins and muscle and increases blood sugar levels and promotes insulin resistance! So, avoid being constantly stressed at all costs!
Vitamin and mineral deficiency:
An often-underestimated cause of hair loss can be due to vitamin deficiency, including especially B vitamins, C vitamins or minerals. Like all other cells in our body, they need the right fuel to grow. Our body, however, prioritizes immune systems way higher than our hair and nails, so any deficit in nutrients will be clear to see as our hair gets weak and loses its shine. It is necessary to eat a varied diet and possibly supplement the diet with extra vitamins and minerals to avoid hair loss. Beauty Bear HAIR Vitamins are a recommended hair loss supplement for women that can give your hair the extra nourishment it needs.
The product is eaten as a delicious gummy bear with a taste of black currant twice a day.
Beauty Bear HAIR Vitamins contain a variety of nutrients, including Biotin, Acerola (vitamin C) and Folic Acid. Biotin is one of the most important hair vitamins for maintaining the hair. Biotin maintains the skin of the scalp, as a lack of biotin limits the conversion of the fatty acids used in our outer skin. Acerola is a fruit that naturally contains a lot of vitamin C, and therefore Beauty Bear HAIR Vitamins' vitamin C comes from acerola extract. Several studies have shown that vitamin C is essential for the body to make collagen and as an important antioxidant, which protects the hair cells and follicles from oxidative stress. The B-vitamin folic acid is one of the first steps in the process of beautiful and full-bodied hair. It supports cell division, which is necessary for the hair follicles to form new healthy hair cells.
Hormonal hair loss in women:
Hormonal hair loss can be due to several causes. For women, pregnancy, birth control and menopause all cause changes in the hormonal balance, which changes how the body reacts and functions.
Many women often experience hair loss or thinning during pregnancy, like they also might experience “breastfeeding brain”. Some of this, can be explained by the body working differently, namely the hormones changing the body and its priorities, to make sure that the baby gets all the necessary care and nutrients.
To grow a whole new human being, the female body needs the right building blocks for the baby. Many pregnant women will experience an increased appetite, for the body to fuel the growth of the baby. What many don’t realize, it that our body prioritizes the nutrients into the baby, leaving some of the “unimportant” features to themselves, which often causes thinning and hair loss.
Eating the right food and nutrients, will prevent this, if the body has enough vitamins & minerals for body growing a baby and growing nice, beautiful hair.
BeautyBear HAIR Vitamins contains only natural ingredients and can be taken during pregnancy. Also, HAIR Vitamins contains Folic Acid, which is recommended during pregnancy, to reduce the risk of neural tube defect.
Other factors which changes the hormonal balance, such as birth control pills and menopause may reroute the functions in your body. Sometimes, the body will find the balance again after a while, but sometimes it might not. In either way, supplementing with the right nutrients might help mitigate the hormonal changes, leaving your hair beautiful and intact.