Understanding your hair loss

Your hair is a form of personal expression, a sense of self and identity. Losing hair takes an emotional toll. It can dent your self-esteem and make you feel more self-conscious. Hair loss affects upwards of 50% of our population, the percentage getting higher with age. While it’s socially acceptable for men to lose their hair (though equally painful for them), women feel a sense of shame and loneliness when they lose theirs. You are not alone, and this issue is not discussed enough.

There are many causes of hair loss, today we’ll specifically talk about Alopecia (pronounced a·luh·pee·shee·uh), and offer solutions to help you manage the symptoms so you can regrow your hair.

The three main types of Alopecia are Alopecia Areata, Traction Alopecia and Androgenetic Alopecia. Let's go through them.  

Alopecia areata

An autoimmune condition where, for some reason, the body starts attacking hair follicles. This creates a bald patch or patches on the scalp, or can affect any other area with hair follicles including the beard area in men, eyebrows, eyelashes etc.

We say “for some reason” because scientists still can’t find the root cause of why this happens and subsequently there are no proven cures for it. There has been some hormonal therapy research which has proven to help the condition where it calms the inflammation, but it works on a case-by-case basis. And sometimes, the issue just resolves on its own and hair regrows.

The types of alopecia that do have an opportunity to resolve are Traction Alopecia and Androgenetic Alopecia (male and female pattern hair loss). Let’s go through them:

Traction Alopecia

Mostly found along the hairline, this type of alopecia is caused by hair habits, not an internal medical condition The habits that cause this type of alopecia are: Wearing hairstyles that pull at the hairline such as dreadlocks, braids, cornrows, and tight ponytails. Adding hair extensions that are glued or tightly tied to the base of the hair causing tension at the roots Repeatedly wearing tight elastic headbands causing hair to thin at the contact area Even the weight of very long hair could cause this condition

Signs to look out for if you think you might be suffering from traction alopecia are:

• a receding hairline typically around the forehead, temples, or nape
• small pimples on the scalp or at the base of braids
• redness, itching, and ulcers on the scalp
• your hair parting widens
• patches of thin or broken hair in places where the hair has been under strain
• patches of shiny, scarred skin in more advanced cases (at this stage it’s difficult and almost impossible to solve without medical intervention)

Traction alopecia in general is reversible, but you need to take action as soon as you notice symptoms. The immediate action to take is to stop any of the hair habits we have listed. And then, add some healthy hair habits which we have listed later in this article.

Androgenetic Alopecia
(aka male and female pattern hair loss)

What does this mean? It’s essentially a hormone that is telling your hair follicle to stop growing hair and/or making the hair follicle smaller which means your hair becomes thinner. So, in men you will notice that the hair line starts receding at the temples and moves back, and in women the hair will start thinning and create a wider center part.

It’s a condition that affects up to 50% of males and females.

Solutions

The solutions for both traction and androgenetic alopecia are quite similar, and they require you to really focus on your scalp and focus on overall health.

Here are some important healthy hair habits to start incorporating:

1. Reduce stress on your hair This means avoiding tight ponytails, tight braids. If your scalp feels pulled or if your edges hurt, your hairstyle is too tight. Loosen it. In the same realm, switch up your hairstyles every now then to prevent strain on one area of your scalp.
2. Massage your scalp Take a few minutes a day and give your scalp a nice massage
3. Cleanse your scalp thoroughly It’s important to remove dust, buildup and general dirt off of your scalp. Use a gentle shampoo paired with a shampoo brush to help massage your scalp as well as give it a deep clean.
4. Apply a scalp oil at least once a week Look for a scalp oil that is formulated with anti-inflammatory ingredients such as green tea, sesame oil, castor oil, black seed oil, rosemary essential oil, thyme essential oil etc. These will help ease the stress on the hair follicle allowing it to relax and allow for the hair to thicken again.
5. Use Silk or Satin You should be sleeping on silk or satin pillowcases or wear a silk or satin bonnet when you sleep. And whenever possbile, opt for a silk or satin scrunchies too. This material is extremely gentle on the hair and non-absorbent, a tiny change that will make a big difference
6. Evaluate your diet Is it well balanced? Are you drinking enough water? A healthy body, hair, skin, it really does start from what you are consuming. Nourish your body with the good stuff.
7. Keep active You can workout 3-4 times a week, set a steps goal per day, adopt a sport as a hobby. Whatever it is, you must incorporate something that gets your body moving
8. Think about your stress factors Stress is a silent killer. Stress is different for everyone, we all have our circumstances and situations, it’s key for us to know how to manage it.
9. Consistency Nothing will be achieved in one day, or one week. You cannot expect to apply a scalp oil one time and have hair sprouting the next day. If it were that easy, everyone would do it. I cannot stress enough that the key is consistency and being mindful of your habits every day.

As you can see, a lot of these solutions are not just targeted at your hair. They are lifestyle issues too because it is all connected. No single problem can be resolved in isolation it’s the sum of your positive actions that create a positive result.

NOTE: We have only discussed non-prescription drug solutions. If you are interested in prescription or in-office procedures, we suggest you consult with a trichologist or dermatologist in your area.

Vera H. Price, Androgenetic Alopecia in Women, Journal of Investigative Dermatology Symposium Proceedings, Volume 8, Issue 1, 2003, Pages 24-27, ISSN 1087-0024, https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1523-1747.2003.12168.x.

Ho CH, Sood T, Zito PM. Androgenetic Alopecia. [Updated 2021 Nov 15]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK430924/

Hosking AM, Juhasz M, Atanaskova Mesinkovska N. Complementary and Alternative Treatments for Alopecia: A Comprehensive Review. Skin Appendage Disord. 2019;5(2):72-89. doi:10.1159/000492035