Lifestyle Habits Causing Hair Loss in Britons

When your hair starts to fall out, you’re probably going to start blaming your parents. While yes, hair loss is hereditary, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t lifestyle habits that excel hair loss. Sometimes, hair loss is inevitable, but if you take control of your health and habits, you can impact the speed of genetic hair thinning and keep your hair longer.

Are There Treatment Options Available?

Maybe you already have a bald spot on your head that’s noticeable, and you want to seek treatment options to slow down hair loss entirely. There are many solutions and success stories related to hair loss, such as using finasteride tablets or minoxidil spray. Both can help grow back hair follicles and thicken the hair you still have. 

Hair transplant surgery and laser therapy are also useful for restoring hair to your head, but they can get expensive. If you’re confident the following lifestyle changes or medications won’t improve hair loss, consider those options as a last resort.

Lifestyle Issues that Cause Hair Loss

Obesity

Having a larger than average waistline can drastically affect hormone production in your body. For example, insulin and thyroxine can double under the stress fat puts on your body, and these hormones can increase DHT – the hair loss hormone. The longer you’re overweight, the faster your hair will thin, fall out, and stop replacing itself.

On top of that, obesity can cause strain on your heart, which makes it more likely you’ll take medications to prevent heart attacks or strokes. Cholesterol drugs list hair loss as a side effect, so it’s in your best interest to lose weight through diet and exercise and get off those medications if you want to maintain your hairline.

Diet

Eating an incomplete diet that either leaches macros, vitamins, or minerals can put a strain on your hair follicles. Iron and protein are essential for healthy hair, and while protein deficiency is incredibly uncommon, iron deficiency isn’t. Even people who consume high iron foods like meat and dairy become anemic, so be sure to take a blood test to check your levels.

Other minerals, like calcium, zinc, and magnesium, contribute to hair loss. Be sure to eat green leafy vegetables rich in these ingredients like kale and spinach – you don’t even need a lot to meet your daily needs. We recommend staying away from high meat and dairy sources as a source of vitamins because they also come with high cholesterol and fat. 

Smoking

It’s common knowledge that smoking isn’t good for you, but now we get to add hair loss as one of the many reasons never to smoke. Smoking is a vasoconstrictor, which means it reduces blood cells in your body. Your head needs a fresh blood supply to keep a healthy amount of hair on your head, so throw away those cancer sticks to keep what you have.

Quitting smoking is difficult, so if you’re having trouble quitting, it’s a good idea to seek help. Talk to your doctor about other ways to prevent you from smoking, like sucking on a lollipop or chewing Nicotine gum. There are endless reasons to spot smoking, and quitting will provide benefits for your overall health.

Skin Problems

Your scalp is susceptible when it comes to skincare; anyone with dandruff can tell you that. While it’s easy to take cream on other parts of your skin, it’s more challenging to massage a lotion into your scalp while avoiding a mess. Still, you must invest in a good shampoo or conditioner that can moisturize your scalp.

Seborrheic dermatitis, a condition where yeast eats your hair’s sebum, can lead to diffuse hair loss. If you think you have this skin condition, tell your doctor immediately. There are kits you can purchase to starve the yeast and refresh your scalp. Otherwise, change your shampoo and other products, so they don’t irritate your hair follicles.