Hair shedding is a part of everyday life. It doesn’t matter how young you are or how good your hair care regimen is,  your hair is still going to fall. It’s natural. Every day, strands of your hair are shed as part of a healthy hair life cycle.

The average person loses anywhere between 50-100 strands of hair per day, according to the American Academy of Dermatology (more, if you have longer hair). [1]

If you begin to see significantly more than that, or if they’re not growing back, then it’s time to do something about it. First, we have to understand there are different types of hair loss and different treatments for each type.

Genetics

Genetic hair loss or thinning is medically known as androgenetic alopecia. [2] It’s the most common cause of hair loss. The gene can be inherited from either your mother or your father’s side of the family.

“In these instances, certain hair follicles are sensitive to male hormones – and this sensitivity causes follicles to gradually shrink and produce slightly finer and shorter hairs with each passing hair growth cycle." Explains Anabel Kingsley, a leading Trichologist at the Philip Kingsley Clinic in London

Solutions:

• Regenerative Hair Therapy
• Hair Transplant

Hair Breakage

If we look at the anatomy, hair is largely made up of a protein called Keratin, that forms the inner cortex of the hair, and protected by a cuticle on the outside. When damp hair is combed, it stretches. Unfortunately, when it’s stretched, it doesn’t snap back to its original form as a rubber band does. Instead, the stretching causes the cuticle to deform and crack. That’s partially a reason why your hair feels rough and damaged. So wet hair needs a lot more tender loving care. Hard shampooing and aggressively drying your hair is only going to damage it further.

Solutions:

• For longer hair, wrap it in a towel to dry and allow it to draw out water slowly.
• If your hair is shorter, use gentle patting motions instead of vigorous rubbing.
• Really rushing for time and need to blow-dry? Skip the heat. Use the cool setting instead.

Excessive Styling

Too much of styling, shampooing and dying can hurt the structural integrity of your hair. Often, it’s a combination of treatments—keratin, colouring, and blow-drying, for instance—that does the damage. First, there are harsh chemicals in highlights and dyes. Then there’s intense heat from steamers and perming machines. Not considering pulling from combs and clips. They all cause hair cuticles to lose their natural, protective moisturizers, leaving your locks dry and damaged.

Solutions:

• Minimise your use of irons and other machinery (say, for special occasions)
• If you use hair gels and sprays, remember to wash it thoroughly at the end of the night, at least twice
• If you must dye your hair, consider pivoting just one or two shades from its normal colour: The more drastic the colour change, the more chemicals and breakage you’ll cause.

Nutritional Imbalance & Deficiencies

One of the leading causes of hair loss in women is iron deficiency. Iron is essential for producing hair cell protein, without it, your strands will suffer. Vitamin B12 deficiency is another common cause of hair loss as it can affect the health of red blood cells, which carry oxygen to your tissues. Less oxygen and nutrients travelling to your hair means poor hair health. As mentioned before, hair is made up of protein. And just like improving skin complexion, maintaining an adequate daily intake of protein-rich food is essential.

Solutions:

• Include more beans, nuts and dark green leafy vegetables in your diet
• Include at least a palm-sized portion of protein during each meal
• Consider taking supplements like Iron, Vitamin C, Vitamin B12, Vitamin D3, Copper, Zinc, Selenium

Stress & Lack of Sleep

It goes without saying, these two are a killer combination that sends the human body into a frenzy. The first effect is an increase in androgen (a male hormone) levels, which in turn can cause hair loss. Stress may also trigger a multitude of scalp problems, such as oily scalp (and clogged pores), dandruff, disrupt eating habits and mess with the digestive system – all of which can have a negative impact on hair. When we’re stressed out, our cortisol levels also increase, messing up our sleep cycle. Prolonged lack of sleep will impair our hair follicle’s ability to function properly, according to research published in the Americal Journal of Pathology. [3]

Solutions:

• Give yourself a hair massage before you sleep to relax. Plus, this stimulates nerve endings and increases blood circulation to your roots
• Practice deep breathing and nourish your body before bed

Solving the Root Problem

So if your hair is falling out, it’s normal. However, if it’s getting increasingly worrisome, you can consider Cambridge’s Glow + Genosys Hair Loss Treatment. This signature hair loss treatment at Cambridge includes a unique combination of 3 highly effective technologies and stem cell hair growth factor.

Starting with the Venus Glow™, it gently vacuums dirt, oil, debris & other impurities on the scalp, with 2 ultra-fine jet streams to deep-cleanse clogged pores. After the scalp has been noticeably cleaner, a patented Genosys HR3 Matrix hair growth factor will be applied to supply supplements to the hair follicles, with microneedling to help with the absorption of the product. Ending with the SMARTLUX Hair Laser Treatment to calm and soothe the scalp, it also helps with the efficacy of intracellular nutrient acquisition.  

Like all scalp treatments, it’s always advisable to act asap to prevent hair loss. The sooner you start taking care of your scalp, the faster and easier it will be to see results.

1. https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/hair-loss/insider/shedding
2. https://www.prevention.com/health/a28250587/alopecia-hair-loss-treatment/
3. Botchkarev V. A. (2003). Stress and the hair follicle: exploring the connections. The American journal of pathology, 162(3), 709–712. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0002-9440(10)63866-7