Causes of Hair Thinning

I’m going to tell you why hair falls out, what are the most common causes and if you can prevent hair loss or at least minimize this issue. I’ll try to include as many causes of shedding hair as possible.

Hair thinning – causes

There are lots of them. Hair – generally speaking – has no easy life. We rarely realize how much we hurt our hairdos. Here are the most common causes of hair thinning.

1. Unfriendly hairstyle – all updos that require stretching the hair (bun, ponytail) strain the hair bulbs and make the hair slip off the hair follicles.
2. Tearing, backcombing, pinning – doing so, you lead to the mechanical damage.
3. Unsuitable cosmetics – hair products that are full of parabens, alcohols, SLS, SLES irritate the scalp, dehydrate hair bulbs and weaken the hair, contributing to hair loss.
4. Coloring or bleaching too often – such treatments make the hair structure weaker, disturbing the work of hair bulbs. Permanent wave triggers hair thinning, too.
5. Too high temp – while heat styling (blow-dryer, flat iron, curling wand) and unfavorable temperatures in rooms leave strands much weaker and drier.
6. Too low temperature – minus temps and cold airflow of the AC cause excessively falling out hair.
7. Toxins – hair falls out in excess when there are toxic substances in the body e.g. arsenic, mercury, thallium.
8. Smoking cigarettes – smoke is a toxic and (sadly) still popular substance, too. Smokers have weak hair. The cigarette smoke works both from within and on the outside. It means that non-smokers who spend time among smokers expose their hair to damage and thinning.
9. Stress – this cause is often ignored. It happens that we can’t do anything about it and feel helpless. You should remember, though, that an excessive and long-lasting stress destroys the entire body and makes for lots of serious diseases, disturbing the function of hair bulbs and the production of melanin. As a result, hair falls out and goes gray.
10. Medication – especially antibiotics. Obviously, we often have no choice and must take them but they have a bad impact on the condition and appearance of hair. Long-term medication treatment contributes to the medication-induced hair loss.
11. Taking hormones e.g. contraceptives affects the hormones in the body and weakens the hair follicles and bulbs.
12. Chemotherapy – it’s very aggressive towards hair follicles and makes for the excessive falling out or a total hair loss.
13.  Systemic diseases – may be a direct cause of hair loss. If you suffer from thyroid illnesses, you know the problem very well.
14. Contagious diseases – treating them is longsome and bothersome. During the treatment, hair loss is common.
15. Scalp diseases – hair loss is caused by mycosis, seborrheic dermatitis, chronical dandruff, psoriasis and eczema. Even slight form of dandruff may cause thinning if you treat it with strong anti-dandruff shampoos.
16. Pregnancy and labor – as beautiful and shiny as your hair is during the pregnancy, you face up to falling out after giving birth. If you’ve breastfed your baby, you know the problem, too. The hard thing is that breastfeeding mums can’t use most of the anti-hair loss products. In such situations, applying natural hair oils to hair and scalp makes a great choice. Natural oils are fully safe both for mums and babies.
17. Menopause – big changes – mainly hormone – occur in a woman’s body during the menopause. Hair follicles and bulbs are weaker. Less melanin is produced. Strands lose condition and start falling out.
18. Mental illnesses – to be more precise, one disease which belongs to the group of compulsive and obsessive disorders, known as trichotillomania. The patients cannot help pulling their hair out. Doing so gives them a feeling of relief.
19. Improper diet – lack of vitamins, poor diet, eating too much food that contains preservatives, artificial colorants and trans fats have a bad influence on the entire body and well-being. A body that gets few vitamins starts managing them in a different way – it delivers them mostly to the cells that are responsible for the basic life processes… The health of hair, nails and skin is sadly last on its list. Consequently, hair stars falling out, nails get weaker. Nourishing on the outside often fails to help, too. Only mineral and vitamin-rich diet is able to prevent thinning.
20. Season – to be precise: two completely different seasons. Winter and summer make a hard time for the hair because both high and low temps weaken the strands. Frost and heat make hair fall out and get a poorer condition.

Twenty causes of hair thinning… it’s quite a lot. Luckily, most of them are quite extreme. If you rule out all serious illnesses, there are several left and you can easily hold them back e.g. by delivering vitamins, caring for hair with natural products and applying oils regularly (to me, hair oil treatment delivers nothing but benefits and I keep encouraging everyone to do it).

Girls, eat healthily, take vitamins, drink lots of mineral water and buy a good hair oil – such small changes are going to lift your mood and upgrade your good looks as well as help you say goodbye to hair thinning.