How Do You Stop Your Hair from Falling Out?

As you age, your scalp and hair undergo physiological changes. Your follicles experience “follicular miniaturization” where they shrink and produce a shorter, thinner hair shaft. Thinner, non-pigmented (gray or white) hairs replace your thicker, pigmented hairs. Some follicles quit spawning new hairs altogether causing hair loss.

Nearly half of all women will suffer from noticeable hair loss (or alopecia), and about 30 million U.S. women will experience the most common form called female pattern hair loss.

The psychological impact of alopecia on women is usually greater than on men because it is considered less socially acceptable. Women often feel their hair reflects their sexuality, femininity, personality, and attractiveness, more so than men. This loss often negatively impacts a woman’s quality of life, self-confidence, and emotional well-being; therefore, discovering beneficial methods to stop hair from falling out is paramount for most women.

What Causes Hair to Fall Out?

On average, people drop 50 to 100 hairs each day. When you were young those strands were replaced by new hairs that sprouted from the same follicles; however, as you mature more tresses fall out and less grows back, caused by a hitch in your hair’s growth cycle known as androgenetic alopecia.

Your Hair’s Growth Cycle

Your hair develops out of narrow skin pockets called follicles and experiences three phases of growth, anagen, catagen, and telogen.

• Anagen — Anagen lasts two to seven years and is the active growth phase. Genetics determines how long your hair will stay in this phase. The majority of your hair should be in the anagen phase at any given time and should remain there for as long as possible for optimal hair growth.
• Catagen — During the two-week catagen phase, your hair shaft moves up toward the skin’s surface, and your hair follicle shrinks. Your hair stops growing and disconnects from its blood supply and is now referred to as a club hair.
• Telogen — During this three-month resting phase, a new hair begins growing beneath the club hair. Eventually, you shed the resting club hair and the brand new hair emerges through the follicle.

Androgenetic Alopecia

A major interrupter to your hair’s growth cycle is androgenetic alopecia (female pattern hair loss). Androgenetic alopecia is provoked by age-related changes in dihydrotestosterone (DHT) levels. DHT is a hormone that spurs hair loss in aging women and can begin any time after puberty but is most noticeable when women arrive at menopause. DHT is crucial for sex drive and hair growth control and is caused by genetics.

Female pattern hair loss differs from the receding hairline and balding that affects men. You may first experience minor thinning that can often be hidden with hair-styling adjustments. If it continues to progress you may experience a wider-than-normal midline part and eventually diffused hair thinning over your entire head.

Ways to Stop Your Hair from Falling Out

There are two approaches you can take in the effort to regain more thick and voluminous hair: stimulate your dormant follicles into growing hair again and stop your hair loss before it happens. Consider the following solutions to prevent your female pattern hair loss:

• Minoxidil — This topical liquid medication works to trigger hair growth for some women by shortening the telogen phase. When these resting hairs fall out and are replaced by actively growing hairs, you gain thickness and volume.
• Anti-androgens — If minoxidil fails to curb your hair loss, your doctor may prescribe hormone-blocking drugs like spironolactone. These work by counteracting an overabundance of androgens (typically male hormones like testosterone) that can occur in your body with age.
• Iron supplements — Iron is essential for continuous hair growth and an aging body often has difficulty absorbing the necessary iron levels from food. Iron supplements, especially in women with a history of anemia, can counter age-related hair loss.
• Take it easy on your tresses — Avoid styles or techniques that place undue stress on your hair or follicles, including tight ponytails, high heat styling tools, and heavy products that weigh down your hair. Shield your strands with Better Not Younger’s No Remorse Heat Protection & Taming Spray, a lightweight spray you use before blow-drying, flat-ironing or curling your hair.
• Nourish your skin — Your skin and body need protein, iron, and vitamin C to produce healthy hair. Be sure to eat a diet loaded with poultry, fish, beans, and Greek yogurt.
• Fortify your scalp — Vitamins and minerals in hair products like Better Not Younger’s Superpower Fortifying Hair & Scalp Serum work to replenish nutrients your scalp needs to build healthy hair and stop strands from falling out too soon.
• Vitamin supplements — In addition to iron and vitamin C, look for supplements like Better Not Younger’s Significant Other Hair Fortifying Vitamins loaded with B vitamins, zinc, and biotin and Better Not Younger’s Power Within Skin & Scalp Collagen Gummies to help nourish your scalp and boost your hair’s elasticity.
• Revitalize your follicles — Ginger and caffeine are natural stimulants that elevate scalp blood flow. You can find these ingredients in Better Not Younger’s Superpower Fortifying Hair & Scalp Serum.
• Specialized hair care products — Look for quality hair care products that are specially formulated to tackle the unique challenges of aging hair like Better Not Younger’s Wake Up Call Volumizing Shampoo that contains natural astringents to unclog your follicles and antioxidants to smooth and thicken your hair.

Choose Quality Products Formulated for Aging Hair

When you reach your 40s and beyond, hair loss may seem inescapable — follicles narrow, hormones fluctuate, and your body thirsts for the nutrients necessary for vibrant hair. Better Not Younger gives you the tools to sidestep hair loss, restore your confidence, and live a life that gets better and better, one great hair day at a time.

Visit our product page and experience our full line of quality hair care products formulated to treat both the root causes and visible signs of aging hair.