Suffering from an alarming hair loss situation right now?

If you’re guilty of excessively styling your hair with hot straighteners and curling irons, using multiple harsh hair products, and wearing the same tight bun and ponytail everyday, then you know who to blame. But if you’re not doing any of these obvious hair–damaging methods, you may be undergoing one or more of these 10 things that trigger massive hair loss.

1. Two words: Hormonal Imbalance

Hormones play a huge role in the regulation of the hair growth cycle. During hormonal imbalance, the levels of hair-growing hormones (such as estrogens) can decline, and the levels of hair-loss hormones (such as androgens) can rise.

Fix: Know the cause of your hormonal imbalance so the doctor can develop the best cure. It can be a result of a medication that regulates hormones, like birth control, or a serious hormonal disorder, like polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) or a thyroid issue, wherein women experience thinning of the scalp.

2. You’re super stressed right now

Photo by Riccardo Mion on Unsplash

The ball of hair strands underneath your desk chair? They’re a telltale sign that you’re extremely stressed.

Stress affects hormonal levels, specifically cortisol, which then leads to hair loss. Even the fact you’re slowly losing hair adds more stress to an already worrying situation.
Fix: Once you reduce the things that cause stress in your life, your locks will grow back to normal. Incorporate yoga or meditation, and eat healthily to eliminate stress levels

3. You’re on contraceptive pills

Birth control pills can solve many problems, including cramps, mood swings, and even your skin blemishes. However, these pills mess with your hormone levels. Generally, starting or stopping birth control lead to hormonal fluctuations which trigger hair loss.

Hormones can disrupt the natural pattern of the hair cycle, causing your strands to shed more rapidly than usual or to grow with less potency and shine

Fix: Oftentimes, the hormones responsible for this is an androgen, which is present in a birth control pill. If you’re concerned about hair loss, talk to your doctor about an anti-androgen formula.

4. You just had a baby

Expecting mothers notice that their hair becomes fuller and shinier during pregnancy, thanks to the surge of pregnancy hormones. Unfortunately, they experience a completely opposite result after childbirth. This flood of hormones leaves their body quickly, and one side effect of this depletion is hair loss.

Fix: The good news is hair goes back to normal after a few months postpartum. Boost it with a healthy lifestyle, proper diet, and exercise.

5. You have a poor nutrition

Having a difficulty growing your hair long without falling out? You may have to watch what you eat.

Building the hair shaft out of keratin requires energy and nutrients too. Lacking essentials nutrients can disrupt the hair cycle and cause follicles to go into premature hibernation, followed by severe hair fall. When you’re on a strict diet and you experience a dramatic weight loss, your hair may come out in excess.

Fix: Maintaining a healthy, well-balanced diet packed with B vitamins (B12 and biotin) and iron (which is essential for producing hair cell protein), is the key.

6. You’ve had too much Vitamin A

While poor nutrition takes a toll on your strands, getting too much of certain vitamins can trigger hair loss. Overdoing vitamin A-containing supplements or medications is one of them, according to the American Academy of Dermatology.

Fix: Vitamin A can be found in multivitamins and stand-alone supplements, and anti-acne medications with retinol. Once the excess vitamin A is ceased, hair should grow normally.

7. It’s in the family

Photo by Sam Wheeler on Unsplash

Look at your family tree. Like hair color and hairline, you’ll see whether you’ll experience thinning hair when you look at your genes. According to Dr. Zeichner, women tend to develop a widening of their part line and thinning of hair on the top of their head. They, however, don’t fully lose their mane the way men do.

Fix: Stem the tide of hair loss by reducing stress, avoiding tight hairstyles (like braiding, tight buns, and ponytails), and maintaining a nutrient-packed diet.

8. You may have Trichotillomania

Trichotillomania is a psychological condition where the person compulsively pull out their hair when they’re under high stress or even when they’re concentrating. Oftentimes, the patient does this absent-mindedly, and they only notice bald patches appear.

Fix: A form of psychotherapy called, “habit reversal training” has the highest rate of success in treating the condition.

9. You may have Alopecia Aerata

Autoimmune disorders, like Alopecia Areata, can cause your tresses to fall out. The body gets confused; the immune system looks at hair as foreign and targets it by mistake.

Fix: Alopecia Areata can be treated with steroid injections and medications, including Rogaine, but the regrown hair may fall out again. If you think you have such condition, seek your doctor immediately.

10. You’re taking certain medications

Apart from a prolonged or severe illness which causes extreme hair loss, the medications you’re taking may also be the culprit.

Hair loss can be a side effect of prescription drugs, often those that affect hormones. Other drugs like blood thinners, anti-depressants, gout medications, anti-seizure medicines, beta blockers, anabolic steroids, blood pressure medications, and anti-acne medications with retinol (Vitamin A) may also trigger hair loss.

Fix: Seek your physician and ask if he/she can recommend alternative options.

Author Bio: Carmina Natividad is a resident writer for Géniale, a Medical Aesthetic and Skin Cancer Centre providing top of the line services from industry-leading skin cancer treatments to innovative medical aesthetic procedures. She writes articles focusing on cosmetic, medical, and surgical care, and wellness.