Why Is My Hair Thinning and How to Stop It?

Hair shedding is a part of everyday life - you may notice strands of hair clogging your drain or maybe busy sweeping off hair consistently from your room. When you notice that your hair isn’t growing back, or you’re losing them at a faster rate, it can get potentially scary.

While it’s common to lose about 50-100 hair strands a day, more shedding can result in thinning hair. Apart from ageing and genetics, a lot of other factors can contribute to your thinning hair. When it comes to hair thinning, so many potential triggers can be at play.

To break down the possible reasons, here’s everything you need to know.

What may be causing your hair to thin

Hair thinning can result from any of the following reasons:

• Genetics - Androgenetic alopecia is a term that refers to both male and female pattern baldness and, it is caused by genetic or hormonal factors. According to the Genetics Home Reference, the risk of developing androgenetic alopecia rises with age, and many persons with the disorder have family members who also suffer from it. The baldness from this usually affects the crown of the head in women.

• Your diet - Hair thinning can be caused by a lack of iron, biotin, folic acid, and other minerals in your diet since they all assist your follicles to generate hair naturally. The body needs these nutrients to generate new hair strands and maintain healthy hair follicles. It also needs protein and vitamin D, which are vital components of hair and can cause hair loss if deficient.

• Taking too much stress - Stress causes an increase in hormones such as cortisol, which can damage new hair strands that are trying to develop. When stress causes thinning hair, however, people often discover that their hair returns to its regular volume once the stressful circumstance has passed.

• Alopecia areata - Alopecia areata is a disorder that produces circular patches of hair loss on the scalp, as well as thinning of the eyebrows and other places. The hair follicles, however,  are still alive in this autoimmune disease, and the hair can return if treated in a doctor's office.

• Pregnancy - Hair loss can occur during or after pregnancy, and in most cases, the hair regrows without therapy. Many pregnant ladies have this hormonal problem.

• Too much styling - If you subject your hair to too much heat or chemicals, your hair strands and follicles may be damaged, resulting in the thinning of your hair. Using your straighteners or blow dryers too much, or making too many hair colouring appointments may result in hair loss.

• Tying your hair too tight - Whether you're wearing an updo or pulling your hair back into a ponytail for a workout, it can end up pulling on your hair and causing it to break away from the roots, resulting in thin areas over time.

How to stop hair thinning - 11 useful tips

If you’re worried about your hair thinning out too much, try the following useful tips:

• Get a scalp massage - A scalp massage is one of the cheapest ways to try to grow thicker hair. When you shampoo your hair, gently apply pressure with your hands over your scalp to stimulate blood flow, or use a portable scalp massager to exfoliate dead skin cells for even more advantages.

• Check your diet check - Because your body needs vitamins, amino acids, and proteins, include more veggies and proteins in your diet. Adding more fresh herbs and salads to your diet, as well as eating a diet high in protein, biotin, and other vitamins A and D, can help prevent hair loss.

• Try biotin supplements - Biotin, commonly known as vitamin H or B7, is involved in the production of fatty acids in the body, which is necessary for hair growth. If you have a biotin deficit, you may have hair loss, which may be remedied with a biotin supplement. A good option would be the Carmesi 100% Plant-Based Biotin, which is great for improved hair growth and elasticity, and reduced dandruff and hair loss.

• Change your shampoo - You may use an anti-thinning shampoo that adds volume to your hair while also including vitamins and amino acids to help your scalp stay healthy. Either buy an OTC one or look to get one prescribed by a doctor.

• Look into essential oils - Some persons with pattern baldness have had success with lavender oil, and animal study from 2016 backs it up, while human studies are needed to validate its effects. If you decide to try this therapy, be sure to dilute your essential oil with a carrier oil such as almond or coconut oil.

• Try a coconut oil massage - Researchers think that coconut oil can help reduce hair loss from grooming and UV radiation exposure, according to a 2018 assessment of studies. Coconut oil contains lauric acid, which helps to bind protein in hair and prevent it from splitting at the root and strand. Massage coconut oil onto the scalp to improve blood flow and encourage hair renewal.

• Use castor oil - Omega-6 fatty acids, found in castor oil, are a type of important fatty acid that may help promote hair development and decrease inflammation in hair follicles. Castor oil is also known to be a powerful antioxidant with anti-inflammatory qualities. Antioxidants protect the body's healthy cells against free radical damage, a process known as oxidative stress that causes a variety of negative health impacts, including hair loss. You may utilise castor oil by mixing it with a lighter oil or essential oil.

• Use onion juice - Researchers discovered that applying onion juice to the scalp aided hair regeneration in both men and women with patchy alopecia and that roughly 80% of those who used onion juice observed improvements after 6 weeks.

• Buy a heat-protecting serum - To reduce damage from heating products, apply a heat-protecting serum before you attempt to blow dry, straighten or curl your hair. The serum may provide protection from heat damage and prevent your hair from breaking out.

• Try yoga for your stress - Yoga may help with hair loss induced by stress.  Try a few stress-relieving poses and prepare to de-stress and prevent your hair from thinning.

• Opt for laser therapy - Low-level lasers may assist persons with hereditary hair loss and chemotherapy-induced hair loss enhance their hair density, which works by stimulating epidermal cells.

When should you see a doctor?

In most situations, thinning hair is unrelated to general health issues, but if a person is concerned about hair loss or it is affecting their mental health, they should consult a physician. This is especially true if they have recently changed their diet or begun taking supplements.

A doctor may recommend a dermatologist to evaluate the best treatment options for thinning hair.