Good morning and I hope this letter finds you all well and very healthy! Its' been 1 month now since having to leave the clinic and I wanted to check in on you all and give you a few pointers oCharactersn hair strategy during these interesting times and some on my favorite tricks & tips.
Stress causes a number of hormones in our bodies to fire up and cause all kinds of havoc if left untreated. These hormones are in place to protect us, when our body feels as though there is a threat, we retreat to caveman days and instigate the fight or flight. Hormones can't tell the difference between a saber tooth tiger and office stress, but the bodies reaction is the same.
As soon as there is an initial trauma, COVID, a divorce, a death, exams, the big, heavy periods of life hair shedding becomes very common. When you go through a trauma or a trigger, there is a disruption in the hair cycle because the body thinks that it is in fight or flight mode, so your incredible body wants to make sure that you stay alive so it rushes all of these hormones to the areas of your body that help keep you alive like you brain, heart, liver and kidneys. And being that hair is what we call a 'non-essential' tissue, it is the last place in the body to receive any oxygen and nutrition. This is particularly difficult for hair as the cells involved in creating hair are the second fastest metabolizing cells in the entire human body which mean that they need a lot of oxygen and nutrition in order to keep doing their job at max capacity otherwise Telogen Effluvium can occur. Telogen Effluvium is a fancy word for sudden shedding all over the head. This phase usually occurs 6-16 weeks post trauma and will last for about 2-6 weeks. If it continues for longer, you should come in to see myself, a Certified Trichologist or your general physician.
Here is a list of some things that you can do to try and minimize the "shock" to the hair follicle:
- Low Level Laser Therapy, this increases circulation to the scalp, forcing the blood vessels to open supplying the hair with oxygen and nutrients. Even if you were to shed anyway while going through the stressful time, the new growth is overmuch encouraged and should come in very quickly due to the additional blood supply. (Laser does a lot more however, this is how it helps TE. ;0) )
- eat fruits that are dark & as well as frits high in Vitamin C, you want to build up those antioxidants & Vitamin C also helps with the absorption of other vitamins and minerals. (Precaution: some medications do not go well with grapefruit, please check with your pharmacist)
- eat dark leafy vegetables
- brush your hair with a brush that has those little balls on the end, make sure to be gentle on the scalp, brush gently on the scalp and this will help to increase the circulation in the scalp which helps to feed and water your locks!
- meditation... om........the brain & the breath
- daily exercise......move for atleast 20 minutes a day!
- yoga...mind, body & soul food
- supplements can also help a variety of things, Hope Hair Recovery can customize your needs depending on the individual.
Hydrate hydrate hydrate. During times of stress and with all of those hormones whinging about in our bodies, a lot of that gunk will get stored in fatty tissue in our bodies. Yuck. So if you drink a lot water (throw some berries in and double dip!) it will help to rinse your body and make sure that all of your cells have adequate amounts of hydrogen and oxygen, your mind and body will thank you for it. You will have extra potty trips though, just a little heads up!
If you are concerned at all about your increased shedding, give us a call at 306.203.0389 or email info@HopeHairRecovery.com and we would be happy to customize a treatment plan for you.
Take care out there, thank you all so much for allowing me to help you through this, it truly is an honour to work with you. Stay safe, stay home and I will see you when this is all over! As an added thank you, all products have been discounted and are available for curbside pickup or delivery on Wednesday's.
Please reach out to 306.203.0389 or info@HopeHairRecovery.com and we will do our best to make sure that your hair doesn't have to suffer.
Best Wishes and Happy Hair Growing,
Jennifer McCowan WTS
Certified Trichologist