Hair Loss – What’s Causing it and How to Prevent It

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bald, baldness, conditioner, decleor, dermalogica, Elemis, Elemis Quiet Mind Temple Balm, female, female pattern baldness, follicles, hair, hair loss, heat, iron, Male Pattern Baldness, multivitamin, patches, polycystic ovarian syndrome, roots, shaft, stress, styling, supplement, thinning, vitamin A, Vitamin B12, weight, weight loss

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Hair loss is something that women rarely discuss and the taboo surrounding female hair loss can stop us from seeking proper help when it does happen. We’ve all heard of Male Pattern Baldness, but did you know there’s also Female Pattern Baldness? There are many things which can contribute to female baldness and hair thinning and we’ve put together a list of the main culprits:

Hormones

A woman’s hormones are a delicate balance which keep everything running smoothly, but when things get messed up it can have a lot of knock on effects, and hair loss is one of them. Pregnancy, menopause and even conditions like polycystic ovarian syndrome can cause hair loss. If you think a hormone imbalance might be contributing to your hair loss, ask your GP to perform a simple blood test to take a look at your levels.

Vitamin Deficiencies

There are a number of vitamins which can affect hair growth and if you’re lacking iron, vitamin B12 or vitamin A, you might have problems with hair loss. Try to eat a balanced diet with plenty of fresh fruit and veg and proteins, and take a multivitamin supplement to bolster your system.

Weight Loss

Losing too much weight too quickly can have a dramatic effect on your hair and it’s not unknown for a sudden drop in your weight to cause temporary baldness. If you’re planning to lose weight, try to do so healthily over a decent period of time rather than crash dieting as this can send your body into shock.

Too Much Heat Styling

We all know that heat styling can break your hair, but too much of it over time can weaken and damage hair follicles, destroying their ability to grown new hairs and this can equate to bald patches. If you must style your hair with heat, use a good conditioner, try not to pull too hard on the shaft of the hair and try not to let the heat styling implement get too close to the roots of your hair.

Stress

One of the single most common causes of hair loss is stress and the only way to halt the effects is to reduce the amount of stress in your life. Take a look at what the main sources of stress are in your life and ask a friend or partner to help you change them. Taking some time for yourself to de-stress is a good idea, so treat yourself to some Elemis Quiet Mind Temple Balm for rubbing on your temples when you feel overwhelmed.

Ageing Beauty Issues – Thinning Hair

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ageing, blow dry, breakage, conditioner, cool, curling, dermalogica, Dermalogica Daily Cleansing Shampoo, Dermalogica Daily Conditioning Rinse, greasy, hair, hair care, heat, heat styling, oily, scalp, shaft, shampoo, straigheners, straightening, styling, thin, thinning, tongs, volume, volumising, washing

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One issue that many of our clients report to us is the feeling that their hair is thinning as they get older. It’s a common issue among women over the age of 40 and had a couple of underlying reasons – hormone changes can cause hair loss, whilst the actual shaft of the hair also thins naturally with age, so even if you don’t get a huge amount of actual loss, the bulk of your hair will feel depleted as you get older. There’s not a lot that can be done to reverse the biological processes which cause these problems, but there are a few things that you can do to improve the appearance of thinning hair, and we’ve got a few of them for you:

Use Lightweight Products

Keeping thinning hair clean is an absolute must because thinning hair will look exponentially worse if it’s greasy, however using heavy, oil-based products will do nothing but weigh your hair down even further, making already thinning hair look heavy and lank. Dermalogica Daily Cleansing Shampoo is a product designed for daily use and contains zero sulphates, whilst Dermalogica Daily Conditioning Rinse adds moisture to the hair without weighing it down, restoring softness and shine for vibrantly-healthy hair.

Use a Soft Brush

When the hair shaft starts to thin out, this will make it more prone to breakage, which could be a disaster for thinning hair. Opt for a brush with soft bristles which will glide through the hair rather than tugging at it and causing breakage.

Think About Your Style

Wearing thinning hair scraped back into a ponytail is only going to accentuate the thinning even more, especially if you can see your scalp through the hair. Wearing the hair loose and bouncy by blow drying it on a cool setting with a volumising product will help to create the illusion of volume and make your hair look thicker with little effort.

Get Your Vitamins

Hair loss and thinning can be a knock-on effect of vitamin deficiencies, usually vitamin D or vitamin B12. Many reports now suggest that “multivitamins” are of little use as our body simply excretes them before they have a chance to be absorbed, but taking individual vitamins, or getting them through your food, can still be beneficial. Liver is a good source of BOTH vitamin B12 and D, as are eggs and cheese.

Avoid Heat Styling

One of the biggest causes of damage to hair is heat styling, either with straighteners or curling irons, so avoiding using these when your hair is thinning is a good idea. Opt for straightening with a soft brush and cool blow dryer and curl with rags or soft curlers, depending on the diameter of the curl you want.