by
The Natural Haven
Hair products and good management techniques are the two main factors that most naturals look at to gain length. We do often talk to about having a healthy diet and exercising too but less attention is paid to reasons why hair may genuinely be growing slower than normal or shedding faster than it should. Here are 5 medical causes that could cause perturb hair growth cycles.
1. Taking Supplements that you do not need
There is a school of thought that if you take certain vitamin or mineral supplements, you can promote hair growth or thicken hair. Some people self prescribe larger than normal doses of these supplements. In actual fact, taking supplements in excess or those that you do not need may lead to hair loss (Clin Exp Dermatol, pp 396-404, 2002). If you truly believe you are lacking in vital minerals or vitamins, it is definitely worth having some blood work done before you start on a course of supplements.
2. Thyroid Check
If your thyroid is underactive, you are likely to suffer from increased hair shedding as the balance between the hair which should be growing (anagen phase) and hair that should be shedding (telogen phase) is disturbed (Arch Dermatol, pp 349-352, 1972). In essence, hair that should still be in the growth phase somehow switches to the shedding phase. It is not known scientifically why this happens. The observations, however, so far are that hair follicles do have attachment areas for thyroid hormones and for people with an underactive thyroid, supplementing with synthetic hormones leads to a rebalancing of the hairs’ anagen and telogen phase. So if you suspect an underactive thyroid, do have it checked out, it could improve your hair.
3. Iron Check
This is yet another case where there are more observations than explanations. The observation is that women who either have low iron but not anemia as well as those with anemia can experience increased hair loss. Similar to the underactive thyroid, this is due to hair that should be in the growth phase switching to the shedding phase (Clin Exp Dermatol, pp 396-404, 2002). Supplementing with iron allows restoration of the balance. However, hair loss in women with low iron or anemia is not universal, some women do not experience this. Additionally in some cases supplementation does not necessarily change the balance. Although the evidence is unclear, there is a link of a kind to iron supplementation improving hair quality for some women.
4. Hormone Check
Women produce a small amount of testosterone in addition to making larger quantities of estrogen. The balance between these two hormones can affect hair growth. Estrogens are known to play a role in hair growth and are part of the reason why in pregnancy the growth cycle of hair is elongated. For women, testosterone in higher than normal quantities can cause scalp hair to become thinner and shed more as well as promote thicker hair growth in typically male areas such as the chin and chest. If you have any problems with your menstrual cycle or if you notice that your hair is thinning and shedding more, do have a hormone check.
5. Eating Disorders
The primary reason hair grows is because we consume food. A diet that is low in protein will generally still allow your hair to grow although it may be more brittle. A diet that excludes protein can lead to hair breakage, hair loss and slow/no hair growth (Am J Clin Nutr, pp 1158-1165, 1967). There is a cultural stereotype that black women in general do not really suffer from eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia but this is just a stereotype. If either of these conditions affect you, do seek medical help.
Ladies have you dealt with any of these issues? Please share.
49 Responses
I’m trying to grow my dughters hair .I tried everything. She wants her hair hip length but now it is mid back length. All her friend hair is butt length. Help
My hair has always been my pride and joy. I figured since it is pretty damn healthy, it could deal with some bleach damage. And I figured the master stylist who did all the color-corrections would know how much would be too much. I was wrong, and now I want to burst into tears every time I look at my hair or touch it. I just don’t know what to do. my hair has also NEVER been shorter than this and it breaks and falls out. What should i do to regrow hair?
Hello ladies,
I am not a medical expert, Ive been suffering from
alopecia areata for 8 years now and for the past 6 months i’ve seen
results i havent seen since my first patch…I want to share my story
and experience and what I did that ended up working for me in the end to
give me the results i have now.
First, anyone reading this is probably does alot of online research and looking for what works for others.
UNDERSTAND THAT ALOPECIA AREATA IS A AUTOIMMUNE DISORDER!!
That
means that this is an internal problem. Topical treatments will only
take you so far, but they cannot correct your insides…I’ve tried
numerous remedies and had my hair grow back but after several weeks,
months and even a year break it began to fall out again. I was too
stubborn to even accept the fact that I had developed a food allergy
that affected my immune system, and rather than breaking out or getting rashes, it actually
contributed to my hair loss. Hair loss is always a symptom of an
underlying problem that is connected to something going on inside your
bodies.
I am mostly speaking to the women who have been going
through this for years, having your hair grow back and thin out/fall out
and grow back and fall again. I highly suggest you visit a doctor and
ask for blood work to be done to check your iron levels, any vitamin
deficiencies ( vitamin B and D in particular) or even ask what type of
test should be done to determine why your immune system is attacking
your body, it may even by a food allergy that was developed over the
years or at least since your hair loss began.
My experience
I
am allergic to gluten and that allergy was the main cause of my hair loss. I since then did a 7 day detox plan just to cleanse out my
body (my own decision) I did research to search for the foods ranking
the highest in iron, vitamin a, b(6 n 12), c d, take a spoonful of cod
liver oil every morning or other morning when i can. I replaced pastas
and white rice with green veggies, kale and broccoli as fillers for
example, and have chosen to eat sockeye salmon and mackerel, pork liver
(it contains the highest level of iron in foods) and turkey and chicken
for protein. My favourite meal is sheppards pie with sweet potato and
ground beef. (no more white potatoes) I mainly drink carrot juice which i
blend and add oranges for flavor. I eat sunflower and pumpkin seeds as
snacks and drink ginger tea a few times a week.
I highly
recommend that when you are searching remedies for hair loss treatments,
please look for diets and check with your national dietitian sites as
well since they will provide you with a guide of what foods contain what
vitamins and how much to consume daily. It took a lot of work to change
my diet but its worth it after 8 years. I personally love my natural
hair its almost at shoulder length now since i cut it all off back in
April 2015.
Ok interesting article, but where is the ‘sound’ advice to some of the questions? Anyone can post an article, but having some back up answers would be nice.
Please help me here I don’t know what is the cause of my hair staying at the same length near my neck a little past my shoulders I don’t like this length I prefer longer hair hate short my hair falls out some times I have been struggling trying to grow my hair every 6 to 8 weeks I get my trim what in the world does it take for my hair to grow either it stopped growing or grows slowly dont know what it takes for my hair to grow
Stop getting trims! Your hair grows from the root not tip so trims aren’t necessary for hair growth. Your hair will grow regardless of trims!
“Taking Supplements that you do not need” This is not necessarily true. Especially if you take water soluble supplements. Any excess would be flushed out of your system. It’s a very smart move to drink tons of water when taking various supplements to move the process along. Being in my late-50’s I know this for a fact.
Two of the journal reference sited are over 40+ (42 and 47 ) years old! Surely you could find current research to support your hypothesis. As someone with a scientific background, confirm with a medline search and quote current (within the last 7years preferably) research to support your hypothesis. You will be providing information that is more clinically relevant to your readers.
yes, i have dealt with all of them, caused by an underactive thyroid. Although i’m on medication i still have shedding, struggle with anemia (lack of iron) and hormonal imbalance. Hypothyroidism is a real struggle as it affects every cell in your body. I’m even suffering with acne which i’ve never had trouble with.
Let’s not forget about pregnancy. I had two kids within 23 months of each other and now a year post baby two my hair is still shedding. I’ve been natural for going on 3/12- 4 years while my hair has never been this long before (a little past my should blades when pressed) its never been this thin either. Sigh, finally got length but lost the fullness.
Same thing happened to me. Continue to take your prenatal vitamins AFTER childbirth until your hormones adjusts back to normal (may possibly take 1-2 years) and especially if breast feeding! All necessary nutrients goes to your breast milk and your body uses whatever is left – your hair and nails gets anything the body doesn’t need, which many times is nothing, therefore shedding occurs.
great advice.
So I’ve been struggling with disordered eating for several years…I started starving myself on and off starting when I was eleven or twelve, and I began experiencing hair loss; I was diagnosed as iron-deficient anemic, but I didn’t do anything to improve my eating habits as I still had lots of thick hair and I wasn’t concerned with my appearance because I didn’t think I would ever be attractive anyway. My issues reached a peak at age 15/16 (the years are a blur, it’s hard to remember) when I was officially diagnosed with binge-purge type anorexia. I lost maybe half of my hair at that time, but I didn’t want to live past age 18 so I didn’t really care.
Now, after multiple long-term residential treatment experiences, I’m 18, I’m in a shaky recovery (but recovery nonetheless!), and I see my own self-worth and I want to treat my body better and hopefully live a long and happy life. That’s all great, obviously, but no matter what I do, my hair WILL NOT GROW BACK! It’s been a year since I started focusing on being better, and while the length seems to be increasing, my hair is still very thin. Every time I go for a trim, the hair dresser makes a comment about how thin it is, and it makes me want to cry…this happened recently and that, along with my family constantly picking on me for having thin hair, is making me really desperate to grow it back again.
Has anyone been through the same or similar experience, and if so, how long did it take for your hair to regrow, if at all? Honestly, I’d love to hear from anyone who has experienced hair loss and reversed/improved it, I just want to know if it is taking abnormally long for my hair to grow back and what I can do if it is. 🙁 Important to note is that my iron levels and vitamin levels have improved and my thyroid is normal.
Also important is that I met plenty of black women and other women of color in treatment, so the stereotype absolutely is NOT true, don’t be afraid to seek help if you feel that you need to! I’m actually middle eastern myself, but my hair type is not at all similar to caucasian hair and I’ve found that hair care advice for women of color works best for me — which makes sense, as I am a woman of color, and along with the disappointment of trying to treat my hair the same way my white friends do and failing, I have been through all the stigma of being non-white and having an eating disorder a million times over. If I had a dollar for every time I heard family or a friend tell me that I can’t have an ED because “only white girls are like that”, I’d be rich, unfortunately. Again, SEEK HELP if your eating habits are making your life miserable!
I am also a woman of colour with an eating disorder for 4 years. Mainly binge purge anorexia as well and I too have had my hair fall out! I actually shaved my head skin bald for a while because the hair loss was so bad. The hair does come but only through proper nutrition. I asked my doctors and they said hair is the last thing that is restored because it is not vital to the bidyt in terms of survival but it only comes back when one is completely symptom free. Hang in there though !
I’ve had my thyroid removed and have been having massive shedding for a very long time. So frustrating 🙁
Iron and Eating disorders!?!?!? well that explains ALOT…
I’m in the process of doing these checks now. I just turned in my samples for my cortisol levels, and also will be doing tests on my Vitamin B-12, D, TSH and T-4 levels.
My hair has never grown beyond a certain length (less than shoulder when straight). I’ve had my hair natural for literally 5+ years, follow all the proper steps for naturals (finger combing, moisturizing but not over moisturizing, not over trimming, careful cleansing, etc.) and it still won’t grow beyond a certain point.
My doctors thinks it’s undetected PCOS or an underactive thyroid because of a combination of symptoms, but we’ll see.
i need help!my hair has become very short.i used to have very long hair but i relaxed it.since then,my hair has lost strength.
this all about womans hair. what about the story of mens hair.please help.
Medically known as hypothyroidism, an underactive thyroid is not usually serious. It is easily treated by taking hormone tablets to replace the hormones that your thyroid isn’t making.-.”*
My favorite internet site <http://healthdigest101.com/index.php/
I am anemic and pregnant my hair is shedding more n more I’m surprised I even have the amount of hair on my head that I do, I should be bald by now.
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I am 69yrs old and my hair has always been thin and short. I cannot put chemicals in my hair because it starts falling out. My hair problem is genetic. My mother and sisters had very thin and soft hair. I am anemic so I take iron. I also take hair vitamin and biotin which seem to help. But age(hormones) , illness and meds also contribute to hair loss. As black women our hair tends to run dry and white women hair is oily. They need to wash their hair everyday but we need to limit how much we wash ours.
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I think this advice applies to all heads of hair blacck or white people!! Thing is a thyroid test can show normal range and not be, one should ask for an iodine deficiency test That is the BIG thing now..also if you are thyroid deficient DO NOT take Synthroid! Take Armour Thyroid because it is not synthetic and is from natural source.. I take biotin, silica and B vitamin it all helps but age is what causes hair to seem to stop growing and be dry. Estrogen replacement is too too scary try natural methods and stay far away from soy which will make you fat (it is a hormone disruptor) Thanks for the list here it covers a lot
I just did the iodine test last week and my patch disappeared in 4.5 hours.
I have psoriasis, went for cortizone shots & a thyroid test which was negetive & still have bald spots & no hair. Will not color my hair & don’t know what else to do to get my hair back.
I have Lupus, low iron and thyroid issues and this is why and when my natural transition began…because of all the meds, and the disease my hair broke off and I have been natural every since. Its not a long and thick as before, but its ok…havent found my style or regimen yet…but trial and error I will…really want more thickness and length.
I also have Lupus and although I don’t have bald spots or problems with growing my hair, it’s definitely thinner than it used to be prior to the disease. I’ve also noticed my hairline is super fragile / thin and doesn’t seem to want to grow back no matter how much castor oil I massage into it! It’s so frustrating! But I will continue to nurture in hopes of retaining length and body. 🙂
The supplements for sure was once a problem to me … good thing about being unemployed though is that I can no longer afford them and that seems to make my hair quite happy. Also I have an iron deficiency which is being corrected with Trihemic-600 so that seems to help as well.
I hope you get a new job soon, but your response made me smile.
Thanks, I have some interviews coming up so I’m very hopeful that one (or maybe ALL of them) will materialise into work :))
I am facing this same dilemma, with fear in my heart! Without my supplements I get angry! You won’t like me when I’m angry (in my in my Bruce Banner voice!) I am terrified! Self diagnosed PMDD sufferer! Your comment made me giggle as well.
I also have an iron deficiency, what is Trihemic-600, where can I get it and have you seen any improvement in your health, and /or hair while taking it?
Thanks!
I got the Trihemic-600 from the pharmacy, and my hair doesn’t look so red at the ends anymore, my toenails are peeling, and my menstrual cramps are a bit more bearable which for me means that the OTC painkillers are actually working (most of the time, anyway).
Sorry my toenails are NOT peeling. I knew I forgot something, sorry, I didn’t edit before posting.
Nice post. Off topic but I’m new here. Has this blog always been focused on natural hair? I used to think it was for relaxed people but maybe that was Lhcf..
Lol did I really get thumbed down for asking an honest question? geesh.. Im natural btw nazi
I can’t really help you there, I only joined last year and it seemed to be all about natural hair. Really, someone thumbed you down … childish 🙁
I thumbed you up lol. Yes this site has always featured natural hair, pretty much the best there is for that purpose 🙂
Shut up
[img]https://bglh-marketplace.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/IMG_20130331_150424.jpg[/img]
Lmao! You look like an expired chocolate bar!
Yes, you are thinking of LHCF. That site is for all hair types (relaxed and natural) while this site is for natural hair. HTH.
I think my main issue is stress but I have delt with issues of 3 and 4, more 3 than 4 though. Now when comes to stress my hair will grow in white on several strands but once the stress subsides my hair seems to return to black is it possible for the other strands that it could result in slower than normal hair growth?
I found out this year that my hair growth is only 3 inches and retention is 1 inch (that includes two trims, and estimated 1 inch of breakage) My question to this is how much of a significant difference on the rate of growth and brittleness of hair would increasing diet nutrients, speeding metabolism, uping exercise, and reducing stress really make on individuals hair?
I definitely not person who will make drastic change to lifestyle for a half and inch or less a year, plus isn’t yo-yo dieting considered very damaging to your health and therefore hair anyway?
Oops! Didn’t mean to reply to brinkyDinks.
I was diagnosed with an overactive thyroid about 4 years ago. Among other things, my hair was extremely dry and thin. Because of it, I transitioned to being natural. My endocrinologist said it was because of my thyroid issues. Sadly, my hair still is not as thick as it once was and it is hard to maintain moisture in my hair.
i also have a thyroid disorder. i’ve had it now 17 years. ive gone from overactive to having radiation so im underactive and its tiresome. i shed a lot of hair. it can be very discouraging. i literally have a few bald spots. spots not whole circles. and finally a new endocrinologist who works to adjust the medicine i have to take. my doctor also runs tests on my vitamin levels and discusses with me the appropriate range for everything from vitamin D to iron. she also recommended a dermatologist who can provide shots in the scalp to help.
I have an underactive thyroid and I feel like my hair sheds A LOT!!! I also feel like it’s always dry no matter what. I just try and keep it moisturized best I can.