Hair loss is common and something both men and women experience. Hair loss has many different causes, including genetics, hormones, aging, and certain medical conditions, such as anemia. Luckily, many causes of hair loss are treatable, and regrowing your hair is possible.
That said, regrowth won’t happen overnight. It takes time, patience, and making specific changes to your hair care regimen. In this article, we share a few tips to help you prevent further hair loss. From reducing your stress levels to taking the right medication, here’s what you should know.
1. Use Proven Medication
Chances are, you’ve already turned to several natural remedies to combat your hair loss. Did they work? If not, that’s a clear sign you may need a more robust solution. Luckily, there are prescription medications available to prevent further hair loss. For example, topical finasteride and minoxidil gel is a treatment that does double duty, stimulating the regrowth of hair while also reducing its loss.
Finasteride stops testosterone, a sex hormone, from turning into another hormone called dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which causes male pattern baldness. Halting this process helps increase the number of hairs remaining on your scalp. Minoxidil is a popular hair-loss treatment clinically proven to combat hair loss and improve growth. It increases blood flow to hair follicles, stimulating regrowth.
By combining two powerhouse ingredients, this product achieves effective results. And with this topical, you only need to apply it to your scalp once daily. If you use it consistently, you should notice a difference in four to six months.
2. Try Light Therapy
Low-light laser therapy has recently become a popular hair loss treatment. And while you may have heard of it, you might not know exactly what it is. LLLT is a non-surgical treatment that uses laser light to stimulate cell growth and repair damaged hair follicles. In addition to combating hair loss, LLLT can improve your hair’s appearance and strength.
During the treatment, the laser light produces a wavelength absorbed by the hair follicles. The light works by increasing blood flow and the delivery of nutrients and oxygen to the follicles. When penetrating your scalp, LLLT moves hair follicles into what’s known as the “growth stage,” encouraging hair regrowth.
It’s important to note that while a healthcare professional can perform LLLT, you can also purchase your own device. Seeing as in-clinic treatments can be costly, you may want to purchase your own laser to use in the comfort of your own home.
3. Be Mindful of Styling Tools
Regularly applying heat to your hair can cause serious damage, hair thinning, and eventual loss. That’s because heated air dehydrates your hair follicles, leaving them fragile and vulnerable. Furthermore, styling tools like flat irons and curling wands can cause breakage. Because of that, you should be mindful of how often you’re using heated styling tools. And when you do, make sure to apply a heat protectant to your hair beforehand to help combat any damage.
You also want to be careful about how you’re styling your hair. Hairstyles like braids and tight ponytails pull your hair away from your scalp. If you wear such styles frequently, they can cause your hair to break or fall out. In fact, this type of hair loss has its own medical term: traction alopecia. Rather than rocking a high bun every day, switch up your styles to give your scalp and hair a rest.
Another tip to prevent further hair loss is to stop using harsh chemicals on it. Chemical treatments, like dying your hair or getting a perm, split protein chemicals called keratin. Keratin is an essential protein for hair maintenance, as it supports the growth and health of your hair.
4. Stop Stressing
Among its other negative health effects, chronic stress puts you at risk for hair loss, according to a study published in Nature. The researchers found that when you’re stressed, a hormone is released that shifts hair follicles into the resting phase without regenerating the follicles. That means your hair follicles aren’t able to produce new strands, which causes hair thinning. Additionally, when follicles stay in the resting phase, it makes them fragile. As a result, you may see more hair falling out when you wash, comb, or even touch your hair.
While stress can lead to hair loss, it also contributes to other serious health conditions like heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, and depression. That’s why it’s essential to manage your stress. How you reduce the stress in your life will depend on your particular stressors. You may need to get your finances in order, break off a toxic relationship, or even change jobs to get relief.
Luckily, there are less intensive remedies for the garden-variety stress so many American adults experience. You might try exercise, meditation, or journaling. Getting out in nature is also a proven way to reduce stress. But if you’re truly struggling and unsure what to do, consult a healthcare professional for help.
Many Causes, Many Remedies
Hair loss can impact anyone, regardless of age or gender. That’s because there are many different causes of hair loss. If you can identify the cause — traction alopecia, say, or a thyroid disorder — you can take specific steps to mitigate it. But even if you don’t understand precisely why you’re losing hair, you’re not without recourse. By embracing the tips above, you can help regrow your hair and prevent further loss.