This is why your hair is shedding (Part One )

If you're like most women persistent hair shedding can really do a number on your mood.  What plays with our minds more than anything is not knowing what's causing the shedding.  I've come across  many women who are freaking out due to hair shedding.  I hear questions like: "Is this normal?" Or statements like "I have tried everything", or  "hair comes out every time I touch it".    The first step to understanding  why your hair is shedding, is to understand YOUR hair.    What I have found is that most women don't understand the natural cycles and course of their hair.  In my line of work I've seen  all kinds of scenarios when it comes to hair shed.   I've detangled and manipulated hair that releases as little as 10 strands to a pile that is big enough to make a small wig! No joke.  In every situation there were specific factors related to that person resulting in how much hair was shed.  So you should never look at how much hair someone else is loosing during manipulation verses how much hair you are losing.

First understand that all of us have hair growth cycles and stages that our hair goes through,  and we can all be in different stages of the cycle.  As well as the seasons our cycles fall in.  Becoming familiar with you hair will help you know your shedding season.  Just in case you have never seen the chart of these different growth cycles here is the image below:

I'm not going to go into  detail about each phase.   As the chart indicates,  Anagen is the growth phase, Catagen is where the strand is resting, Telogen is resting and shedding.  There's also another phase not shown here called Exogen where the hair strand is dormant before it returns to Anagen.  

How long your hair strands stay in each phase is determined by your genetics.  For this post we will only talk about the Telogen phase as it pertains to our topic on shedding.   One thing you should remember:  It is natural for your hair to shed.  Some women believe  if they see any shed hair that something must be wrong.  This is not always the case.  Don't stress yourselves out, it is  normal to see some shedding. (Note: If you don't see the bulb of the hair strand, and the pieces are short its breakage not shedding) With Telogen  shedding its important to know when you hair is going through its season. On average it has been reported that most people are in this phase during the late summer and early fall months. So this phase can last as long as 4 months for some.  You most definitely can pinpoint which season you are in during  the Telogen phase if you are use to caring for your own hair on a regular basis.  Pay attention to the times your hair overall tends to  release more than the estimated 50-100 strands a day standard.   My Telogen phase is during the Fall.  I know this because before I starting locking my hair, I cared for my own hair 100% of the time.  My regimen was deliberate and consistent, and I pay attention to the characteristics of my hair year in and year out. This principal will help you pinpoint the reason behind most hair issues, and help you find a solution  before its too late.  If you have a stylist who you trust with your regular maintenance, ask him/her to help you keep track.   

Other factors that can contribute to your hair shedding: 

• Hormones
• Damage
• Low protein diets
• Stress
• Thyroid disorders
• Anemia 

In Part Two of  This is why your hair is my hair shedding I will elaborate on some of  the above factors that could be the result of your hair shed.  I will also point out what you can do to prevent or minimize abnormal shedding.   

Have you ever had a hard time figuring out why your hair was shedding, and finally figured it out? If so, please share the cause and if you were able to remedy it. We would love to hear from you! 

Well, Until Next time for Part Two of: This is Why your Hair is Shedding...Part two! 

Want to Re-Grow your Hair?

I often run into women who have experienced extreme breakage and damaged to their hair and scalp. The biggest culprit for these women is hair that has been ripped out due to tight weaves and braids. Others suffer from breakage due to hormonal issues, chemicals, side effects from medication,or horrible hair care practices.

Traction Alopeica

  Whatever the cause of hair loss it can catapult you into an overly anxious state!  

Result of tight braids

If you want to stop the breakage and balding cycle the first thing to do is to identify what could be causing your problem. And stop it! Yeah, I know if it were that easy to figure out you probably would not be reading this post. But I have found when we slow down and think about our hair care practices we can figure out what is causing the breakage or hair loss. You can identify the cause, reverse it, and get your healthy hair back! 

Healthy Growth

Below are some tips to re-grow damaged broken hair: 

First identify the cause of your breakage or stunted growth: Frequent heat styling, poor diet, chemicals,dry hair,rough detangling, tight weaves and braids can all be the culprit of your broken damaged hair.  If you want your hair to stop breaking and you are currently doing any of the above things you need to stop asap!  ( I don't know any other way to say it ) Hormones or medication can also be culprits and a lot trickier to adjust. If you are on medication please research all of the possible side effects of your medication to find out if it could be causing hair loss. Only you and your doctor can decide if its something that you can refrain from taking. If medication is the cause you could have a harder fight but its not impossible, you learn what you're dealing with, and adjusting your diet and hair care regimen can definitely help lesson those side effects! 

 If your hair is dry and breaking it will not retain length. If you are constantly wearing styles that pull at your hair follicles aka too tight styles, your already weak hair will continue to break.  I know many women run to braids and weaves when their hair is not "acting right"  and that is the last thing they should do. 

Do frequent strengthening and deep conditioning  treatments on your hair to increase the integrity of your strands. You can use several different treatments like Protein, Fenugreek seed powder, Henna, and deep moisturizing treatments to stop breakage and strengthen your hair. 

If you wear weaves and braids. Don't wear weaves or braids while you are trying to re-grow your hair. Hair that is already weak does not need anything pulling on it and adding additional tension. Get your hair in a healthy state first. The best protective style to wear while doing this are natural styles with your own hair, if its not too severely broken to do so, or wear wigs. These styles offer the least amount of tension. 

Get a consistent hair care regimen, It has been proven, our hair responds to consistency! This is probably the best advice that I can give you.  Please resist the urge to jump from product to product and switching up every time some new trend or miracle growth product  enters the market. Stick to a simple regimen of  cleansing, deep conditioning, moisturizing, and protecting. You will also want to add to your regimen a monthly strengthening session( for example Henna, Protein  treatments, and other Ayurvedic treatments)  You should also add frequent scalp massages with stimulating growth oils like Rosemary, lavender, Bhringrachj, or Vatkia oil. Keep your manipulation low,  be consistent!

Patience is a must, once we decide to change our regimen make all the right choices we want to see results like the same day! It reminds me of how quickly we like to see weight come off after a couple days of  healthy eating and exercise. It just doesn't happen that quickly! When trying to re-grow your hair you have to be patient. Keep this in mind, hair typically grows at a 1/4 inch to 1/2 an inch per month.  If you are doing everything right and your follicles are producing hair the way they should you're gonna have to wait atleast 1 to 2 months before you see ANY noticeable growth. So don't watch the pot boil. Just be consistent with your regimen and the growth will come. 

*This topic of hair loss and  regrowing hair is diverse. There are many scenarios that can be addressed. For the sake of time I've only addressed the most common causes of hair loss and possible solutions. If you feel your situation  is beyond what I've mention, for example Alopecia Areta or severe Traction Alopecia you will need to see a Dermatologist or a Tricologist.  These are doctors with specific medical training in this area. They should be able to cut to the chase, and let you know if your hair follicles will re produce hair. 

Well until next time, keep it happy and healthy!!