How to prevent, stop and reverse hair loss during your weight loss journey ? These are the questions you’ll find answered in this article. Hair loss is one of the major issue that women often face when they try to lose weight quickly. The reason behind this hair loss can be extreme diet, poor nutrition, bad hair hygiene or stress which can be physical or mental. This article discusses the necessary steps and actions which you need to take to overcome the problem of hair fall during weight loss
Hair fall
- 70-85 % females experience hair fall during their weight loss journey
- Hair growth lifecycle
- Growth stage : about 80-90 % of your hair remains in this stage for 2-7 years
- Resting stage : telogen phase, lasts for 3 months, 10-15 % of your hair remain in this stage
- Falling stage : exogen phase, starts after the resting stage is over
- Physical, mental, emotional stress or shock cause a disturbance to the hair cycle
- As a result, large number of hair go into resting stage causing hairfall in the next 3-4 months
- This condition of hair fall due to stress and shock is called telogen effluvium
- Telugen effluvium is a phenomenon that occurs after pregnancy, major surgery, drastic weight loss and extreme stress
- During this time you shed large number of hair every day, usually while shampoo, styling or brushing
- However, this is a temporary condition which is easily reversible with some simple steps
Steps to reverse telegon effuvium
- Avoid crash or fad diet
- Consume sufficient calories and diet which is nutritionally dense
- Focus on the following nutrients to improve hair growth
- Protein : Proteins help in structuring hair folicles
- Include ample amount of lean protein in your diet
- As a beginner, you need 0.6 to 0.8 g / per kg of BW protein
- It can go upto 1 g / kg depending on your level of physical activity
- Vitamin D : spend time in the sun
- Vitamin D supplements the growth of new hair folicles
- Zinc : zinc is very important for the health of your skin and hair
- Include vitamin B12, A, C and E rich food in your diet
- Eat lots of fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables
- Iron deficiency in the body also causes hair fall
- Rather than including supplements in your diet, focus on improving digestive health for better nutritional absorption
- Include more probiotics in your diet
- Reduce the amount of stress in your life and take good quality and quantity of sleep
- Follow healthy hair habits and hygiene
Some simple and effective hair habits
- Dry hair post workout
- Use a mild or homemade shampoo
- Wash your hair brush, bands, towels and bed covers frequently
- Follow a repeatable hair routine with simple and natural ingredients
- I follow a simple hair routine
- I use cold pressed oil infused in herbs
- Mix small amount of onion and ginger juice before applying on scalp
- Moisture treatment with pre application of conditioner before wash
- I use a mild or homemade shampoo for washing
- How you tie your hair and application of heat on the hair also plays a major role in good hair health