Hair Loss in Women - An Interview with a Hairdresser

However the common perception that baldness and thinning is something that only men experience in their mid-thirties and above is a very common belief however many women suffer from baldness too; and although it is terrible for men, it's devastating for women to experience hair loss!

The most common form of hair loss is called Pattern baldness and affects both men and women. Although, female pattern baldness is quite different to male pattern baldness; women's hair loss tends to thin out throughout their entire scalp as opposed to one particular part as you would find in men.

The impact this has on a woman is far worse than in men; because hair loss in women isn't accepted as the "norm" in society. Many women lose their self-esteem and confidence.

However pattern baldness is the MOST common cause for hair loss and the worst part is pattern baldness is HEREDITARY. It is thought that 1 in 16 women in the United States will suffer from pattern baldness, and with that in mind I decided to look for treatments for hair loss for both male and female pattern baldness to see what are available over the counter and reviews as to whether they work. Many reviews reported some hair loss treatments stop hair loss, and in some cases even grow back!

However I thought if this were true; then why am I seeing evidence that suggests otherwise? I see numerous accounts of people all over the internet asking for advice for their hair loss worries.

So, I decided to speak to a hairdresser in a quest to find out the truth or to merely comprehend a professional's take on the matter at hand...

My first question was:

Is their really a remedy for hereditary hair loss?

She answered;

"Although I don't believe there is a remedy for hair loss I believe there are many things you can do to slow down the progressive thinning. I have many clients asking me to help them every day of every week with their hair loss problems. It is very distressing losing your hair, especially for women! I have come across many products during my time claiming to stop hair loss and yet could never really recommend my clients one; because I'd never seen solid evidence to support this however what I do advise my clients to do is to:

1.Wash their hair less frequently

2.Use a mild shampoo

3.Massage your scalp twice a day

Doing these three things will prevent further hair loss and help the hair to grow back. Washing your hair less frequently with a mild shampoo will ease the pressure on the fragile follicles and be careful when choosing your shampoo; I would suggest a shampoo not found on the high street as these can be very harsh on the scalp and the weakened hair follicle."

What shampoo would you suggest?

"I would suggest the mild energy range of products from Wella Sp. (system professional) all the products from the Sp range have many ingredients that promote hair loss by strengthening and extending the hair's life cycle and they also reduce hereditary and temporary hair loss by up to 37%."

Earlier you said that you should massage your scalp twice a day, why is that?

"The reason I would advise someone with hair loss to massage their scalp frequently is because it stimulates the hair follicles allowing blood circulation to the scalp and as a result the vitamins in the blood feed the follicles promoting hair growth and strength".

Does pregnancy cause hair loss too?

"Yes there are many reasons someone may suffer hair loss other than pattern baldness"

She listed the following:

Pregnancy

Birth control

Illnesses

Crash diets

Severe trauma

Stress

"Although pattern baldness is the most common along side stress"

Do you have any other advice for people suffering from hair loss?

"Yes I would suggest that they visit a health store and buy some vitamins, I tell my clients exactly the same - vitamins play a significant role within our bodies and our hair and scalp are one the most noticeable features that vitamins affect. So I would recommend all of these vitamins to thicken a client's hair"

She listed the following vitamins:

B vitamins - especially B6,

Biotin,

Inositol

Folic acid;

Minerals

Magnesium,

Sulfur and zinc.

"B vitamins, especially B5 and B6 are exceptionally important for new hair growth."

I have read that meat can help thicken hair, is this true?

"Yes, it's not essentially the meat; it's the amino acids found in meat. Amino acids are found to influence the thickening of hair; these can be found in your protein foods meat etc."

Do you have any home remedies for hair loss?

"I don't have any home remedies as such but I have found this recipe to be highly effective to some of my clients and family members that I have used it on, I was recommended to it from one of my friends a while ago Click Here! to have a look".

So; I found some very helpful information from the hairdresser I interviewed about hair loss and what her approach was to the matter. It was extremely informative and useful and I appreciated her taking the time out to talk to me.

So there we have it; even though there may not be a cure for hair loss, there are certainly many ways to minimize hair loss if nothing else; and the what the hairdresser addressed to me was the scientific evidence that supported her theories which is best kind of evidence if you ask me.