Hair loss is always difficult, but it’s particularly difficult for women. Hair loss can badly affect a woman’s confidence, particularly if that hair loss is rapid and severe.
The good news? In many cases of sudden hair loss in women, the thinning is reversible. Keep reading to find out more about female hair loss. Plus, we’ll tell you the best hair loss treatment for women.
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Symptoms of Sudden Hair Loss in Women
Everyone loses hair as a regular part of the hair growth cycle. It’s normal to lose up to 150 hairs per day! That may sound like a lot, but since we have 90,000 to 150,000 hair follicles on our scalp, those 150 hairs per day aren’t at all noticeable.
In some cases of female hair loss, women begin to lose more than 150 hairs per day, which eventually leads to thinner-looking hair. This is almost always the case with sudden hair loss in women. Sudden hair loss in women may be diffuse. If you notice a widening part or a smaller ponytail, you may have this type of female hair loss. Sometimes sudden hair loss in women is concentrated in certain areas, like the crown or temples.
The most important symptom of sudden hair loss is that it happens quickly. Women who have sudden hair loss sometimes report that their hair comes out by the fistful.
The good news is that women with sudden hair loss do not usually lose all of their hair. However, in some cases, sudden hair loss can be quite noticeable.
What Causes Sudden Hair Loss in Women?
So what causes sudden hair loss in women? Most cases of sudden hair loss in women are caused by telogen effluvium.
Telogen effluvium is the second most common form of female hair loss. Telogen effluvium happens when a stressful event causes actively growing hair strands to stop growing. Around two months after this stressful event occurs, up to 70% of the hair sheds.
8 triggers for telogen effluvium include:
- Childbirth
- Changes in birth control medication
- Medication side effects
- Crash dieting
- Psychological stress
- Surgery
- Accidents (like a car accident)
- Illness
So how do you treat sudden hair loss in women? Unfortunately, if you’re already experiencing sudden female hair loss, there isn’t much you can do to stop the hair loss from running its course. As we said before, telogen effluvium starts when a trigger causes your hair to stop growing. By the time you notice you have hair loss, it’s too late to do anything to prevent the hair from falling out.
However, what you can do is encourage healthy hair growth by taking hair growth supplements like Hairlust Hair Formula Tablets for Women and practicing healthy hair care habits (more on those later).
Other Common Causes of Female Hair Loss
If your hair loss is more gradual than sudden, you may be experiencing a different type of female hair loss. Other types of baldness in women happen because the hair follicles stop growing hair, or the hair that they grow is more brittle and prone to breakage. Baldness in women can also happen from damaging the hair or the hair follicles due to over-styling or chemical treatments.
Causes of female hair loss include:
- Androgenetic Alopecia – Otherwise known as female pattern baldness or hereditary hair loss, this is the most common cause of baldness in women.
- Alopecia Areata - This autoimmune disorder causes patchy hair loss on the scalp.
- Scarring Alopecia – This inflammatory condition destroys the hair follicles, leading to patchy hair loss.
- Tinea Capitis – This fungal infection of the scalp causes hair loss. It is sometimes known as scalp ringworm.
- Hypotrichosis – This is a rare genetic condition that causes hair loss all over the body.
- Traction alopecia – This is a type of hair loss caused by pulling or rubbing on the hair.
- Over-styling – This type of hair loss is due to chemical treatments like hair bleach or relaxers.
- Thyroid Illness – The thyroid produces hormones that control hair growth. When the thyroid isn’t functioning correctly, hair loss can occur.
If you notice hair loss, it’s essential that you visit your GP. Your GP can perform tests and rule out other causes of hair loss like a vitamin deficiency. Only your GP can provide a true diagnosis for the cause of your hair loss.
How Common is Hair Loss in Women?
Most people don’t realize how common female hair loss is. According to some estimates, 50% of all women will experience female hair loss at some point in their lives. So if you’re experiencing female hair loss, you’re certainly not alone!
The most common cause of baldness in women is androgenetic alopecia, otherwise known as female pattern hair loss. This type of female hair loss usually begins between the ages of 12 and 40 years old, though the hair loss is not extreme enough to be noticeable. However, by the age of 65, over 50% of people have noticeable hair loss from androgenetic alopecia.
Total baldness in women is much rarer. One type of baldness in women is called alopecia universalis. Alopecia universalis is similar to alopecia areata, but instead of losing round patches of hair, all the hair is shed. Alopecia universalis affects 1 in 4000 people.
Total baldness in women can also occur due to chemotherapy treatment. The good news is, once treatment is complete, the hair will regrow.
Hair Loss Treatment for Women: Our 8 Top Picks
If you’re experiencing sudden hair loss, what are your treatment options? In general, anything that you can do to encourage healthy hair growth and maintain the hair you have will help. Preventing further breakage is particularly important. Most cases of telogen effluvium will clear up on their own as long as the stressor is removed. However, breakage from poor hair care habits will only exacerbate the situation and make hair look even thinner.
Hair Loss Treatment for Women #1: Focus on Nutrition
Our number one tip for treating baldness in women is to nourish hair from the inside out. Focusing on nutrition will help to encourage your hair follicles to regrow the lost hair.
We recommend taking Hairlust Hair Formula Tablets for Women, which are formulated with ingredients that are clinically proven to support optimal hair growth. Just two tablets per day contain a whopping 5,000 mcg of biotin, plus high levels of zinc, silica, vitamin B12, and amino acids. Plus, they’re made with natural, vegan ingredients.
Hint: if you have a difficult time swallowing pills, we also have Hairlust Hair Formula Gummies for Women!
Hair Loss Treatment for Women #2: Boost Scalp Circulation
Healthy scalps grow healthy hair, so make sure that you’re taking care of yours! Give your scalp a refresh with our Grow Perfect™ Thickening Spray. This nourishing treatment soothes and moisturizes dry and irritated scalps with organic aloe leaf juice, mint oil, cloudberry fruit extract, and olive oil extract. Mint oil also encourages increased blood flow to the scalp, nourishing your hair follicles with all the vitamins and minerals they need for healthy hair growth.
To maximise your results, combine the Grow Perfect™ Thickening Spray with our Scalp Delight™ Scalp Massage Brush. Our Scalp Delight™ Scalp Massage Brush has soft silicone bristles that gently exfoliate the scalp and increase circulation.
Hair Loss Treatment for Women #3: A Healthy Washing Routine
Believe it nor, both under-washing and overwashing your hair can affect the volume, feel, and health of your hair. Overwashing your hair can leave you with dry and brittle hair and a dry itchy scalp. On the other hand, under-washing can cause product and sebum to buildup on both your hair and your scalp. For your hair, this means lank, greasy-looking locks. For your scalp, that means dandruff and clogged hair follicles.
A good rule of thumb is to wash your hair two to three times per week. And never skip conditioning your hair after shampooing! Conditioner helps to moisturize and protect your hair after shampooing.
Also, make sure to use a shampoo and conditioner duo that is formulated to help with hair loss in women. Our Grow Perfect™ Duo is formulated with clinically proven Anagain™ and organic rosemary oil that can prevent further hair thinning!
Hair Loss Treatment for Women #4: Detangle Gently
Another option for treating baldness in women is to be extra careful when detangling wet hair. Hair is most fragile when it’s wet, and if you treat it too roughly, that hair can break off and further worsen hair loss.
We recommend applying a leave-in treatment to wet hair before detangling, like Split Fix™ Hair Oil. This leave-in treatment moisturizes and protects hair with a combination of natural nourishing oils. Then gently comb through hair using a Wet Hair Detangler Brush. This unique silicone brush is designed specifically for use on wet hair. Thanks to its flexible, smooth silicone bristles, the Wet Hair Detangler Brush glides effortlessly through snarls with zero breakage.
Hair Loss Treatment for Women #5: Strengthen From the Outside In
Another way to prevent breakage is by using a strengthening deep conditioning treatment, like our Split Fix™ Hair Mask. This hair mask packs a powerful punch with strengthening and nourishing botanicals like jojoba oil esters that leave your hair soft and more resistant to breakage and thinning. Plus, this mask imbues parched hair with lightweight moisture thanks to its formula that includes organic aloe leaf juice, oat extract, and acai fruit extract. For best results, use one to two times per week.
Tip! Also try the Grow Perfect™ Hair Growth Serum, a hair growth serum with a vegan formula that effectively penetrates the scalp and works deep into the hair follicles to create visibly thicker hair in a short period of time.
Make sure you keep up with your new routine after incorporating new products for hair loss in women. Using the serums for scalp and hair growth usually requires a lot of patience and people tend to discard them a little bit too early, especially when they are not able to see results quickly. If you stop the product too soon, you won’t see the desired results. So as always in life, consistency is key.
Hair Loss Treatment for Women #6: Avoid Hair Loss Triggers
When it comes to treating baldness in women, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure! If you know that certain things, like crash dieting, are triggering your telogen effluvium, it’s a good idea to avoid those triggers. Of course, this is easier said than done! Talk to your GP about the best way to avoid triggering telogen effluvium.
Hair Loss Treatment for Women #7: Stress Management
Since stress can trigger sudden hair loss in women, another hair loss treatment for women is to develop some healthy strategies for coping with stress. Journaling, exercising, meditating, and spending time outdoors can help to reduce stress levels. By reducing stress levels, you can recover more quickly from telogen effluvium or prevent it from happening in the first place.
Hair Loss Treatment for Women #8: Upgrade Your Products
If you use hair styling products, it may be time to upgrade. Since many styling products such as hair spray, wax and dry shampoo use a lot of chemicals that are extremely drying for hair and scalp, which means that it causes breakage and exacerbates hair loss in women.
Instead, switch to Final Touch Hair Spray or Mineral Clay Wax powered by plant organic extracts and natural content. Reducing your exposure to harsh chemicals could be another hair loss treatment for women.
Remember: if you’re experiencing female hair loss, make sure to talk to your GP to rule out any underlying issues. We hope you found this article about baldness in women to be helpful!