Hair loss for anyone at any age can be distressing because a great head of hair often helps boost self-confidence. If your locks are looking a little depleted, read on to understand why hair loss occurs and what it tells you about your body, and to learn some natural strategies to restore a healthy head of hair.

Understanding the Hair Cycle

Hair grows at a different rate according to genes, nutrition and environment, averaging out at around 5-6 inches per year. Each strand of hair grows out from a tiny follicle. It’s continuously growing and shedding in a cycle lasting between two and six years. 

The active growing stage is followed by a transition phase where the blood supply to the hair shaft is cut off. After this, the follicle remains dormant for up to four months before the strand of hair falls out and the cycle starts again. It’s quite usual to shed around one hundred hairs per day. On average, around 10-15% of your hair follicles will be in the dormant stage at any one time. However, if more follicles than usual are dormant, eventually more hair will fall out than regrows. The result is temporary hair loss or thinning. 

Hair Loss in Men

Unbalanced levels of male hormones mean the hair cycle becomes shorter. Hair doesn’t grow as long before it falls out, and it becomes thinner. This condition is known as androgenic alopecia or male pattern baldness. Hair is lost first from either side of the hairline and the crown of the head. The hormonal changes cause hair follicles to become smaller and misshapen, meaning individual hairs become thinner.

Elevated testosterone is traditionally blamed for male pattern baldness. However, it may in reality be down to how sensitive the hair follicles are to testosterone. This is largely down to genetics (1). The form of testosterone also seems to be important, with elevated levels of a type of testosterone called DHT being particularly implicated.

Male pattern baldness is to blame for around 95% of hair loss in men and can begin as young as the twenties.

Hair Loss in Women

Although hair loss is often associated with men, it affects a huge number of women. Many women notice their hair starts to thin around the time of the menopause. This is because women’s hair follicles respond to hormonal changes, too. As with men, elevated testosterone shortens the hair cycle, but oestrogen also plays a role. This is because oestrogen allows hair to remain in the growth period for longer, while at the same time preventing a rise in testosterone. Post-menopause, oestrogen levels drop. Other women find their hair becomes thinner after pregnancy.

Hair loss can also be caused by stress, nutrient deficiencies, certain medications, thyroid imbalances, insulin resistance, or because the immune system attacks and damages the hair follicles. In this latter case it’s known as alopecia areata, and hair tends to be lost in patches on the head and body. The scalp, like any other part of the body, is susceptible to the effects of any ongoing inflammation in the body, meaning good gut health and good hair health are connected.

Hair Loss in Children

It can be especially distressing if children lose their hair and can affect a child’s self-esteem. In children, hair loss is usually caused by an immune system issue. This in turn has its roots in poor gut health, chronic inflammation and sometimes a latent virus that is triggering immune overactivity.

Nutrients Needed for Healthy Hair

Your hair needs the correct nutrients to remain healthy. These include iron, essential to deliver oxygen to the hair follicle, zinc, and B complex vitamins, especially vitamin B12, niacin and biotin. Also important are essential fatty acids, alongside vitamins D, E, and selenium. Because hair consists of protein, known as keratin, it’s important to make sure you are consuming enough healthy protein (2). 

The Stress Connection

Chronic stress is worth a special mention because stress can be catastrophic for hormone balance, with a knock-on effect on hair. Living with chronic stress means hair doesn’t grow as quickly. This type of hair loss is often temporary, and it only becomes noticeable a few months after the stressful event, so the connection might not be obvious.

Natural Support for Your Locks

If you are concerned about your hair, a good place to start would be an Integrative Health Assessment with one of our Functional Medicine Doctors. This is because, as you’ve seen, potentially many different factors could be causing your hair loss. 

Functional testing can be incredibly useful to pinpoint specific causes. For example, your practitioner may recommend a DUTCH Test. This examines your urine to determine whether your levels of stress or sex hormones are impacting your hair health. Or you may benefit form a Multivitamin Test, a simple pinprick test you can easily do at home. This will analyse whether you would benefit from additional nutrients such as vitamins D or B12, or iron. 

Following your Integrative Health Assessment, you’ll receive a comprehensive, personalised dietary and lifestyle plan to optimise your health. Your practitioner may recommend specific nutrients or herbs to help balance your hormones. If managing stress appears to be a particular issue for you, we can signpost you towards our comprehensive range of Mind/Body therapies.

Wave goodbye to your receding hairline without resorting to expensive treatments that don’t work. Hair loss may not be life-threatening, but it’s a symptom of deeper imbalances in your body. By correcting the causes of your hair loss, not only will your locks benefit, but you’ll achieve better whole-body health, too. Start today by booking a Discovery Call or Integrative Health Assessment today. 

References

1. Balding hair follicle dermal papilla cells contain higher levels of androgen receptors than those from non-balding scalp - PubMed
2. Prevalence of Nutritional Deficiencies in Hair Loss among Indian Participants: Results of a Cross-sectional Study - PubMed