Hair Fall: Why it Happens and What YOU Can Do By Kay Cola
Hair fall is a sensitive subject that hits home to millions. There are many reasons for hair fall. Some of the most severe and discouraging reasons include, hair fall due to certain medications, postpartum hair loss and hair loss due to stress.
As a third time mom to a beautiful newborn this is my first time experiencing post partum shedding. On top of that, stress from running a business as well as balancing home life and an unexpected surgery, which required me to go under anesthesia and use antibiotics, has caused me to lose a great amount of hair. As you can imagine, being the owner of a hair care company this was terrifying for mw. I have helped thousands all over the world grow and restore their hair, while suddenly mine was falling out. This caused me more stress, which was not helping my situation. I decided to be proactive and practice what I preach to turn things around! I wanted to share with you what I learned and accomplished in a short amount of time.
The Stages of Hair Growth and “Fall”
Hair grows and falls in cycles. There are 4 stages of the hair growth cycle.
Stage 1 is called the “Anagen” phase. This is the growing stage and it lasts between 2-4 years. Stage 2, the transition phase is called “Catagen”. During this extremely short phase, lasting roughly 10 days, the follicle detaches from the dermal papilla (the top layer of the scalp). Once detached the hair is no longer receiving the oxygen and nutrients it needs to grow healthy new hair. “Telogen”, the resting growth phase, is the phase where old hair is resting while new hair is growing. This phase usually lasts about a few months with around 15% of the hair in the resting state. The most frustrating phase follows and it is called “Exogen”. Exogen is the shedding phase with anywhere from 50 to 150 strands of hair falling out daily. This may sound alarming but is very natural and often times we have so much hair growing we do not notice.
Our goal therefore is to increase the Anagen phase, which can decrease with age, trauma and hormonal changes. It is also our goal to not enter into Telogen too early. This can happen with stress, medication, giving birth, starting or stopping birth control etc. So how do we achieve our goal?
Be Proactive
Increasing blood flow to the scalp with daily massages of our stimulating scalp beverage can be extremely helpful in prolonging the Anagen phase. Consistency is key. I had grown so much long thick hair that I was not being consistent and aggressive with the scalp beverage usage and my scalp massages. My hair was thinning out so much from a powerful combo of postpartum, breast-feeding, stress and medication. I immediately began massaging low porosity scalp beverage in my hair daily, sometimes two times a day. First I would lightly spritz my scalp with our alkaline water and then massage 10-15 drops directly into my scalp in sections. Our formula helps promote a healthy scalp and deliver nutrients the hair needs. I saw an almost instant change in my edges with this consistency.
I also began using the Re-Do Prepoo almost every other day instead of just before a wash. I did this because the medication had actually changed my hair texture. It became more coarse dry and brittle! YES this can happen! Medication and hormones can change the texture of your hair! My ends were split and my hair was matting up. It was important I kept my 3B low porosity hair oiled so that it did not continue to tangle up. Prepooing with our Re-Do Prepoo is extremely effective in helping detangle as it can loosen knots and provide extra slip and softness. Our prepoos also contain ingredients that are known to aid in hair growth and thickness by promoting a healthy scalp and fortifying as well as nourishing the strands.
I knew to tackle this extreme case I would also need to tweak my diet. I began incorporating a diet high in fiber, iron rich foods and proteins. I also stayed on top of my water intake, as I had allowed that to slip as well. I also began taking OrganiGrowHairCo Healthy Hair & Skin Vitamins to ensure I was giving my body the boost it needed.
Sleep and exercise are healthy components in hair growth as well. Avoiding harsh shampoos, with chemicals, sulfates, and parabens is another way to decrease hair fall. Our shampoos are plant based and do not contain any toxic chemicals. You don’t want to wash too much or too little, which is why it is important to follow our Growth Guide in terms of how often to wash your hair. Washing too little can create harmful fungus and bacteria. It also prevents the scalp from receiving the oxygen it needs. Washing too much can prevent the oils your scalp and strands need to be healthy. I washed my hair every 5 days, to make sure that I did not take too much time between detangling, clarifying and conditioning. This is what worked best for me, please adjust based on your hair texture, however never going more than two weeks and nor washing every single day.
Take care when detangling and avoid pulling the hair into tight buns and ponytails. You never want to rush wash day nor detangling your hair. Constant styling or styling with products with harsh ingredients can cause hair fall. It can also damage or clog the follicles. Our styling products contain the ingredients needed to moisturize nourish and protect the hair, without things like unnatural fragrances, toxic preservatives and drying alcohols. Sleeping on our satin pillowcases and wrapping your hair in our satin head wraps are also very helpful to prevent breakage and shedding. I put my hair into two loose pigtails nightly and wrapped it in our satin headwrap or slept on our satin pillowcase or both. By doing this I had less tangles and breakage.
I know first hand how disheartening hair fall can be. With dedication and OrganiGrowHairCo products you do stand a fighting chance! The key is not to give up. You may see immediate results or it may take a few months, but I am confident that you will be happy that you kept going! Happy Growing!