Hair Loss Prevention for Women

Although becoming bald is considered a man’s problem, many women also suffer from hair loss. According to the American Hair Loss Association, women make up 40%of all the people that suffer bald patches or receding hairlines. Although there are several different types of baldness in women, there are things a woman can do to help keep her hair.

Wise Use of Oral Contraceptives

Contraceptive pills contain hormones that may interfere with hair growth or hair strength. The American Hair Loss Association recommends using the lowest does possible in order to the contraceptives to work. Some women do not take oral contraceptives for birth control, but are prescribed them by their doctors for acne, endometriosis (an excessive growth of uterus tissues) and polycystic ovarian syndrome. But not all women that take oral contraceptives will experience hair loss.

Wise Use of Styling Products

Although they give hair the look women desire, styling products contain harsh chemicals like can weaken the hair over time. Relaxers are the worst products women can use regularly and will often leave a woman with bald or thinning patches. Blow drying on high more than once a week may also damage hair and the follicle roots. The National Institutes of Health also caution against shampooing and conditioning the hair more than once a day.

Wise Use of Hair Accessories

There is one type of women’s hair loss that is completely preventable – traction alopecia. This means that the constant pulling on the roots of the hair from tightly bound hair in ponytails, rubber bands or braids can damage the follicle roots, making it difficult for new hair to grow to replace dead strands of hair. The average person loses between 50 and 100 strands a day. Women should only wear these tight hairstyles infrequently.

Stress Management

Stress also plays a key factor into women’s baldness. When the body is under severe illness or experiencing a trauma like childbirth or chemotherapy, the body stops circulating nutrients to the skin and hair in order to save energy for vital organs. But the hair should come back a few months after the traumatic event. Women need to learn how to manage their day to day stressors through non-chemical means like meditation or light exercise in order to keep the stress hormone cortisol at normal levels in the body.