Yes, Stress Can Cause Hair Loss Here's What You Need to Know

Table Of Content

• GP on 'distressing' hair loss condition that can strike at any age
• Treatment options for stress hair loss
• Stay on top of latest health news from Harvard Medical School.
• Try essential oils

In rest (telogen), hair falls out and the process can begin again. Hair is among the few tissues that mammals can regenerate throughout their lifetime. Keeping properly hydrated is also essential to overall good health. You may find that hair pulling happens without much thought, like when you’re bored or distracted.

GP on 'distressing' hair loss condition that can strike at any age

This is particularly the case with telogen effluvium, which normally resolves within six to nine months. Stress pushes a large number of hair follicles into the resting phase where they stop growing. Topical minoxidil is a first-line treatment for telogen effluvium, says Dr. Kuhn. With any new topical treatment, consult your health care provider for any concerns they might have. Another option is a thickening shampoo, which can help make your strands feel at least temporarily thicker while they’re growing in.

Treatment options for stress hair loss

Finding ways to manage our stress can positively affect all aspects of our overall physical and mental well-being, including our weight, skin health, and anxiety levels. Thinning hair can grow back depending on what caused it to thin in the first place. People who experience thinning hair due to nutrient deficiencies, stress, pregnancy, and other nongenetic reasons could experience regrowth.

Stay on top of latest health news from Harvard Medical School.

While we know that stress is an undeniable factor in most people’s lives, its impact on so many aspects of our physical and mental health is perhaps more far reaching than we might imagine. Stress-related hair loss can be frustrating and, well, stressful AF. However, regrowth is very possible, and with time, patience, and some good ol’ fashioned effort, you can conquer your stress hair loss. Hair-pulling is often a response to stress, but the condition itself can also cause stress.

Alopecia areata

Some options are OLLY Heavenly Hair Gummies and HUM Hair Strong Gummies. Consider the following 12 options, but be sure to talk with your doctor first. In degeneration (catagen), hair ceases to grow, and the follicle at the base of the strand shrinks.

While smoking-related hair loss is not necessarily reversible, it is advisable to try quitting smoking. In particular, the systematic review notes that nicotine narrows blood vessels, which lowers the amount of blood flow to the scalp. Moreover, nicotine also causes inflammation of the hair follicle and makes neurotransmitter receptors less sensitive. Nicotine is a highly addictive substance present in all tobacco products and some e-cigarette liquids. However, using nicotine and products containing nicotine can affect various systems and cause harm throughout the body.

Editor in Chief, Harvard Health Letter

The study was supported in part by NIH’s National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS). There are a number of topical creams, oils, and other products that may help with your hair loss. Learning how to effectively manage your stress levels may help you reduce your risk for further hair loss.

Try essential oils

This often leads to thinning of the hair, particularly at the crown and along the parting line. Thinning hair and hair loss can be stressful, especially for women who normally have a lot of hair, triggering feelings of shame or insecurity. Thinning hair in women can occur at any age and can take different forms, such as minor thinning on the crown of the head or complete baldness. In instances where there is no regrowth, or hair doesn’t grow back fully, a few different treatments are available.

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Chronic stress has also long been linked to hair loss, but the reasons weren’t well understood. If your hair loss has been triggered by stress, managing your stress could be the key to returning to a healthy rate of hair growth. If your hair loss is caused by stress, it’s possible for your hair to grow back in time. Most baldness is caused by genetics (male-pattern baldness and female-pattern baldness). "The hair usually grows back on its own, although there are things we can do to help speed up the process," notes Dr. Bhanusali.

But exactly how depends on the individual, their genetic predisposition to hair loss and other factors. In other words, not all hair loss from stress is created equal, and stress can play a different role in each scenario. Although reducing your stress levels might seem insurmountable, making sure you’re eating the right things will go a long way to setting a good foundation for optimum hair growth. A healthy balanced diet is also important in stress reduction too as it can support a healthy immune system, repair damaged cells and even reduce elevated cortisol levels. Getting enough protein in your diet is essential as it provides the building blocks for proper hair growth; meat, tofu, eggs, beans, grains, nuts, and fish are all good protein sources. Some studies suggest that telogen effluvium can also be connected to low levels of iron, so include iron-rich foods like leafy vegetables, lentils and liver where you can.

This excess hair shedding can involve the loss of “up to a third of your hair volume,” she added. Consider gentle hair products when available, and comb and brush hair only when needed. You can also place less stress on your hair by limiting the use of heated styling tools as well as tight hairstyles.