Terri Ramsey Beavers Hair loss is caused by many more things than most of us realize. There are literally hundreds of different causes that exist under very specific conditions.
Today, we’re going to take a look at some of the less commonly known causes. Let us see how many of these you were aware of before we brought them up for you. Take a look!
#1 – Over-Exercising
Believe it or not, you can exercise so hard that your hair literally falls out because of it! When the average person exercises too much, their body goes into what is called survival mode. In survival mode, your body does all that it can to keep itself functional. It will recover to the point of redirecting the nutrients that would normally go to your hair follicles to the area that you have over-worked.
When this occurs, your hair will stop growing and the affected hairs will start falling out. This form of hair loss is only temporary, for the most part. If you continue to over-exercise for a long period of time, the effects may cause your hair follicles to dehydrate completely. When this happens, your hair will stop growing permanently and will never grow again.
#2 – Hyperthyroidism/Hypothyroidism
Whether you have an overactive thyroid, hyperthyroidism, or an underactive thyroid, hypothyroidism, either one can cause hair loss. If you suffer from hyperthyroidism, it causes your hair to fall out more often. Your hair will still grow, but it will grow in thinner than before, causing it to fall out quite often.
Hypothyroidism, on the other hand, causes your hair to grow brittle and dry. This also causes your hair to fall out quite often. Again, this doesn’t stop the growth of hair. It only weakens the hair you’re currently growing.
#3 – Overuse of Hair Maintenance Products
This cause is probably more commonly known than most of the other ones. Some hair products which are designed to make your hair look healthy, shiny, etc., are known to cause damage with long-term use. On top of that, some people use these products more often than they are supposed to. To make matters even worse, there are also some people who use multiple products or shampoos for the same purpose at the same time.
Any and all of the above issues can cause extensive damage to your hair. The chemicals in most hair maintenance products aren’t good for long-term use. It is best to ensure you are using safe products. The best kind are usually natural products.
#4 – Menopause
When most people think about hair loss, they usually consider men to be the main culprits. While this is true, there are also plenty of women who experience some form of hair loss, particularly in later years.
Menopause is a primary cause of some hair loss in women. The hormonal imbalance that happens due to menopause causes some hair follicles to produce slightly weaker hair which tends to be brittle and fall out. The amount of hair loss varies from person to person.
#5 – Anemia
Being anemic causes your body to lack a large amount of nutrients. Anemia is incredibly dangerous on its own. Hair loss is one of the less damaging results of it. The lack of nutrients in your body causes your hair follicles to stop working. The resulting hair loss is temporary and will usually start growing back once you get control of the anemia.
#6 – Excessive Testosterone
In the same way that hormonal instability in a woman causes hair loss, so too does having too much testosterone. Whether your body naturally produces more than usual or you are using muscle-building supplements, the resulting side effect could be hair loss.
The effects will vary depending on how much excess you have in your system as well as how healthy your body is in general. Either way, it is important to make sure you regulate such things. Having more testosterone has just as many side effects as it does potential benefits!
#7 – Flu and Flu-like Sickness
The average flu won’t cause hair loss. However, when you remain sick with flu-like symptoms for a long period of time, it can have an impact on your hair follicles. While your nose is running and your body is producing extra phlegm to deal with the sickness, less moisture is getting to your hair follicles, potentially causing them to be dehydrated.
Dehydration of the hair follicles is quite dangerous for your hair. If some of your hair follicles remain dehydrated for too long, the follicle will dry up and die, permanently. Make sure you drink as much water as possible during this period of sickness and get the rest you need. Do this not only for your hair, but also for the health of your body as a whole!
#8 – Anxiety/Stress
Now, you may think that losing your hair as a result of stressful situations is common knowledge. While this is true, many people do not realize just how serious this is. When we have anxiety and extreme amounts of stress, our body is heavily impacted.
Mental stress causes serious damage to your body. Loss of appetite, weakness, insomnia, depression, and many more symptoms can result from long-term stress and anxiety.
Hair loss will only occur from stress when you’ve reached a point in time that your mind has stopped taking care of your body properly. It can be a result of not getting the nutrients needed due to your lack of appetite or it can simply be because your brain isn’t instructing the transmission of said nutrients to move through your body as efficiently as it used to. Make sure you find ways to calm yourself and be free of your stress every day for at least a couple of hours!
What Was Your Score?
So, these are eight of the shocking things that most people don’t know cause hair loss. How many of them did you know about before reading this? Feel free to leave a comment with any other things we might not have mentioned!