Top 10 Reasons why Women Lose Their Hair

If your hair is thinning or falling out, you are probably anxious to find out why. Is hair loss due to heredity, childbirth, stress or some other factor? Approximately 90% of your hair is growing at any one time, while the other 10% enter a resting phase. Every two to three months the resting hair falls out and allows new hair to grow in its place.
We constantly hear about the challenge of men's hair loss, all of the products they offer, and what they can do about it. However, women struggle through the same problems every day, which I don't believe society is as well aware of. In many situations, the causes are recognizable and treatable, and there are many things that contribute to each. This is a continuing problem, affecting some thirty something million women just in the United States.
Women as early of an age as fifteen and sixteen are finding themselves developing a hair loss challenge, which isn't totally common, but it's not unheard of. Remember- It is so very important to get the right diagnosis from a physician before attempting any form of treatment on your own.
ANDROGENIC ALOPECIA or FEMALE PATTERN BALDNESS Women automatically are born to have a low amount of testosterone, and when that comes in contact with the enzymes in the hair cell, it changes it's make up to an androgen DHT, (dihydrotestosterone) which attaches to receptors low into the hair follicle. This same process repeated overtime causes excessive build-up of DHT in the hair follicle, causing it to shrink, which conflicts with the natural process of growth in the hair itself. Depending on each specific case of androgenic alopecia, some or many of the follicles eventually die and some become unable to produce or maintain normal hair growth. Alopecia can be stress-induced or genetic.
Other Hair Loss Factors:
TEMPORARY HAIR LOSS Even when it's not obtained naturally or genetically, hair loss can occur in any women at any age, majorly depending on what is occurring at that time of the individual's life. Changes in the hair growth can begin following:
-Major changes in diet --Disorders -Malnutrition -A severe infection -Low or too high of vitamin intake -Medications (used to treat: gout, arthritis, depression, heart problems, high blood pressure, or blood thinner.)
After an event such as above, almost ninety percent of growing hair can quickly go all at once into the "shedding" phase anywhere from six weeks to several months after the event occurs.
Other Factors that can contribute to women's hair loss:
Low iron content: Hair requires high levels of regular nutrients for proper development and growth. When women go through the changing process of their menstruation cycles, iron levels are frequently less then desired, and the fundamental mineral is often a contributing cause for hair loss.
Hyperthyroid Disorders: When the body is in crisis, the cells of the hair are able to shut themselves down to put their energy to use somewhere else in the body.
Drinking Alcohol: Excessive drinking affects your diet and vitamin count which has the ability to cause hair loss. There are stress reactions that can promote hair loss after heavy alcohol consumption; the more alcohol intake, the increased amount of stress put on your body. This heavily affects the liver, which is a critical organ within the hormones in your body.
Smoking: Cigarette smoke has a large impact on the hair follicle. Smoke can have up to 4,000 damaging chemicals that can cause hair loss, breakage, dullness, and not to mention a not so great smell. Smoke cancels the flow of an important amount of oxygen and nutrients through your bloodstream, and when hair is denied its proper amount of important nutrition, it promotes unhealthy tresses and breakage. If you're looking for shimmering shine and healthy hair, talk to your physician about quitting smoking immediately for the sake of your hair, and importantly overall health.
Stress: Yes, Stress. They say it isn't stress that kills but it is how you deal with stress that kills. Well, stress can also contribute to hair loss. Our bodies react differently and at times, surprisingly. The dictionary defines stress as a "demand upon physical or mental energy". Stress puts demands on people to perform well above their capacity. Stress happens to all of us, typically each day. Stress can also be related to change.
Hair loss influenced by stress usually occurs after severe stress, such as surgery or illness. This is referred to telogen effluvium. It takes about 6 months to a year to reverse the signs.
Pregnancy: Hair loss that is connected to pregnancy usually occurs after delivery. During pregnancy, an increased number of hairs go into the resting phase, which is part of the normal hair loss cycle. This condition is not serious enough to cause bald spots or permanent hair loss, and should begin to diminish within 3-4 months after delivery. If you feel that you are experiencing unusual hair loss while you are pregnant, this may be due to a vitamin or mineral deficiency.
Christina Jones is a Hair Extension Trainer and Salon Owner. With 12+ years in the industry she has worked with all methods of extensions. She also has a large client base working with all hair types and also working with those that suffer from Alopecia, Chemotherapy, Trichotillomania and other forms of hair loss.
She welcomes questions via email regarding extensions. If you are a certified Stylist or Salon Owner and you would like to inquire about training with Christina Jones please visit http://www.studio-she.com/ or
http://www.mylongtresses.com/