Maintaining thick, lustrous hair as you age is far more complex than you may think!
Here are some ways to maintain healthy hair as you age: · By week 22 a developing foetus has all of its hair follicles formed-around 5 million-that’s it for life! · We do not generate new hair follicles at any time during our lives. · Hair is ‘fed’ by the blood vessels at the base of the follicle giving it the nourishment it needs to grow. · Our scalps expand as we grow. · Hair on the scalp grows about .3 to.4mm/day. · Hair is shed at a rate of 80-100 hairs each day. · Human hair growth is not seasonal or cyclical-at any time a number of hairs will be in one of three stages of growth and shedding. · Chronic stress, metabolic issues, hormones, gut health and environmental toxins may contribute to hair loss. · A decrease in appetite impacts hair health and hair growth. · Eat whole foods, organic foods, quality protein and decrease sugar for healthy hair. · People with insulin sensitivity have more hair loss as insulin spiking up and down affects the hair follicle.
Trichologists are hair scientists. They look at factors such as diet, stress and scalp health when diagnosing hair and scalp health and look at blood test results for levels of ferritin, vitamin B12, vitamin D and zinc. Protein and complex carbohydrates are important for healthy hair and omega-3 food sources for a healthy scalp.
Why is my hair falling out? · Many people have a genetic predisposition towards hair loss. · You may not be getting enough protein. Our bodies can’t store protein-if you are running low on protein, your body will conserve it where it can, perhaps by halting hair growth. After 2-3 months of doing this, your hair will start to fall out. · Health conditions such as thyroid disorders, polycystic ovary syndrome, scalp ringworm, autoimmune diseases, flu, fever or infection. · Starting or ceasing the oral contraceptive pill can cause hair loss. · Oestrogen generally has a positive effect on hair growth and can prolong the hair’s growth phase. During pregnancy, when oestrogen levels are high, women often have voluminous hair. In the third trimester when oestrogen falls and levels of the stress hormone cortisol rise, hair falls out. · Low iron levels-other indicators are brittle nails, shortness of breath, weakness, fast heartbeat or yellow or pale skin. · You hair styling routine-too much shampoo, combing or brushing your hair when it is wet, rubbing dry hair with a towel, brushing too hard or too often. Blow dryers, flat irons and curling irons dry out your hair making it easier to break and fall out. Bleach, dye, hair straightening solutions and hair spray can do the same. · Smoking-toxins in smoke can affect hair growth and loss. · Menopause can cause shedding of hair for around six months. This is when genetic hair loss really kicks in. · Anorexia and bulimia can cause your hair to shed as your body isn’t getting the necessary nutrients required to grow and maintain healthy hair.
What causes grey hair? · Genes dictate how soon and how quickly you ‘turn grey’. · Hair follicles have pigments that produce melanin, the chemical that gives your hair its colour. As we age, the pigments take on various shades of grey, silver and white. · Once a follicle stops producing melanin, the follicle is unable to make coloured strands again. · Does stress lead to greys? Not directly, but it can cause you to shed hair three times faster than normal and when that hair grows back, it is often grey. · Smokers are 2.5 times more likely to go grey before age 30 than non-smokers. · Why does grey hair feel different? Grey hair is thinner due to the cuticle being thinner. Also, grey hair doesn’t hold on to moisture and will feel dry, fragile and coarse. · Health problems that lead to grey hair are lack of vitamin B12 and thyroid disease.
Be mindful that hair health has a genetic component, but it is your diet and lifestyle that pulls the trigger.
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