What Are the Causes of Hair Loss in Women and What Can Be Done About It?

The causes of hair loss in women can be many and varied, and while there is probably not one fits all solution, there are certain things you can do to halt the hair loss and potentially even grow back hair. But, before we look at solutions we first have to know what is causing the hair loss.

One of the first things to do though is check if you are really losing hair or of just more hair than normal is coming out during the resting phase, and the way to do this is by performing the tug test. The tug test is done by taking 20 or so strands of hair between thumb and forefinger and pulling them slowly but firmly and if you have more than six come out then you are in fact losing hair. Now we need to work out if it is lifestyle or genes causing the hair loss.

The reason I say lifestyle is because a lot of people lose hair down to being stressed; this occurs because stress actually releases a chemical in the body similar to the way the fight or flight effected us when we needed it for survival. The problem now though is that this stress can be constant and yet there is no real outlet for it as its not as if you can run away from work or fight your boss, however much you feel like it. If you find yourself in this situation then you need to look at a way of releasing that stress from your body.

Another area that can cause hair loss in women is poor diet. The hair needs vitamins and minerals for it to stay healthy and if you are lacking in those, particularly vitamins B6 and B7 then you will find you hair falling out. In fact if you are deficient in B7 which is also known as biotin then you will likely lose eyebrows and eyelashes too.

The final area that can cause hair loss in women is if they are genetically conditioned to it. This happens when free testosterone in the body combines with an enzyme called 5 alpha reductase and creates DHT; DHT then attaches to the follicle and thins the hair out until the follicle dies. Some women will not experience this until after the menopause as once they stop producing as much estrogen they have more free testosterone in their bloodstream and hair loss starts, while other can suffer from it from an early age.

The options for treating hair loss in women have not been that good as normally treatment is aimed at men. While this should come as no surprise because there are more bald men than women, it is fairly common in women with about 1 in 4 suffering. Research is now showing though that a combination of vitamins, minerals and herbs can stop hair loss and encourage regrowth, and this is whether the hair has been lost through stress, diet or genes.