Hair loss is something that a lot of women deal with, but don't like to talk about. I struggled a lot with hair loss in my relaxed days, and even a bit after I transitioned to wearing my natural hair. The first thought was if there could be something wrong as far as health. After evaluating certain lifestyle choices, I realized that some of the reasons for sudden hair loss, thinning, and breakage could simply be from some of the lifestyle decisions we make.
1. Poor Eating Habits
Poor eating habits can wreak havoc on hair growth. A balanced diet is one that includes the right combination of proteins, iron, magnesium and other nutrients that hair needs to thrive. Without adding these minerals and vitamins into our bodies, we risk becoming deficient, which can have a bad effect on the body. Research has proven time and time again that a healthy, well-balanced diet that consists of fruits, vegetables, and grains can help greatly improve the way your hair looks and feels.
2. Smoking
Smoking is really, really bad for you. No, I mean really bad. I used to be a heavy smoker. Especially in my college days (don't judge me). Tobacco products can seriously stunt your hair growth by restricting the vessels that pump blood to your scalp. Research has shown that there is a correlation between smoking, baldness and alopecia due to the smoke-induced imbalance in the hair follicle. In addition to reeking of funky cigarette smoke, your hair can seriously suffer from the smoking the chemicals that can be found in cigarettes.
3.Missing Nutrients
It could be possible that your hair may have stopped growing because your body may not be getting enough of a particular nutrient that supports hair growth. Taking a daily multivitamin could help restore essential minerals and nutrients that you may be missing. There are many different essential vitamins for hair growth available that can be purchased over the counter. There are also several brands that carry multivitamins that are specifically designed to support healthier hair growth such as Hairfinity and HairUpsurge which are formulated for promoting healthy, natural hair growth.
4. Inadequate Sleep
5. Lack of Exercise
Exercise goes hand-in-hand with a healthy diet. The body was created to move, and exercise is needed in order for it to function properly. Some jobs require you to be stationary for most of the day, which is already unhealthy and stressful on the body. Exercise allows the body to function at elevated levels, increasing the heart rate and blood flow. A healthy body is essential to healthy hair growth, and the only way to ensure a healthy body is by getting regular exercise.
6. Alcohol Consumption
Regular over consumption of alcohol can not only cause serious health issues for your body, but also for your hair. Research has shown that heavy drinking can pretty much fry your hair follicles especially for women. Alcohol causes a reduction in the levels of zinc and iron in the body, which are both essential to hair growth. Not only does alcohol interfere with the hair growth rate, but heavy drinking can alter the quality of the hair as well. Alcohol also lowers the levels of vitamins B, C and folic acid-- all vital to healthy hair growth.
7. Prescription medications
Certain prescription medications such as birth control, antidepressants, blood thinners, hormone treatments, and blood pressure medications, for instance, can contribute to sudden hair loss. These medications work well in preventing diseases and treating other ailments, but they also contain ingredients that can be toxic to the scalp and hair follicles. Certain prescription medications can interfere with your the natural hair growth cycle and cause hair to become thin or stop growing all together.
8. Not drinking enough water
Water is essential to the body in order to function properly and is vital to your natural hair growth. If your hair has become noticeably dry and you can't pinpoint exactly why, it could be because you aren't consuming a sufficient amount of water. Water has essential nutrients that are carried throughout the body from head to toe. It helps the body flush out toxins in addition to remaining hydrated. The Hydration Calculator can hep you decide on the appropriate amount of water you should drink daily based on your weight and activity level.
What lifestyle changes have you made in order to maintain healthy, growing hair? Are there any habits you removed and noticed a significant amount of growth?