Post Covid Hair Loss

Although the onset of COVID-19 seems like it was forever ago, there is still so much we are learning from testing, labs, and medical specialist. One difficulty that many are facing after battling the virus, is hair loss. Medically speaking, this is called, telogen effluvium: a common cause of temporary hair loss due to the excessive shedding of resting or telogen hair after some shock to the system.

Your hair goes through 2 growth cycles:

1. Anagen: the growth phase that lasts about 3 years and when 90% of hairs grow

2. Telogen: the resting phase; lasts about 6 months. At the end of telogen, our hairs are shed from their follicles and gradually replaced by new, anagen hairs.

On average, people shed about 50 to 100 hairs a day. But when an individual experiences a stressful event, such as COVID-19 infection, our bodies can prematurely shift a greater than normal proportion of growing anagen hairs into a resting telogen state. Resulting in an sudden yet gradual increase in hair loss.

Even after the shedding has stopped, you may notice that your hair is not as thick as it once was. The good news is the majority of telogen effluvium cases are over in about three to six months, when those additional hairs that were prematurely shifted into telogen have shed.

If you've experienced hair growth for more than 6 months, you may be suffering from Chronic telogen effluvium, where excessive hair shedding can persist beyond six months.

The Good News!

YOUR HAIR WILL GROW BACK! Yay! The key is, the less stress, the better. While seeing your hair fall out in clumps can add to your stress, it’s important to try to de-stress. Only when the stress ends will the excessive hair shedding stop. Until then, let's dive into a few tips that can promote hair growth:

1. Vitamins! Grab a multivitamin that contains::

   1. Vitamin A: all cells need vitamin A for growth. This includes hair, the fastest growing tissue in the human body.

   2. Vitamin B: One of the best known vitamins for hair growth is a B vitamin called biotin. Studies link biotin deficiency with hair loss in humans.

   3. Vitamin C: Free radical damage can block growth and cause your hair to age. Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that helps protect against the oxidative stress caused by free radicals.

   4. Vitamin D: Low levels of vitamin D are linked to alopecia, a technical term for hair loss.

   5. Vitamin E: Similar to vitamin C, vitamin E is an antioxidant that can help prevent oxidative stress. *In one study, people with hair loss experienced a 34.5% increase in hair growth after supplementing with vitamin E for 8 months!

   6. Iron: Iron helps red blood cells carry oxygen to your cells. This makes it important mineral for many bodily functions, including hair growth.

   7. Zinc: plays an important role in hair tissue growth & repair. It also keeps the oil glands around the follicles working properly.

   8. My favorite immune support supplement by Monat contains many of these including Vitamin B, C, D, Iron & Zinc. All in one! You can find it here.

2. Sleep! 8 hours of sleep is a must for protein synthesis of the hair and releases the growth hormones also which is very important for the overall hair health. Our body produces melatonin which is a hormone that helps in regulating the body's sleep cycle and increases hair growth.

3. Reduce stress. Make time for YOU and do things you enjoy - fitness, reading, netflix. Whatever it takes!

4. Take biotin and collagen for healthy hair, skin and nails. MONAT Collagen Key has both! It has 16667% biotin to be exact. Add one scoop a day to a shake or a glass of water.

5. Switch up your haircare routine to vegan, non-toxic products. One common ingredient in many shampoos & conditioners is Dimenthicone which can cause product buildup on your hair & scalp, suffocating your hair strands and follicles. Even worse, when you add hot tools into the mix, your hair turns into an egg on a hot fry pan leading to frizz, damage, and breakage.

   1. Intense Repair Line: Grab the full haircare line to help promote mega re-growth. This includes shampoos, conditioner, & a treatment spray to revive hair, helps improve hair strength, and helps boost natural growth of thicker and fuller-looking hair. One ingredient in this line is called Capixyl penetrates into the roots and follicles to promote hair growth and reduces inflammation.

   2. Follow this link to take a quick hair quiz and you'll receive personalized, discounted link with products based on your hair type.

6. Use scrunchies! Be kind to your hair while you're pulling it back. Extra tugg and tension while your hair is in a fragile state can cause increased loss.

7. Grab a silk/satin pillowcase on amazon to lessen friction while sleeping. These are amazing for your skin, too!

8. Oil treatments: This beauty oil is amazing for scalp treatments. It's a blend of 13+ essential oils + omega fatty acids made improve follicle health, promote hair growth & penetrate into all 3 layers of your hair strands to strengthen hair strands from the inside out. Contact me, personally, for a discount!

I hope this is helpful to you. Know that you are not alone and it really can be traumatizing. You deserve to love your hair again!