Causes of Hairfall and Solutions to Treat Them

In general, you lose about 50-100 strands of hair each day, but the loss is not visible as new hair grow in their place. However, if you lose more than a 100 strands in a day and more than 200 strands on the day you shampoo, you may be suffering from what is known as excessive hair fall. 

Certain factors or reasons may cause you to lose hair at an alarming rate, which are,

1. Thyroid problems
Your thyroid is responsible for your body?s overall functioning. The hormones (primarily T4 and T3), which it produces help in regulating metabolic activities. Problems with your thyroid gland can cause your hormone levels to rise or fall to unhealthy levels, which can result in hair fall. You can improve the functioning of your thyroid gland through a diet rich in calcium, iodine, magnesium, protein and Vitamins A, B and C.

2. Scalp infections
Infections of the scalp can also be one of the factors that may cause your hair to fall at an alarming rate. Of the different scalp infections, the ringworm scalp infection is the most common. Although this fungal infection can occur in any part of your body, when it develops on your scalp, you end up losing clumps of hair. Alongside the use of anti-fungal medications, even anti-fungal shampoos and creams can provide you with respite from the problem.

3. Poor diet
Gorging on unhealthy foods or going on a crash diet can result in the lack of essential nutrients in your body, which are required to maintain healthy hair. Furthermore, since hair is made of protein, having a balanced diet consisting of proteins and vitamin- rich foods is a must.

4. Stress
Stress gives rise to certain conditions such as alopecia areata, telogen effluvium (hair loss caused post-pregnancy or surgery) and trichotillomania (an impulsive need to pull your hair out), which can cause you to lose significant amount of hair. To avert a hair loss crisis caused by stress, make it a point to do some simple stress-reducing exercises, such as meditation or breathing exercises.

5. Hair styling products
Using hair styling products like hair colours and straighteners can cause you to experience hair fall problems. Your hair not only becomes dull and dry due to their use, but also becomes weak and brittle, leading to a gradual loss of hair. Regular oiling and use of homemade hair masks are some of the ways you can try to counter the negative effects of these hair styling products.

6. Cancer treatment
The drugs that are used in the treatment of cancer not only destroy the fast-growing cancer cells, but also the healthy blood cells in your body. For this reason, consuming foods that possess cancer-fighting properties (like oatmeal, tomato, almonds, garlic etc) is a sure-shot way of fighting the disease as well as averting any side-effects that may arise because of the treatment.

7. Alopecia areata
Lastly, hair fall can also be caused by alopecia areata, which is a kind of hair loss that takes place when your body?s immune system erroneously attacks your hair follicles, and prevents growth of new hair.

8. Genetics
The origin of your severe hair fall or baldness can be traced back to your ancestors. So, your genes can be a factor behind your hair fall problem. If this is the cause, your body then becomes unable to produce new hair.

Apart from the changes that you can make in your lifestyle to address the causes of your hair fall, there are also techniques out there that you can employ to permanently treat your problem, such as platelet rich plasma, mesotherapy, stem cell therapy, ozone activated platelet rich plasma & hair transplant.



8 Common Causes of Hairfall + How To Overcome Them

Conditioning Before Shampoo VS Post Shampoo - What's Ideal?

Conditioners and shampoos, you need both for an appropriate hair care regimen. Just like most other people, you might have the confusion about conditioner use - whether to use it before you shampoo your hair or when you're done with shampooing.

Read on to find out what you should be doing.

1. Hair Type: A factor that determines your use of a conditioner before you shampoo or after it depends on your hair type. For individuals who have dry or thick hair, using a conditioner after you shampoo is the most apt, especially during the winter months when complaints of flyaway hairs are very common. Conditioning before you apply shampoo to your hair is ideal if you've fine hair as it provides your hair with much needed nourishment. Additionally, it allows the shampoo to distribute evenly all over your hair.

2. Greasy Hair: Applying a conditioner before you shampoo your hair is most apt for individuals whose hair is prone to oiliness. This is because it helps you in thoroughly washing away the grease that gets build up in your hair when it's time to shampoo. The regimen of shampoo and conditioning afterwards doesn't ensure a proper elimination of the problem.

3. The Problem of Residues: if you condition your hair before shampooing, you can rest assure that no residues get left behind on the scalp. This is not the case when you condition your hair afterwards. Many a time, if you don't rinse properly residues of the conditioner used get left behind, thereby weighing down your hair.

Unless your hair is of normal texture, conditioning before shampooing can prove to be beneficial for your hair.

If you would like to consult with me privately, please click on 'consult'.

Conditioning Before Shampoo Vs Post Shampoo - What's Ideal?

Hair loss often starts as a problem we tend to brush aside until it actually starts showing up in worrying quantities on the hair brush. Suddenly, we observe our scalp to be more visible, there is more hair in the shower drain, on our shoulders and on our seats. It is common to shed around 50 hairs in a day but when this dramatically changes to 150+ a day, you need to take action as quickly as possible.&nbsp;

Hair loss can occur in men and women at any age. It can be a temporary phenomenon or an ongoing one and be caused by a range of reasons like change of environment, shampoo, genetic problems, health problems and more. The main thing is to first identify the reason for the hair fall before treating it for long term solutions. Here are some of the common ways to deal with hair loss:


	Wash it right: detangle your hair fully and slowly before you get into the shower. That way it won't get tangled and messy when wet. Next, use cold water to wash your hair. If the water is too hot, it may dry your hair and add to your woes. The most important step here is to use the right products for your hair wash. Use a mild shampoo as much as possible and take time out to deep condition your hair. Be sure to use products that you have tried and tested before only. Last but not the least, use a hair serum after your wash to strengthen it and prevent breakage. Refrain from combing wet hair.
	Get to the root of the cause: the most common reason for hair loss in both men and women is androgenetic alopecia, also called pattern baldness. The most common occurrence happens around menopause. The other causes can be side effects of brief illness, stress and reaction to drugs. Once you catch the cause, the course of treatment can chart an effective path.
	Try medication: there are several medicines out there that promise to revitalize your locks and enhance new hair growth. These include massage oils, scalp creams and oral pills all of which can be taken individually or in combination to promote hair growth. Be sure to consult a doctor before you start on this.
	Improve your diet: eating iron rich food with a copious quantity of protein and zinc can also work wonders to internally strengthen your hair. Pumpkin seeds, eggs, shellfish, wheat germ are some of the items you can include in your daily diet to improve your hair quality.
	5. Hairstyle with care: women can start with the simple hairstyling trick of adding layers which gives a sense of volume and bounce. Couple it with large curls and you have a perfect illusion of lush healthy hair. But limit the parlor to only haircuts. Avoid the blow dry or colouring, straightening or ironing that can cause further damage.&nbsp;


If you are losing sleep over losing your hair, it's time you consult a professional.&nbsp;


5 Ways To Deal With Hair Loss

Can scratching your head lead to hair loss? (and how to banish that nagging itch without scratching)

Yes! scratching your head actually leads to hair loss so you should avoid doing it.

Scratching your head with your fingernails for as little as 90 minutes is enough to remove all your cuticular scale. A cuticular scale is a protective covering on every individual strand of hair. The loss of this covering leaves your hair shaft weak and damaged and hence leaves your hair susceptible to easy breakage and hair loss.

There are several ways you can deal with itchiness in your scalp that does not include scratching your head. These alternative ways will help ensure you don't suffer from any hair loss.

These include

1. Instead of scratching, pat or rub the sensitive area with the flat of your fingers.

2. Having a dry scalp can also increase itchiness. It would bee a good idea to use natural oil on your hair before you wash it if that's the reason behind your itch.

3. Sensitivity to a new product may be causing a sudden itchiness in your scalp. So, if you have switched to a new shampoo, mousse or anything else, do try abstaining from applying it for a few days to see if the itchiness subsides.

4. When your scalp feels itchy, try and distract yourself. The more you think about how itchy your scalp is, the more it will itch.

While scratching your hair does lead to hair loss, the good news is your hair will grow back because the damage is not permanent. However, it is not advisable to keep scratching your head because you'll just lose more hair.

If you would like to consult with me privately, please click on 'consult'.
Related Tip: Should You Oil Hair When You Have Dandruff Problem?

Can scratching your head lead to hair loss? (And how to banish that nagging itch without scratching)

5 Unexpected Triggers of Hair Fall

Your genes may be the most common triggers of hair fall, but in certain cases hair fall can be triggered by a host of other reasons you wouldn t have thought about. Sometimes these reasons can range from being simple and temporary (lack of essential nutrients in your diet for example) to something more complex and indicative of an underlying health problem. Read on...

1. Brushing wet hair

Detangling wet hair (easy at it may seem) is probably one of the most common triggers of hair fall. Wet hair is extremely delicate, and brushing wet hair causes the strands to break, leading to excessive hair fall. Repeatedly doing so can cause your hair to become thinner over time, which may result in visibly less hair on your scalp.

2. Food poisoning

Food poisoning can cause an abnormality in your blood circulation, which, as a result, can lead your hair to prematurely enter into a shedding phase. The hair loss that takes place due to this reason is known as  diffuse hair loss.  This type of hair loss usually lasts for a period of 3 months, after which, the hair follicles are replaced by new ones. Hair fall caused by food poisoning is only temporary, and is corrected on its own with time.

3. Car crashes or any other traumatic events

When you go through a car crash or any other traumatic incidence for that matter (divorce, death in the family etc), you may experience an extreme form of shock. This can lead to the development of small bald patches on your head, which is known as Telogen Effluvium. Usually, trauma triggers an autoimmune reaction, because of which the white blood cells attack the hair bulb. This causes the hair bulb to enter into the resting phase, which leads to mildly painful hair loss in particular patches. This type of hair fall is reversible.

4. Food allergies

Different foods (such as dairy, wheat, soy etc) can cause allergies in different people. Such an allergic reaction can cause your immune system to react violently, consequently making your immune system send signals throughout your body to ward off attacks. This, in very rare cases, can give rise to the condition of Alopecia Areata, as your immune system detects the growth of your hair as foreign attack and sends off signals to destroy hair follicles. This type of hair fall ceases once you stop consuming food(s) you re allergic to.

5. General Anaesthesia and Surgery

Hair fall triggered by general anaesthesia and a major surgery usually shows up 3 months after the surgery has taken place. The combination of general anaesthesia and a major surgery can put your body under heavy physical stress, which can cause alterations in the life cycles of the hairs on your scalp, consequently leading to excessive hair fall. Hair fall caused by this reason is temporary too, and usually your hair will grow back over time.
Now that you know about the possible triggers of hair fall, you may be in a better position to control your condition and prevent your hair from falling out. 



5 Unexpected Reasons Why You Might Be Losing Your Hair!

Your hair are a defining factor towards how you look. A receding hairline is a common problem in men of all ages as it attacks youth in their twenties itself. Although it is rare in women, it may happen because of ageing, menopause, pregnancy or illness.

Follow these simple ways to stop baldness or at least prolong it, while you still can.

1) see what you eat - if your protein intake is less, it is a good idea to increase it. Include egg, fish, bean sprouts, raisins, soy protein, walnuts, oats, green peas, and green leafy vegetables in your diet. Minerals also help reduce temporary baldness (esp. In women). Add copper, iron, potassium and magnesium to your diet through spinach, eggs, seeds and nuts. Vitamins a, b, c and e are essential for healthy hair. B complex vitamins present in cereals, potatoes, cod etc and b12 present in dairy products should be a part of your daily diet.

2) massage your hair - when hair dries, our scalp dries eventually. The dry hair follicles become inactive which weakens your hair and causes hair fall. Massaging your hair is advisable as it restores blood circulation in your scalp and ensures that your hair gets ample nutrition to be active and strong. Canola oil, sesame oil, coconut oil, olive oil as well as mustard oil are said to be beneficial for your hair.

3) take care of your hair - your hair needs as much care as the rest of your body does. Most hair styling products make your hair look good in the present moment, they will only make your hair go weak and brittle in the long run. This will lead to hair fall. Use hair products recommended by dermatologists, when needed.

If you have any further questions on hair fall, ask me by clicking on'consult.

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Excessive Hair Loss - 3 Ways To Curb It

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