The top 9 reasons for hair loss in young women

Having your hair fall out when you’re still young can be very alarming, especially so when you’re still a young woman. But fear not, there are many reasons that it may be happening – and most can be solved quite simply.

If your hair is falling out, no need to tear it out any more. Simply read on to find out what could be causing it.

#1 Anaemia

Anaemia affects a lot of young women, with roughly 30% of women thought to be affected by anaemia at some point in their lives.

Aneamia is a disorder that means you have a lack of iron in the body. It affects many aspects of your body, including your hair. This is because iron is an essential part of being able to produce hair strands. If you have a lack of it, what little iron you have will be sequestered by the blood – rather than given to hair production.

You can tackle this problem easily, with iron supplements. You can get these anywhere, but consult with your doctor before taking them.

#2 Giving birth

Just had a baby? That might be the cause of your hairy loss. Pregnancy is one of the biggest changes your body will ever go through, so don’t be surprised if you find that you’re losing your hair after – and not just because of those sleepless nights.

After you give birth, your oestrogen levels will drop dramatically. This means that your hair will probably fall out in clumps, but don’t worry! It’ll grow back once your hormones level out in a few weeks.

#3 Birth control

Want to make sure you’re definitely not going to get pregnant? That might be the cause of your hair loss too.

Starting – or stopping – birth control can have a big impact on your hair. This can result in either you losing your hair while you’re on the pill, or after stopping taking it. This is because birth control pills cause the hair to move from the growing phase to the resting phase too soon and for too long.

If you’re sensitive to a change in either your oestrogen or progesterone levels, you may find that you’re more likely to experience hair loss as a result of taking birth control pills.

#4 Stress

They say stress makes your hair fall out for a reason – because it does.

Don’t overestimate the effects of stress on your body. While you’re in your 20s, you might think you have the energy and drive to climb the career ladder, but make sure you’re taking time for yourself.

Not only does stress trigger a rise in androgens – male hormones that can cause hair loss – but you’re more likely to have a bad diet, problems with your digestive system, and stress-related scalp problems.

#5 Lack of vitamin B12

A lack of vitamin B12 is quite often linked to hair loss problems, so if you’re suffering with hair loss for no obvious reason, this might be why. This may be especially true if you are vegan, as vitamin B12 is most commonly found in animal proteins.

You can get more vitamin B12 into your diet through vitamin B12 tablets, or by eating more foods that contain B12.

#6 Dramatic weight loss

Dramatic weight loss is an often-overlooked reason for hair loss. If you’re finding that your hair is falling out after you’ve just been on an epic no sugar; no carb; no alcohol; no red meat diet, this might be why.

This is because physiologically, hair is deemed ‘non-essential’ by the body. During a really intense diet, the hair will often fall out because the body does not see any value in providing what little nutrients it gets to the hair, and diverts them to the essential organs instead. Without the required nutrients, the hair falls out.

#7 Too much vitamin A

If you’re somewhat of a ‘health nut’, you might find that your hair is falling out – despite all the vitamins you’ve been taking.

Wonder why? Well, you might be overdoing it on the vitamins. Too much vitamin A is widely known to cause hair loss, so if you’re overdoing it on the vitamin A supplements, this might be causing your hair to fall out.

To stop this, simply stop taking so much vitamin A, and your hair should start to grow back.

#8 Not enough protein

If you’ve recently become a vegan or vegetarian, you might find that your hair has started to fall out. This is most often due to a lack of protein in the diet. Without enough protein, your body won’t be able to synthesise hair – resulting in a net hair loss.

As with #5, this is commonly a problem for vegans, although if you’re vegetarian you might find this happens too.

To combat this, try to work more protein into your diet. Lentils, chickpeas and other pulses are a great source of vegetable protein.

#9 Hyperthyroidism

Hyperthyroidism is a condition whereby the thyroid gland produces too many hormones, causing the body to accelerate many of the body’s processes. It can eventually lead to a change in the menstrual cycle.

Because the thyroid gland helps to regulate the body’s metabolism by controlling the production of proteins and tissue use of oxygen. Any thyroid imbalance can therefore affect hair follicles.

If you’re a young woman, there is only a small chance you’ll be suffering from hyperthyroidism. However, you should be aware that the prevalence does increase as you get older.
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