Hair loss (other than the 50 to 100 hairs that we all lose daily – at any one time, some hairs are dormant, some growing and shedding) has created a multi-million pound industry full of drugs, ‘hair-growth’ shampoos and supplements along with hundreds of thousands of people even undergoing hair transplants.
Over 15 million people in the UK have some type of hair loss. There are many reasons, but you don’t have to resort to chemical ointments or toxic drugs for hair loss.
Male Pattern Baldness
This is typically genetic and affects many men as they age. Around 80% of men experience some kind of hair loss by age 70). The science reason is DHT, a chemical produced by testosterone (which men have more of). Male pattern baldness nearly always affects the crown of the head and the temples. We don’t care, and love you just the way you are!
Female Pattern Baldness
This is far less common, affecting around 30% of women by age 70. This usually is also hormone-related and tends to happen after menopause. Again it’s caused by DHT (but because women have less testosterone, it’s less common in females). Unlike in males, female pattern baldness tends to affect the top of the head.
Alopecia
This quite rare condition affects around 100,000 in the UK and is an auto-immune condition when someone loses all their hair (usually also including their eyebrows, eyelashes and body hair).
It’s sometimes genetic but nearly always due to other conditions like lupus, thyroid or other conditions. There are two types of alopecia, one is nearly always incurable, the other has some possible chance of hair regrowth.
Common Reasons for Hair Loss
Traction Alopecia
This is when people scrape their head back into tight ponytails (say ballet dancers or ballroom dancers) leading to temporary baldness at the front hairline. Too much stress is placed on the hairline. It’s important not to do this, as it can lead to permanent hair loss over time.
People with African-American (more brittle) hair can particularly suffer from this condition, due to trends of tight braids and dreadlocks etc. If you like these styles, ask your hair salon to offer looser styles, shorten the amount of time that you have hair weaves etc, and reduce the use of heat-styling tongs etc. Or cut it off and start again and wear a beautiful Afro style!
Kooshoo (Canada) is a one-time purchase from over the pond, where you can buy organic cotton & rubber hair ties that not only stop plastic waste if they fall off your head down drains, but are 2.5 times stronger than average hair ties, and can cope with very thick hair and man-buns!
Dyed with low-impact colours, just cold wash and lay flat to dry. The scrunchies are also made from organic cotton and rubber (twist Headbands are not biodegradable, they contain spandex).
Stress
A lot of hair loss these days is caused by stressful lifestyles. The science is that feeling stressed can ‘push the hair follicles’ into the resting phase, where they stay on your head before falling out. The growing hairs slow down, so you may lose up to 300 hairs a day (rather than the average 100) showing thinning hair. This condition can also occur in people who’ve had COVID-19.
Pregnancy
Many women experience hair loss after childbirth, known as postpartum hair loss, due to the hormonal shifts during pregnancy.
Medical Conditions
:Some medications can cause hair loss (the most common types are anti-depressants). So you could ask to be switched to another kind or even better, look at long-term solutions to help deal with depression (lifestyle changes etc) so you can eventually safely come off them, in cooperation with your GP.
Health issues like thyroid problems can directly impact hair health, leading to thinning or loss.
Smoking
Smoking cigarettes can double your chances of early-onset alopecia, mostly thought to be due to increasing free radicals in the body, and removing vitamins and minerals. This can deprive your hair follicles of oxygen (as can drinking excess alcohol).
It’s common sense that if hair growth supplements can work (due to loading your body with nutrients), using substances that remove these nutrients will have the opposite effect.
Natural Remedies for Hair Loss
A plastic-free comb and hair brush will circulate oils in your scalp, without tearing the hair shaft. Jungle Culture bamboo hairbrush is has a pressured paddle surface and soft bristles to brush hair wet or dry.
You’ve likely heard that standing on your head can help to grow hair, by increasing blood flow to the scalp. It does indeed do this, but it’s unlikely to make that much of a difference, nutrition is more important.
Any inverted yoga pose (like Downward Dog or Shoulderstand) will help blood flow to the head, but inversions should be avoided for pregnancy, menstruation, heart conditions & glaucoma).
There is evidence that massaging your scalp (no oils needed) for around 5 minutes a day can help to stimulate hair follicles, but this should be done in conjunction with the solutions above.
Peppermint Rosemary Hair Growth Serum has wonderful reviews and can be used as a pre-shower treatment or leave-in serum. The base and essential oils are combined to nourish your scalp and hair follicles (one bottle should last 2 to 5 months).
Avoid essential oils for pregnancy/nursing and affected medical conditions (don’t leave on overnight, if pets sleep on your bed).
Ayumi Hair Growth Oil is based on Ayurvedic medicine, it’s messy to use but effective for many people. Made with organic oils of coconut, castor and sesame to increase production of collagen and elastin, warm gently to a liquid, then apply to strands and massage in for 15/20 minutes. Use a few times weekly. Again don’t leave on overnight, if pets sleep on your bed.
Many natural hair experts believe that modern foaming agents (mostly sodium lauryl sulphate found in nearly all chemist shampoos) can cause brittle hair, due to stripping your scalp of oils. This can cause hair follicles to eventually die as the ingredient is too harsh (it’s used as engine de-greaser).
The Powder Shampoo for Hair Loss contains thyme to promote hair growth along with ginger and ginseng extract to strengthen the hair bulb, and is enriched with bergamot oil to boost oxygen to the hair.
Awake Organics Caffeine Shampoo is a water-activated powder containing ingredients to stop hair loss.
Overprocessed hair can cause breakage, especially for permanent dyes of any colour. Obviously the ‘answer’ is to visit the salon for a professional to give hi-lights or low-lights (so you don’t keep dying the same hair strands over and over).
But if you find this too expensive, then at least only use these dyes on the roots or choose a natural hair dye that won’t damage the hair (but you then can’t be blonde!)
Or the other option is to again chop your locks off short and either keep the hair short (if dying hair blonde yourself) or chop it off and then save up to have hi-lights at the salon every few months (some local salons and colleges offer cheap ‘model prices’ for trainees to practice on).
Natural Hair Growth Supplements
There are several vitamins and minerals that are needed for healthy hair growth and many people (not just vegans) are deficient in them. As hair grows slowly, you usually have to give it around 3 months before results, they also improve skin and nails.
Always check with GP before taking supplements if you take medication or already take other supplements, especially if pregnant or nursing:
Feel Hair Loss Support (code partner20 for 20% discount excluding bundles/existing subscriptions) is clinically proven to work in 3 months, sold in sustainable packaging, with trials showing a significant reduction in hair loss for people taking this supplement.
It works due to Keranat™ which on entering their bulb, increases insulin-growth factor IFGI secretion, which increases collagen thickness around the bulb, and produces stronger hair roots. This ingredient contains miliacin (a molecule found in millet seeds), along with biotin.
Hair is made from keratin, so eating plant-based protein, iron (beans, pulses with vitamin C to increase absorbency), zinc (beans/pulses, nuts, seeds), selenium (lentils, mushrooms, Brazil nuts) and biotin (sweet potatoes, onions, tomatoes, walnuts, pecans, almonds) all helps.
Dr Vegan’s Hair Saviour supplement is sold with a metal tin on first order, then buy refills in sustainable pouches. Formulated by expert nutritionists, this is packed with nutrients to help people with thinning, dull, dry and brittle hair. Most people notice positive results within a month or so.
If you don’t like swallowing capsules, you can add the contents to your morning smoothie or yoghurt. This supplement contains 14 botanicals, minerals and vitamins including amino acids and biotin (known to help thinning/brittle hair). MSM is a natural source of sulphur crucial for the production of keratin and collagen (both needed for strong hair).
