4 Things Your Hair Says About Your Health

Your hair is useful for a lot more than looking fabulous; it can also reveal a great deal about what’s going on inside your body. Seriously, you’d be surprised at how many issues your hair’s condition can indicate. You just need to know what to look for. Without further ado, let’s dive right into today’s list of 6 common hair troubles and what they mean.

#1. Thinning – Stress

Under normal circumstances, your hair falls out long after it’s stopped growing. Stress disrupts this process, making hair fall out as it’s still growing. This leaves you with patches of bald spots.

This effect can take between three and six weeks to appear. So if you notice your hair has begun to thin, think back and try to pinpoint any stressful situation that happened recently. Then, make a plan to deal with stress better in the future – after all, it affects much more than your hair!

#2. Dull, Brittle Hair – Nutrition Problems

“If you’re eating a highly processed diet, any nutrients you do get are shuttled to your body’s crucial operations, like your heart and other organs,” says dietitian Wendy Bazilian.

In other words, those nutrients won’t get to your hair, which needs them to stay strong and healthy. One bad meal won’t wreck your hair; you’ll need to eat junk habitually to see that effect. Bazilian also says that a deficiency in dietary fat can actually prevent your hair from absorbing nutrients like vitamin D. Make sure you’re getting enough healthy fats, like omega-3 fatty acids and monosaturated fats.

Dehydration can also spark hair loss; your hair is actually one quarter water. Water is the primary energy source for hair cells, including those responsible for generating new hair. Make sure you’ve covered in both areas – diet and hydration – for healthy hair.

#3. Crown Hair Loss – Too Much Dihydrotestosterone

If you’re losing clumps around your crown and simultaneously gaining fat around your stomach, abnormally high levels of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) could be to blame. In men, an enzyme called 5-alpha reductase transforms testosterone into DHT. Some men are especially sensitive to DHT. In those men, the hormone attacks hair follicles and produces crown hair loss. In some women, a hormone called DHEA has the same effect, converting testosterone into DHT.

There are a number of natural foods you can take to block DHT, including:

Green tea
Saw palmetto
Giant dodder
Pumpkin seed

#4. Seemingly Random Bald Patches: Trichotillomania

Trichotillomania is a condition characterized by a compulsion to pull one’s hair out. It’s an impulse control disorder that typically flares up during moments of stress or perceived failure. Some trichotillomania suffers don’t actually realize they’re pulling out their hair. If you notice random bald patches on your head, you might want to pay attention to what you do with your hands during stressful moments – watch out for hair rubbing and tugging.