Is your shower covered in hair?
Isn’t it so scary when you’re washing your hair, and with each sweep of your hands, more hair comes out? I have curly hair, so I wash my hair every few days, and I swear chunks of my hair come out. It is anxiety-provoking, especially if you once had very thick hair. When I was younger, my hair was so thick that it gave me a heat rash on the back of my neck during the summer. Since nursing school and starting my career, my hair thickness has decreased by 50%. So what changed? Why would my hair begin to fall out?
The cause behind hair loss
Stress has a significant impact on hair loss. I had multiple weekly tests and assignments, clinicals, and care plans during nursing school. One would say it is pretty vigorous and causes many people stress and anxiety. It seems that stress may have been one of the causes of my hair shedding; how could stress be affecting your life? Your job may have high expectations and ridiculous deadlines. There’s a chance you are a mom just trying to keep everyone alive and your house clean. You could be coming out of a stressful season or even a season of grief. All of these can cause cortisol (stress hormone) to rise. As with everything in the body, when one factor is affected, it triggers a ripple effect. The rise in cortisol causes estrogen to increase. Excess estrogen can cause hair loss. Low levels of progesterone can as well.
Cortisol also causes our blood glucose to spike, as discussed in https://wonderfullymade-kmk.com/how-to-balance-blood-glucose/. This response takes energy away from less critical processes, like hair growth. In the same fashion, undereating can increase hair loss. When you eat, your gut absorbs nutrients to fuel your body and the processes it’s trying to do. If you only eat enough to support the bare minimum of your essential body processes, you will not have enough supply to go towards your hair, skin, and nails.
Heat can damage hair follicles. Utilizing heat styling tools like a flat iron, blow dryer, or curling iron can all cause heat damage to your hair. Not only can these devices but also the sun’s rays. “Sun can also damage hair so opt for a hat when it’s sunny and you’ll be outdoors.” (The Cleveland Clinic, 2023.)
Additional causes…
Excessive chemicals like hair dye or repetitive bleaching cause stress to your hair over time and can contribute to hair loss. The process causes the hair cuticle to be lifted and stripped by chemicals, causing susceptibility to dry strands, split ends, and breakage.
High-tension hairstyles can cause damage to the hair follicle, causing it to fall out more easily. Anytime you pull your hair up and tightly back, you put stress on the strands. Hairstyles like tight braids, high ponytails, or buns are prone to breaking and pulling out hair. If you use rubber bands in your hair, I found an incredible hack on Pinterest where you put a little lemon essential oil on your finger and press and hold it on the rubber band. Give it a second, and it will cause the rubber band to pop so that you aren’t pulling it out of your hair, causing trauma to the hair.
Habits like hair twisting or pulling when nervous or stressed, also called trichotillomania, can cause hair reduction. Like nail biting to relieve stress, you might not even notice that you do it.
How much hair loss is too much?
We know some hair loss is expected and needed to produce new growth, but how much is too much?
The Cleveland Clinic states, “The average person loses 50 to 100 hairs a day. On days when people with long or thick hair wash it, they could shed between 150 and 200 hairs.”
If you see more than this, don’t freak out; let’s first think about what might be the cause. Has it been a couple of days since you washed or brushed your hair? Are you taking any medications that hair loss could be a side effect? Have you been stressed or anxious in the past few months? Are you undereating and not getting the nourishment your body needs? If you answered yes to any of these, then that is more than likely why you are losing more hair. So, what actions must you take to improve your hair health? It starts from within.
What you need for strong hair follicles:
•Protein- Hair is made up of protein. An increase in protein will help within the metabolic system and the production of hair, as well as its health. I have a scoop of collagen protein in my coffee each morning. You can get protein from meats, eggs, dairy products, and fish.
•Progesterone- An anti-inflammatory hormone, helpful for stress resilience and fertility, balances out estrogen so we don’t have an excess. Progesterone is pro gestation. It thickens the uterine lining to aid in egg implantation and is one of the main hormones in supporting pregnancy. Progesterone plays a big role in our menstrual cycles, fertility, and pregnancy.
•Magnesium- Aids in stress response and also helps with sleep. One of my best friends introduced me to a brand called Earthley. They have a magnesium lotion that I love. You take a pea-sized amount and rub it on your stomach, thighs, or forearm before bed. It is soothing and has 300 mg of magnesium. I have noticed a difference in my sleeping pattern when I use it and when I don’t.
The list goes on…
• Vitamin C- is an antioxidant similar to magnesium; vitamin C helps us become more resilient to stress. One of my favorite things about vitamin C is it allows collagen production. Collagen is good for hair, skin, and nails. Citrus fruits, of course, are a source of vitamin C. It might surprise you, but you can also get vitamin C from leafy greens and potatoes. A way I like to get vitamin C is through drinking adrenal cocktails. I do orange juice, coconut water, and some Himalayan salt. I want to get some magnesium to add to my adrenal cocktails.
•Iron – Iron is used to produce hemoglobin and myoglobin, which brings oxygen and nutrients to your body tissues. I have a whole blog dedicated to Iron located here: https://wonderfullymade-kmk.com/iron/. Both Vitamin A and copper help with iron absorption. Vitamin A-rich foods include dairy, eggs, and liver. Copper-rich foods are Cacao, vitamin C (citrus), seafood, beef liver, and oysters.
•B vitamins- are involved in energy production and aid in producing red blood cells (erythropoiesis). Food sources include dairy, eggs, seafood, and beef liver.
•Vitamin E- a fat-soluble vitamin, is found in mangos, nuts, and seeds. It has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Also, Vitamin E decreases estrogen in the body. Vitamin E is good for skin health and, therefore, the scalp.
Safety
If you are losing patches of hair, you might want to consider seeing your PCP or a dermatologist. Other reasons for hair loss in this situation could be alopecia areata or a scalp infection. Hair loss can also indicate thyroid issues or PCOS. These would need to be diagnosed and treated by a physician.
Amanda Montalvo mentions in her podcast that Iodine is essential for hair health because it pertains to your thyroid health. There is so much information to unpack regarding the thyroid and Iodine, so if y’all are interested, I will do a whole blog on those two topics. Iodine can be dangerous to experiment with yourself. Please work with a practitioner when it comes to it.
It is also important to say that with all of these, be cautious with the supplementation brands you buy and do your research to ensure they are reputable. Let’s try to get most of these micro and macro nutrients from our diet. Remember, before making significant changes to the body, do your research and talk to your provider if you need to because certain supplements can interact with medications, so please be careful and do your due diligence. Okay, enough of that. I want to make sure y’all stay safe and healthy.
Steps to change the pattern
Excessive chemicals like hair dye, heat, twisting or pulling on hair, or high-tension hairstyles can cause damage to the hair follicle, causing it to fall out more easily. When we decrease the causes and increase the nutrients and vitamins that benefit hair growth, we will see progress in our hair health journey. As always, do your own research and find out what works best for you and your body.
Make sure you are nourishing your body. I have said it once and will repeat it a million times: I’m still preaching to myself on this. You need to eat enough food to fuel your body. Try to work these macro and micronutrients into your diet to optimize your hair and, more importantly, your overall health.
Embracing beauty
Though these are some causes of hair loss, this doesn’t mean you can’t curl your hair again. But I challenge you to love yourself the way God designed you. If you have curly hair, don’t always straighten it. If the Lord gave you a beautiful shade of brown hair, don’t look in the mirror and hate it; find its beauty because God chose that specific color. So, let’s embrace the gray hairs and age beautifully. May we not be consumed with our outward looks but invest in our inner beauty.
” Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. “(1 Peter. 3:3-4, ESV.)
This verse doesn’t mean that we should not care for ourselves, nor should we be obsessive in perfecting our outer being. Conversely, God has given us the wisdom to learn and be good stewards of what he has provided us. This scripture is pointing us to seek Christ above all worldly things. The pursuit of being more like him is what brings forth true beauty.
Lord, you are a personal God who designed us how you saw fit. We are wonderfully made. I hope the reader knows that fully and well today. Thank you for reminding us that beauty comes from within and illuminates on the outside. May we nourish and take care of the bodies you gave us? To you all the glory, Lord, Amen.
RESOURCES
Cleveland Clinic. (2023, November 27). How much hair is normal to lose in the shower? https://health.clevelandclinic.org/how-much-hair-is-normal-to-lose-in-the-shower
Montalvo, A. (2022, March 7). Getting to the root cause of hair loss. Spotify. https://open.spotify.com/episode/3tyZLsF9vyMSnvVznbN4O5?si=2sbp5612ShOZN526kFawHA
*Here is another podcast I recommend listening to if you want more information on hair loss, especially in men. Roddy, D., Lee, F., & Meloy, K. (2021, September 22). 10. reversing hair loss in men and women: Danny Roddy. Spotify. https://open.spotify.com/episode/6S5RFdDo9dojnmMesJoSrz?si=SV5FAvUYTymi49im1VA-QQ