Hair loss and pattern baldness aren’t just issues for men — women can struggle with hair loss too. Here are ten common causes of hair loss in women.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, more than 50% of womenexperience evident hair loss. Women love their hair so much, and for that reason, understanding the causes of hair loss in women is crucial.

Women can do anything to have cute, appealing hair, and thus, hair loss comes as a shocker to many women. Imagine? How can it feel losing your precious hair without choice? Probably bad!

For women, loss of hair can be daunting, especially if the root cause is unknown. This article guides you through the most common causes of hair loss in women. Read on!

1. Over-Styling

Did you know that over styling can lead to hair loss? You want to try every hair design, but at what cost? With fashion trends coming up every day, you want to keep up with the latest styles and products.

Hair-styling can have dire consequences on your head. Straightening, keratin, and rebounding of hair are among the most notorious styling methods that lead to hair loss.

Some trends like tight ponytails, tightening of hair, and cornrows harm the follicles and scalp. Additionally, the use of chemicals and intense hot hair treatment damages the hair roots, leading to permanent hair loss.

2. Hypothyroidism

Have you ever suffered from thyroid disease? If yes, did you notice any change in your hair? Suffering from thyroid diseases is likely to cause hair loss.

Production of too little thyroid hormone in the body is known hypothyroidism. Thyroid hormone controls the basal metabolic rate and growth of nails, skin, and hair. When your body lacks enough thyroid hormone, you might notice some of those changes.

3. Pregnancy and Childbirth

Hair loss is one of the complications of pregnancy and childbirth. During pregnancy, estrogen levels are very high in the body, keeping hair in a fast-growing phase. At this time, hair growth is robust, and you might be looking fuller.

However, during childbirth, estrogen levels fall significantly, affecting hair growth. During the first 2-5 months after delivery, hormone levels return to normal. The normal hair cycle returns, and you might experience some hair loss.

4. Hereditary Hair Loss

Have you ever noticed some form of hair loss in your family? Some families have genetic hair loss conditions that affect generations. This disorder is inherited from parents to children in an innate manner.

Also known as female patterned baldness, hereditary loss of hair is not a disease but a genetic disorder. This condition is more prevalent in older women rather than the young.

5. Stress Causes Hair Loss in Women

Stress is a natural cause of hair loss. Any stress and trauma can trigger a condition known as telogen effluvium. This condition leads to changes that affect the hair cycle.

Experiencing a stressful situation from either shock or physical injury shocks the hair cycle, leading to a shedding phase. Telogen effluvium can be severe such that someone can lose up to 70% of the scalp.

Staying in shock for long can lead to extreme hair loss. However, this situation is temporary, and you can get normal once again.

6. Lack of Essential Nutrients

Having inadequate body nutrients is one of the biggest causes of hair loss in women. Hair thrives on vitamins, antioxidants, and minerals. Lack of these vital nutrients leads to hair loss.

Vitamin C synthesizes collagen, a fiber responsible for the growth of hair follicles. This fiber also makes hair brittle and dry.

Proteins keep the hair growth cycle active — lack of enough proteins in the body results in delayed hair growth and thus temporary baldness.

On the other side, iron helps hair cells carry oxygen, and its deficiency can lead to an anemic condition and thus hair loss. Zinc aids in body tissue repair and growth and makes hair follicles function correctly.

7. Medications

If you are experiencing an unexplainable hair loss, it could be due to certain medicines. Some drugs are toxic to the hair follicles, and thus any damage can lead to hair loss. Anticoagulants, or simply blood clotting inhibitors, are good examples of medications that aid in hair loss.

Blood-thinning drugs tend to trigger telogen effluvium. Other drugs such as beta-blockers used for high blood pressure and gout medications also cause hair loss. This situation is temporary and things go back to normal immediately after you stop using them.

8. Hormonal Imbalance

Did you know that some hormones can lead to hair loss in women? Hair loss due to a hormonal imbalance is typical at a young age in many women.

As girls mature during adolescence, their bodies change significantly. Hormones that control body activities trigger this change. Hormones control activities such as hair growth, eating habits, and fluctuation of emotions.

Testosterone lying in the hair’s oil glands changes to the hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT) during adolescence. DHT leads to shrinking of hair follicles, thus causing hair to fall out, and this page discusses more. This condition continues up to the point that hormones balance in the body.

9. Aging

As you grow older, you might experience a slight loss of hair. Women in their 40s experience this sort of condition due to hormone changes during menopause. The decrease in hormones such as progesterone and estrogen leads to thinning and slower hair growth.

Also, as you age, the body’s ability to regenerate and renew cells goes down. This leads to greying and hair loss.

10. Cancer Treatment

The most popular means of cancer treatment is known as chemotherapy. During chemo treatment, the growing cancer cells are affected, which in turn affects the adjacent hair cells. If hair cells are affected, it is likely that you will experience massive hair loss.

Therapy radiation is responsible for hair loss during cancer treatment. It is so intense that even after treatment, the patient takes a while to recover fully.

Causes of Hair Loss in Women – The Bottom Line

Have you been wondering what happened to your hair? These are the most common causes of hair loss in women. It might be unfortunate that one of these conditions is happening to you.

Take time to fix yourself, and you won’t experience any of these conditions. Many of the common causes of hair loss are reversible, and hence, you don’t have to worry much.

For more information, read this post on thinning hair and hair loss in women.