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.

5 Gifts to Buy Your Menopausal Friend

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abrasions, aching, ageing, antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, Arnica, Australian teat tree oil, Birch, Camphor, Chinese hibiscus, dark circles, dermalogica, discomfort, Elemis, fatigue, gelm tired, healing, hormones, hot flush, hydration, inflammation, legs, lipid barrier, memory loss, Menopause, menthol, multivitamin, muscles, periods, skin, sleep, stem cells, sweet iris, thinning, tiredness, Toner, witch hazel, woman, women

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The menopause is something that happens to every woman at some point in their lives and while many of us are pretty grateful for the lack of periods each month, some of the accompanying side effects can make us feel truly lousy. Hot flushes, memory loss and sleep disturbances are just a few of the undesirable symptoms of the menopause and if you have a friend who’s going through it, you might want to buy them a gift to help them through this awkward time. We’ve put together a list of five gifts that we think would be perfect for your menopausal friend to make her feel a little better:

Elemis Anti-Fatigue Eye Gel

If your friend is struggling with sleep (insomnia and night time waking are super common during the early stages of the menopause), there’s a good chance she’ll have dark circles around her eyes, which will be reminding her of her issue every time she looks in the mirror. This gel from Elemis is designed to refresh and cool the delicate eye area, tightening the skin and reducing dark circles, making the perfect gift for someone who’s lacking sleep.

Dermalogica UltraCalming Mist

Hot flashes and dry skin are two of the most common symptoms of the menopause and this spray from Dermalogica can help to tackle both of them. This soothing toner that provides critical hydration while helping to relieve and defend against inflammation, whilst relieving inflammation and discomfort, helping skin recover from damage and lipid barrier breakdown.

Elemis Tea Tree S.O.S. Spray

As we get older, our skin thins which means that not only is it easier to get an injury, it often takes longer to heal. This spray from Elemis is make from purified water and Australian tea tree oil, which is a natural antiseptic, anti-fungal and antiviral and can be sprayed directly onto cuts and abrasions to help with the healing process.

Elemis Instant Refreshing Gel

Another common symptom that menopausal women report is aching muscles and joints, as well as muscle tension and fatigue. As well as recommending a menopause-specific multivitamin, we also suggest that you use this gel from Elemis on your achy areas. It contains soothing extracts of arnica, birch and witch hazel, with cooling camphor and menthol, which combine to relive tired legs and muscle tension and can even be applied over tights!

Elemis Pro-Definition Day Cream

Elemis created this day cream just for menopausal women – it helps support skin that has begun to sag and lose definition, and leaves skin feeling more dense and resilient. It contains stem cells from sweet irises and Chinese hibiscus which stimulate the production of collagen and restore the look of skin’s vitality. Skin feels moisturised and revived all day long.

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.

Post-Menopause Skincare

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acne, collagen, depletion, dryness, elasticity, hormone, hormones, melanoma, menopausal, Menopause, oestrogen, post-menopause, protection, sensitivity, serum, SPF, thinning, wrinkle

When we think about the havoc that our hormones can wreak upon our skins, we usually associate that with puberty, periods and maybe pregnancy. However, for the older ladies among us, the menopause can also leave us with unwanted effects to our skin and the depleting hormones can cause no end of skin problems. We’re taking a look at some of the most common skin issues associated with the menopause and giving you suggestions of how to deal with them.

Reduction in Elasticity

As you age, your skins ability to produce collagen is reduced, which leads to a marked increase in the elasticity of your skin and skin which is more wrinkled and sagging. We recommend the Decleor Anti-Ageing Starter Kit, which contains everything you need to start to rejuvenate your skin, reduce the appearance of wrinkles and encourage natural collagen production.

Dryness

Ageing skin also loses the ability to retain water in the same way that younger skin does, which means that using a good moisturiser is vital, post-menopause. Dermalogica Intensive Moisture Balance is the perfect moisturiser for dry and prematurely ageing skin as it contains an ultra-rich blend of phytonutrients, vitamins and humectants that helps restore vital moisture.

Increased Risk of Melanoma

Although we aren’t yet sure why, research has uncovered a link between oestrogen depletion and an increased risk of melanoma, which means it’s even more vital to use protection against the sun. Decleor Ultra Protective Anti-Wrinkle Cream SPF50 Face is specifically formulated to protect ageing skin from the sun’s harmful rays and will provide both sanctuary and repair whilst actively reducing fine lines.

Acne

Believe it or not, just in the way that the sudden increase of hormones can cause acne, so can the sudden depletion and many menopausal women report cases of acne, which can obviously be distressing. Getting a good cleansing and moisturising regime in place is really important for keeping acne under control so using a system of products like the Dermalogica Clear Start Breakout Clearing Kit would be a sensible move.

Sensitivity

When you start to succumb to the menopause, one of the knock-on effects is that the skin starts to thin which can lead to areas of sensitivity. Decleor Rose D’Orient Soothing Oil Serum is a natural elixir which is designed to immediately cool and soothe sensitive skin, reducing redness and stopping the face from feeling dry and tight. Only a few drops are needed and you’ll feel back to normal in no time.