Every individual is different, there are many reasons why you may be experiencing hair loss. Read below to help investigate the source of your hairloss. Also read my post on “Shedding? or Breakage?” to determine what type of hairloss you have.
TRAUMA
Hairloss due to physical trauma is the most obvious source of hairloss. If you have suffered a freak accident or traumatic situation (physical altercation, assaulted, etc.) this of course is the reason for you hairloss. If you’ve been wearing tight damaging hair styles (braided extensions, sewn in weaves, wigs, ponytails) causing traction alopecia, or applying chemicals to your scalp, you should stop doing this or you will continue to experience hairloss.
SURGERY
Recent major surgery can cause Telogen Effluvium – like gastric bypass surgery. This type of effluvium is a temporary and will eventually subside. You can deter the effects (hairloss) by eating a healthy diet, drinking distilled water, and vitamin/herbal supplementation. Please consider the vitamin/herbal supplements listed in here to help prevent/stop your hairloss until you body finishes healing and gets past the shock of major surgery. Again, always consult your physician before starting an oral supplement regimen.
TOXINS
A build up of toxins in the body can definitely cause hairloss, along with skin issues (i.e. acne, itchy rash/bumps). You can easily tell if your body is full of toxins by noting the color & smell of your urine. If your urine is dark and very stinky/pungent, this indicates that your body is full of toxins. Urine (unlike feces) was once a part of the body, it comes from the water and fluid in your tissues (plasma in the blood) which picks up toxins and other substances that were in the tissues/organs/bones/etc. This is why it is common to use urine for testing many things including diseases (i.e. pregnancy, drugs/narcotics, cancer, hormones, kidney function, poisoning, diabetes, etc.) Urine tests aren’t necessarily used as the final diagnosis, more as the initial diagnosis. A doctor may follow up with other testing to get a more detailed view of a patient’s health. Examples: If a urine test shows high amount of glucose – before diagnosing the patient with diabetes or kidney disease – the doctor would order more tests like Comprehensive Diabetes Profile Blood Test. If an employer finds out that drug/narcotic urine tests can be manipulated with supplements purchased online (it’s true), they can now require both urine, blood, and hair samples for more detailed and accurate drug testing.
The body excretes toxins out of the body however it can, thru urine, feces, sweat, and the skin. If you are rampant with toxins the first place you’ll notice is your skin, mainly your face/acne, and your dark stinky urine.
How to Detox:
There are several ways to detox your body. You can use a few of these methods, if you don’t have the means for all. But I highly suggest using all methods listed below.
Drink Distilled Water: Drinking water, period, will cleanse your entire body of toxins. The plasma in your blood is water, and blood circulates all over your body (organs, tissue, bones, brain, etc.) sending nutrients/oxygen/hydration to your tissues. For detox purposes, drinking distilled water is best. Distilled water leaches toxins out of your system much better because it doesn’t contain any added minerals like bottled spring water. If you switch to drinking distilled water, instead of bottled spring water, you’ll notice a significant weight loss after 6 months because it flushes the toxins from your fat cells! Yes, toxins actually add to your weight, especially if your system is rampant with toxins. Some nutritionists advise against drinking distilled water daily because it leaches needed minerals from your system, you don’t have to worry about this if you’re eating food with healthy salts (i.e. sea salt, pink Himalaya salt), calcium, or taking daily vitamins that contain minerals.
Sweating: Toxins are excreted from the body though sweating. You can sweat naturally by doing intense daily exercise. You can install a sauna in the bathroom. Wear a sauna suit while excising, or around the house for a few hours. Or purchase an infrared sauna blanket and use it daily.
Soaking: Before your shower you can take a hot detox bath by soaking in detoxifying minerals or herbs. I suggest MSM powder and Dead Sea Salt, dissolve an 8 oz cup of each into a tub of hot water then soak in it for at least 45 minutes. This hot bath will also make you sweat which will also force toxins out of your body. While soaking scrub the skin with a loofah, this increases circulation which helps expels more toxins from the body.
Oral Detox Supplements: Oral detox supplements are very effective when taken daily. The best combination is equal amounts of Charcoal, Bentonite Clay, Diatomaceous Earth, and a small scoop of Zeolite. If you prefer not to mix your own powders, you can purchase a readymade combination detox supplement that includes the above minerals. If you need a more intense body detox, you can purchase from a detox program that has 10-Day Detox Kits that you would use once every 60 days, in addition to your daily detox regimen.
Colon Cleansing: Colon cleansing is s huge topic, but I will keep this short. Your colon holds several pounds of waste (up to 20lbs!) in your body. Cleaning your colon helps to excrete toxins that will eventually cause health issues (i.e. allergies, bad skin, melasma patches, rashes, cold/flu, leaky gut, IBS, diverticulitis, colon cancer, etc.) if not removed frequently enough. Healthy Humans are supposed to defecate daily, no exceptions. If you’re not, that’s called constipation and you need to improve your diet and take a daily colon cleansing supplements and probiotics. Also, if your feces is very dark and smells very bad/pungent, this is a sign that you definitely need to change your diet – make sure to include live foods (leafy greens, fruit, etc.) and probiotics supplements in your daily diet. To leanse your colon, in addition to a good diet, you can take colon cleansing tablets, probiotics, and parasite cleanse daily. Please also consider getting a weekly colonic from a local spa in your area, or you can purchase your own machine for home use.
Exfoliating: Dead skin holds many toxins (i.e. dead/live bacteria, drugs/medication remnants, dead white/red blood cells, oils/wax, dead skin mites, dirt/debris, dead/oxidized skin pigment[eumelanin/pheomelanin], etc.). Things that are in the body eventually are pushed up to the skin (skincell turnover is 30 days or more for adults) so if you’re not exfoliating, those toxins just sit there held up against the living/healthy skin underneath the dead layer. And if your body is plagued with toxins it will show up as acne or skin rashes. Chemical exfoliation is the very best method to completely remove all dead skin layers from the face, body, and feet.
STRESS
Stress can significantly impact cortisol levels. While cortisol is a natural stress hormone that helps the body respond to immediate dangers, prolonged or high stress can lead to chronic elevation of cortisol, potentially causing various health issues. Hairloss is only one symptom of stress
Cortisol’s Role: Cortisol, released by the adrenal glands, plays a crucial role in the body’s stress response. It helps mobilize energy, suppress non-essential functions, and regulate inflammation, allowing the body to deal with perceived threats.
Stress and Cortisol: When stressed, the brain triggers the release of cortisol through the sympathetic nervous system, a part of the “fight or flight” response. This short-term surge in cortisol is generally helpful, but chronic stress can keep cortisol levels elevated, leading to various health problems.
Prolonged high cortisol levels can contribute to:
• Hairloss
• Weight gain, especially around the abdomen
• Increased blood pressure and potential for heart disease
• Difficulty sleeping and fatigue
• Irritability and mood disturbances
• Weakened immune system
• Increased risk of chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes
To reduce the negative impact of stress on cortisol levels:
• Regular exercise: Physical activity can help regulate cortisol levels
• Balanced diet: Eating a healthy diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains can support cortisol balance
• Adequate sleep: Getting enough restful sleep is essential for hormone regulation
• Stress reduction techniques: Meditation, deep breathing, or yoga can help calm the nervous system and lower cortisol
• Seek professional help: If stress is overwhelming, consider consulting a therapist or counselor
Cortisol Testing: If you’re currently dealing with a lot of stress, it is safe to assume your cortisol levels are high. To confirm if you have abnormally high cortisol levels you can do so through simple blood/urine testing. Have your blood/urine tested and have the results sent to your primary care physician for advice and treatment. You can save money by purchasing tests online from HealthLabs or PersonalLabs. They both have great pricing, and fast results emailed directly to you and your physician. Don’t have a physician? See a board-certified doctor online thru PersonalLabs TeleHealth
SICKNESS
There are medical conditions, diseases, and sicknesses than can cause hairloss. Some are serious and some aren’t, and a lot are treatable medical conditions. Autoimmune diseases like Alopecia areata is when the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks hair follicles, causing hair loss. Inflammatory & Autoinflammatory disorders in general can cause skin issues and hairloss (i.e. Vitiligo, Alopecia, arthritis, gout, etc.) Inflammation refers to a biological response to stimuli interpreted by the body to have a potentially harmful effect. Inflammation is a normal, healthy response to injury, infections or certain other medical conditions. For example, consider how the area gets red and warm around a splinter − that’s the body’s immune system “attacking” a foreign body. An inflammatory disorder, however, is where the immune system causes inflammation by mistakenly attacking your body’s own cells or tissues. There are a number of ways that our immune system can go wrong and cause inflammation. In a process called “autoimmunity”, our antibodies get directed against our own cells, as in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. An example of a different way our immune system can attack our own tissues is when you have an “autoinflammatory” disease. In that case, cells produce inflammatory chemicals, without the involvement of antibodies, like Gout. SIBO also causes skin issues and hairloss. The skin issues (acne, tiny itchy bump/rash) and hairloss stems from all the toxins the SIBO bacteria is dumping into your system which can be alleviated by detoxing.
If you suspect that you may have any of the above medical/health conditions you can either purchase one of the test at the links above, or go directly to your primary doctor to be tested and have them start treatment for your condition.
VEGETARIAN / VEGAN
If you have become a vegetarian, or have completely removed red meat from your diet you may have noticed over the past year that your hair has been shedding and thinning. This is due to the lack of iron in your diet, iron that would be naturally sourced from eating red meat. Vegetarians usually have to take an oral supplement of iron to ensure they are receiving the proper amount of iron in their diet.
DIET & LIFESTYLE
The food you eat & lifestyle habits can cause hairloss/thinning. Eating too much sugar and refined carbs can breakdown collagen and contributes to chemical toxins in the body causing the hair to shed. Also exposure to ultraviolet light and smoking cigarettes cause collagen to break down
HORMONES
Women who are post-partum, often experience hairloss due to low levels of estrogen. Also women going thru menopause may experience hairloss due to hormonal aging. These female hormones can be regulated thru natural/herbal supplements, please speak with your primary care physician before starting any supplements for post-partum/menopause treatment. DHT (Dihydrotestosterone) plays a vital role in the sexual development of males. DHT promotes prostate growth, sebaceous gland activity, male pattern baldness, and body, facial, and pubic hair growth plays a role in both men and women, including hair growth and development of male and female secondary sexual characteristics. While men experience more pronounced effects related to DHT, such as prostate enlargement and male pattern baldness. Women also have DHT, and having high levels causes conditions like female pattern hair loss and hirsutism (excessive hair growth) Both men and woman can experience male/female pattern hairloss due to elevated levels of DHT.
Testing: If you suspect that you may have elevated levels of DHT, you should have your blood/urine tested and have the results sent to your primary care physician for advice and treatment. You can save money by purchasing tests online from HealthLabs or PersonalLabs. They both have great pricing, and fast results emailed directly to you and your physician. Don’t have a physician? See a board-certified doctor online thru PersonalLabs TeleHealth
VITAMIN DEFICIENTCY
Being deficient in specific vitamins (i.e. iron, vitamin-c, biotin, zinc, amino acids, copper, etc.) can cause hairloss/shedding. If you’re eating a healthy balanced daily diet you shouldn’t be deficient in anything unless an unknown illness/medical condition is causing your body not to absorb or produce specific vitamins that is causing your hairloss. If you suspect that you may have a vitamin deficiency, you should have your blood/urine tested and have the results sent to your primary care physician for advice and treatment. You can save money by purchasing tests online from HealthLabs or PersonalLabs. They both have great pricing, and fast results emailed directly to you and your physician. Don’t have a physician? See a board-certified doctor online thru PersonalLabs Telehealth
ALLERGIES
If you have known allergies to specific ingredient/herbs/etc. make sure you always read the labels on hair products before yo purchase them. Also, no matter what always perform a patch test before regular use of new hair products you’ve purchased. Outside of hair products, you may have allergies to other things, like foods; skincare products; soaps/body wash; fabrics; environmental conditions; municipal water quality, etc. You could also be having a reaction to chemicals in the municipal water to your home due to run-off from a nearby factory, or recent accidentally chemical spill (this is serious and happen more often than you think!). If you suspect you ay have serious allergies, you can have your products tested , and/or have an allergy test done by a physician that specializes in allergy and immunology. If you suspect your water supply has been contaminated with chemicals, you can purchase a simple water quality test kit. If the results shows contamination, please contact the EPA and report this, they will come out and test the local water and also the soil. Until the issue is resolved, I suggest you start purchasing your drinking water and also installing a high-quality whole-house water filtration system.
DAMAGING HAIR PRODUCTS
It’s a known fact that chemical hair products are not good for hair or health. Chemical hair straighteners/relaxers, chemical curly perms (there are different kinds for all Hair Types I-IV)), and chemical hair dyes are horrible for hair health. Chemicals hair dyes are not just bad for hair but for your health, notice pregnant women are advised to stop dying hair until post-partum and not breast feeding. I have even heard how a woman died from having used her favorite haor dye for 20 years. All of the above chemicals reduce the thickness of your hair/mane. All of the above chemicals weaken the hair strands causing breakage. Notice that a woman with chemically straightened/colored/permed/ hair, the untreated roots are ALWAYS thicker than the treated ends. The hair strands become brittle and breaks, slowly over time, or quickly depending on the genetics of the woman’s hair strands to start.
Please examine any hair products that you have been using, new or old. New hair products could be causing your hair to break, due to harsh ingredients listed or unlisted. And old products could be causing your hair to break even if you have used them for years. Manufacturers sometimes change their formulations, for many reasons (i.e. maybe substituting some ingredients with cheaper versions) and products that worked great before suddenly stop working or cause adverse reactions (i.e. allergic reactions, hair breakage, etc.) for their longtime customer. One good example of this is the Mielle brand formulated for curly hair types III-IV. After hearing the bad news I threw away some Mielle products I purchased from Walmart that I never got a chance to use, thank goodness!
