How to Prevent Hair From Shedding

Most people who have experienced hair shedding or telogen effluvium know that it can be very difficult to stop. Once the genie is out of the bottle so to speak, it's very hard to stop it in it's tracks. Often, once this process starts, stopping it is either a time game or the ability to luck up on your trigger and promptly fix it. The easiest way to stop shedding is to prevent it from happening in the first place. The following article will offer tips to help you do just that.

Avoid Experimenting With Hormones Unless It Is A Last Resort: There's been so much buzz about bio identical hormones and creams to keep women looking young. Often, women will experiment with different things, not understanding that these things can alter your body's mechanisms quite dramatically. Fluctuating hormones is a very common cause of women's hair loss. Some women can not help this. Age or medical issues can cause your hormones to lessen or start and stop, but there is no reason to help this process along yourself by throwing supplements or medications at your body that aren't medically necessary.

Of course, there are times when you may well need to adjust your hormones, but this should only be attempted under medical supervision (and you should have a physician who specializes with this and knows what they are doing.) The hit and miss and hoping something sticks treatment for hormones is often an invitation for more shedding. Often, hormones are not the cure for shedding - they are the cause, especially for women who are vulnerable to these fluctuations. And, many vitamins and supplements can effect this as well, including soy and black cohosh.

I also sometimes see men experiment like this too. They'll "try" propecia or adovart, hoping to see a dramatic change. But, sometimes these drugs set off a shed for those who don't have high androgens and DHT. Again, this should be done with a qualified doctor's supervision and only after blood work shows a definitive problem.

If There Is A Medical Issue Or Trigger, Aggressively Fix It. Don't Just Hope That It Works Itself Out: Hypothyroidism, auto immune disorders, and over taxed adrenals are examples of health issues that can cause hair loss. Many people will hope and assume that their body will adjust and the shedding will stop. This is often not the case. Very often, the hair loss doesn't stop until the medical condition is treated and the body returns to normal levels. This often takes time, but it's important that you stay on top of returning to optimal health as soon as possible, so that your hair follows suit.

Understand That You Must Treat (And Prevent) The Inflammation Also: No matter what the cause of your hair shedding, most all of it will have inflammation as a by product. The mechanism of many hair follicles cycling through at one time can cause a lot of inflammation in your scalp and hair follicles. This will often manifest itself as a pink or red scalp, itching or flaking, or general pain and tightness.

The second that you notice these symptoms (even before you experience any shedding), take action. There are many effective anti inflammatories, but I prefer the natural ones because the harsh, chemical ones, at least in my opinion, do more harm than good. Many of the hard core products contain a lot of alcohol or SLS, which can further irritate and wound your scalp. I believe that natural ingredients like tea tree or emu oil work better, but must be properly diluted and rotated as to not clog and prevent healthy regrowth.