The Connection Between Stress and Hair Loss: Managing Both

Have you noticed when you get stressed out, you can't sleep or eat properly? You might get insomnia and binge on junk food while rewatching that one show for the fifth time. When you look in the mirror, the face looking back at you isn't the face of a fresh, vibrant person. For some, what may bother you the most is what happened to your hair.

Stress affects us in many ways, with your hair being a noticeable casualty. Whether it's school, work, parenthood or trying to figure out how to get all the adulting done for the day - we are stressed. If you've noticed your hair isn't as voluminous as it used to be, here's how stress and hair loss are connected and what you can do to bring your locks back to life.

What Stress Does to Hair

There is a technical term for hair loss caused by stress called Telogen Effluvium. This refers to the shedding of hair due to stressful events like those fun emotional rollercoasters we love to ride, any major life changes and physical trauma. The stress hormone cortisol is what messes with things.

When you start to feel the pressure of life, cortisol is released, which slows down your hair growth. The cycle is disrupted, with the follicles pushed into the resting phase. The stress is pushing your hair over the edge. The follicles give up and go into shutdown mode, just like at the end of the night when we turn on Netflix. If you want to manage your manage your hair loss, look at what is taking place in your life and see if any areas need attention.

Stress-Related Triggers

• Overstyling your hair
• The usual, being stressed suspects
• Physical stress like surgery or severe change in diet
• Medical stress, as a side effect from medications or an ongoing condition
• Missing out on nutrients like vitamin B, zinc and iron

Emotional stress is the big one. Worrying about everyone and everything or any huge life changes will do the trick.

Overstyling your hair counts here. When you are stressed you may brush harder than you normally would, which rips more hair out. You might pull your hair too tight when putting it up or go a bit overboard with treatments. But the actual act of overstyling stresses your hair out. Try to take it easy on your head.

The rest of the stressful tells are pretty standard things that make every adult go a little crazy. Having to move, switching jobs, being in the hospital, losing a loved one, a poor diet and certain medications will all mess with your cortisol levels and cause chaos for your hair.

How Hair Loss Presents Itself

• Shedding
• Thinning
• Scalp issues
• Lifeless, limp hair

Hair loss from stress will present in a few different ways and varies from person to person. Even if you haven't noticed hair loss, you might stop and wonder when your hair started to look so lifeless and dull. You could also have scalp problems instead of straight up losing hair. If you notice itchiness when you never did, or dandruff, that is your scalp's way of telling you it is unhappy.

The thinning and shedding of hair can be very difficult for most people. The growth cycle of your hair slows to the point your hair stops growing and sheds instead. You might notice more hair in the shower or when you brush your hair out.

How Your Hair Can Bounce Back

To get your hair loss from stress under control, along with using our hair growth serums and kits, try doing everything that's causing things to go haywire in reverse.

• Eat healthier foods rich in vitamin E and biotin
• Go easy on your head when styling your hair
• Move your body
• Talk it out
• Learn to meditate or do yoga

No matter how much you despise it, don't have time for it, or don't want to do it, exercise is the best stress relief, not rewatching your comfort show. You don't have to go to the gym at all. Stretching while watching one episode will do the trick. A walk around the neighborhood would be great, as well.

Your diet needs to be as healthy as possible. Start small by eating one healthy meal and work up to a fully balanced diet. Rotate in more foods with biotin like eggs, seeds and fish and ones rich in vitamin E with greens like asparagus, spinach and broccoli.

Don't neglect your mental health, either. Speak to a professional or bestie and get the worries out. If you can't bring yourself to talk it out, try to meditate or practice yoga. Any way you can reset your mind and settle yourself down will help tell those stress hormones to go away.

Hair Loss From Stress Isn't The End

Don't freak out if you are constantly shedding hair from stress. It is a temporary problem. By using growth serums and making changings to your life your hair can and will regrow. It will get back to its beautiful origins once you manage your stress. It may take a few months, even up to six months depending on the event that caused the stress and how you handled it, but it will grow back.

Now, if you don't take care of the root of the problem, the long-term, untreated cause of the stress could have more lasting effects on not only your hair, but your entire body. From bloating to acne, stress is the gift that keeps on giving.

Stress and hair loss are intertwined more than people realize. Cortisol does all kinds of scary things to a human body, from top to bottom. If your hair hasn't been the same lately, with enough falling out to make a wig for your pet, see if the cause is stress. Think about what is happening in your life and see what area needs a little extra love. Take a yoga class, reintroduce yourself to leafy greens and put the stress back to sleep.