Vitamins For Female Hair Loss Prevention

In today's image conscious society, physical appearance is more important than ever to a woman's self-esteem. Imagine the heartache caused when a woman notices her hair thinning? It is estimated that over 25 million women experience thinning hair in the United States. Many are genetically predisposed to the condition. Most wonder if there are any natural remedies to help or prevent their female hair loss.

Several vitamins have been found to be very effective in supporting female hair health. Of course, many factors may contribute to female hair loss but proper nutrition can help prevent further thinning and more loss.

Vitamin A has been found to support the healthy development of tissues and cells in the body and also supports healthy hair. This important vitamin promotes healthy hair follicles by keeping the root of the hair lubricated. Vitamin A can be found in green vegetables, particularly the leafy ones, red, orange and yellow vegetables, liver and eggs. Many good multivitamins contain the recommended daily allowance of vitamin A, so don't take additional supplements without a physician’s supervision. Overdoses of vitamin A can be dangerous.

A healthy scalp is also essential to healthy hair. Vitamin E supports a healthy scalp by helping to increase the oxygen supplied through the blood. Americans rarely suffer from a vitamin E deficiency, but increasing one’s intake of green leafy vegetables, fortified grains and cereals and nuts can help ensure that this important nutrient is adequate. Vitamin E supplements are also available for this matter.

The B vitamins are also important for hair health. Regulating the amount of iron in the blood, these vitamins also help oxygen flow through the lungs to the tissues. Of course, a B vitamin deficiency would damage the hair and scalp by limiting the amount of oxygen that these tissues receive. B vitamins are available as supplements and in several foods, including proteins and soybeans, cereals, nuts and wheat germ.

If a proper nutrition that involves essential vitamins and minerals helps in hair loss prevention and a good healthy scalp, then paying extra attention to the food and supplements that you eat is well worth the time and effort!

The Shocking Truth About Female Hair Loss

When you talk about genetic hair loss most people think about the most common form of hair loss: male-pattern baldness. This is the type of hair loss that is passed on genetically to offspring from their mothers. Most often the recipients of this type of hair loss are men, but sometimes the gene can result in female hair loss.

While genetic baldness in men is identified by a receding hairline or balding crown, genetic hair loss in women is a bit different. In most cases, a woman will not lose her hair in spots only but will thin out evenly throughout the head. Sometimes, this thinning can be quite severe and result in the woman having to wear a wig to cover up her thinning tresses. While female hair loss almost never results in a completely bald head, it can be extreme enough to expose the scalp quite plainly.

For the woman facing this type of hair loss, there are a few hair loss treatment options that can be explored. They include shampoos, conditioners and topical treatments, such as Rogaine for women, which stimulate hair growth and prevent further hair loss; vitamin supplements; and stimulatory treatments such as massage and infra-red therapy. The most successful of these hair loss treatments are the topical treatments. While they are quite expensive, they produce the best results.

Hair loss due to chemical processes

No matter how healthy and strong your hair is today, you could experience severe hair loss after undergoing a harsh chemical process such as a perm or color. While almost all chemical hair fallout is due to operator error, the chance of it occurring is multiplied by chemical services that you perform on your hair at home. I've seen more than one case of female hair loss in clients who have bleached their hair at home, colored it over and then came to the salon for yet another bleaching. Not knowing this past history, the stylist used too strong a chemical, and the process resulted in hair loss.

Since most of these cases do not result in complete hair loss, the hair loss treatment options include protein treatments and other conditioning treatments to strengthen the remaining hair; a good hair cut that will remove most of the damage; and a gentle hair-care routine that will minimize further hair loss due to breakage. You should also refrain from using thermal styling tools and undergoing any further chemical procedures until the hair is completely grown out.

Hair loss due to stress

Cases of severe stress can literally cause handfuls of hair loss at a time. Women experiencing stressful conditions can experience female hair loss represented by thinning all over the head or in spots called alopecia areata. Alopecia areata means "Hair loss in spots or areas," and can result in bald circular patches on one or more spots of the scalp. While this type of hair loss is alarming, it is not permanent. After the stress is removed, most sufferers of this type of hair loss regrow all of the hair that they lost.

In most cases, the hair loss treatment for stress-related hair loss is minimal. After ruling out other causes of hair loss, your doctor will likely recommend changes in your diet or ideas to help alleviate your stress. Keep in mind that it can take months for your hair to grow back even after the stressors have been eliminated.

Hair loss due to illness

Any type of extended illness or surgery can result in hair loss. Medications taken to combat certain types of illnesses can also cause your hair to become brittle and break or fall out altogether. The most identifiable type of hair loss is the loss associated with chemotherapy treatments. In most cases, this hair loss is complete and affects all areas of the body.

While there is little that can be done to prevent this type of hair loss or promote growth during illness, surgery or chemotherapy treatments, this type of female hair loss is also temporary. In most cases, full recovery of hair is made after the illness is over.

You can promote hair growth after the illness by getting regular trims and using growth enhancing shampoos and conditioners. Vitamin supplements may also be beneficial.

As you may have already guessed, hair loss in women is more common than we might think. And many may be experiencing hair loss and dismiss it as a natural occurrence that comes along with age. A lot of these women fail to seek the necessary hair loss treatment that can help them keep their remaining hair and regrow new hair. So, if you are experiencing hair loss, do not think that it is just because you are getting older. There may be something that you can do to keep the hair on your head from clogging your drain.

48% Of Women Have Thinning Hair!

How your hair grows

Your hair is made of keratin (KER-uh-tin), the same protein that makes up your nails and the outer layer of your skin. The part you see and style is called the hair shaft. It's actually dead tissue made by your hair follicles tiny bulb-like structures beneath your scalp's surface.

We have all heard of someone who has thinning hair problem, but do we really know how extensive this thinning hair problem is? Let us take a look at the figures here..

1. 70 million Americans Have Fine or Thin-looking Hair And it's Growing
2. 4 million more women and 4.7 million more men will have noticeably thin-looking hair by 2005
3. By age 65, 48% of all women report they have thinning hair and 75% of all men report they have noticeably thin-looking hair.
4. Research has shown that the problem of thin-looking hair can begin as early as age 17.
5. The problem will grow more extreme as our population ages.

How does hair loss start?

Hair loss is a normal symptom. 50 to 60 hairs are shed each day from a normal scalp. Losing more than 60 hairs a day is called excessive hair loss and leads to generalized thinning of the hair. Hair becomes fine in texture. Loss of hair in men is often determined by heredity or by the Allopetia Androgenetic hormone. Hair loss in women is often caused by pregnancy, stress, fatigue or medical treatment.

Can Thyroid Disease Cause Hair Loss?

An overactive or underactive thyroid can cause hair loss. One may get her thyroid numbers in order after beginning a regimen of thyroid medication. However, there have been reported cases of women experiencing hair loss FROM the thyroid medication.

Hot Tips!

Coloring: If you inherited a tendency for hair loss, you likely have very healthy hair overall. Therefore, your hair can benefit from permanent or semi-permanent color to give body and volume to hair.

Volumizing Products: Many volume-building hair products contain paraffin, which is beeswax. That's not good for hair, because it builds up and can make hair break.

However, volumizing products sold in salons do help. They won't weigh hair down, and they won't damage it. Mousse, for example, can be applied at the root area for support. Then, begin blow-drying the root area, applying tension with a brush to build volume. Use a light finishing spray to hold it.

What Is Hormonal Hair Loss? Can It Be Controlled?

People lose hair for various reasons. Illness and medication, like chemotherapy to treat cancer, can cause hair loss. Hair loss can also be inherited from a parent. Often, hair thins because it is fine-textured, or because too many harsh chemicals have been used on it, so it breaks easily.

What if I have hormonal hair loss?
The following photos show typical female hormonal hair loss patterns.
Typical female baldness begins with a generalized thinning of the whole scalp. Contrary to male pattern baldness is that no receding hairlines or hair loss on the crown takes place.

A generalized thinning of the hair occurs. It is seldom that a man displays the same type of hair loss pattern as a woman

The thickened hair root prevents the hair bulb from returning back to its place in the skin. Because of this, new hair will be produced, but will not be able to settle. The growth phase will then be disrupted and the hair bulb will continuously produce new hair, which, instead of lasting the normal five years, will only become a few weeks or months old. Now you have constant hair loss!

Personally, I prefer products by L'Oreal, such as Excellence. It's easy on the hair. It never made my hair feel any thinner and adding some auburn highlights to my brown hair always makes me feel like a new person. Because my hair is fine, I never use the enclosed conditioners with hair color products. Hair conditioners often make fine hair feel thinner and unmanageable. On the other hand, if you do want to use some conditioner, use only a fraction of what's recommended! And never use conditioners on your scalp, just put some at the hair ends.

Another great product that I highly recommend is Rogaine. Rogaine has gained a reputation of being able to reverse the hair thinning process!

Bottom line: While we're feeling the way we do during the menopausal years, I think it's important to try anything to help ourselves feel and look better.

Now that you know a little more about what are the causes for hair loss, we urge you to find out more about how hair loss, or hair thinning can be prevented! Yes, it is true, there are many effective products on the market right now which has been proven to be truly effective in reversing thinning hair problems! Come! Find out more!

Understand Baldness and How You Can Reverse It

There is no magic potion that will instantly give you back a full crop of thick, lush hair. But if we look at the way advances in hair loss treatments have evolved recently, perhaps we're not far from it.

Hair loss can be caused by many factors, the most common being Pattern Baldness which affects more then 40% of the male population. Women also suffer from hair loss, although the causes can be quite different than in men. Baldness can be quite a degrading condition for millions of men and women, and can lead to psychological problems and feelings of self worthlessness. But the scientific discoveries in recent years have made the treatments for balding more effective, and like all medical conditions, if you act on the problem when it is in it's infancy, you've got a better chance of minimizing the effects, or even reversing the condition.

The causes for hair loss are many and varied. Genetic 'Pattern Baldness' is the most common, but there are other very common causes such as Hormonal Imbalance, Illness, Poor Diet, Poor Hygiene, Drug Abuse and Stress. These are just the core issues that contribute to the hair loss. To get a better understanding of exactly how the hair stops to reproduce entails a bit of a scientific look at how hair actually grows .....

Hair grows in 3 stages. In the first stage (Anagen) a new hair is produced and this is the stage where most growth occurs. Next, in the Catagen (Regressive) stage, the hair has stopped growing but is yet to shed. In the final stage (Telogen) the hair is resting and eventually falls out, and a new one begins to grow. In Pattern Baldness, DHT (Dihydrotestosterone) miniaturizes hair follicles by shortening the Anagen (growth) stage and at the same time can also lengthen the Telogen (resting) stage. This is usually a gradual process, and the end result is an increase in the number of short, thin hairs which are barely visible above the scalp.

There is hope, because while any hair is growing then various treatments can be administered to re-balance/block the DHT and promote healthier hair growth once again. There is no single hair loss treatment that works for everyone. In fact, it would be quite amazing if somoene used a single baldness treatment that completely solved their problem. The best hair loss treatment is in fact a combination of the best known products in a way that is tailored to your individual circumstances.

Generally, the most effective regime for preventing/reversing hair loss is a combination of 3 or 4  products:

1) DHT Inhibitors - Work to inhibit the negative effects of DHT
2) Growth Stimulators - artificially stimulate growth in the hair follicle
3) Hair vitamins - these products actually provide all the clinical proven vitamins and minerals required to help hair grow to its fullest and thickest
4) Hair and Scalp Cleaners - these products provide proper hair and scalp hygiene and nutrition.

In all cases, the most effective hair loss treatment will involve a combination of the above options. That is because there is no single solution that tackles the cause and the effect of baldness in everyone.

There are Many Choices for Female Hair Loss Treatment

The Causes of Female Hair Loss

There any many different reasons women might suffer from hair loss.  One main cause is when a womans body makes more testosterone than it normally does, or maybe certain medical conditions involving their hormanes could cause baldness to occur.

The causes between womens and mens baldness are much different in lots of ways.  For example, hair loss in women can happen at any age and mens typically occur when they get older.  It is also a unique type of hair loss when it comes to women.  Womens baldness can occur all over the head, while the mens hairloss usually happens at the top.

 

Hormones Also Can Have An Effect

If a womens thyroid gland is very active, it might result in temporary hairloss.  This is just one of the many hormonal problems that may occur.  This form can be helped with treating the disease.  Hair loss can also happen if the womans hormones are out of balance.

Hair loss in a woman may occur about 3 months after you give birth.  This results because of the hormonal factor, since during pregnancy the hormones help you to keep hair you would normally lose.  When the hormones return to the normal levels of before pregnancy, the hair that wouldn’t fall out, could now will fall out, and the normal cycle of hair growth and loss will return. 

Some Important Things To Think About

It is very imporant for a woman who is suffering from hair loss to be checked out by a physician.  Conditions like a sluggish thyroid can and will lead to more serious health problems if they are not treated within a reasonable time perioid.  It is also important to try and not find a hair loss treatment before first knowing why it is you are losing your hair.  There are many different reasons for hair loss and certain treatments may not apply to you. 

Possible Treatments for Female Hair Loss

Once you have ruled out that there are no serious health conditions, you can start looking for some hair loss treatments to improve your hairs apperance.  One popular option women choose is a hair transplant.  Another method is to take a DHT blocker, which works the same way in women as in men.  It simply helps prevent testosterone in their bodies from changing into DHT and having an effect on the hair folliciles.

How Stress Causes Hair Loss?

The problem of thinning hair may be caused by a genetic predisposition that comes from a family history of thinning hair. Health problems such as Hyperthyroid or Hypothyroid conditions; medications such as chemotherapy, any hormone replacement medications including birth control pills are culprits often overlooked.

It is normal to shed some hair each day as part of this cycle. However, some people may experience excessive (more than normal) hair loss. Hair loss of this type can affect men, women and children.

Are you Stressed?

Thinning hair can also be attributed to stress and trauma that can cause constriction of blood supply and poor vitamin assimilation to the scalp and hair. Or, simply from poor nutrition and diet that can include a high consumption of animal fat, high protein and fad diets. Even external environmental toxins and pollutants, such as chlorine, metals, minerals and water pollution cannot be ignored. All these factors can be causing your clients' hair to look thinner.

Under a microscope

The hardening prevents hair growth. The hair cycle slowly becomes disrupted and more hair is shed than normal. In time hair growth stops completely and baldness results. Here you see an example of a hair follicle as seen under a microscope.

Age and hormones

Most people naturally experience some hair loss as they get older. But age, changing hormones and heredity cause some to lose more hair than others.

Female-pattern baldness starts with the replacement hairs becoming progressively finer and shorter. They can also become almost transparent.

It has been recorded that about 50 percent of women experience hair loss have female-pattern baldness! Unfortunately, it is often permanent just as in men. Not all hair thinning and loss must be permanent. There has been various cases of perimenopausal women, for example, experiencing thinning and lost hair who, once their hormone levels become balanced, can experience the thickness of previously thinning and the regrowth of lost hair that occurred during the ebbing and flowing hormonal years.

Hot Tips

Get Wavy! Permanents can help give volume to fine-textured hair -- but hair must be healthy, not dry or brittle. Only a gentle body wave is advised, because tighter waves can damage the hair. Because chemicals in permanents are harsh, a permanent should be only a last resort for fine-haired people.

Female Pattern Hair Loss – It Depends On The Genes

Female pattern hair loss is very common nowadays due to hectic schedules and stress. Stress is the main cause of female hair loss. Women rarely become bald, but hair loss is common. If more than 100 hairs falls from your head while applying oil or when you shower then you need to take proper steps to control hair loss.

Men usually become bald if their hair becomes thin, while women do not completely become bald. It is very rare and if it happens then it could be due to genetic factors. Women could lose some hair or sometimes the hair becomes thin which could be treated if proper care is taken or by consulting a hair specialist.

Androgenic alopecia is the most common type of hair loss in females. If lots of hair falls in a day and if you feel your hair is becoming thin then it is the perfect time to visit a dermatologist. If your parents were bald then the chances of you becoming bald is more. Hair loss or balding depends on the gene of the parents. Female hair loss could start at puberty and it is mainly due to hormonal imbalance. Women could also lose hair once they discontinue birth control pills, or even when they are pregnant. Physical and emotional stress could also cause hair loss.

There are various medications available for female hair loss. Homeopathic, ayurvedic, allopathic medication can be bought from stores. There are many homemade remedies, which would help in gaining hair and also thicken hair. While going for a treatment or hair restoration surgery it is advised to take professional advise. Consultation with dermatologists would help in determining the root cause of your hair loss. Around 25 million American females are affected with this type of hair loss.

Female Hair Loss Treatments and Why Hair Loss Is Different On Venus

Female hair loss treatments often differ to men's, for a number of reasons. The main prescription hair loss treatment for men, the drug propecia, is generally not as effective in women, although an Italian study seemed to show some promise with it.

The study followed the experience of 37 women who were given 2.5 mg of propecia a day, as well as the contraceptive pill. As propecia can cause deformities in the development of a male fetus' sex organs, propecia cannot be given to women who have a chance of conceiving, or who are pregnant.

Results were measured by taking photos of the women's heads, and using a technique called computerized light videodermoscopy to measure the density of hairs. Women tend to have thinning hair when they suffer hair loss, and don't often go completely bald.

After 12 months of treatment, 23 women (62%) had improvements in their hair thickness. Those women who had most hair loss down the middle of the top of the head, showed the most improvement. Only one woman was found to have worse hair loss.

But more studies on propecia as a female hair loss treatment need to be conducted before it is given the green light as a treatment option. Not only is there the issue of fetal damage, making it a risky drug for women, but this study is not conclusive as evidence that it will actually work for all, or most, women.

Generally, women are given topical treatments like minoxidil to encourage hair growth. Minoxidil has drawbacks in that it has to be applied to the scalp twice a day, and some women are allergic to it. Unfortunately, scientists have not come up with a hair loss medication that will definitely work for women.

Another reason female hair loss treatments differ to men's is that the causes of female hair loss often vary. Hair loss in women is often associated with hormonal changes like menopause, discontinuing birth control pills, and after pregnancy. There is a 3 month delay before signs of hair loss will appear, so if you're noticing hair loss now, it was probably triggered 3 months ago. And it can take another 3 months before new growth starts to show.

Another factor in female hair loss is excessive dieting or sudden weight loss. Hair requires nutrients to grow just as any other part of the body does, What we eat can not only affect how shiny and healthy our hair appears, but also hair loss. Whilst men can suffer hair loss from similar weight loss, women tend to be more involved with extreme diets than men.

Female hair loss can also be an indicator of a medical condition, such as an underactive thyroid gland, diabetes, anemia, and PCOS. It's a good idea to get these possible issued ruled out by a doctor first. If they are at the root of the hair loss problem, no amount of hair loss medications or topical treatments or hair vitamins is going to stop hair loss until that is treated.

Hair loss that is caused by physical or emotional stress generally resolves itself when the stressor is dealt with, without any female hair loss treatment. But because of the hair's growth cycles, it can take 6 months before any improvement is noticed.

Female Hair Loss: Finding a Hair Loss Solution

As a female, if you are facing thinning and losing hair, you are probably pretty stressed by it.  However, you will not be worrying and causing more hair to drop once you understand some facts about female hair loss.

You see, in many cases, female hair loss is just a temporary occurance and hence, finding a hair loss solution to it is relatively easy.

Androgenetic alopecia is the hereditary form of baldness that affects 50 percent of men, and some women after 40. Female hair loss usually starts after menopause although it can begin earlier. The main reason for this is that estrogen levels decline. Hormonal changes cause hair to thin.

It is comforting to note that other than androgenetic alopecia, the most common cause of hair loss in women, is a result of metabolic and hormonal changes.  Thus, the hair loss is usually temporary.  Also, unlike men, women rarely become totally bald.  However, what females generally experience is the thinning of their hair.

For example, in the case of pregnancy, hair loss is temporary and should stop about 6 months after birth. When a woman is pregnant, a large amount of oestrogen is produced causing the hair follicles to go into their growth phase. Once the baby is born, the woman’s hormonal balance is restored.  The reverse now happens with the hair follicles going into a hair loss phase.  While nothing much can be done to prevent hair loss during this period, applying hair tonic to hasten hair re-growth can be a helpful solution.  

Crash diets leading to rapid weight loss over a short period of time prompts excessive hair loss.

Physical and emotional stress can cause hair loss but this usually only occurs after a prolonged period of time and in extreme cases.
Once stress levels are restored to normal levels, hair loss should stop.  Thus, a good hair loss solution is to find ways to reduce stress!

Certain drugs can also cause hair to shed. The most common medical treatment that causes hair loss is chemotherapy. The drug medication attacks the hair cells, causing hair loss from the scalp. Certain prescription drugs (for thyroid hormone deficiency, diabetes and lupus) and dieting supplements are also causes of hair loss.  Once these drug medications are stopped, the hair loss problem should disappear.

Other stresses to the hair may include frequent dyeing and chemicals eg. perming solutions applied to the hair. Generally, healthy hair can undergo these treatments without showing signs of stress, if they are not done too often.  But if hair is not allowed a chance to recover from the constant application of hair chemicals, then it becomes brittle and starts to break off.  Hair loss treatment products to help strengthen the follicles should help when applied to the scalp.

Once you understand what is happening to your hair, then seek out the right hair loss solution.  In most cases, if the cause is temporary, then you can be assured that your problem will pass with the right remedy actions.  However, for the more serious cases, do seek the professional help of a licensed dermatologist for a complete diagnosis and treatment plan.

Female Hair Loss Treatment

Hair loss is a common problem amongst all the men and women. Many of the women of our society are facing the problems of hair fall and even going almost bald. The cause may be any but sometime it affects the confidence of women more in comparison to their male counterparts. Hair of a woman is the important asset to make her healthy and gorgeous. For many of the women hair problems are not only a biological setbacks but a part of self-esteem too.

The root cause of hair loss in women is not genetic but it is related to several other metabolic problems like, pregnancy, stress, chemotherapy, crash diets / anorexia, thyroid hormone deficiency, major surgery, sever infection or high fever. Hair loss in female due to above mentioned factors is normally temporary, so if you are facing hair loss and at the same time going through any of the above mentioned ‘trauma’, don’t be panic, keep patience, take prescriptions and precautions and after all a diet rich in proteins, vitamins and minerals. Definitely your hair will grow again and as healthy as before.

The pattern of hair loss in females is completely different from males. While males go bald, the baldness in females is rare. The normally occurring pattern of hair loss in females are found as thinning and lessening in shaft hair diameter around the forehead and crown of the scalp. The pattern is more to be found in females in the forties. This pattern may also found in the females with the beginning of menopause. According to clinical trial and statistics, about 13 percent of females experience hair problems before menopause while this number is alarmingly high, about 37% for post menopause.

As a female grew old, the intensity and level of a hormone called Estrogen drops in her body. The estrogens blocks the steroid hormone pre menopause, which results in low level of DHT.  Post menopause the level of DHT in females rises and some time it is so high that it causes hair problems.

Amongst commonly occurring post menopause hair problems are decline in hair growth, thinning of hair and general effluvium. As a female enters into her 80’s, the follicle shrinks completely and hair growth stops.

The very reason of hair problems in women after post menopause is the reduction of estrogen in the body. The different estrogen opposes androgens and makes themselves unavailable for the cells, by blocking androgen receptors.

Opposing estrogens reduces heavily at onset of menopause but androgens remain available to the hair follicle and stem cell that is converted to DHT.

Major Causes of Hair Loss in Females

The most common type hair problems diagnosed in females is Androgenetic alopecia inherited. However, this is most common cause of hair problems in males as well.  Androgenic alopecia in females is seen as hair thinning which means the number of hair on female head heavily reduces. Since the reason of hair loss varies individual to individual and hence proper medical help is of utmost importance.

Some other common causes of hair problems of females are mentioned here:

1.Alopecia areata- This is patchy loss of hair from the scalp. Sometime eyebrows and other hair bearing parts begin losing hair. This type of hair loss is considered to be due to autoimmune.

2.Traction alopecia- This type of hair loss occurs because of continuous traction pressure on hair follicles. Sometime this may occur because of tight braiding or corn – rowing of hair.

3.Trichtotillomania- This type is supposed to be cause of stress or result of some other psychological disorder.

4.Telogen effluvium- This is associated with poor nutrition, drugs and stress.

5.Loose anagen syndrome- This disease is more common in fair haired ladies. This is the situation in which bunch of hairs drops down while combing, shampooing, etc. Normally the scalp hair comes out very easily and this lessens the hair density on your head.

6.Triangular alopecia- In this situation hair around temples lost.

7.Scarring alopecia- This type of hair loss in females is caused, when one goes through some type of physical trauma etc. Sometime traction alopecia introduce to scarring alopecia

Best Hair Loss ProductsSo if you are a female and suffering with hair loss problems, go for professional medical help, take a diet rich in nutrition and prevent hair loss.

Causes And Treatment For Hair Loss

On average, people lose about 10% of their hair during a resting phase. Then after about three months, resting hair falls out and new hair begins to grow. The phase of new growing hair typically lasts anywhere from two to six years with hair growing about one-half to one-inch per month. The interesting thing is that as much as 90% of hair on your head is growing at any given time.

Shedding hair is a normal process. In fact, on a normal day, you would lose about 100 hairs although more if you were actually going through significant hair loss. Now, hair loss is usually associated with men but women can also go through hair loss. The cause of excessive hair loss could be a number of things. For starters, if you have undergone major surgery or illness, you might lose more hair for the following three months than you normally do because of stress.

Another common cause of excessive hair loss is due to hormonal changes within the body. This in itself could be from several things such as having a baby, dealing with an under or overly active thyroid, having estrogen or androgens out of balance, and so on. Then, certain types of drugs can also cause hair loss. In this case, once the medication is stopped, the excessive hair loss usually stops as well. The most common culprits include blood thinners, chemotherapy, excessive vitamin A, antidepressants, gout medication, and birth control pills.

Then, if you have a fungal infection of the scalp, you might also find your hair falling out more than usual. Finally, underlying disease can also be a challenge. For instance, if you are living with something such as diabetes, lupus, or another autoimmune disease, excessive hair loss is common. Remember, by taking the right medication to treat the problem, hair growth generally returns to normal.

Although some types of hair loss are genetic, you can also do a few things to help slow down or stop the process. For starters, avoid wearing your hair in cornrows, ponytails, or hot rollers, which tend to pull and stretch hair to the point of breakage. In addition, if hair follicles should become inflamed, excessive hair loss may occur. In this case, having your hair permed, colored, or treated with hot oil could be damaging. The key here is to only, have a professional work on your hair, using professional and safe products.

If the hair loss is extreme and you have tried everything you know from eating healthy to using good hair care products but nothing is working, you might visit with your doctor. First, he or she will look at what is going on with your body to see if medication, infection, or illness could be the problem. If not, blood work may be performed to look further at a possible cause. In some cases, your doctor may prescribe certain medication such as hormones for an imbalance or antibiotics for an infection. Other than that, you will find a number of excellent products now on the market that can help maintain the current amount of hair and in some cases, help with regrowth.

Can Too Little Protein Cause Hair Loss?

Hair usually grows about half an inch per month, although this slows as you age. Each hair remains on your head for two to six years, and during most of this time is continually growing.

But many factors can disrupt this cycle. The result can be that your hair falls out early or isn't replaced.

A new discovery has been made in finding out what actually causes hair loss, namely: the hardening of collagen. Persons who do not suffer from hair loss have supple collagen and persons who begin showing signs of hair loss have hardened collagen. Collagen hardening interferes with the healthy functioning of the hair roots. The vital exchange process of the hair follicle cycle is disrupted and the hair becomes suffocated.

But What Causes Hair Loss?

Diet: Too little protein in your diet can lead to hair shedding. So can too little iron. Bottom line: Too strenuous dieting can result in hair loss! If you want to lose weight, do it the sensible way, especially if you have a hair thinning/loss problem to begin with.

Childbirth: Some women lose large amounts of hair within two to three months after delivery.

Hot Tips!

One great tip is after washing your hair, dry it in whatever manner you normally do. Then turn your head upside down, give your head a vigorous shake, and once back in a standing position, either "place" your hair using your fingers, rather than a brush or comb. You can also use a hair pick to style your hair. The upside down, shaking, also gives a great deal of fullness to otherwise flat looking thin hair. You'd be amazed at how creative you can be with your fingers without pulling at the root of the hair!

To protect hair, the best practice is to shampoo only when hair is dirty. Because fine hair gets dirty faster, people with fine-textured hair need to shampoo more frequently -- even though fine hair breaks more easily.

For that reason, fine-textured hair benefits from a good shampoo and volume-building conditioner

Can Female Hair Loss Make Me Totally Bald?

View the pattern that affects women only. Loss of female hair is not the same as male hair loss determined by heredity. Female hair loss is temporary and is seldom an advance warning of baldness. Transient loss of hair should not, however, be ignored. It is possible for a woman to suffer from hormonal hair loss leading to baldness.

Some of the most common causes are:

1. Pregnancy
2. Severe emotional stress
3. Under medical treatment
4. Hormonal hair loss
Is there a relationship between hair loss and menopause?

The most common cause of hair loss is low thyroid function, which is common among menopausal women.

Other causes include, but are not limited to: changes in hormone levels, increased testosterone, increased stress, which can either be physical stress, or emotional stress, various medications, scalp/dermatological issues and heredity.

Any time sudden hair loss is experienced, one must consider events which took place up to three months prior to the hair loss, as factors affecting hair loss can often take up to three months to have an effect, i.e., were you diagnosed with something new in the past few months? Did you start taking medication during the past few months? Did you go through a traumatic experience. Subsequently, any treatments for hair loss should be given at least three months to have noticeable effects.

There are of course various ways to solve hair problems, such as:

1. Wig / toupe
2. Hair-weaving (weaving in extra hair)
3. Hair transplant
4. Cosmetic hair treatment courses
5. Therapy

There are only a few products available worldwide which have been conclusively proven to combat hair loss. They are Aminexil, Alopesan 400, Maxilène, Minoxidil and Finasteride. It’s very important for you as a consumer to know this if you are thinking of taking steps to combat your hair loss. Rogaine is another one of the more popular brand names in the hair loss industry.

Balding Solution for Men and Women

Androgenetic alopecia (male and female pattern balding) is by far the most common cause of hair loss amongst men and a serious problem for many women. There are three important components which are responsible for both female and male balding:

1. A genetic predisposition for balding to occur.

2. Excessive presence of male hormones.

3. Aging - enough time for the first two factors to occur.

Both men and women produce male hormones that have a useful role to play in both sexes; but the fact that androgens occur in much higher concentrations in men explains why male pattern baldness is more common than the female balding.

DHT the root cause of hair loss
It is metabolism of male hormones (androgen/testosterone) which is main cause of hair loss and male and female pattern balding both in men and women.

The metabolism of androgen involves an enzyme called 5 alpha reductase which combines with the hormone (testosterone) and converts it to DHT (Dihydro-testosterone). DHT is a natural metabolite of our body.

The cause of male and female pattern balding
Some individuals, both men and women, are genetically pre-disposed to produce more DHT than the normal individuals. It is this accumulation of DHT and its effect on the cells inside the hair follicle and root which is one of the primary causes of male and female pattern balding.

When DHT gets into the hair follicle and root, especially a region called the dermal papilla, it changes the cell' activity and prevents necessary proteins, vitamins and minerals from providing nourishment needed to sustain life in the hairs of those follicles. Consequently, hair follicles are reproduced at a much slower rate. This shortens their growing stage (anagen phase) and or lengthens their resting stage (telogen phase) of the follicle. DHT also causes hair follicle to shrink and get progressively smaller and finer. This process is known as miniaturization and causes the hair to ultimately fall. DHT induced androgenetic aloepcia is responsible for 95% of all hair loss.

Blocking the synthesis of DHT at the molecular level forms the basis for the treatment of MPHL (male pattern hair loss) and FPHL (female pattern hair loss). There are many natural DHT blockers and a number of drugs which are used for medical hair restoration.