Hair loss basics

People—regardless of their age, gender or status—can experience hair loss due to several factors. If you’re among those who are experiencing this issue, it’s a must that you know the basics of hair loss to give you an idea what to do. Knowing the basics can help you determine the status of your condition, can give you an idea when to seek medical attention, can help you decide which hair loss treatments to use and can even help you prevent it if you’re prone to the condition.

Among the misconceptions about hair loss is that age solely causes it. While it’s true that age primarily causes it because of the cells that are already giving up, there are other factors that might cause it. These include heredity especially if your family has a long running history of baldness, taking in certain medications for a specific condition and an underlying medical condition that weakens the person overall system such as cancer and other terminal illnesses.

A person who’s undernourished can also experience hair loss being he or she is not getting the right nutrients to keep the hair grow healthy. People, who are into switching hairstyles that puts too much pressure on the scalp, might also experience hair loss because the pulling on the hair such as those in braids or dreadlocks can weaken the roots of the hair.

Aside from the probable causes, the next thing that you should pay attention to is the symptoms. Several people experience the greater effect and burden of hair loss because they didn’t pay to much attention to it when it was just beginning.

Experts say that it’s common for people to lose at least 100 strands of their hair daily.

People who are losing more than a hundred strands per day should analyze what might cause it. Once the cause is determined, she or he can do some lifestyle changes to improve on it. If these modifications in lifestyle didn’t work, one should visit a doctor immediately to know what causes this abnormal amount of hair loss.

Knowing the signs and symptoms

When a person loses at least a hundred stands of hair per day, it’s considered normal. But when he or she loses more than that estimated amount along with glaring symptoms such as thinning of the hair, a hairline that’s receding, and bald patches in some areas of the head, then you might be suffering from hair loss.

Studies show that androgenetic alopecia can affect both men and women but the manifestations differ in some ways. Among men, the thinning of the hair starts at the temples as well in the crown. In the long run, it’s expected that they’ll be either completely bald or partially bald. In women, lesser hair loss is expected and though there’s also receding hairlines along the forehead and temple, they’ll not completely go bald as men do.

The pattern baldness in males are known to start at such an early age even before their teenage years. This condition may be characterized by a receding hairline—especially at the temples—and hair loss at the top of the person’s head. Eventually, the person can be completely or partially bald. The symptoms of hereditary pattern baldness in men include thinning or loss of hair stands starting in the front or forehead, at the crown, down to the sides of the person’s hairline.

When it comes to temporary hair loss, the most common is called “alopecia areata” wherein the baldness starts from a small and round patch and will grow in size; the “telogen effluvium” which occurs suddenly and characterized by thinning without patches; “traction alopecia” that’s caused by changing hairstyles whith out too much pressure on the scalp and creates bald spots especially between the rows of the hair, and “trichotillomania” which is caused by a mental issue wherein the person can’t help him or herself from pulling out the strands of hair from the scalp and in other parts of his or her body.

Temporary hair loss on the other hand is usually caused due to certain medical conditions and illnesses, which weakens the immune system and eventually, affects the growth of the hair. This can also be caused by taking in medications and undergoing treatments that use drugs that can be harmful to the hair as well as hormonal changes during pregnancy in women. This type of hair loss can also be brought about by changing hairstyles that put too much pressure on the hair follicles and using too many hair products that hinder healthy hair growth.

Dealing with male hair loss

Many men who experience this condition say that the easiest, fastest, and cheapest way to cope with hair loss is to ignore it.

For those who are bothered by hair loss, the best way to go about it is to take an action, a positive one. In fact, you can do something to fix it through drug and other treatments. Although these won’t totally cure it, these can somehow slow the rate of hair loss. Topical medicine such as minoxidil or oral medication like finasteride can be used. But, before you take in any medication, make sure that you consult your doctor first to avoid further complications.

Going about female hair loss

More than the men, women feel more burdens when they lose their hair. This is because they’re more conscious about how they look and their confidence greatly depends on their physical appearance. To avoid a feeling of shame, there are several ways to cope with it.

But, before doing anything, make sure that you know what the cause of the hair loss. Visiting the doctor will work.

Among the best ways to cope with hair loss among women is to increase the circulation to the scalp using a soft and multi-tipped scalp massager daily. You can also use milder shampoos or those that are formulated to treat thinning hair and receding hairline. To look more fashionable, women can also use hair accessories such as hats to cover bald spots or areas that are already showing the scalp.

But for those who are experiencing temporary hair loss, they can deal with it even if they’re at home. The following home remedies can be used to deal with hair loss at home:

1. The wonders of massage.

Ancient people have proven that massage can help stop excessive hair fall because it makes the follicles of the hair stronger. Aside from that, it’s also good because it aids hair growth by putting the right amount of pressure on the scalp. Usually, this is done manually. You can do it your self or you can ask somebody to massage your scalp at home. If you do not have enough energy to do manual massage on your own scalp, you can opt for electric hair massage available in most wellness stores.

Experts say that people who are prone to hair loss can benefit so much from hot oil treatments because these can help prevent falling hair and can cure minor scalp disorders as well. To get effective results, at least three treatments are advised weekly. You can do this at home with the use of a shower cap. You can buy ready-to-use hot oil treatments that contain oils of several herbs such as sesame, olive, and coconut.

3. Aloe vera extracts.

Considered as a “wonder plant” aloe vera is popular to several people—especially those living in tropical countries—as a remedy for hair loss. Depending on the degree, aloe vera can be used as a shampoo by using fresh pulp that’s directly applied on the hair and scalp, as a hair tonic along with other herbs, and a drink or oral aloe juice for the body to absorb its ingredients faster.

4. Mixture of cinnamon and honey.

Several people say that one of the effective home remedies for hair loss is the combination of cinnamon powder and honey with olive oil because these contain properties that make the scalp as well as the hair stronger. By coming up with a paste that can be applied directly to from the hair’s roots down to the scalp, people can make use of it before they use their favorite shampoo.