issue 2// vol 47 life & style // no. 17

Hair loss: the scary truth

» What you can do about it

Morgan Hannah
Life & Style Editor

 

o here loves their hair? Now,
obviously this is a rhetorical
question because one, I can't see if anyone
is putting up their hands and hollering at
me that “yes, yes indeed you love your hair.”
And two, of course you love your hair, who
doesn't?!

Unfortunately, not everyone gets to
keep their lovely locks for all of their life,
in fact, one in four women will suffer from
hair thinning or hair loss in their lifetime.
Comparatively, three out of four men will
experience the same. Add it all up and
that’s 5/8ths of the population!

Hair loss, or alopecia, often affects just
the scalp but can affect the entire body and
can be permanent or just temporary. There
are many causes of hair loss, with the most
common being hereditary hair loss, also
known as androgenetic alopecia. To put it
simply, hereditary hair loss makes up for
about 95 percent of hair loss cases and is
an inherited condition that decreases the
amount of time the body spends actively
producing hair. Unfortunately, there is no
cure for hereditary hair loss, but wait! Don’t
start panicking yet—if you're experiencing
androgenetic alopecia, keep reading—I'll
get to the good stuff soon enough!

Hair loss falls into several categories,
including telogen effluvium, hair loss
resulting after a major body stress, such as
giving birth or prolonged illness, or after
sudden drops in hormone levels. Hair loss
can also occur because of drug side effects;
alopecia areata, an autoimmune disease
that causes hair to fall out in patches; and
traumatic alopecia, or more commonly
known as all that shit y’all do to your hair!

I'm guilty of the last one. I’ve started
to notice the beginning of thinning at
the sides of my hairline and have been
paying close attention to what it might
be that I am doing with my hair to cause
this because hair loss does not run in
my family. Turns out, when drying my
hair after a shower, I wrap my hair up
ina “towel turban’ due to how long my
hair is and this is a major no-no. Who
knew?! Now, it’s okay if you also do
this drying technique, along with tight
ponytails, cornrows, braids, using heat and
chemicals, or any other kind of traumatic
hairstyling methods on an infrequent basis,
but as soon as these styling and washing
procedures become routine, that’s when
you'll start to notice a problem.

The hairline is where your most
fragile, finest, and shortest hair exists—
that’s why they're often called baby
hairs—and it’s also where youre going to
notice damage from traumatic alopecia.
In fact, one third of African American
women have traumatic alopecia from their
haircare routines. Traumatic alopecia often
develops gradually, and so it often
takes time to realize that your hairline
has begun to recede. Once you see some
thinning at the hairline, mainly before
the ears, this might bea bad sign and
could mean it’s time to be mindful of
your hair. Pay attention to changes to your
hair’s volume, strength, and texture; a
good way to do this is to take a picture of
your hairline at the end of each week and
compare. But try not to obsess over this as
you'll only make things worse!

Once you've established that you
indeed are experiencing traumatic
alopecia, first things first—change it up.
Your hairstyle, I mean. Wear your hair
down as often as possible. If this is not a

possibility
because
of work or
routine, wear
looser versions
of the styles
youre used to,
and do not—I
repeat, do
not dry your
hair with the
towel turban
like I’ve been
doing for years.
Next—and
you've already
heard this step
a million times
before—drink
more water.
Water makes
up almost 25
percent of the
weight of a
single strand of
hair. Drinking
around
two litres of water per day will help to
strengthen your hair and help promote its
growth. Dehydration halts hair growth.
Another way to help prevent further
hair loss is to exercise regularly. Exercise
improves the flow of blood throughout
the body, including to the scalp, which
promotes the growth of hair. Your skin and
hair are a reflection of your overall health,
so physical activity and a proper diet
will ensure a healthy inside and outside.
Additionally, on the note of diet, biotin
(Vitamin H), is well known for playing an
important role in the health of hair, skin,
and nails. It’s also one of the only natural
hair-loss treatments backed up by science.

 

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Studies show that the use of the vitamin
helped people with biotin deficiencies
increase their hair growth. When seeking
biotin supplements, go for ones where
biotin is a main ingredient, not an add-in
to some fruity flavoured gummy vitamin.
And if you prefer to consume biotin more
naturally, foods such as eggs, fish, nuts,
seeds, certain veggies, and meat are great
choices.

By following these suggestions, you
can help to stop, prevent, and potentially
reverse hair loss. Do something healthy
for your hair, and along the way you'll find
you've done some good for the rest of you
too!

Getting ready pre- versus post-COVID

>» Tweaks and twerks in the process

 

Illustration by Udeshi Seneviratne if)

Tania Arora
Staff Writer

 

OVID has impacted every aspect of my
daily routine. The “new normal” for
my life has affected more than just shaking

hands, hanging out, travelling, or eating.
My accessories or daily checklist has now
been extended to mask, gloves, sanitizer,
and more depending upon the destination.
The places I go to have been narrowed
down to only the least crowded ones. These
are but a few aspects of my “new normal”
that come with going out nowadays.

My makeup bag, which used to have a
touch-up kit, now seems enough with only
eye makeup. Thanks to wearing a mask,
lower face makeup is out of the picture. I
remember my first day at work and how
happy I was to be able to apply the new
stock of lipsticks, eyeshadows, and so
much more that I had collected throughout
lockdown. I generously applied my blood-
red lipstick and made sure my base was
on point. Then I had to wear my mask on
transit and at work—rendering it useless.

To this day, I regret putting on lipstick.

Society is divided into two parts: one
side that needs glasses and one that does
not. Only the person wearing glasses can
understand the real struggle of carrying
them and how that adds to the discomfort
of life—especially in COVID times. Masks
with glasses, be it for vision or shades, are
the most catastrophic combination. I stand
on the side of people with glasses and every
time I breathe, I make a fool of myself with
the fog in front of my eyes.

COVID has also changed the way I
dress myself. Pre-COVID was all about
fashion, but post-COVID has seen an
evolution in fashion. More people are
wearing colourful and stylish masks to
accompany their everyday outfits.

During pre-COVID, a small bag
with an outfit or just a cardholder would
suffice. The increase in sanitary products
for safety has also changed the shape
of my minimalist outfits. It is all-new,
uncomfortable, and hard to accept.
However, this is life with COVID, and my
new normal.