Healthy lifestyles promote healthy hair. Likewise, the health of your hair can be indicative of your overall health. Changes to hair thickness, gray hairs, and more could be physical signs of things you can address.
Hair Health and Stress
With everything going on in the world and our daily lives, it would be surprising if you weren’t stressed. But stress isn’t a good thing, Prolonged stress can affect your overall health, physically and mentally. Stress can actually affect your hair’s condition, appearance, and growth. Stress can make our hair lose it’s shine or luster. In more extreme cases, stress can cause graying or even hair loss.
When our stress levels get high enough, we can experience a condition known as Telogen Effluvium. This is where stress causes your natural hair growth cycle to enter a resting state. This resting state reduces your hair’s natural replenishing factors, which can make them more brittle. During this time, you can experience hair thinning, and more hair falling out. This experience can be stressful itself, which is the point. Your body is telling you to take it easy. Telogen Effluvium generally only lasts a few months, but you should seek out ways to destress yourself.
Diet and Hair Health
Your diet can be a major factor in the overall health of your body, including your hair. Missing out on the right nutrients can be problematic for your hair. The best way to improve your hair health via diet is to eat foods rich in B12, biotin (B7), omega fatty acids, and iron. B12 can stave off graying hair. B7 is an essential building block of hair. Omega fatty acids help strengthen hair and reduce hair loss. Iron is necessary for moving oxygen throughout the body, including to the hair.
Avoiding processed sugars and high-carb foods can also be helpful. Be sure to speak with your physician before making any major changes to your diet, or before taking supplements for nutrients.
Underlying Health Conditions and Your Hair
Your hair can also be an indicator of underlying health conditions. Breakage, hair loss, thinning, and dull textures can be signs of worsening overall health. Some health issues that can attribute to hair health issues include alopecia, eating disorders, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, Trichotillomania, and Lupus. If you are living with these conditions, your hair may be affected. Generally, treatments and medications for these health conditions can help improve hair health as well. If you are experiencing abnormal hair loss as well as other symptoms, you should speak with your physician.
This article was not written by a medical professional. Ooh La La Hair Artists does not provide medical or healthcare advice via articles. This material has been prepared for informational purposes only, and is not intended to provide, and should not be relied on for medical advice.
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