Dealing with Hair Loss: Tips for Women

Hair loss occurs for a variety of reasons in both men and women. The top four reasons behind alopecia are; stress, illness, hormones and cancer treatment – and every woman’s experience of it is different.

“For women, there is a social stigma attached to going bald. Hair loss can affect your sensuality and how you perceive yourself. There are usually emotional trials and tribulations when it happens. Some women question whether their partner will still love them, while I’ve known others become socially reclusive and give up enjoyable activities like swimming and going to the gym because they can’t bear using the communal changing rooms for fear of their hair loss being discovered.” – Jackie McKillop, Alopecia UK.

What Causes Hair Loss?

A full head of hair is a symbol of youth, health and an extension of your personal style. Losing it can have a huge impact on your self-esteem and overall confidence.

However hair loss, or alopecia, in women is more common than you may think – over 8 million women in the UK and 30 million in the US live with alopecia.

Hair loss occurs for a variety of reasons in both men and women. The top four reasons behind alopecia are; stress, illness, hormones and cancer treatment – and every woman’s experience of it is different. Whether or not you took care of and pride in your hair before you lost it, now that it is thinning it may be the only thing on your mind – it can easily become the thing you look at first when you see other women in street, the thing you dream about at night.

Almost overnight you can feel unattractive and unwanted, worry about how it will affect your career, your family and your friends – suddenly you have a “negative” stigma attached to your appearance. This can have huge effects on the lives of women.

However, unlike other stigmatised problems that can cause women to lose confidence in themselves, such as being overweight or obese, hair loss has a relatively easy and very quick solution to helping you feel like yourself again – with no need for embarrassment.

Disguising your hair loss is relatively easy to do, no matter how much of your hair you have lost. With a huge range of degrees of hair loss, the market is abundant with tools and tricks to help you have your locks back in as little time as possible.

Dealing with the Root of Hair Loss

Hair loss can occur for a huge range of reasons, from stress, hereditary conditions, cancer treatments, illness or even just a change in your life situation.

Finding the cause of your hair loss is essential for deciding whether or not to opt for treatments. If you are suffering with alopecia due to cancer treatments, discuss different ways that you might be able to prevent any further hair loss, as well as products that can encourage regrowth.

If your hair loss is caused by stress, use tools such a meditation and yoga to help de-stress your mind and body, and speak to your doctor about de-stressing techniques and treatments.

Medical research in response to hereditary conditions and hormonal hair loss has also come a long way in terms of developing treatments to help prevent and postpone it.

Concealing Hair Loss

Whilst some women are completely confident to step into the world without any hair, for many of us our hair is an important part of our exterior or shell. We feel pretty naked without it.

If you are suffering with alopecia due to cancer treatment therapies, a light weight scarf or a short hair wig can help to disguise your hair loss, whilst not putting any pressure on your scalp or roots. This makes it easier for your own hair to grow back – shorter wigs also help to give you experience working with shorter styles, in time for when your own hair reaches a style-able length after treatment.

If you are suffering with hair loss related to stress, a half wig may be perfect for concealing any thinning patches or bald spots, whilst enabling your own hair to still be styled and visible.

Long human hair wigs are ideal for women suffering with long term alopecia or hereditary conditions as they can be cut, coloured and styled into almost any fashion. They also last at least several years and are easy to store and take care of.

Promoting Hair Regrowth

There are many tools available on the market to help promote hair growth and prevent thinning. Many of these treatments are experimental and few, aside from transplantation, have guaranteed results.

However if you are willing to try new things and be experimental with treatments, you can find a great treatment for you – keep in mind that most treatments work differently for different people and it can be very much a case of trial error.

Holistic Approach to Hair Regrowth

Many people online offer different holistic approaches to promoting regrowth. Much like professional treatments, you may need to take part in some trial and error before you find a treatment that suits you, but the internet is bursting with new things to try to help promote regrowth. As with any treatment, consult your doctor before trying anything new.

Many “super foods” also offer a great way to help promote hair growth or prevent hair loss. This list of foods offer a different ingredient for each different aspect of hair loss – changing your diet can have a huge impact on your hair growth and general wellbeing.