Types of Hair Loss and How to Treat Them

Hair loss can be a distressing experience, but understanding the types of hair loss and how to treat them can empower you to take control of your hair health. In this blog post, we’ll explore the various types of hair loss, what causes each type, and the best ways to treat them. Keep reading for the full download.

Androgenetic Alopecia

What It Is

Androgenetic alopecia, commonly known as male or female pattern baldness, is the most common type of hair loss. It’s characterized by a receding hairline and thinning crown in men, and diffuse thinning over the top of the scalp in women.

Causes

This type of hair loss is primarily due to genetics and hormonal changes. It involves the shrinkage of hair follicles, leading to shorter, finer hairs and eventually no new hair growth.

Treatments

Medications: Minoxidil (Rogaine) and finasteride (Propecia) are FDA-approved treatments.

Lifestyle Changes: A balanced diet rich in vitamins and minerals supports hair health, which may contribute to less noticeable thinning. Supplements can also assist with this.

Topical Treatments: Just like a balanced diet, using shampoos, conditioners, and serums that contain growth-promoting ingredients may help.

Telogen Effluvium 

What It Is

Telogen effluvium is a temporary form of hair loss where hair falls out after a stressful event or change in the body. The latter can be the case in situations like childbirth, severe illness, or major surgery.

Causes

Stress, hormonal changes, nutritional deficiencies, or significant life events can trigger this type of hair loss.

Treatments

Stress Management: Techniques like yoga, meditation, and regular exercise can help reduce stress levels.

Dietary Supplements: Because nutritional deficiencies are a common cause of this, it is important to help your body heal by supplementing and eating a balanced diet.

Gentle Products: Given this type of hair loss’ connection to stress, deficiency, and strain, it’s a good idea to go gentle on your hair topically. Ensure you’re using products that don’t add any additional concerns, like the stripping of healthy oils.

Alopecia Areata

What It Is 

Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disorder where the body’s immune system attacks hair follicles, leading to patchy hair loss.

Causes

The exact cause is unknown, but it’s believed to involve a combination of genetic and environmental factors.

Treatments

Medical Treatments: Corticosteroids and other immunosuppressive drugs are commonly prescribed.

Lifestyle Adjustments: Reducing stress and maintaining a healthy diet can be beneficial. There are also certain food categories that can be more or less helpful for those with autoimmune diseases—a quick search will yield tons of information! That said, Healthline does have a great resource we simply must share: find it here. 

Nutritional Support: Alongside a targeted and healthy diet, supplementation will be key.

Traction Alopecia

What It Is

Traction alopecia results from continuous tension on the hair, often due to tight hairstyles like braids, ponytails, or extensions. Now before anyone panics, this doesn’t usually happen from regular hairstyling. The phrase “tight hairstyles” here means very, very tight. Envision that ballerina who has her hair yanked—and we mean yanked—into a tight bun, which then gets sprayed down and stays put for hours, almost daily. Of course, many ballerinas do not have traction alopecia. Our point is, if you wear ponytails daily, that does not mean you are going to develop this condition. Just try not to pull them too tight, too often.

Causes

Repeated pulling and tension on the hair follicles can damage them over time, leading to hair loss.

Treatments

Hairstyle Modifications: Opt for looser hairstyles and give your hair breaks from tight styles.

Scalp Care: Regular scalp massages can help improve blood flow and promote hair growth.

Hair Care Routine: Using nourishing products that are gentle, yet hydrating and nutritive, can support scalp health and hair strength.

Anagen Effluvium

What It Is

Anagen effluvium is rapid hair loss that occurs during the anagen (growth) phase of the hair cycle, often due to chemotherapy or radiation treatment.

Causes

Chemotherapy drugs or radiation therapy used to treat cancer can damage hair follicles, leading to sudden hair loss.

Treatments

Medical Interventions: Discuss with your healthcare provider about potential treatments to mitigate hair loss.

Scalp Cooling Caps: These can sometimes help reduce hair loss during chemotherapy.

Nutritional Support: As long as they are cleared with your medical team, consider taking supplements—multivitamins and hair-centric ones.

Haircare Cheat Sheet

Phew, we know … that was a lot to take in! But we hope it was informative and interesting. Now that we’ve covered all the types of hair loss, let’s talk about some of our recommendations for those treatments (which could be preventions, too!).

Like we mentioned already, avoiding super-tight hairstyles can be a good idea.

It’s also advised by the experts that you wash your hair every two to three days, rather than daily. This is because too much washing can strip the scalp of healthy oils.

Staying consistent with supplements is a great move. Our recommendation would be to select and be good about taking a multivitamin. Once that’s covered, consider something specialized for hair health, like our DeeplyRooted supplement.  

Be careful about the products you use topically on your hair. When in doubt we can’t recommend our DeeplyRooted collection more. The shampoo will gently exfoliate, the conditioner is a hydration powerhouse, and the serum keeps the scalp environment thriving.

 Our last little tip: stay hydrated. Yes, the celebrities are actually on to something when they keep saying they drink a lot of water. Sure, they might be attributing too much to that factor, but staying hydrated really is important to hair—and whole-body—health.