Ladies we are all superheroes that have about 1,000 tasks on our daily to-do lists. We are ALWAYS putting on a different hat, whether it is mother, co-worker, friend, boss or all of the above!!! It is only natural for us to feel stress from the kids, the husband•bf•gf• work, BILLS; and life in general. So, as I suffer through a particularly stressful week at work I wonder—how is this going to impact my tresses?
Since going doing my BC on 11-14-2011, I have literally become OBSESSED with my hair and all things surrounding it! (ergo, the birth of this blog!). I decided to research the topic “Stress and My Hair” and see what I came up with…It has been said that stress can make you go gray, or cause you to lose your hair. Is that possible?
A normal head of hair contains about 120,000-150,000 strands of hair. Usually, at any one time, about 90% of those hairs are in a growing phase, growing by about 1/2 inch each month. This phase lasts for two to three years. At that point, a hair will go into a resting stage. This "rest" lasts for 3 to 4 months before the hair falls out and is replaced by a new one.
Typically, people shed about 100 hairs a day," says Carolyn Jacob, MD, founder and medical director of Chicago Cosmetic Surgery and Dermatology. "Most people don't even notice."
Sometimes, a significant stress of some sort may initiate a change in your body's routine functions, which causes a disproportionate number of hairs to go into the resting phase at the same time. Then three to four months later, sometimes longer, all those resting hairs are shed. The effect can be alarming.
The types of events that disrupt the normal hair cycle can be caused by the substantial physiological stresses on your body. This particular statement reminds me of the women in my other natural hair care groups complain about hair retention and how their hair does not seem to be growing. There is no way that your hair can not be growing. However, if you have been running on a never-ending treadmill of stress, it is possible the hair can stay in the resting phase, before completely growing to its full potential, then fall out. Hair loss can be one way the body responds to significant physiological stress that may be brought on by diet, medical, or lifestyle changes. The good news is that the hair loss from these kinds of events is usually only temporary, as long as the stress event is temporary. Once the stressor is addressed, or goes away on its own, hair grows back and the normal hair cycle resumes.
There are several additives, besides stress that may impact your tresses.
• Change in Diet
• Severe Illness
• After childbirth (estrogen levels fall)
• Oral contraceptives (may cause increased shedding due to hormones)
****Unlike other types of hair loss that are more often permanent, hair loss during the normal hair growth cycle happens suddenly. It also doesn't normally cause bald spots, or follow a pattern like genetic or autoimmune-related hair loss. ***
I do recommend that if you have several small or large bald spots or scalp irritation, I advise you to seek medical attention from either your PCP or dermatologist.
Lets DE-STRESS LADIES!!! Your HAIR will appreciate it!!!
Happy Thursday Fellow Naturalistas!!!
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