With summer fast approaching and those holidays in sight, many people will be reviewing their weight loss goals to ensure they can hit the beach feeling comfortable in their own skin. Whether you’re looking to make some major lifestyle changes or plan to just tone up to boost those confidence levels, achieving weight loss the healthy way is of course a top priority.
Weight loss can have some unfortunate side effects if not undertaken correctly or thoughtfully, with the hair just one of the areas that can be negatively affected by losing weight too quickly, becoming underweight, or making dietary changes that don’t support good health and wellbeing.
To help support you as you take those steps to a more confident you, we’re here to share our top tips for preserving hair health as you lose weight.
Before we launch into the top ways to preserve hair health during your weight loss journey, it’s important to understand why and how weight changes can cause hair loss. Like any type of hair loss, there are several underlying issues that may be responsible for thinning locks and increased shedding. Here Healthily describes the most common cause of weight loss related hair loss:
“If you’ve been trying to lose weight or you’ve lost weight quickly, your hair loss may be due to a condition called telogen effluvium. This is when something disturbs your hair’s normal growth cycle and pushes more hairs into the resting, or ‘telogen’ phase, leading to more of your hairs falling out than usual. It’s often triggered by a shock or a big stress on your body – this can include intentional weight loss.”
Thyroid issues, hormonal imbalances, a poor or restrictive diet, and the stress of weight loss surgery may also be to blame for the sudden onset of hair loss or thinning.
As the old saying goes “prevention is better than cure”, which makes taking steps to minimise the impact of weight loss vital. By planning to lose weight in a healthy and sustainable way, you can reduce the harmful and potentially dangerous side effects, as well as lower your risk of hair loss and thinning.
There’s always a celeb-backed fad diet circulating – remember Beyoncé’s lemon water, maple syrup and cayenne pepper diet? No matter the star power behind the celebrity endorsement however, the results of these ‘cleanses’ and ‘detoxes’ are rarely effective for long. They are also extremely damaging in the short term.
By supporting weight loss with a balanced diet and regular exercise, you can set the course for long term success, and protect your mind and body from side effects such as nutrient deficiencies and hair loss. Make sure the dietary changes you make include the vitamins and minerals your body needs to thrive. Pay particular attention to the nutrients that support hair health, like iron, biotin, Omega-3 fatty acids and zinc.
If you’re lacking a nutrient or two, top up those levels with a good quality supplement. Deficiencies in iron, B vitamins and folate have been commonly linked to hair loss, so be sure to include them in your diet any way you can.
Whether you’re at an early stage of weight-related hair loss or it has been a long running problem, keeping those confidence levels high is crucial to your recovery. Our premium quality wigs provide the coverage sufferers of thinning and baldness need to get on with and enjoy life as they navigate hair loss.
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