Curly Hair Loss: Stop Hair from Thinning and Shedding

Balding and other forms of hair loss (like shedding or thinning) are often mistakenly thought to only impact males.

The truth is, females make up a significant number of individuals who suffer from hair loss-related diseases.

Female-pattern hair loss, the kind that runs in families, is the most common cause of hair loss in women, and it affects millions of them. That comes from the American Academy of Dermatology.

As you know, female hair loss can have a negative emotional impact on self-esteem. Much more so than when a male goes through hair loss.

It is generally more acceptable in today's society for men to be bald relative to female pattern baldness.

While it's true that hair loss isn't life-threatening, there should be reasonable solutions for females who don't want to suffer through any unnecessary emotional trauma caused by losing their hair.

Even if it's only the feeling of being unattractive, the psychological damage can be mentally devastating.

Curl Centric understands how seriously life-altering this situation can be and has put together the following overview on hair loss in hopes of providing some direction for those who are experiencing these circumstances.

In this guide, we'll cover what causes your curly hair to fall out and potential treatment options, including natural home remedies.

Overview of Curly Hair Loss: What Causes Curly Hair to Fall Out?

Certain medications, illnesses, and infections are all potential causes of hair loss in women. Frankly, anything that can interfere with the hair growth cycle could potentially cause female hair loss.

While hereditary male pattern baldness is considered common, female hair loss is also widespread. For most women, female-pattern hair loss starts in their 40s, 50s, or 60s, though it can begin earlier. It usually shows up as a wider part or thinner hair all over, not a bald spot.

The American Academy of Dermatology considers losing 50 to 100 hair strands each day perfectly normal.

So, obviously, seeing some measure of shedding each day isn't necessarily cause for concern. However, if the hair loss seems excessive or occurs suddenly, you may want to dig a little deeper.

When Is There Cause for Concern?

Hair thinning often occurs slowly, and you may not immediately recognize that you have a potential problem.

Obviously, if your hair begins to fall out in clumps, there is definitely a need to seek medical advice. If your hair loss is specific to one area of your scalp, you likely have focal hair loss.

However, if your hair loss isn't isolated to a specific scalp region, then you may have what's considered to be general hair loss.

If you wake up in the morning and find an unusual amount of hair on your pillow or if there is more hair than normal left over in the comb, there could be cause for concern.

It's important that you begin to recognize visual cues that may indicate a potential problem.

See a board-certified dermatologist if you notice any of these: smooth, round bald patches; a part that keeps getting wider; thinning edges or broken hairs along your hairline; a scaly, itchy, or sore patch on your scalp; or heavy shedding that hasn't settled down after six to nine months. Don't wait it out. The sooner a dermatologist finds the cause, the more hair you're likely to keep.

When diagnosing the culprit of hair loss, medical professionals will often perform some preliminary blood work to determine if the thyroid gland or an autoimmune disease is the problem.

Doctors also inquire about family history to determine if a recognizable pattern can be identified. If hair loss runs in your family, then the potential is greater for you to experience hair loss.

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Common Causes of Hair Shedding and Hair Thinning

• Hair loss is often inherited - meaning it's something that is a part of your family tree. This common hair loss is generally referred to as female-pattern hair loss. You may have also heard of male-pattern hair loss or hereditary male-pattern baldness.
• As you age, the growth rate of your hair slows down. The hair also generally becomes thinner, breaks more easily, and usually turns gray as you get older.
• Wearing tight hairstyles that pull the hair too aggressively can cause shedding or thinning in curly hair. Over time, that pulling can cause traction alopecia, and that kind of hair loss can become permanent. We often recommend protective styles to mitigate stressing your edges and protect your ends, encouraging length retention.
• Unbalanced diets, thyroid diseases, chemotherapy, ringworm of the scalp, and physical stress often caused by surgery or illness are also common hair loss causes.
• Heavy shedding all over your head can start a few months after giving birth, a high fever, surgery, losing 20 pounds or more, or a very stressful stretch. Its medical name is telogen effluvium. This kind of shedding usually stops on its own, and your hair tends to look full again within six to nine months.
• Alopecia areata, a condition where your immune system attacks your hair follicles, usually starts as smooth, round bald patches. It isn't contagious, and the hair often grows back.

Note that this list of common hair loss causes isn't all-inclusive. There could very well be something unidentified in the above list that causes hair loss for you. The chart below can help you narrow it down by what you're seeing.

How to Stop Your Hair From Falling Out

Stopping your hair from falling out starts with finding out why it's falling out. Hair loss is typically diagnosed through a series of questions, scalp examinations, hair loss patterns, and other hair-related tests (including testing hair samples).

It's also not uncommon for medical professionals to conduct blood examinations as they investigate potential problems.

A dermatologist will usually ask how long you've been losing hair and whether it came on fast, look closely at your scalp and nails, and gently tug on a few hairs to see how easily they come out. If they suspect a disease, a vitamin shortage, a hormone problem, or an infection, they may order a blood test or take a tiny sample of skin from your scalp (a biopsy).

Before your appointment, write down when the shedding started and anything big that happened a few months before it, like giving birth, a high fever, surgery, losing 20 pounds or more, or stopping birth control pills. Bring a list of every medicine and supplement you take. If biotin is on that list, say so, because it can throw off some blood tests.

Treatment Options: Including Natural Home Remedies

Ultimately, treatment scenarios presented by a medical professional should be specific to your particular situation.

For some, hair thinning or female-pattern hair loss isn't a concern. For others, treatment will be highly desired.

Some medications may mitigate hair loss, and hair transplant surgery may be an option for some women. If your hair is thin all over, though, there may not be enough healthy hair to move. Some women choose to wear wigs (e.g., headband wig or lace front wig) or change the way they style their hair.

For example, if the hair loss is isolated to a particular area of your scalp, you may decide to style your hair in such a way that it covers the thinning area. Many people refer to this method as a "comb-over" technique.

If the hair loss is caused by something that medical professionals believe can be treated or eliminated, treating that cause may be enough for your hair to grow back.

If you think a medicine you take is behind it, don't stop taking it on your own. Ask the doctor who prescribed it, because stopping some medicines suddenly can cause serious health problems. It's best to discuss the potential options with your doctor.

During the discussion with your doctor, be sure to ask the following questions:

• Do you recommend a particular treatment?
• What is the duration of the treatment?
• Is the solution permanent?
• Are there side effects or risks associated with the treatment?
• Costs?
• Will the recommended treatment be covered by my medical insurance?

1. Mediterranean Diet

In 2018, a study revealed that men who ate raw vegetables or fresh herbs, both staples of the Mediterranean diet, at least three times a week were less likely to have androgenic alopecia (male pattern baldness). The study compared 104 men who had hair loss with 108 who didn't, and it included no women. It shows a link, so it can't prove the food prevented the hair loss.

Learn more about the Mediterranean diet with this book from Amazon: The Complete Mediterranean Cookbook. The book contains more than 500 healthy recipes using a variety of fresh ingredients.

2. Protein

Your hair strands are made primarily of keratin, which is a type of protein. A 2017 study done on 100 people suffering from hair loss in India found nutritional deficiencies in the participants, including amino acids, which are the building blocks of protein.

According to researchers, eating too little protein, as on a crash diet, can make your hair thin and shed. So make sure your meals include protein. Some of the protein-rich foods include eggs, beans, nuts, fish, peas, and chicken. If you already eat enough, adding a protein powder isn't likely to change your hair.

3. Vitamin A

Vitamin A is a group of nutrients that includes retinoids. Your hair follicles and the oil glands in your scalp need the right amount of it, and getting too little or too much can both cause problems.

Vitamin A also helps in the production of sebum (the natural oil your scalp makes), which helps keep your scalp healthy. But taking extra vitamin A won't speed up your rate of hair growth.

In fact, taking large amounts of vitamin A can cause hair loss, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. For adults, the upper limit is 3,000 micrograms a day of preformed vitamin A, the kind in animal foods like eggs, dairy, and liver, and in many supplements. Stay under it, especially if you're pregnant or could become pregnant, because too much vitamin A can cause birth defects.

Foods rich in vitamin A include spinach, sweet potatoes, sweet peppers, and many others. These plant foods contain beta-carotene, an orange pigment your body turns into vitamin A, and beta-carotene doesn't count toward that limit. Our article outlining the best foods for hair growth will help you with any meal planning needs.

4. Multivitamin

According to scientists, Vitamins A, B, C, and D, iron, zinc, and selenium are all needed for healthy hair growth and retention processes.

Multivitamins are available in drug stores and most grocery stores. Your doctor can also prescribe a multivitamin based on your individual needs.

But more isn't better. Many hair supplements pack a lot of one nutrient, and you can end up with too much. Unless a blood test shows you're low in something, many dermatologists suggest a plain multivitamin over a hair supplement.

5. Vitamin D

A 2017 review found that most studies show low vitamin D levels in people with hair loss that doesn't scar, including alopecia areata, heavy shedding, and female-pattern hair loss. The authors suggested vitamin D supplements could help, but said larger studies are needed. So ask your doctor to check your vitamin D level with a blood test, and take a supplement if it's low.

6. Biotin

Biotin, which is also referred to as vitamin H or B7, is needed for fatty acid synthesis in your body. If you're truly low in biotin, your hair can thin and fall out, and taking biotin can help it grow back. That kind of thinning usually comes with other signs, like a scaly red rash around your eyes, nose, and mouth, and brittle nails.

Is vitamin deficiency a concern? It's highly unlikely because biotin deficiencies are very rare. If you think you might have a biotin deficiency, ask your doctor for a blood test before you take any. The American Academy of Dermatology recommends biotin only when a test shows you're low.

If you already take biotin in a hair gummy, a multivitamin, or a prenatal vitamin, tell whoever orders your bloodwork. High doses can make some lab tests read wrong, including a test doctors use to check for a heart attack.

7. Saw Palmetto

This herb comes from the berries of saw palmetto, a small palm tree that grows in the southeastern United States. It's thought to block the enzyme that turns testosterone into DHT, the hormone linked to pattern hair loss.

In a small 2002 study, 6 of the 10 men taking saw palmetto with beta-sitosterol were rated as having improved hair growth. No women were in it. The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health says the evidence for hair loss is still too limited to draw conclusions. It also notes that saw palmetto may be unsafe while you're pregnant or breastfeeding.

8. Ginseng

Although further study is needed, ginseng contains phytochemicals (plant compounds) that have helped hair grow in lab and animal studies.

You may take ginseng supplements or use topical solutions that are infused with ginseng. Since more research is needed, we recommend consulting with your doctor before using ginseng.

9. Washing Your Hair Regularly

Making it a habit to wash your hair regularly keeps the scalp clean and healthy. But washing doesn't make your hair fall out, and skipping washes won't save any. The hairs in the drain had already shed, and some of them stay caught in your curls until you wash and detangle. So if you go a week between washes, you'll see several days of shedding come out at once. That's normal.

One dermatology review points out that washing less out of fear only puts more hair in your drain on the next wash day, which makes the worry worse. To check whether you're looking at shed hairs or broken pieces, look for a tiny pale bulb on the root end, and see our shedding vs. breakage guide. We also recommend using a gentle shampoo instead of a stronger one, which may lead to additional hair breakage and dryness.

If you're wondering how often to wash your hair, read this article to set up a hair-washing schedule.

10. Coconut oil

In lab tests on hair, coconut oil used before or after washing helped hair strands lose less protein, which helps protect them from damage during washing and combing.

Coconut oil contains lauric acid, which binds protein in the hair, strengthening it and protecting it from breakage.

Coconut oil helps the hair strands you already have. It won't change how much hair sheds from your scalp, so think of it as help for breakage, not for shedding or thinning.

11. Incorporate Protective Styling

Some hairstyles, such as tight ponytails or braids, can pull your hair at the roots (particularly around the edges), potentially leading to excessive shedding.

This kind of hair loss is called traction alopecia. The American Academy of Dermatology lists the warning signs: pain, stinging, crusts, or tenting (your scalp pulled up like a tent) while a style is in, and later, broken hairs around your forehead or a hairline that's moving back. If you notice any of them, loosen your braids, ponytail, or weave right away.

The academy also suggests keeping braids loose around your hairline and taking them down within six to eight weeks. If your edges keep thinning after that, see a dermatologist early, because the longer the pulling goes on, the more likely the loss is permanent.

Wear hairstyles that don't pull on your hair too tight (i.e., protective hairstyles), and add more gentle styling techniques to your natural hair regimen.

Straightening irons, hair dryers, and other heat styling tools may also lead to additional hair damage, so you might want to avoid them as much as possible.

12. Avoid (or Limit) Hair Processing

Common chemical treatments, such as hair coloring, relaxers, and perms, can also lead to hair loss.

Before using chemical treatments, ask your stylist if there are better alternatives, such as natural hair dyes (like using henna leaves for coloring) or other products that don't contain nearly as many harmful chemicals. If you go with henna, use pure henna. The FDA warns that products sold as black henna often contain PPD, a hair dye chemical that can cause dangerous skin reactions.

13. Red Light Laser Therapy

Low-level lasers have been used to help people suffering from genetic hair loss improve hair density, and early research suggests they may help after chemotherapy too (source). Laser combs, caps, and helmets are sold for home use. You have to keep using one to keep any results, and they don't work for everyone.

The process is referred to as red light therapy, and it's thought to work by stimulating stem cells in your hair follicles. If you're interested in DIY red light therapy devices, they're available here on Amazon.

14. Platelet-rich Plasma (PRP)

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) may be injected into the scalp to stimulate hair growth in the areas affected by hair loss. A doctor draws a small amount of your blood, spins it in a machine to separate it, and injects the plasma part into your scalp. Most people go once a month for three months, then every three to six months. For female-pattern hair loss, the early results look promising, but the research is still young.

These sessions are often not covered by health insurance providers, so ask for the total price of the first three sessions and the follow-ups before you start.

15. Minoxidil

Also known as Rogaine, minoxidil is an over-the-counter drug, and it's the treatment dermatologists recommend most for female-pattern hair loss. Both 2% and 5% minoxidil are approved for women. It's meant for hair loss that runs in families, the kind that shows up as slow thinning or a widening part.

The women's label says not to use it if your hair loss is sudden or patchy, started after childbirth, or you don't know why you're losing hair.

You should apply the minoxidil liquid or foam to your dry scalp every day. The women's 5% foam goes on once a day, and some 2% liquids go on twice a day, so follow your box. For the first two to eight weeks, you may shed more hair than usual. That's normal, and it stops as new hair grows in.

You may see results at three months, but many women need six months or more. If you stop using it, you lose the hair it helped you grow.

The most common side effect is an itchy, dry, or red scalp, and some women grow fine hair on their cheeks or forehead. Stop and call your doctor if you get chest pain, a racing heartbeat, dizziness, sudden weight gain, or swollen hands or feet. Don't use minoxidil if you're pregnant, trying to get pregnant, or breastfeeding.

16. Finasteride

Also known as Propecia, finasteride is a prescription pill that helps slow down hair loss and promotes hair regrowth in men. The FDA approved it for male pattern hair loss only, and its label says it isn't for women. In a year-long study of 137 women past menopause, finasteride didn't help their hair any more than a placebo (a pill with nothing active in it) did.

A dermatologist may still prescribe it to a woman with hereditary hair loss who can't get pregnant. Never take finasteride if you're pregnant or could become pregnant, and don't handle crushed or broken tablets during that time either, because it can harm the development of a baby boy.

A more common prescription for women is spironolactone, another pill, which works for about 40% of women with female-pattern hair loss. It can cause birth defects too, so you'd need birth control while you take it. We recommend discussing these options with your doctor to determine if one is the right solution for your specific needs.

17. Essential Oils

In a 1998 trial, 86 people with alopecia areata were split into two groups. One group massaged a blend of thyme, rosemary, lavender, and cedarwood oils into the scalp every day, and the other massaged the same carrier oils without the blend. After seven months, 44% of the blend group had improved, compared with 15% of the other group. Alopecia areata is an autoimmune condition that causes patchy bald spots, so it's a different problem from the thinning described above. If your hair is coming out in patches rather than thinning all over, that's one to take to a doctor.

Other essential oils that can be used include lemongrass and peppermint. Lemongrass has helped with dandruff, and peppermint has only been tested for hair growth in mice, so neither one is a treatment for hair loss. It would be best to mix a few drops of the essential oils with a carrier oil such as jojoba oil before applying them to your scalp. Patch test any new mix first: dab it on a quarter-sized spot at the bend of your elbow twice a day for 7 to 10 days, and skip it if your skin turns red or itchy.

18. Implement Scalp Massages

A scalp massage feels fantastic, and it's relaxing. On top of that, scalp massages may help your hair. A small 2016 study had nine men use a scalp massage device on one side of the scalp for four minutes a day. After 24 weeks, the hair on that side had thickened a little from where it started, but not significantly more than on the side they left alone.

19. Use Yoga as a Stress Reliever

Stress can lead to hair loss, and as we all know, yoga is an excellent way to reduce stress. There are many highly effective yoga poses.

We recommend trying the forward bend, downward-facing dog, camel pose, fish pose, shoulder stand, and kneeling pose.

Can Garlic Help Reverse Alopecia Areata?

Garlic may help a little, but only alongside a steroid cream, a standard treatment for alopecia areata. Alopecia areata is a type of hair loss where your immune system attacks your hair follicles and leaves round bald patches.

In a 2007 study, 40 people with patchy alopecia areata put a steroid cream on their patches twice a day for three months. Half of them also used a garlic gel, and the other half used a gel with no garlic in it. In the garlic group, 19 of the 20 had a good response, which was better than the steroid cream alone.

That was one small study, and the garlic gel was made in a lab. Raw garlic left on skin has caused chemical burns, so don't tape or rub cloves on a bald patch. See a dermatologist first. They can confirm it's alopecia areata and start the steroid treatment the garlic gel was paired with.

What About Onion Juice?

Onion juice (that's right, crushed-up onions) was found to enhance hair growth compared to tap water.

That was a small 2002 trial in people with patchy alopecia areata. They dabbed onion juice or tap water on their bald patches twice a day for two months. By six weeks, 20 of the 23 people using onion juice had new hair, while only 2 of the 15 using water did by eight weeks.

This means, without the use of steroids, it's possible that crushed onions can stimulate hair growth for alopecia areata treatment.

With alopecia areata, the immune system attacks the hair follicles. Onion juice doesn't switch that attack off. One theory is that the juice mildly irritates your skin, and that may pull your immune system's attention away from the follicles for a while. There's no cure for alopecia areata, so neither onion nor garlic can promise the patches won't come back.

Raw onion juice also irritates skin. In that trial, 14 of the 23 people got mild redness. So patch test it on your arm first, and see a dermatologist about any round bald patch before you try it.

Are Growth Supplements or Vitamins Useful or Not?

There is evidence of supplements being useful for mitigating the amount of hair shedding experienced, but mostly when you're actually low in a nutrient.

For example, women with long-lasting shedding and low iron have been treated with iron pills plus lysine, an amino acid the body can't produce naturally, and in small studies, a good share of them shed less.

So before you buy iron, ask your doctor to check your ferritin, a blood test that shows how much iron your body has stored. Too much iron can poison you. Our guide to vitamins for hair growth covers which blood tests are worth asking for.

Green Tea (Polyphenols) Hair Regrowth

Currently, green tea is being studied as a potential treatment option for alopecia areata.

Green tea and black tea come from the same plant, but they're made differently. Green tea leaves are steamed or pan-fried and dried, while black tea leaves are fermented. The hair studies used polyphenols (plant compounds) from green tea.

Existing studies have been conducted on mice and on human hair follicles in a petri dish, but not yet on real people. In one mouse study, a third of the mice that drank green tea polyphenols for six months grew hair back, while none of the mice drinking plain water did.

Nonetheless, the existing studies have shown encouraging results.

The polyphenols have stimulated the regrowth of hair in existing studies. Therefore, if you are experiencing hair thinning or shedding, utilizing a tea rinse for your hair might be worth the experiment. Let the tea cool first. Skip green tea extract pills for this, though, since they've been linked to rare cases of liver damage.

Using Caffeine Hair Regrowth

Many people do not know this, but your hair follicles can absorb certain drugs. Caffeine is a drug that can be absorbed by the hair follicles.

Actually, tests on skin have shown that caffeine reaches the hair follicles rapidly after you put it on. In the lab, caffeine made hair follicles from men with pattern hair loss grow longer, and follicles from women responded even more strongly.

In one small trial, 40 men and women washed with either a 0.5% caffeine shampoo or the same shampoo without caffeine every day. After 24 weeks, the caffeine group had thicker coverage, with more hairs in the same spot. If your part is getting wider, though, see a dermatologist before you count on a shampoo.

Does the Hair Ever Grow Back?

It really depends on the cause of your hair loss. For example, if the hair loss is related to chemotherapy, it's not uncommon for the hair to grow back once the treatment ceases.

However, if the hair loss is hereditary, your hair likely won't grow back naturally. There are hair loss treatments that you can consider; be sure to discuss your options with a medical professional.

Here's what to expect for other common causes. Heavy shedding after giving birth, a high fever, or surgery usually stops on its own, and your hair will most likely look full again within six to nine months.

With alopecia areata, your hair often grows back, sometimes within about a year without treatment, though new patches can show up later.

Traction alopecia can grow back if you stop the pulling early. But once the skin along your hairline turns smooth and shiny, the hair there can't come back.

With hereditary hair loss, treatment works best when you start at the first sign, so don't wait until the thinning is obvious.

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