Hair loss is a frustrating fact of life for many women. Experts have long known that few women maintain a full head of hair across their lifespan — less than 45 percent.
Hair loss is a frustrating fact of life for many women. Experts have long known that few women maintain a full head of hair across their lifespan — less than 45 percent. Hair loss in women can happen for many reasons, including genetics, hormonal changes, medical conditions, nutritional deficiencies, or stress.
So, how can you prevent hair loss from happening?
While there’s no tried-and-true way to guarantee you’ll have a full head of hair at 80, there are things you can do to keep your hair healthy, slow down or even stop hair loss, and promote new hair growth.
Read on for everything you need to know about how to prevent hair loss in women.
Before we jump into how to prevent hair loss, let’s go over three of the main types of hair loss that can impact women. These are:
Androgenetic alopecia. Also called female pattern hair loss, androgenetic alopecia is the most common cause of hair loss in women. Experts believe it’s triggered by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Because it’s more common after menopause, hormones likely also play a role.
Telogen effluvium. This is actually a form of excess hair shedding. It’s typically temporary and can happen due to hormonal changes, nutritional deficiencies, certain medications, and intense stress.
Alopecia areata. Alopecia areata is a form of autoimmune hair loss. In alopecia areata, your immune system attacks healthy hair follicles, leading to hair loss. Hair lost due to alopecia areata often — but not always — grows back on its own.
Now that we’ve gotten the basics out of the way, let’s jump into the nitty gritty of how to prevent hair loss.
Research shows a link between certain nutrient deficiencies and several types of hair loss, including telogen effluvium, female pattern hair loss, and alopecia areata.
Eating a nutritious, balanced diet is vital for maintaining your overall health and well-being. It may also help prevent hair loss.
A healthy diet should include the following nutrients:
If you think you may have a nutritional deficiency, make an appointment with your healthcare provider. They can do blood tests to check for a deficiency and may recommend dietary supplements if you do have one.
On the flip side, getting too much of some nutrients, like vitamin A, vitamin E, or selenium, can actually fuel hair loss. That’s why it’s always best to consult with a healthcare provider and confirm a deficiency before turning to supplements.
High stress levels can lead to telogen effluvium, temporary hair shedding caused by disruptions to your hair growth cycle. Common triggers include:
Psychological stress
Major surgery
Severe infections
While surgery and illnesses aren’t always avoidable, you can take steps to lower everyday psychological stress, like:
Using relaxation techniques
Incorporating mindfulness practices into your life, like mindful meditation
Trying yoga as a form of movement for stress relief
Lowering stress looks different for everyone. Maybe meditation isn’t for you — and that’s okay. You might find your calm in a good book or some relaxing music instead.
Some hairstyles can lead to a type of permanent hair loss called traction alopecia.
Traction alopecia happens when certain hairstyles and hair treatments cause prolonged or excessive tension on your hair, including:
Tight ponytails or buns
Braids
Locs
Cornrows
Hair extensions or weaves
Overnight hair rollers or hair wraps
Chemical relaxers
If you frequently wear these styles and think you have traction alopecia hair loss, it might be time for a change. Chat with your hairstylist. They can work with you to find a hairstyle that you feel good about.
Certain hair and scalp care regimens can damage your hair. Over time, you may start to see hair thinning or hair loss.
In order to prevent damaging your hair and scalp, try out some of the tips below:
Use a gentle shampoo, applying it only to your scalp.
Condition your hair after shampooing to moisturize your hair and protect it from breakage.
Wrap your hair loosely in a soft towel to help it dry after showering.
Avoid unnecessary pulling and tugging when brushing or combing, and try not to brush your hair while it’s still wet.
Apply heat sources sparingly to your hair, as excess heat can lead to damage. Examples of heat sources include blow-dryers, curling irons, flat irons, and hot oil treatments.
Add more time between touch-ups for hair treatments like coloring, perming, or relaxing.
When it comes to maintaining a healthy head of hair, keeping your scalp happy and healthy is important. After all, your scalp contains up to 120,000 hair follicles from which your hair grows.
And several scalp conditions can lead to hair loss, including scalp psoriasis and tinea capitis (ringworm).
Additionally, while scalp conditions like dandruff and seborrheic dermatitis don’t directly lead to hair loss, they can cause itching. Over time, repeated scratching may lead to hair loss.
Got scalp issues? A dermatologist can help determine the root cause and suggest treatment to alleviate symptoms like itching or flaking — from special shampoos to topical creams, solutions, and even oral meds.
Certain medical conditions, especially those that disrupt hormones, can also cause hair loss. For women, two common culprits are:
Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). PCOS raises androgen levels (AKA male sex hormones), which can affect hair follicles and lead to hair thinning.
Thyroid disease. When your thyroid is out of whack — whether it’s underactive (hypothyroidism) or overactive (hyperthyroidism) — it can cause excess hair shedding.
The good news? Hair loss isn’t something you have to live with. There are treatments out there that can help manage PCOS and thyroid imbalances, slowing down or even reversing hair loss.
Some medications can trigger telogen effluvium. And hormone medications might cause hair loss when you start, stop, or adjust your dose.
A few examples of medications that may cause hair loss include:
Blood pressure-lowering drugs like beta-blockers or ACE inhibitors
Blood thinners like heparin and warfarin
Hormone meds including oral contraceptives, hormone replacement therapy (HRT), and androgens
Seizure medications
Before starting a new medication, talk to your healthcare provider. They can outline the potential side effects to watch out for like more hair in your shower drain.
If you think a medication you’re taking may be causing hair loss, let your provider know. They may recommend a different medication that doesn’t have hair loss as a potential side effect.
Never stop or adjust the dosage of your medications on your own.
Ever found yourself twirling your hair or tugging at it without thinking? It’s pretty common. But for some, hair pulling can become an uncontrollable habit, known as trichotillomania.
Trichotillomania is a mental health disorder linked to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Repeatedly pulling hair can damage follicles and even cause permanent hair loss.
If this sounds familiar, don’t hesitate to seek support. A mental health professional can offer treatments like habit reversal therapy, a form of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).
Noticing thinning hair, shedding, a receding hairline, or bald spots? Wondering if you can stop it from getting worse?
Good news — yes, you can! Here are a few research-backed hair loss treatments to consider:
Topical minoxidil (Rogaine®), an FDA-approved treatment for androgenetic alopecia that’s available without a prescription as a 2% solution or a 5% foam
Oral prescription medications like oral minoxidil, finasteride, and spironolactone
Platelet-rich plasma therapy (PRP)
And other methods might not slow hair loss or boost new growth, they can still make a difference in how your hair looks. Hair loss shampoos can help your hair look thicker or fuller. And changing up your hairstyle or wearing a wig can help to cover areas where you have thinning or bald patches.
By now, we all know smoking is bad for our health — but did you know it can also contribute to hair loss? Research links smoking to conditions like androgenetic alopecia, and here’s why: it may reduce blood flow to hair follicles, cause oxidative stress damage, or speed up the effects of hormones and aging.
Luckily, quitting can make a difference. Your healthcare provider is a great resource here. They can work with you to develop a quit plan that fits your needs.
We’ve covered a lot of territory on how to prevent hair loss in women. Before we wrap up, let’s recap the prevention strategies for hair loss:
Engage in healthy habits. That includes eating a healthy diet to avoid nutritional deficiencies, reducing your stress levels, quitting smoking, and being gentle on your hair and scalp.
Get treatment for scalp issues. Make an appointment with your doctor to keep the problem from getting worse and potentially triggering hair loss.
Manage medical conditions. If an underlying condition is the root cause of hair loss, treating it can help.
Know your medication side effects. Some meds have hair loss as a side effect. If you’re experiencing hair loss after starting a new medication, talk to your provider about your options.
Get help for trichotillomania. Consider speaking with a mental health professional if you’re engaging in compulsive hair pulling.
Treating hair loss early. The sooner you treat thinning, the more likely you are to slow or stop hair loss.
Sometimes, hair loss is out of your hands. You can’t change your age and genetics, after all.
But the tips we’ve shared can help you reduce your risk of hair loss and keep your hair looking fuller and healthier for longer.
Get your free hair profile and let us connect you with a healthcare provider who can outline your hair loss treatment options. Get started today!
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