👨‍🔬 Guide: How to Avoid Hair Loss (2023)

How to avoid hair loss as a woman

Hair loss is a big problem for many women. It is not normal as a woman to have thin hair in the same way as it is for men. It can be very frustrating for all women when the hair brush is full of hair and the bathroom floor has to be vacuumed every time you have done your hair. Long hair is a big part of the female identity and is an opportunity for women to express who they are. Therefore, it can be very frustrating to see the hair fall out and end up in real hair loss. However, hair loss in women can be both temporary or permanent. There can be a number of reasons why you are losing your hair. This can be due to illness, stress, pregnancy, poor diet or too tight hairstyles, among other things.

Fortunately, in a large number of cases there is something you can do yourself if you start losing your hair and it thins out a bit in volume. This is, for example, changing your hair care routine, reducing your hair styling and considering whether you are getting enough vitamins and minerals.

In this blog post you will find the causes of hair loss and what you can do to get normal hair.

What is women hair loss?

Hair loss in women is defined as being a condition where the hair begins to fall out and it thins in both the fullness and length of the hair.

There are a number of different reasons why women lose their hair. In many cases, this can be due to a psychological or physical impact on the body which triggers this. This could be, for example, if you are very stressed, are ill, pregnant or have just given birth. In some women, however, hair loss is hereditary.

Hair loss women

The biological structure of the hair

Like any other living thing, our hair also goes through a life cycle, which is very dependent on our life. Among other things, it can be due to poor diet, stress, hormonal imbalances, which affect the whole body but also the hair to that extent. On average, there are approx. 100,000 hairs in the scalp that go through these phases.

Anagen phase - The growth phase

What happens to your hair in connection with hair loss is when your hair starts in the first phase, the growth cycle or the so-called anagen phase. During that period, your hair grows, but this phase is significantly reduced in connection with hair loss. Your hair is in the anagen phase for between 2-7 years, so it varies a lot how long your hair grows. In this phase, normally 90% of your hairs are in. Therefore, to reduce hair loss, it is very important that the hair remains in the anagen phase as long as possible. Fortunately, you can do this with some good and healthy hair care routines, which we describe further down in this post.

Catagene phase

If the anagen phase has been shortened, this triggers your hair strands to transition more quickly into the resting phase/catagen phase. This means that the hair does not grow as long and as strong as it actually would have been able to under normal circumstances. The catagen phase is a short-lived phase in your hair's life cycle that lasts between 4-6 weeks. During this phase, the hair shaft stops growing. It loosens from the scalp and thereby also the blood supply, which nourishes the hair.

Telogen phase

Approximately 4-6 weeks after the catagen phase, your hair will enter the telegenic phase or rejection phase, where the hair will begin to fall out after approximately 2-3 months in this phase. It is often only here that you will discover that you are losing your hair. Hair loss therefore has a temporal shift in relation to the cause that triggers it. Eg. if you have been stressed for a period of time, you will only notice any hair loss after some time. Therefore, preventive treatment is important in relation to avoiding hair loss in women. It is the telogen phase that you should ideally shorten as much as possible if you want to grow healthy and strong hair.

Sådan ser hårets vækstcyklus ud

Are you shedding more hair than usual?

As a woman, you normally shed between 50-100 strands of hair a day. The scalp has an average of 100,000 hairs to deal with, so there are plenty. But if you find that large tufts fall off or the brush is full of hair every time, you may well end up losing between 150 and 250 strands of hair a day. This will be a definite loss of hair for which you should investigate the cause, as this is not normal.

Because there are so many different reasons why you may suffer from hair loss, it is always a good idea to see a doctor if you suddenly start losing a lot of hair.

Am I suddenly losing my hair? - Sudden hair loss in women

Women can experience hair loss quite suddenly, this is called telogen effluvium. This occurs when the body has been exposed to a shock which, among other things, can be after a period of severe illness, medical treatment, rapid weight loss and stress. What happens is that the hairs from the growth phase/anagene phase suddenly go into the telogen phase or the resting phase, in fact up to 70% of the hairs that are in the growth phase can do this. This triggers a sudden hair loss in women, e.g. stress or other shocks to the body's system.

What are the most common causes of hair loss in women?

In order to get the most effective treatment against hair loss, it is important to know the cause. You can easily spend a lot of money on different treatment methods, which do not turn out to work, because the cause of the hair loss was something else entirely. The truth behind hair loss is often that it is a complex process that may include genetic, hormonal and environmental mechanisms that trigger hair loss. There are countless reasons for hair loss and hair loss in women in particular is often very different from person to person. It is therefore very important to map out the cause before starting a treatment.

Hereditary hair loss in women

Normally, women's hair thins with age, and around 50% of women find that by the age of 50 their hair has become too thin. However, there is a group for whom hair loss starts very early. These are the ones that can often be hereditary forms of hair loss.

In that group, hair loss already starts when they are in their 20s. Over the next 10 to 20 years, they will gradually lose more and more hair from primarily the top of the head and the back of the head. The most common is that the hair loss is on the neck and top of the head, while there is normal hair growth on the sides of the head.

If you suffer from hereditary hair loss, you will never be completely bald like a man. You will never be able to prevent hair loss if you are genetically predisposed. However, if you eat healthy and take hair vitamins, you can ensure that your hair has the vitamins and minerals it needs. If you generally live a healthy life, it can reduce the problem.

When you lose your hair due to illness, you will typically grow it back after a period of time. However, some diseases, for example skin diseases and fungal diseases of the scalp, will typically require treatment. Therefore, it is important that you make sure to go to the doctor if you suspect that your hair loss is due to illness.

Hair loss when stopping birth control pills

Many women use the contraceptive pill, which is a hormonal contraceptive for women that prevents pregnancy. When women choose to stop taking birth control pills, a hormonal imbalance can occur in the body, as the birth control pill no longer supplies the hormones that the body is used to. In some women this can result in hair loss, but fortunately this type of hair loss is rarely long-lasting. When the body has regained its natural hormonal balance, the hair will once again have a normalized growth cycle and you should not experience abnormal hair loss.

Hair loss due to mental stress

We have gradually heard many people who have experienced hair loss due to mental stress, whether it has been a demanding job or exams.

In line with our increasingly hectic lifestyles, stress has become a bigger and bigger part of many people's everyday lives. Therefore, side effects of stress are seen more and more often here, among other things, hair loss due to stress has also become a bigger factor in relation to hair loss in women. Stress enters and affects the hormonal balance, precisely the production of the male sex hormone, testosterone. Stress causes the body to produce more testosterone, with some of this being converted into a hormone called dihydrotestosterone or DHT. This is a hormone that affects, among other things, men's testicles, adrenal glands and hair follicles in both men and women. This hormone has a powerful effect and can ultimately result in hair loss.

What DHT does is that it prevents proteins, vitamins and minerals from delivering the necessary nutrition to your hair follicles, thereby limiting the hair strands' ability to produce hair. This will mean that the hair will grow more slowly, at the same time the life cycle of the hair will be shortened, and your hair will therefore go into the rejection phase, where it falls out, more quickly.

Stress is therefore no joke and must be taken very seriously. It can be the background behind a lot of other side effects as well. Therefore, it is always a good idea to contact your own doctor if you feel stressed or have some of the symptoms that indicate stress. By taking it in the bud, you can minimize the damage as much as possible. As for the hair under stress, we come further down in the blog post with a lot of good advice for the best possible hair care, should you be affected.

Woman with hair loss and stress

Hair loss due to poor diet

Poor diet is one of the biggest culprits in relation to hair loss. This type of food does not contain the nutrients that your body needs, and therefore also your hair. It weakens the body's maintenance when it does not get the right vitamins and minerals. This goes beyond your hair, which weakens significantly and ultimately can lead to hair loss. A poor diet consisting mainly of fat, sugar and carbohydrates will quickly give your body nutritional problems that can be severe enough for the vital organs to survive.

Therefore, it is clear that, among other things, your hair is a lower priority in order to get vitamins and minerals. In the same way, it is also super important for the body and hair to get regular exercise. When you get your heart rate up and move, you oxygenate the blood and oxygen, blood, vitamins and minerals are better transported around the body. This helps the nutrients in the body to be transported better and faster to the hair cells. Therefore, exercise is incredibly important to maintain healthy and strong hair.

Hair loss in women due to vitamin and mineral deficiency

If you do not eat healthy and varied food in your daily life and thereby do not get the vitamins and minerals your body needs through your diet, this can potentially have consequences for the quality of your hair. The hair simply does not get the nutrition and energy it needs to grow normally, and therefore it may be a good idea to consider whether you might be lacking vitamins if you suffer from hair loss.

Fortunately, there are many nutritional supplements today that can supplement the vitamins and minerals that are needed. In this case, where we are looking for vitamins that play a role in relation to hair, we can recommend Hair vitamins. It is a dietary supplement that, among other things, contains biotin and zinc, both of which contribute to the body being able to maintain normal hair.

Products for you with hair loss

Hormonal hair loss in women

In women, it is very often hormones that trigger hair loss. This can have many different causes, but luckily there are many options to do something about it if you experience hormonal hair loss as a woman.

Androgenic Alopecia

As a woman, your body will go through many hormonal changes during life. One of the changes is menopause, when women produce less and less estrogen and progesterone as they get older. At the same time, most women's production of the male sex hormone will either increase, or they will develop special sensitivity to the male sex hormone. This hormonal change is called Androgenic Alopecia and is a disease that causes hair loss and thinning hair in both women and men. In men, Androgenic Alopecia is seen in the form of receding hair line, thinning hair or baldness. Women usually do not experience bald spots or high temples, but instead can experience hair loss to varying degrees. Approx. 75% of men and 20% of women will be affected by Androgenic Alopecia and therefore we recommend that you take care of your hair from an early age.

Hair loss during and after pregnancy and childbirth

Many women experience hair loss during pregnancy and childbirth. For some women, they have really bad skin and dry or greasy hair at the beginning of pregnancy, where they also shed a lot. This is because they have a higher production of male sex hormone during pregnancy. However, it will stabilize again after the birth.
Others have the best looking skin and hair during pregnancy, but then start losing large amounts of hair three to eight months after giving birth. This is because the body has postponed getting rid of hair during pregnancy, and therefore only does it after the birth.

In both cases, it is important that you make sure you eat healthy and varied. Read our entire blog post about hair loss after pregnancy here.

Stine's story of hair loss after pregnancy

Meet our customer Stine, who suddenly experienced hair loss after her 2 pregnancies. It manifested itself in the form of hair loss, especially at the temples, where there used to be hair but now there were almost bare patches. It affected her a lot, as her hair is part of her identity. She became extremely sad and insecure about herself because of her hair loss. The hair loss began in January 2024, when she ordered Yuaia Haircare's hair vitamins. She had tried a few other hair vitamins that she just didn't think had worked. But already in May 2024, she can see a big improvement in her hair and has a lot of hair back.

Hormonal hair loss during menopause in women

Hair loss is a very normal thing when women enter menopause. It is something that happens to all women, who can carry much more than hair loss with them. Some of the factors can include hot flashes, pimples, lack of sex drive, increased sweat production. We women really have to deal with a lot. The reason why you lose your hair during menopause is that the female hormone estrogen falls in the body, this hormone plays an active role in the body's maintenance of hair, skin and bones. Therefore, you will experience that the hair becomes thinner or even falls out due to the hormonal balance not being the same as before. Another reason why many women experience hair loss during menopause is that one's activity level and circulation are no longer as good as before. This means that less oxygen and nutrients will be transported to the hair roots, which must use this to form healthy strands of hair. Among other things, this means that the hair's growth phase is shortened and it goes more quickly into the rejection phase, where it falls out.

What treatments are there for female hair loss?

Hair loss is a tricky thing, as there is no single remedy that can simply cure hair loss. It often takes a major change to achieve good results. Of course, finding the best hair loss remedy also depends a lot on the cause of the hair loss. However, here we will give you some of our best advice and product recommendations that you can use in the fight against hair loss.

Hair loss due to excessive use of hair products and tight hairstyles

If you are experiencing hair loss and want to combat it, there is a very general place to start. Many women often dye their hair, use a lot of hair products and regularly style it with straighteners or curling irons. Depending on which products you use and how often you use heating devices on your hair, it can have major consequences for the health of your hair. Incorrect hair care routines slowly destroy the hair and scalp and often you may not even realize it until it results in large amounts of hair loss.

If you recognize a harmful hair care routine in yourself, we recommend that you do the following: stop damaging your hair with hair dye, bleaching or permanent curls, avoid products with harmful chemical substances and use some more neutral hair products that are not harmful to your hair. As far as possible, avoid exposing your hair to heating devices when styling it. In addition, you should also consider whether you often have tight hairstyles, as this can also contribute to incipient hair loss. Over longer, the hairline can move if the hair is pulled back tightly all the time. In that case, it is therefore about finding some more gentle hairstyles. We have compiled a guide to gentle hairstyles here.

Since hair loss in women is often due to everyday hair care routines, it is therefore very important that we reconsider all steps in our hair care routines and consider whether we can change some things so that we give the hair the best possible treatment.

If you lack inspiration for your hair care routine, you can read our blood post about shampoo against hair loss here

Get a healthy hair washing routine

If you're experiencing hair loss as a woman, one of the most important ways to combat hair loss is to establish a good and healthy hair care routine. The products you use can have a big impact on your hair, but especially how often you wash your hair. We recommend washing your hair between 2-3 times a week for best results. Especially for those experiencing hair loss, consider washing your hair no more than twice a week, as hair is most fragile when wet, which can result in more hair loss.

When looking at products, it's important to create a good hair care routine with some good products. We recommend having a hair care routine called:

Shampoo without sulphate and silicone, preferably with some growth-promoting ingredients such as Capilia Longa. Use it 2-3 times a week and remember to use it twice every time you shower to remove product residue and dirt.
Hair mask with strengthening and conditioning properties. Many people mistakenly believe that the hair mask should be applied after conditioner, but this is a huge mistake. You need to use the hair mask after shampoo for the hair to absorb the nourishment the hair mask provides. A hair mask should be used once a week.
Conditioner without sulphate and silicone, to close the hair strand so that the nourishment and care it receives stays in the hair. Always use it as the last step in your hair washing routine.
Hair serums for hair loss can be considered if you want an extra boost for your hair. Hair serum is often more effective than a shampoo as it is allowed to work longer on the scalp and has a higher concentration of growth-promoting ingredients.

A good tip for hair care

Avoid putting your hair up while wet. It is because your hair is most fragile when it is damp. You can thereby quickly break the structure of some hairs and thereby increase your hair loss. Another good tip can be to avoid hair elastics with metal joints. It can contribute to wearing out and breaking your hair. Therefore, it may be a good idea to only use rubber or plastic hair elastics. Read more about hair elastics here.

Vitamins and minerals

It can be very frustrating when you lose your hair and you don't know what to do about it. Fortunately, there are things you can do yourself. First and foremost, you need to make sure you eat a healthy diet and take a dietary supplement with the vitamins and minerals that maintain normal hair cell reproduction. Internal care is often underestimated when it comes to hair care. Here it can be especially important to focus on the vitamin Biotin and the mineral Zinc, as they are recognised for their effect on maintaining normal hair.

You should focus on eating as many fresh fruits and vegetables as possible as they contain the most vitamins. An example of how you can easily and deliciously do this is by making a vegetable smoothie. By doing so, you can help your hair to restore the natural vitamin balance necessary for stable and normal hair growth. You can also consider a hair supplement that is uniquely formulated to support normal hair. These often contain a combination of a wide range of vitamins and have a direct effect on the hair or have supportive effects. This can be a good idea for those who want to be 100% covered and may not always get a healthy and varied diet.

En god kost er vigtig for at få de vitaminer og mineraler dit hår har brug for

Limit your use of hair styling

You can do your hair a huge favor by limiting your use of hair styling products. This advice is one of the easiest and most effective tips to implement from day one, so it is very essential. Hairspray, blow dryers, straighteners and curling irons wear down the hair with the many harsh chemicals, which each time help to dry out and slowly break down the structure of your hair and make it more fragile.

Among other things, you can also advantageously plan your baths in such a way that your hair can be allowed to air dry instead of blow-drying it. This is, among other things, because your hair is extra fragile when it is wet. It can therefore be bad for the hair to dry it with a hair cloth or blow dryer. You will be able to see a change relatively quickly using these little tricks.

Scalp massage for increased blood circulation

Scalp massage is an effective way to prevent hair loss in women, especially because of its ability to improve blood circulation to the scalp. This increased circulation helps transport oxygen and nutrients to the hair follicles, which can help reduce thinning and promote healthier hair growth. In addition, scalp massage can help reduce tension and stress in the scalp muscles, which can be a contributing factor to hair loss. Regular scalp massage also increases sebum production, which is important for maintaining healthy skin and scalp pH, allowing for better absorption of essential oils and other nutrients that support healthy hair.

Avoid stress

There are a number of different ways women can reduce stress in their lives to avoid hair loss. First, it is important to take regular breaks from work and activities throughout the day. Taking breaks helps clear your head and gives you time to relax. In addition, engaging in calming activities such as yoga, meditation, or deep breathing exercises can help reduce tension. Also, getting enough sleep every night helps you maintain a healthy lifestyle. Finally, a balanced diet of fruits and vegetables provides important nutrients for hair growth and health. By incorporating these tips into your daily routine, you can reduce stress levels and minimize the risk of losing your hair due to stress-related factors.

Lær at håndter din stress for at undgå hårtab som kvinde

Your way to longer and healthier hair

If you follow the advice we have given you above, as well as supplement your diet with dedicated hair vitamins, there is a high probability that you will start to get stronger hair. You will also be able to achieve good results relatively quickly if you implement them all from the start. The good prerequisites create synergy effects that reinforce each other.

Then you can finally say goodbye to your hair loss forever!

Product recommendations for hair loss in women

As described, there are so many things you can do to minimise hair loss. Some may work, others may not. Of course, it often comes down to the cause of the hair loss. So, as previously mentioned, it's incredibly important to find the exact cause so that you can get the best treatment for it. However, we have gathered a few product recommendations that we believe can provide a good foundation both when the damage has been done or as a prevention for hair loss.

Vitamins for hair

One of the causes of hair loss can be poor diet, which can lead to a vitamin deficiency. In this case, it may be a good idea to supplement your diet with a range of vitamins that help maintain your hair. These include the vitamin Biotin and the mineral Zinc. It can be a bit of a jungle to find out how much and how little of the different vitamins and minerals you need. That's why we made it our mission to develop the best hair supplement in the form of our hair vitamins. Our hair vitamins are a delicious strawberry-flavoured wine gum where you get a range of vitamins such as Biotin, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, Vitamin C, Zinc, Folic Acid, Bamboo Extract and many more. Du får altså et komplet kosttilskud, som er med til at vedligeholde et normalt hår. Derudover er vitaminerne sukkerfri, fri for gluten, laktose og gelatine. Samtidig er de også anbefalet af danske frisører. And don't worry, you have a 30-day satisfaction guarantee on the product, so you can try it out and see if it's right for you. Find the vitamins here.

Hair care for hair loss

When it comes to hair care products, we have developed our own range called Grow and Glow. The range consists of a shampoo, conditioner, hair mask and hair serum formulated to counteract hair loss and boost hair growth. The products contain well-known and award-winning ingredients such as Capilia Longa, which is known for its effect on hair loss. Of course, the products are not a miracle cure that will give you overnight hair growth or cure all forms of hair loss. But we have received so much positive feedback from our customers that we believe these products are worth a try. The products are formulated with some of the best ingredients you can find and are both sulphate and silicone-free. You can find the range right here.

Bamboo sleeping cap

An often underestimated weapon against hair loss is to look after your hair while you sleep. Often you use a regular cotton pillowcase, which after a few washes can be a little worn. The fibres in cotton are often coarser and can therefore put more wear and tear on your hair when you sleep. We all know what it's like to wake up with frizzy and filtered hair in the morning, right? Here we have developed a bamboo bonnet or rather a sleeping cap. It's made from some of the best OEKO-TEX 100 bamboo materials available and ensures that your hair doesn't get filtered or damaged while you sleep. In fact, you can wake up with great hair in the morning, which has been a big part of my hair care routine. Find the bamboo bonnet right here.