If you’re not liking what you’re seeing in the mirror, there’s a reason your hair may be thinning. And while everyone blames their parents or grandparents (news flash: only a fraction of hair thinning is actually caused by your hereditary lineage), these five common life events and situations could be the real reason you’re losing hair.
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#1. A Bad Chapter in Life
Your hair goes through three phases of growth: growing, resting and shedding. When you experience something dramatic, sad or traumatic, it can spark your hormones to push your hair faster towards the shedding part of the cycle. This can cause your scalp’s mane to thin more rapidly than normal. You’ll often see this kick in as far as six months after the life event happens.
#2. A Vitamin Overdose
Sure, giving your body the nutrients it needs to support hair growth is key. But too much of a bad thing can zap your follicles. One such nutrient is retinol, also known as vitamin A. If you have too much vitamin A in your system, it can actually be toxic. One symptom of this is hair loss. That’s because vitamin A is fat soluble, meaning that unlike vitamins such as vitamin C and vitamin B12, your body can’t flush excess amounts out with water. For most adults, you don’t want to go over 5,000 IUs per day.
#3. Not Enough Protein
Protein shakes aren’t just for bodybuilders! Protein is the building blocks of hair, nails and skin. And these three areas of your body are also deemed the least important when your body is trying to ration out protein. If you’re not getting enough protein, your hair may be the first place this shows up. Symptoms include slower hair growth, a pause in hair growth or even hair loss. Make sure you get healthy amounts of protein-rich foods, such as eggs, milk and beans.
