As little girls, we listen to stories about Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and Rapunzel. We watch princess movies and see those beautiful images on the screen … gorgeous, thick hair. Hair flowing past their shoulders and glistening in the sun. Perfect and glorious.
Then, we watch Disney movies like Tangled and are sung into delirium as we watch Rapunzel wrangle a man and swing from trees with her unimaginably long tresses. Little girls weave their hair into a magnificent braid with flowers cascading through it.
It sets our images and expectations for hair in a rather high position. A position that is so high, we can’t really reach it. A position that basically sets most of us girls up for total disappointment.
Some of us were born with kinky curls that look a bit more like the bride of Frankenstein and a whole lot less like the beautiful, beachy waves of Moana. Perhaps your hair looks more like Harry Dunne’s in Dumb and Dumber and much less like Elsa’s platinum mane in Frozen.
We pay for extensions, we buy wigs, and we dry our hair upside down for fullness. We add thickening mousses, gels, and powders … all in the name of making our hair appear thicker and fuller.
Hook, line, and sinker, we buy right into the belief that beauty is pain. Whatever it takes, right?
So what happens when we find ourselves smack dab in the middle of our twenties without a single princess-inspired hair upon our heads? What happens when instead of pulling off our best Marsha Brady hair brushing impersonation, we are pulling out our hair instead?
Hair loss in your twenties? What?!! Hair loss is for your dad, your uncle … your bald grandfather. Hair loss is not for a twenty-something woman who dreams of doing a real-life Rapunzel impersonation.
What Is Up With Losing Hair in Your 20s?
Have you already started noticing more hair falling out in your twenties? You may have realized that those clumps of hair sitting in your shower are not rodents. Your hair is shedding like crazy. And it seems like it’s happening out of the blue. What is going on?
First, you need to gain an understanding of the way that hair grows. There is a definite cycle with four distinct steps. Grow, rest, fall out, regenerate. Our genes are directly involved in the steps of this hair growth cycle.
Based on the fact that our various genes are involved in each of the four steps, it is very easy to put a wrench in this growth process. Well, that’s just great, huh? Those wrenches in the growth cycle are what cause us to very prematurely lose our hair.
Let’s point our fingers at the main culprits of hair loss in our twenties. Here they are:
Excessive Stress
Waking up at 2 am because you are worried that you may have forgotten something on a project at work is not just hard on you mentally, it is elevating your stress level. Tucking your cell phone under your pillow so you don’t miss any emergency emails isn’t helping with your stress level either.
Stress puts your hair cycle in slow motion. That darn hormone that makes your belly fluffy also forces your hair to basically take a nap and just sit still. Zero growth happens here. Thank you cortisol. You’re a girl’s best friend. Let’s be fat and bald together.
Go to therapy, confide in a trusted friend or two, get regular exercise … Do whatever it takes to manage or reduce stress in your life. If you don’t do this, your hair is not the only thing that will be affected by the stress, your whole body will feel it.
Smoking
As Americans, we should all be pretty clear on the fact that smoking is bad for our health. A large portion of people actually start smoking as teenagers. So the effects of those toxic tubes start taking root early.
Doctors are discussing the idea that the unhealthy lifestyle of smoking regularly takes its toll on our hair follicles. That means that smoking is directly linked to hair loss.
Just don’t smoke. It’s bad for the inside of your body and the outside of your body. It ages your skin, decreases your lung capacity, increases your risk for cancer, and it can make you lose your hair.
Specific Diets
Our culture is passionate sometimes to the point of obsession when it comes to diets. The cabbage diet, the cucumber diet, the egg diet, and the banana diet are just a few that have been tried. None of those diets are well balanced.
Nutrition has a direct effect on the state of your hair. Our bodies need the proper nutrients in order to properly support all four steps in the hair growth cycle. So, eating a limited diet is a bad idea when it comes to nourishing your hair.
Vegan and vegetarian diets are becoming more and more popular among millennials. A diet of this type must be managed properly with supplements to ensure that the body is receiving all of the nutrients needed to support all four phases of hair growth. Vitamin B12 is a common deficiency found in women eating a strictly vegan diet.
When our bodies are deficient in certain nutrients, any scrap of that nutrient will be diverted away from non-essential parts (like hair, skin, and nails) and redirected to the vital organs that keep you alive.
Our hair needs sustenance to grow. We need the proper combination of essential fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, and proteins to successfully grow our hair. Unfortunately, you won’t notice that something is wrong for about three months because that is how long it takes to complete the resting and falling phases.
Vitamin Deficiencies
You may know all of the names of the most popular fad diets … and perhaps you have tried a few of them. Some of these diets may cause a deficiency of various vitamins and minerals. It is also possible to be deficient in certain nutrients because you aren’t eating a well-balanced diet on a regular basis.
If you are deficient in iron, zinc, selenium, vitamin D, or B12, you may very well experience hair loss. Each of these nutrients is needed for the four phases of hair growth to function effectively.
Vitamin deficiencies are not a typical condition for most women in their twenties. It is not something that you can self-diagnose. It is best for you to see a medical professional to have your blood drawn and specifically tested for any kind of nutrient deficiencies.
Genetics or Medical Conditions
If you are experiencing premature hair loss, it may very well be genetic. Your heredity may be the culprit. And hear this, it is not a fact that hair loss only comes from one side of your family. If your Aunt Edna started losing hair in her twenties, then you might lose your hair, too.
The list of medical conditions that cause hair loss are way too many to mention. Please, for the love of Aunt Edna, do not let your fingers do the walking on a Google search. No. Don’t do that. Go to a doctor and get some real answers from a trained medical professional.
To satisfy your curiosity, the following is a list of medical conditions associated with early-onset female hair loss:
- Thyroid disorders
- Anemia
- Psoriasis
- Pregnancy
- Autoimmune diseases
- Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
- Seborrheic Dermatitis
- Alopecia Areata
- Telogen Effluvium
- Anagen Effluvium
- Traction Alopecia
- Pregnancy
Here’s the thing. If you eat relatively healthy, aren’t experiencing major stressors, and you are not pregnant, but you are still losing your hair in noticeable amounts, that isn’t something for you to ignore. A young woman should not be losing hair in excessive amounts. The best thing you can do is to make an appointment with your primary care doctor or dermatologist and find out what underlying condition is causing you to lose your hair.
Fluctuating Hormones
Those pesky, freaking female hormones. They can be the nemesis of women everywhere. Yes, hormones help us with so many wonderful things, like having healthy babies and maintaining a healthy weight. And yet they can also give us fits when they are not in balance.
It should come as no surprise that hormones have a part to play in the hair growth cycle. Of course, this can vary greatly from woman to woman. Changing your birth control pills can completely throw off your hair growth cycle. You may need to change pills until you find the one that works best with your body. Be careful because changing your birth control too much can cause other serious health problems.
And, of course, perhaps the biggest hormonal change of all happens during pregnancy. During pregnancy, many women have longer, thicker, silkier hair because of fantastic levels of progesterone and estrogen. And then … that sweet baby is born and it’s as if those super hormones are sucked from your body! Within a few months, your hair starts shedding with a vengeance. That’s normal. It should grow back. Be sure to take enough supplements to support your body as you recover from giving birth.
What Can You Do for Your Premature Hair Loss?
First of all, losing your hair is no joke. No other females find it funny when they think they might be going bald at twenty-five. It can feel very traumatizing. It’s embarrassing. And frankly, it can be scary. This is not the fairytale hair you imagined. Not even close.
The first thing you need to do if you are truly worried is to make an appointment with your doctor. A general doctor may refer you to a dermatologist if he or she cannot figure out the cause of your hair loss. To take any steps toward changing your hair loss situation, you first need to find out why it is happening.
If your hair loss is related to a stressful event, then your hair will probably grow back in a few months after the event has finished. The same is true for a big hormonal change. Once your body is back to normal, the hair should start filling back in.
If you have a dietary deficiency, then you can remedy this situation by taking the proper supplements. A blood test at the doctor’s office can determine if you actually have a deficiency. Vitamin deficiencies are not extremely common. But even if you are not deficient, you can take supplements to boost your body’s nutrition level.
There are some fantastic supplements and hair treatments to reverse your hair loss. KeraViatin is a great resource to nourish your body and boost hair growth. Keranique has designed this supplement with specific ingredients to grow stronger, longer, shinier hair with pharma-grade ingredients for safety and efficacy. It contains a potent combination of saw palmetto, silica, zinc, biotin, and bamboo shoot.
Keranique can provide you with products to stimulate your scalp, moisturize your hair, unblock hair follicles, remove excess oils, and add volume. There are regrowth products for every hair type … thin, fine, curly, straight, or colored.
The Bottom Line
Hair loss as a young, vibrant woman doesn’t have to be a death sentence for your dreams of having a head full of beautiful hair. Will your hair be a replica of Rapunzel? Naw, probably not. You are not a Disney Princess, honey.
Your hair doesn’t have to continue falling out. Go to your doctor, find out the cause, and take the appropriate action to wage war on that hair loss and reverse it.
Keranique’s approach to hair loss includes easy-to-use, effective treatments that promote the Strength, Growth & Beauty of Hair. We’ve coupled this with a connective community that serves and supports the individual woman as she addresses her hair health needs.
Click here to learn more on how you can regrow your hair with Keranique in only 3 steps!
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