Female Hair Loss Tips
Read these 10 Female Hair Loss Tips tips to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Hair tips and hundreds of other topics.
Hair Loss Product
What can you do when your hair begins to thin…besides scream? Many women seek special hair loss treatment such as a protein-based shampoo. This hair loss product is specially formulated to make your hair thicker and fuller.
The product removes build-up of sebum and other elements that make your hair look thin, weak, and limp. After being rinsed out, this hair loss treatment leaves a significant micro-infusion of hair-thickening proteins. The more you use it, the thicker your hair will look.
Hair Loss Treatment
Rogaine is not just for men—it's actually a popular hair loss treatment for women as well.
How well does Rogaine work? In clinical studies of mostly white females aged 18-45 years with mild to moderate degrees of hair loss, 19% reported moderate hair regrowth after using Rogaine for 8 months. Seven percent of women reported moderate hair regrowth after using a placebo (the liquid without the active ingredient in it) for 8 months. Wouldn't you hate to be in the placebo group? I'd feel cheated.
Causes of Female Hair Loss
The causes of female hair loss are legion. It's somewhat rare, but autoimmune diseases can cause patchy hair loss and even the loss of every single hair on the body. Severe fungal infections can cause localized scalp problems, but they are usually easy to spot and treat.
The two most commonly overlooked causes of female hair loss are iron deficiency and thyroid problems. Both of these issues can be confirmed by blood tests and are easy to correct. Hair loss in women often tends to accelerate after menopause and may be slowed with hormone replacement treatment. Another cause is traction alopecia (common in teenagers and young women who use hair straighteners and/or wear their hair in tight ponytails).
Effects of Female Hair Loss
Hair loss can make women really crabby. Seriously though, hair loss in women is not uncommon, yet it's different than hair loss in men.
Women very rarely get bald spots. Instead, female hair loss is usually an overall thinning effect. Such hair loss can make hair styling challenging. More importantly, hair loss can make a woman feel less feminine and can cause depression and even anxiety, i.e., crabby.
If you are a woman suffering from hair loss, don't feel alone—you aren't. If you feel overly depressed it's a good idea to talk to a professional or to find a support group online.
Product for Women with Thinning Hair
Women are more disturbed by thinning hair than men tend to be and, even though there are products out there for women with this problem, they were created as an after thought by many of these companies.
Paul Mitchell company has produced a Rogaine Professional Treatment Kit for women (it is available at salons that carry his products). If this is your concern, look for a salon that carries the products and speak with a professional.
Results with Hair Loss Product
Women with alopecia androgenetica (thinning hair) may need to use a hair loss product such as Rogaine for Women twice daily for at least 4 months before seeing results.
Continued use for up to 8 months may be needed to achieve best results.
*The amount of hair regrowth varies with each person. If you do not see any response to a hair loss treatment after 4 months, stop use and see your doctor.
Female Hair Loss After Menopause
As if hot flashes and weight gain weren't enough, about half of all women experience some hair loss during menopause. Two-thirds of post-menopausal women are confronted with thinning hair or bald spots.
A dramatic slowdown in the production of estrogen is the culprit for hair loss in women. Before menopause, the high amounts of estrogen in a woman's system protect her from the small amount of testosterone she produces. After menopause the testosterone produced combines with the enzyme 5 alpha reductase to create the hormone DHT which is responsible for female pattern baldness. Reading that should give you another hot flash.
Normal Hair Loss
YIKES! Your hair's falling out—or so you think. Many women are traumatized by what they believe to be excessive hair loss. Every day, the average woman sheds up to 200 hairs out of the 150,000 on her scalp. These are the hairs that fall out when you wash, towel dry, or brush your hair.
The hairs on your scalp exist in one of three phases: a growing phase, a static phase and a shedding phase. About 10% of your scalp will be in a shedding phase at any one time, which can lead some uninformed women to worry about female hair loss. Consider yourself informed.
Common Hair Loss
Just like with about everything else, blame genetics. A genetically inherited, hormone-related condition called alopecia androgenetica causes generalized thinning of hair in women. It is the most common cause of women's hair loss.
It's hard to predict who will be affected because this type of hair loss can be inherited from either parent and often skips a generation. Female hair loss affects as many as one in three women between the ages of 20 and 60. An estimated 30 million women in the United States have pattern baldness, and about 40 percent of women show visible signs by age 40. Sounds grim? Don't do the guy thing and start shaving your head. There are products that can help.
Haircut for Hair Loss
If you are trying to minimize the effects of hair loss, cut your hair in short layers. Thinning hair looks best shorter and layered (since the style adds fullness and body).
If your hair is thinning, use soft brushes instead of combs and avoid hair spray. Use a good mousse or soft gel hair loss product after washing to give your hair additional body without harming it.
*It's best to alternate shampoos, switching at least once a month.
