8 Tips to Help Prevent or Treat Hair Loss

Women make up 40 percent of American hair loss sufferers, according to the American Hair Loss Association—and even those who don’t suffer from it in great lengths still worry about whether or not they’re losing their locks every time they find strands in the shower or tangled in their brush. NYC cosmetic dermatologist and medical journalist Dr. Doris Day, M.D., shares tips on what’s trending in the hair loss prevention and treatment department.

1. Be cognizant about how you’re managing your mane—and don’t overdo it. It’s okay to brush or blow dry your tresses, but don’t over-pull, over-touch, over-straighten, over-relax, etc., because that can break your hair, Dr. Day says.

2. Speak up. The motto “if you see something, say something” can pertain to your strands as well. You notice your hair loss before anyone else—you know your head, you know your scalp—which means if you start to feel that you have a problem, have it evaluated, Dr. Day advises. Hair loss patterns differ from men to women; men typically start receding at the temples, while women show hair loss at either the crown of the head or the part.

3. A diet that’s lower in inflammatory foods can help. Dr. Day also recommends getting checked for iron deficiency and heavy metals “because those can be stored in the hair and affect the scalp,” she tells us.

4. If stress is the source behind your hair shedding (known as stress shedding; it commonly lags behind the stress by three to four months and lasts for that long), combat it by knowing yourself and what your stressors are and trying to manage them as best as you can, Dr. Day continues.

5. Try topical hair products. Dr. Day says she likes the Julien Farel restore line because it’s “great for the hair but addresses the scalp…it’s anti-aging for the scalp in a way that I haven’t see in many products.”

6. Women’s Rogaine® topical solution also gets high praise. Used twice a day, “it absolutely works.”

7. Viviscal® Hair Growth Program is another noteworthy option, as studies have revealed these all-natural hair growth supplements show good hair growth, Dr. Day adds.

8. Additional treatments include hair growth lasers that use low-level laser light. Dr. Day mentions Capillus; the Capillus272 low-level light therapy cap is non-invasive and can be combined with other hair loss treatments. The cap “covers the whole head at once and covers the scalp more than I’ve ever seen out there,” Dr. Day says.

Those using the treatments stated above should expect to see results in a minimum of three months, though six to nine months is more likely.