Facing Hair Loss? Here Are 4 Reasons Why & The Solutions
Haircare is synonymous with skincare. Our scalps are extremely sensitive, and it absorbs product as fast as the skin on the other parts of our body. However, many people tend to ignore the small red flags until it’s too late! Until one day they look down at your shower drain and realize that way too much hair has fallen out.
Hair loss is a common problem, so you shouldn’t beat yourself up over it too much. The good news is that a lot of research has been done to figure out the root cause of hair loss. Among the causes could be chronic stress which disrupts the stem cell regulations below our scalp, your family hereditary, a side-effect of your medication or even hormonal changes due to pregnancy or hyperthyroidism. To
For many, their go-to solution is to seek a hair treatment at some ‘atas’ salon or barber first. Whilst there are no issues with seeking hair professionals, these visits are usually pricey. So, if you want to save yourself from emptying your bank account, check out if any of the reasons apply to you before you swipe that card.
1. Research before spending.
My biggest pet peeve is buying something in haste and then finding out something negative about it later on. If you want to avoid that, do your due diligence even for your hair!
Many people now know that washing your hair daily or slathering conditioner on the top of your head has an adverse effect on your hair’s health. However, we all could further brush up our skills by doing more research on our hair and scalp types. This same energy should also be applied to reading the content labels behind shampoo and conditioner bottles. Haircare and food products have similar marketing tactics; if Diet Coke has more sugar than regular coke, can you really believe every ‘anti-hair fall’ product out there?
All of these tiny facts can really make waves for your hair’s health and improve it for the better. Before you book that expensive hair appointment, try checking out some of the hair tips below and see if that works.
2. Brushing it wrongly.
One of the main culprits of hair loss is brushing your hair too aggressively!
I don’t just mean yanking the brush through your hair (if you’re doing that, please stop) but brushing your hair from the top of your head to the bottom naturally tugs your hair at the very root first. This causes the hair follicles to be more susceptible to breakage. What you should be doing instead, is brushing your hair from the bottom and making your way up.
The next habit to develop is combing your hair before you take a shower. This will help remove any knots or tangles in your hair beforehand, as when your hair is wet, it’s usually a lot harder to untangle a hair knot. In just one try, if you comb your hair before you decide to wet it, you’ll be able to see a much lower amount of hair loss during or after your shower! Also, regularly deep clean your hairbrushes so that you can remove any product build-up that could affect your scalp.
3. Check the ingredients.
Trendy and popular shampoos that are heavily advertised such as Herbal Essences go easy on your bank account, but it really does take a toll on your hair.
Now to clarify, there are many people who can use brands like Sunsilk or Herbal Essences who have healthy hair. However, many also get the short end of the stick and have a terrible experience with it. More often than not, popular or mainstream brands that are cheaper contain sulfates you don’t even need. Some wordings such as Dimethicone, Parabens, Sulfates and more are what you should be watching out for. The best solution here is to always read the ingredient list of shampoos before buying them. Other words to also look out for would be:
There are a lot more chemicals, but best for you to search it up on your own for the full list! Even better, read up on articles or watch YouTube reviews of people with similar hair types to yours to estimate if that brand is compatible with you. Some personal recommendations would be anything from the Shea Moisture brand for wavy to curly hair. However, I have read testimonies that it’s best for thick and curly hair. It’s not that fine-haired folks can’t use this brand, it’s just Shea Moisture has such thick oils, that whoever with thin hair wants to use it should also consider buying a clarifying shampoo to counter the potential product build-up! One can purchase any Shea Moisture product from iHerb, or from a preferred seller like this one on Shopee!
4. Lack of hair care.
There’s never harm in putting in more care for your hair. After all, we’ve started doing it for our skin, so why not the hair that protects our scalp?
One can opt for hair oils to help their hair gain silkiness or health. Organic oils like Root Remedies’ Pomegranate Hair & Scalp Treatment is a 2-in 1 solution. You could either use it specifically for your scalp by massaging it into your scalp, leaving it for 10-20 minutes and then washing your hair. It can also act as a leave-in hair oil; apply some of the oil on the ends of your damp hair and leave it on!
If you prefer other natural and more economical options, coconut and sesame seed oils are great for your hair. If you’d like to use it on its own, just slather it to cover every inch of your hair, and you can leave it on for as many hours as you want. Try not to sleep overnight with it, as you might get the flu the next day. When washing coconut or sesame seed oil out of your hair though, you may need to do a double-wash.
Whether it’s natural hair oils or man-made scalp treatments at salons, both are great choices and you can always do either one. If you can afford it, treat yourself to a scalp treatment at a salon once every 3 months if you have no hair issues, to ensure you have healthy hair and scalp.
5. Medical conditions.
Source: Daily Vanity
If you have tried everything but you still have a flaky scalp or brittle hair, it’s time to go skin deep to figure out what’s going on.
Many salons nowadays are also offering hair scans that enable you to see the health of your scalp in real-time. But for more severe or persistent hair issues, one should try to see a specialist to get a rough idea on what’s going on. Don’t jump the gun just yet, but medical conditions such as alopecia, eczema and more can have hair loss as a side effect. So, it’s always good to rule these out so you can go back to the drawing board.
If you prefer going to a salon first though to see if you can solve your hair issues there, places like Cocodry offer various hair treatment services and scans. All the employees can also inform you on what’s the sitch with your hair, and which treatments would be best for it.
After you have tried most of the suggestions above, and if you’re still experiencing issues, it’s time to let someone else scrutinize your hair loss. Seek a professional’s advice on what to do, and you can slowly go from there on what the next steps are. All in all, do try to remember to not let anyone hard-sell you anything, and you should always seek a second opinion before sealing any deals.
For more hair care tips, check out our article on simple hair care tips for healthier hair and scalp! If you need some tips on how to manage your stress, check out these 10 ways to calm the soul when you’re really stressed out.
