I’ve always had really thick hair, after all, I’m Colombian and we are known for having A LOT of hair. But around my early 20’s something changed and I started losing a lot of hair. In fact, my hair started thinning and I didn’t notice until my mom pointed it out one day.
To this day, I am not sure what caused my hair loss but I have a pretty good idea of what it could be. Once I realized that I had been losing hair, I immediately called my dermatologist and he asked that I get some blood work done to see if there were any abnormalities. I suffer from anemia so we both thought that it could be linked to low levels or iron but when my tests came back, everything was normal.
I remember my dermatologist telling me to continue taking my iron pills and to wait it out a bit but the longer I waited, the more my hair continued to thin. I was so fed up with this that I began doing my own research online to see if I could find anything related to hair thinning in women.
I’ve never been on any sort of medicine, the only “pill” I’ve ever taken is birth control and I continued to do so all through University which is where my hair thinning was at its worst. What I learned from my research is that birth control can actually cause hair loss in women who are sensitive to the hormones found in the pill or who have a family history of hormone related hair loss.
Birth control can actually cause your hair to move from the growing phase to the resting phase too soon and for too long, this is called telogen effluvium and can cause large amounts of hair to fall out. What’s even worse is that if baldness runs in your family, birth control can speed up this process.
I also found out that different types of hormonal birth control can worsen your condition, invoicing vaginal rings like the NuvaRing which is what I was on throughout university.
Although this has never been confirmed by a dermatologist, I stand by my theory that birth control is the cause for my hair thinning.
It’s been 6 years since my hair first started thinning and in those years I’ve undergone some treatments and have tried out lots of different products and at home remedies in hopes of getting my hair back to the way it was before I started on the NuvaRing. Although it’s not nearly as thick as it used to be, my hair has gotten a lot better and I’ve started noticing some hair growth in the areas where I was thinning.
If you’re suffering from something similar, here are some tips that have worked for me:
Avoid using heat
It’ll come as no surprise that heat is not your friend when you are experiencing hair loss/hair thinning. Using styling tools like a hair straightener, blow dryer or even a curling wand will damage your hair and cause breakage as well.
Loosen up
Slick buns are cute and all (Hi, Hailey Bieber) but constantly having your hair up in a tight ponytail can cause strain on your hair follicles and could also cause traction alopecia. Instead of putting your hair up, opt for a loose hair style.
Up your vitamin intake
Hair loss or hair thinning can be directly correlated to a lack of vitamins and nutritional deficiencies such as low vitamin B12 and vitamin D levels. I take a women’s multivitamin every single day, biotin, and Organika’s hair plus vitamin.
Try PRP treatments
PRP stands for platelet-rich plasma therapy and can be used to treat hair loss. This treatment works by having your blood drawn, processed and then injected into your scalp. Think of it like the famous vampire facial but on your scalp. This treatment can trigger natural hair growth and help maintain it by increasing blood supply to the hair follicle.
I personally tried 4 rounds of PRP and I found that it actually improved my condition. I actually plan on going back to my dermatologist to do a couple more treatments once we are out of quarantine.
Take care of your scalp
Make sure you are doing regular scalp scrubs to get rid of any dead skin cells. This helps your scalp stay healthy and it actually encourages growth. One of my favourite scalp scrubs is the Scrub Energisant from Kerastase that is specifically made for those with an oily prone scalp.
Increase your iron intake
Low iron is one of the most common causes of hair thinning so make sure that you are consuming iron-rich foods in your diet or that you are taking an iron supplement.
Take care of your health
Your hair is a reflection of your well being and factors such as anxiety and stress can all lead and cause hair loss. I realized that I was under a lot of stress when I was losing hair and of course it didn’t help that I was losing so much hair because that just make me even more stressed. It sounds silly but I have honestly found that meditating, stretching and even journaling has helped reduce my stress levels which have in turn helped some hair regrow.
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