There’s More to Your Hair Than Your Hair (2024)

• Going to bed late? Your hair knows.

  Late nights spent scrolling and binge-watching a new show may seem like a good idea, but that lifestyle comes at a cost: The quality sleep you lose can impact biological processes required for hair growth and can affect the stress hormone cortisol.

  How stress affects your hair:

  The stress hormone cortisol signals hair follicles to prematurely shift out of the hair growth phase, accelerating the time it takes for hair to shed. Over time, stress can also indirectly impact hormones and nutrient absorption needed for hair growth.^{1 - 5}

• You—and your hair—are what you eat

  Key nutrients, like protein and vitamins, are needed to build hair and support a healthy hair growth cycle. So the foods you eat (or don’t eat) can lead to nutrient gaps that leave your hair follicles without the nourishment they need.

  How nutrition affects your hair:

  As a micro-organ, our hair follicle is affected by nutrient gaps. Key nutrients are needed to build hair and support a healthy hair growth cycle. These processes can be further impacted by life stressors.^{6 - 8}

• The link between nutrition, your new baby, & your hair

  Through pregnancy, the hair follicle receives constant growth signals from elevated estrogen and progesterone—making hair look long, thick, and voluminous. Postpartum hormonal changes, along with sleep deprivation, skipping meals, and the stress of adding a tiny human to your life all exacerbate the (very normal) experience of postpartum hair shedding and thinning.

  How hormones, stress, and nutrition affects your hair:

  When estrogen and progesterone decline post-birth, hair follicles shift out of the growth phase, resulting in noticeable shedding about 3 months later. On top of that, the stress hormone cortisol signals hair follicles to prematurely shift out of the hair growth phase, accelerating the time it takes for hair to shed.As a micro-organ, our hair follicle is also affected by nutrient gaps. Key nutrients are needed to build hair and support a healthy hair growth cycle.^{9 - 12}

• Could the products you use be affecting your hair?

  Personal care products, like antiperspirant and cosmetics, can contain certain ingredients (think: parabens) that increase the toxic load on your body. While exposure to daily toxins is completely normal and unavoidable, too much exposure cumulatively can impact your overall health and your hair.

  See Also

  I tried a £579 at-home laser hair removal device and this is what I thinkWe Tried 24 Facial Hair Removers, From Waxes to Dermaplaners—These Are The Only Ones We RecommendRevolutionizing Hair Restoration - 5 Needle Automated Injectors

  How lifestyle affects your hair:

  Lifestyle includes your surroundings, the products you use, and the foods you eat, which can interfere with your body’s detoxification pathways and weaken the health of the hair follicle.^{13 - 17}

• The unexpected connection between sports fandom and hair

  Everything from the not-so-nutritious snacks and alcohol that often accompany games, to the stress of following your team, can impact biological processes important for hair growth.

  How stress and nutrition affect your hair:

  The stress hormone cortisol signals hair follicles to prematurely shift out of the hair growth phase, accelerating the time it takes for hair to shed. Over time, stress can also indirectly impact other hormones and nutrient absorption needed for hair growth. Key nutrients are needed to build hair and support a healthy hair growth cycle.^{18 - 20}

• Beyond hot flashes: menopause and your hair

  When menopause hits, women experience a significant drop in estrogen and progesterone. This triggers an increase in the hormone DHT (dihydrotestosterone), which causes hair follicles to shrink. This, along with an increase in the stress hormone cortisol (not to mention, the sleep disturbances hot flashes can bring), leads to thinning hair that doesn’t grow as quickly as it used to.

  How hormones affect your hair:

  Changes in hormones can make your body more susceptible to the DHT hormone. DHT causes hair follicles to shrink and eventually close completely so hair can no longer grow.^{21 - 24}

• How the stress of parenting affects your hair

  The ongoing (and seemingly endless) demands of parenting mean that stress levels, sleep, and nutrition can all take a hit—leading to dry, brittle hair and thinning.

  How stress affects your hair:

  The stress hormone cortisol signals hair follicles to prematurely shift out of the hair growth phase, accelerating the time it takes for hair to shed. Over time, stress can also indirectly impact other hormones and nutrient absorption needed for hair growth.^{25 - 29}