Hair loss prevention

At some point in your life, you will notice hair loss. You might notice you’re shedding more hair than normal; your hair is thinning, your hairline is receding or maybe you’ve noticed a bald patch but one way or another, you’ll realise you’re losing hair.

Hair loss is something that scares most people because you automatically think the worse. One thing to remember is hair loss isn’t always permanent and for some, there will be a cure to stop it and for others, treatments to help restore the appearance of hair loss. It’s important to visit a hair loss expert to diagnose the reason for your hair loss before trying to treat it.

We’ve got a few tips and tricks to try and prevent you losing your hair.

Finding the cause of your hair loss

As mentioned above, not all hair loss is permanent and for some trying to find a treatment isn’t necessary. It is very important to visit your GP or a hair loss expert to find the route of your hair loss before deciding to look at treatments and preventions.

Hair loss that is not permanent includes stress related hair loss, post pregnancy hair loss and hair loss due to hormonal changes. These forms of hair loss will stop and your normal hair growth cycle will resume in time.

A good diet

Your diet can affect the health of your hair and eating a balanced diet is vital if you want to ensure your hair is healthy. Different nutrients and vitamins which you can consume via your diet give your body and hair what is needed to remain healthy.

You should ensure your diet includes vital vitamins such as Vitamin B, A and C as well as protein and Omega-3 acid, potassium, magnesium, iron and calcium. These can be found in everyday foods such as egg, spinach, leafy greens, salmon, sweet potato and chicken. If you believe your diet is lacking something you could also look into supplements. A balanced diet that is catered towards your hair can keep it strong and healthy.

Try not to get too stressed

Getting too stressed can cause alopecia areata – a short term hair loss condition. This can cause discreet spots of hair loss. The hair will grow back over time, engaging in relaxing activities and reducing causes of stress can help to prevent hair loss.

Sensible lifestyle changes

There are a few different lifestyle factors that can have an impact on your hair and other aspects of your life and making a few simple and sensible changes could improve the health of your hair and in turn, prevent future hair loss.

It is thought that smoking can cause hair loss by restricting blood flow to the scalp and increasing hormone production which can over time damage follicles and contribute to hair loss. Research has shown that there is a strong correlation between smoking and male pattern baldness, the most common form of men’s hair loss. If you’re a smoker, cutting down or giving up all together could prevent future hair loss.

Giving up drinking. Well, cutting down at least. There is no direct link between hair loss and exceeding the recommended units of alcohol. However, several of the side effects related to heavy drinking can have an impact on hair loss. The dehydration and lack of minerals that happens after a heavy night of drinking could over time affect your hair loss. If you’re a regular drinker, it could be an idea to cut your drinking down.

Take supplements

There are certain hair loss supplements that can help support optimal hair growth and condition; protein supplements from quality sources and vitamin formulations containing biotin can help as part of a healthy balanced diet. Vitamin and mineral supplements could help minimise any genetic hair loss. The supplements can be taken either individually or as a normal multi-vitamin formulation depending on your personal preference requirements.

A good hair care routine

A good hair care routine early on in life could help to prevent hair loss in the future. We all know certain things aren’t great for our hair – but we do them regardless.

Using natural yet moisturising products such as coconut oil as part of your daily routine can also help keep the hair healthy and less prone to breakage.

So, to avoid hair loss, try having your hair down or in a loose style. We also recommend that you do not wear your hair in tight hairstyles, such as a high ponytail or braids, on a regular basis as this can cause hair loss in the form of traction alopecia. Mix things up and have your hair down and natural when possible.

Avoid damaging your hair

Your hair can get damaged easily through many everyday activities, such as heat from blow drying your hair, brushing roughly or even towel drying your hair. You should be gentle when brushing and towel drying your hair to try and avoid breaking it. It is also important to keep heat tools to a minimum – and if you do use them, to use a heat protector. It is also important to be careful when using a heat tool as a burnt scalp can permanently damage the hair follicles

Avoid dying your hair, or using bleach

Frequent use of hair colouring chemicals can cause damage to your hair, it is recommended to never dye your hair more often that every 4 to 6 weeks. Bleaching your hair removes the natural pigment and by doing so this changes the structure of your hair, making it prone to damage as it is weaker.

If you would like more information on hair loss, please contact us today for a no obligation consultation.