May 14, 2025 • 28 mins
Hair thinning and loss isn't just a men's issue – it affects over 30 million women, with more than half of women experiencing noticeable changes after age 50. As someone who's personally battled alopecia areata with visible bald patches, I understand the emotional devastation when your hair starts coming out in clumps and your confidence plummets. That desperate search for solutions led me to try everything from steroid injections to red light therapy, ultimately discovering both medical treatments and cosmetic solutions that truly work.
Whether you're noticing a widening part, a shrinking ponytail, or even bald spots, understanding the "why" behind your hair changes is the first step toward reclaiming control. Hormonal fluctuations during menopause, genetic predisposition, stress, medications, nutritional deficiencies, and autoimmune conditions can all trigger hair loss in women. The good news? Effective treatments exist, from FDA-approved minoxidil (tip: choose the foam version to prevent unwanted dripping) to specialized serums, PRP therapy, low-level laser treatments, and targeted supplements.
For those seeking immediate cosmetic solutions while addressing the underlying causes, modern hair enhancements offer remarkable options that blend seamlessly with your natural hair. Unlike extensions, which can stress already compromised hair, these specialized pieces can transform both your appearance and confidence. Remember that hair loss treatments require patience – results take time, but they do come. Most importantly, losing your hair doesn't mean losing your beauty
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Today we're diving into a topic that hits close to
home for so many women hair lossand hair thinning.
If you've been noticing alittle more scalp showing than
you'd like, or if your ponytailfeels a little thinner than it
used to, first, please knowyou're not alone.
This is something countlesswomen experience, especially as
(00:24):
we step into midlife.
But the good news is you're notpowerless.
There are answers and there areoptions.
So let's talk about what'sgoing on, what your next steps
can look like and how to getback to feeling confident and in
control.
Welcome to All About Hair,where we talk shop, share
(00:47):
stories and spill the secretsbehind great hair and a great
career.
I'm your host, denise Kylitz, aformer salon owner, educator
and a lifelong hair crusader.
Whether you're a new stylistbuilding your book or just
someone who loves learning aboutall things hair, you're in the
right place.
Each week, we dive into realtechniques, honest career advice
(01:11):
and inspiration to help yougrow behind the chair or just
fall even more in love with theworld of hair, because around
here, it's not just aboutlooking good.
It's about learning, evolvingand having a little fun along
the way.
So grab your coffee, yourshears or your dry shampoo and
let's get into it.
So, yeah, this is a veryvulnerable and personal and
(01:44):
stressful subject to talk about.
Hair loss and thinning.
What is it?
Why does it happen?
There are so many stories I cantell you, not only about myself
, but about my clients.
I've had clients who come to meand uh, well, let me step back.
Who come to me and uh, well,let me step back.
(02:09):
It started with me losing myhair and I actually was losing
my hair in clumps.
I do believe it's.
It was an autoimmune response,because I have psoriasis, which
is an autoimmune disease, but Iwas also going through a lot of
stress at the time.
So my hair was actually comingout in, well, clumps, but it was
coming out with bald spots,which is alopecia areata, and I
(02:33):
was desperate to fix it.
I mean, if you're someone who'slosing their hair or thinning
hair, or if you know someone orif you know someone, let me just
say it does a toll on yourself-confidence, a toll.
I could only wear my hair oneway one way, because if it blew
(02:57):
in the wind or if I parted itany other way, you would see
bald spots on my scalp.
It was that bad.
I remember I went to thedermatologist and she actually
gave me shots of steroids in myscalp, yeah, with a needle and
all.
I don't know if that worked ornot.
And then I took vitamins.
We even in our salon.
I invested in red light therapyand it was probably $10,000.
(03:21):
This big machine with red light, and I do truly believe the red
light therapy does work.
However, it's almost like goingto a chiropractor.
You kind of have tocontinuously go until you are
cured, I guess, or you have tobe committed to at least going a
certain times per week.
With the red light therapy, youhad to do it every other day
(03:45):
for 20 minutes.
That's a huge commitment mostpeople did not want to do.
I did it because I wasdesperate and I had it right
there at my fingertips.
The red light therapy was rightthere in the salon.
I didn't have to pay for thetreatments.
However, we had some clientswho were just as desperate as I
(04:05):
was and they did end up using it.
But we also ended up going andall of us got trained and
certified in hair enhancements.
This is before extensions werereally, really coming into the
mainstream, and let me just tellyou, extensions are not for
everyone, because they put a lotof stress on your hair and if
(04:26):
your hair is already thinning,you probably don't want
extensions for your hair.
I hate to break that to you.
So what we did is we all gotcertified in hair enhancements.
There was this wonderful,wonderful woman, sherry Renee.
I'll make sure I link herinformation.
She has come up with a product.
It's a hair enhancement andit's like it's not really well.
(04:49):
They do have wigs, but not allof her products are wigs.
They are actually like, uh like, say, you're thinning at on
your root or on your part line.
It would just be a piece, andit was.
It's probably the size of oh Idon't know an orange that you
would wear on top of your hair,and it blends in with your hair.
(05:10):
In fact, you would pull somehairs through it.
It has a little bit of Velcro-ystuff on there, so it stays in
place.
That's just one example she had.
They probably had 10 differentexamples, anywhere from bangs
pretend bangs to half wigs, to Idon't know you name it.
(05:33):
Whatever it is that you need tocamouflage, they have an
enhancement that does it, andwhat it is is that you match it
to your hair color and it looksso believable.
I had this one client oh mygosh colored her hair.
I prepped her all we hadordered her enhancement and the
(05:55):
enhancements are kind of pricey,but she believed in me, she
believed in this process.
She was one of my first clientsthat I ever got fitted into an
enhancement and I remember I putit on, I fit it on her and I
turned her around and Not onlywas she started crying, I
(06:16):
started crying.
It looks so real, so believable, so wonderful, and her
self-confidence just shot up.
It was just the most amazing,amazing thing I ever experienced
.
I absolutely loved it.
That's my story and why I thinktalking about hair loss, hair
thinning is so important, thestigma of it, which is kind of
(06:40):
bad.
You have to realize thatthere's over 30 million women
that experience some form ofhair loss and when we get to the
age of 50 on up, over half ofthe women experience hair loss,
(07:02):
experience hair loss.
And there was a huge surge ofpeople saying and complaining
and concerned about hair lossafter the pandemic.
Of course there was, becausestress causes a lot of hair loss
and it's emotionallychallenging.
So hopefully today we're goingto talk about what it is, what
you can do about it, why ithappens.
Maybe do something about thestigma of hair loss so we're not
(07:24):
all embarrassed about itbecause we shouldn't be.
It is just.
It is really, really normal.
The most common complaint abouthair loss that I get is
typically after women havebabies.
A couple months after they havea baby or after they're done
breastfeeding, they willexperience hair loss.
Yeah, if you've had a child,you've probably experienced that
(07:45):
.
But there are some simplethings that you can do and we'll
talk a little bit about thattoo.
Before I even get started withany of that, just remember that
the hair loss treatments andrecovering from hair loss takes
time.
It takes patience, no matterwhat you decide that you're
going to do.
So let's talk about what is hairloss and thinning.
(08:07):
Let's start by defining it.
So, hair thinning means areduction in the volume or
density of your hair.
Hair loss, or alopecia, is whenhair falls out faster than it
grows back.
That makes sense and that couldshow up in many ways.
Your part can be widening.
You have thinner ponytails, youhave excessive shedding, you
(08:29):
have bald patches, like I did,or an overall loss of volume in
your hair.
Most of the time, hair loss isoften seen as a men's issue, but
the truth is that over 50% ofwomen will experience noticeable
hair thinning in their lifetime.
That's a lot of us out there.
So why does this even happen?
(08:49):
Well, there's several reasonsfor hair thinning.
Here's some of the most commonfor women over, say, 40 or 50,
but it can happen at any age.
First and foremost is hormonalchanges.
Hello, menopause, yeah.
As estrogen and progesteronedecline, hair growth slows and
(09:10):
the follicles shrink.
However, then you end up withhair that's growing on parts of
your body that never had hairbefore, like chin hairs.
What's up with that, I don'tknow.
Then there's genetics Femalepattern hair loss often runs in
families.
So look back at yourgrandparents.
(09:31):
If there's female pattern hairloss, my grandmother had the
thinnest, thinnest hair.
Yep, you're probably going tohave thin hair.
And then there's stress.
Physical or emotional stresscan trigger temporary hair
shedding.
That's called telogen effluvium.
Am I saying that right?
I think so.
Telogen effluvium.
(09:53):
Again, words are hard.
Sometimes Medications for bloodpressure medications,
antidepressants and even hormonereplacement therapy can also
cause your hair to thin or shed.
Then there's nutritionaldeficiencies low iron, low
protein or low vitamin D canabsolutely affect hair growth.
And then, like I had mentionedin my case, autoimmune
(10:17):
conditions such as thyroidissues or psoriasis.
If you're noticing changes, it'snot just aging, it's your
body's way of saying to you thatsomething needs attention.
So when should you even worryabout your hair loss?
Yes, we did say that you mightnotice your thinner ponytails, a
(10:40):
widening part, but let me tellyou what's normal.
Normally, we shed 50 to ahundred hairs a day.
That's just normal hairshedding in the shower, on your
pillowcase, and if you havelonger hair, you're going to
notice more hair because yourhair is longer.
When should you start worryingIf you are losing more than 150
(11:06):
hairs a day?
And yes, there are some doctorsout there that actually will
have you collect your hairs andcount them, maybe even have you
bring them into your appointmentin a little Ziploc baggie.
A lot of people notice whentheir ponytails are getting
smaller or their parts are justenlarging and you can see your
scalp.
So what happens at a doctor'sappointment?
So, say you, you have hair loss, you notice it and you want to
(11:27):
do something about it.
Well, you make an appointmentat the dermatologist.
Here's what you can expect.
They're going to take adetailed health history.
They'll ask about your recentstress, your family history,
hormones, your diet, anymedications that you're on.
I could tell you right now ifthey're asking you this and you
(11:48):
just said, yeah, I had a babytwo or three months ago.
Hello, that gives them thesignal that something shocking
happened to you and then that'syour body's way of dealing with
it.
I used to think that afterhaving a baby, it's your
hormones.
I used to actually used to tellpeople that when, when you're
pregnant, your body was hangingon to all its energy to make a
(12:12):
baby and it whatever I don'tknow I don't know if I don't
think I was making it up, Ithink I had heard this and then,
after you have a baby, then itcould release, and it releases
your hair and maybe because ofall the vitamins you're taking
when you're pregnant, no, it'sreally the shock of something
happening to you.
That's why you're losing yourhair.
(12:33):
So, like I always say, when youknow better, you do better,
right, so now I know better.
So any kind of stress, a deathin the family, divorce, anything
stressful there's a lot ofthings in life right now that's
stressful.
I'm surprised we're not all atthe doctors talking about our
hair loss.
Okay, what else are they goingto ask you at the doctor's visit
(12:55):
?
They're going to look at yourscalp.
They'll look at the pattern andthe condition of your scalp and
your hair follicles so theymight even look at it under.
It looks like a littlemicroscope for your scalp and
then you could see the enlargedfollicles on like a computer
screen.
I have one of those Very, veryinteresting.
But they could see if yourfollicles are clogged, if
(13:17):
they're healthy or even ifthey're not there anymore.
So if you have lost hair and itis scarred over, you cannot
grow hair back there.
So that's what they're lookingfor as well.
Then they might take some bloodwork and this helps to check
for your thyroid function, yourhormone levels, iron, vitamin D
(13:38):
and so much more.
I'm not a doctor, can't tell youwhat else they're looking for,
and sometimes, in rare cases,they might do a biopsy where
they take a little small pieceof the scalp and it's tested to
diagnose conditions likescarring, alopecia Again, if
there's scarring involved.
And how do you get scarring?
I could tell you one way to getscarring.
(13:58):
There's this thing calledtraction alopecia and that is
usually when people wear braidsin their hair, like cornrow
braids, and they pull it backunder high tension.
What that does is those tightbraids and the pullback, it
causes traction and it can causescarring.
(14:20):
Because the hair falls out andbecause it's pulling on, it
causes scarring and the hairwill never grow back again.
All right, so what are some ofthe treatments?
First and foremost, there'sreal solutions.
Thank goodness for scienceright Anything from topical to
high tech.
So let's break them down.
The topical treatments there'sminoxidil, which you might've
(14:42):
heard of.
It's called Rogaine and it isFDA approved.
It's the only FDA approvedtopical treatment for women and
it used to be that women had touse a lower dose.
But now the 5% minoxidil thesame type sold to men you can
use that.
Actually, the men's minoxidilor Rogaine is actually cheaper
(15:06):
than the women's.
Yeah, try to get the foam,because the foam stays put,
stays wherever you put it.
If you get the liquid or thespray, it could drip, and
anywhere that drips will growhair.
So you don't really want hairgrowing out of the front of your
forehead.
Just saying could beembarrassing.
(15:27):
So get the foam, and what thisdoes is it helps to stimulate
hair growth, and this costsbetween like $25 to $40 a month
depending on where you get it.
You can get the generic.
You don't have to get theRogaine, you can just get
Minoxidil and you can order itoff Amazon.
(15:47):
You can get it at the drugstore, it's everywhere.
That's probably the first thingI would recommend, but you do
have to apply it two times a day, every single day.
Some people ask will your hairfall out when you stop using it?
No, no, no, no, it doesn't fallout when you stop using it.
However, it will go back towhat it typically the growth
(16:08):
pattern was.
So if your hair was thinning,it'll go back to its thin self.
It just won't be growing asfast quickly thick, okay.
So another topical treatment isserums with peptides or growth
factors, all types.
Again, they're out there andthose usually are a little bit
(16:30):
more expensive.
They're between 50 and ahundred dollars, probably per
month, because you're probablygoing to go through them.
Do they work?
I think so.
I think so.
I've used a few serums in mytime and, yeah, I think it helps
stimulate the hair follicles,gives it environment to grow in.
Some of the serums have likementhol or pepperminty.
(16:53):
But do some research, find outwhat works for you.
I can link my favorite ones inthe show notes.
Now let's talk about oralmedications.
Now for hormonal hair loss.
Yeah, ladies, if you've hitmenopause, there is a
prescription only medication.
I don't really know how topronounce it, it's finasteride.
(17:16):
Again, words are hard whenyou're not a doctor.
It's about 10 to $40 a monthwith insurance, but this is only
for hormonal hair loss.
Then we have PRP therapy, thatis, platelet rich plasma.
This is when they take your ownblood and they spin it around
(17:38):
in some kind of machine and thenthey inject it into your scalp
to stimulate the hair follicles.
Dermatologists can do this, soyou can just go to a
dermatologist to have this done,but it gets kind of expensive.
It costs between $500 and$1,500 per session and you
usually need about three to sixsessions for it to even work.
(17:58):
And there's not really a lot ofresearch that tells you how
effective it is, even though itis effective, but they don't
have the research on saying youknow, one out of five people
this works on.
They don't have that research,but it does work from what I
hear.
It just costs some money.
But I tell you what, when weare losing our hair, we are very
(18:20):
vulnerable consumers and wewill do whatever it takes.
So it depends on your budget.
I'm just giving you the options.
Then there's low level lasertherapy.
This is those in officetreatments like we had at the
salon, and it is the red lighttherapy and it encourages
follicle stimulation.
In my opinion, it does work.
(18:41):
They do have at home laser caps.
They're not as strong as redlight waves, however, they still
have red light in them.
These can cost at home, for thehome device, anywhere from 300
to a thousand dollars Heck, I'veseen even more expensive than
that.
And then if you were going intoa clinic like what we had, it's
(19:01):
50 to $150 a session.
Again, that is 20 minutes threetimes a week.
So it starts adding up, and thereason why it's so expensive is
because the machine is soexpensive.
I can tell you that right now,that's what we used to charge.
We used to have little packages, not little packages, monthly
packages that you could buy, andthen it was up to you to
(19:22):
schedule your time to come in.
But that was the hard part isscheduling the time to come in.
That's what people used to hateabout it.
Then there's supplements andyour lifestyle choices.
The supplements that you reallyneed to be looking at are
biotin, iron, vitamin D andprotein.
You really need to make surethat you're getting a balanced
(19:45):
diet and that, if you're not, oreven if you are, if you add
these four supplements to yourdiet, it's going to help your
hair get stronger.
And then, of course, of course,talk to your doctor before
starting anything new.
And don't forget your scalpcare routine.
This can go a long way insupporting whatever treatment
(20:05):
you choose, because if you'renot cleansing your scalp,
exfoliating your scalp, itdoesn't matter what you're doing
, because you're suffocatingyour hair follicle and your hair
is going to be thin anyway.
Some final thoughts.
I have a couple of things.
Oh, I wanted to share a funnystory.
You know, over 30 years ofdoing hair behind the chair,
(20:27):
I've seen a lot of things, a lotof things, especially when I
used to work in California.
Oh, wow, the things that I sawthere.
I don't know why thereespecially, but Virginia is
different than California.
When I had my salon in Carlsbad,california, it was on a resort.
(20:48):
We were right by the beach andour salon was positioned right
next to a resort, so we got allkinds of people visiting, all
kinds of tourists.
Sometimes the guests from theresort would make appointments
at my hair salon because it wasso convenient you just walk
across the parking lot.
I remember this gentleman whocame in and he wanted a haircut,
(21:10):
no problem, and he sat down inmy chair and then he took off
his hair, which, okay, he had atoupee.
However, he had snaps embeddedinto his scalp.
His toupee snapped on to hishead.
I could not.
(21:31):
It gross, I couldn't believe itand I've never, ever, seen
anything like it since.
I would think that I don't knowvery many doctors who would do
that.
But yes, they were likeindustrial size snaps, like for
jeans or pants that's what itlooked like to me but they were
(21:53):
embedded under his skin and thenhis toupee snapped on.
That has been the most crazything that I've ever seen
dealing with hair loss.
I have seen some really badhair plugs in 30 years, that
kind of look like Barbie dollhair.
Now hair transplants aren't asbad as they once were.
(22:17):
In fact, it used to be thatthey would take hair and they
would, you know, like every Idon't know centimeter, whatever,
and they did it in rows and Idon't know how they did it.
But now they take hair from theback of your head, where it's
thicker.
I don't know why your hair isthicker in the back of your head
, but everybody's hair isthicker in the nape area of
(22:39):
their hair.
Crazy.
But they take hair from thereand they actually had to pull it
with the bulb, one by one, andthen somebody, one by one, plant
it into your you know, make alittle tiny incision and then
plant it into your scalp andthat takes a couple of sessions
to do, because you couldn'tcan't do the whole scalp that
(23:01):
way.
No, to make it look natural, tomake it look believable, it
takes two or three sessions ofthat, and those sessions can be
anywhere from five to $15,000.
Yeah, crazy.
Let's talk about hair extensionsfor just a minute.
If you are experiencing hairthinning or hair loss, I would
(23:22):
stay away from hair extensionsfor the time being, because your
hair can't take the stress ofwearing a hair extension, unless
it's those one hair extensionsthat have the little invisible
band I think they're called halo.
That's not going to stress yourhair out.
Or if you were doing a ponytailand you were just putting a
ponytail extension on top ofyour own ponytail, that's not
going to stress your hair out.
Or if you were doing a ponytailand you were just putting a
(23:44):
ponytail extension on top ofyour own ponytail, that's not
going to stress it out.
I'm talking about sewing inhair extensions or taping in
hair extensions.
I don't care if they're thetiny, tiny ones.
I don't care.
If you're experiencing hairthinning, hair loss, please do
yourself a favor and don't letany body tell you to get hair
(24:06):
extensions to cover up thethinning.
Be patient and, for right now,do all these things to get your
hair strong again.
So let me just say this Losingyour hair does not mean losing
your beauty or your identity oryour self-worth.
Hair is powerful, it's personal, and when it starts changing,
(24:30):
it could really shake ourconfidence.
But you have options and youhave support and you don't have
to figure it out all alone.
This is your reminder to begentle with yourself, get
answers, explore treatments andremember beauty is never about
perfection.
It's about embracing yourstrength through every season of
(24:54):
your life.
Look, if today's episode gaveyou some clarity or comfort,
please consider sharing it witha friend who might need it too.
And don't forget to subscribeso you never miss an empowering
conversation.
Want product recommendations orresources from today's episode?
You can find those in my shownotes or on my Amazon shop.
(25:15):
I'll leave that link as well.
And until next time, I'm DeniseKylitz and remember it's never
just about hair.
It's about feeling good in yourown skin, and when you know
better, you do better.
Thanks for tuning in to AllAbout Hair.
If you loved this episode, hit,subscribe, leave us a review
(25:36):
and share it with a fellowstylist or hair-loving friend.
You want more tips, tools andbehind-the-scenes goodness?
Follow me on YouTube or head tomy website at denisekeilitzcom.
Yes, I know it's hard to spell,so don't worry, the link is in
the show notes.
Until next time, keep learning,keep creating and keep loving
what you do.
Today we're diving into a topic that hits close to
home for so many women hair lossand hair thinning.
If you've been noticing alittle more scalp showing than
you'd like, or if your ponytailfeels a little thinner than it
used to, first, please knowyou're not alone.
This is something countlesswomen experience, especially as
(00:24):
we step into midlife.
But the good news is you're notpowerless.
There are answers and there areoptions.
So let's talk about what'sgoing on, what your next steps
can look like and how to getback to feeling confident and in
control.
Welcome to All About Hair,where we talk shop, share
(00:47):
stories and spill the secretsbehind great hair and a great
career.
I'm your host, denise Kylitz, aformer salon owner, educator
and a lifelong hair crusader.
Whether you're a new stylistbuilding your book or just
someone who loves learning aboutall things hair, you're in the
right place.
Each week, we dive into realtechniques, honest career advice
(01:11):
and inspiration to help yougrow behind the chair or just
fall even more in love with theworld of hair, because around
here, it's not just aboutlooking good.
It's about learning, evolvingand having a little fun along
the way.
So grab your coffee, yourshears or your dry shampoo and
let's get into it.
So, yeah, this is a veryvulnerable and personal and
(01:44):
stressful subject to talk about.
Hair loss and thinning.
What is it?
Why does it happen?
There are so many stories I cantell you, not only about myself
, but about my clients.
I've had clients who come to meand uh, well, let me step back.
Who come to me and uh, well,let me step back.
(02:09):
It started with me losing myhair and I actually was losing
my hair in clumps.
I do believe it's.
It was an autoimmune response,because I have psoriasis, which
is an autoimmune disease, but Iwas also going through a lot of
stress at the time.
So my hair was actually comingout in, well, clumps, but it was
coming out with bald spots,which is alopecia areata, and I
(02:33):
was desperate to fix it.
I mean, if you're someone who'slosing their hair or thinning
hair, or if you know someone orif you know someone, let me just
say it does a toll on yourself-confidence, a toll.
I could only wear my hair oneway one way, because if it blew
(02:57):
in the wind or if I parted itany other way, you would see
bald spots on my scalp.
It was that bad.
I remember I went to thedermatologist and she actually
gave me shots of steroids in myscalp, yeah, with a needle and
all.
I don't know if that worked ornot.
And then I took vitamins.
We even in our salon.
I invested in red light therapyand it was probably $10,000.
(03:21):
This big machine with red light, and I do truly believe the red
light therapy does work.
However, it's almost like goingto a chiropractor.
You kind of have tocontinuously go until you are
cured, I guess, or you have tobe committed to at least going a
certain times per week.
With the red light therapy, youhad to do it every other day
(03:45):
for 20 minutes.
That's a huge commitment mostpeople did not want to do.
I did it because I wasdesperate and I had it right
there at my fingertips.
The red light therapy was rightthere in the salon.
I didn't have to pay for thetreatments.
However, we had some clientswho were just as desperate as I
(04:05):
was and they did end up using it.
But we also ended up going andall of us got trained and
certified in hair enhancements.
This is before extensions werereally, really coming into the
mainstream, and let me just tellyou, extensions are not for
everyone, because they put a lotof stress on your hair and if
(04:26):
your hair is already thinning,you probably don't want
extensions for your hair.
I hate to break that to you.
So what we did is we all gotcertified in hair enhancements.
There was this wonderful,wonderful woman, sherry Renee.
I'll make sure I link herinformation.
She has come up with a product.
It's a hair enhancement andit's like it's not really well.
(04:49):
They do have wigs, but not allof her products are wigs.
They are actually like, uh like, say, you're thinning at on
your root or on your part line.
It would just be a piece, andit was.
It's probably the size of oh Idon't know an orange that you
would wear on top of your hair,and it blends in with your hair.
(05:10):
In fact, you would pull somehairs through it.
It has a little bit of Velcro-ystuff on there, so it stays in
place.
That's just one example she had.
They probably had 10 differentexamples, anywhere from bangs
pretend bangs to half wigs, to Idon't know you name it.
(05:33):
Whatever it is that you need tocamouflage, they have an
enhancement that does it, andwhat it is is that you match it
to your hair color and it looksso believable.
I had this one client oh mygosh colored her hair.
I prepped her all we hadordered her enhancement and the
(05:55):
enhancements are kind of pricey,but she believed in me, she
believed in this process.
She was one of my first clientsthat I ever got fitted into an
enhancement and I remember I putit on, I fit it on her and I
turned her around and Not onlywas she started crying, I
(06:16):
started crying.
It looks so real, so believable, so wonderful, and her
self-confidence just shot up.
It was just the most amazing,amazing thing I ever experienced
.
I absolutely loved it.
That's my story and why I thinktalking about hair loss, hair
thinning is so important, thestigma of it, which is kind of
(06:40):
bad.
You have to realize thatthere's over 30 million women
that experience some form ofhair loss and when we get to the
age of 50 on up, over half ofthe women experience hair loss,
(07:02):
experience hair loss.
And there was a huge surge ofpeople saying and complaining
and concerned about hair lossafter the pandemic.
Of course there was, becausestress causes a lot of hair loss
and it's emotionallychallenging.
So hopefully today we're goingto talk about what it is, what
you can do about it, why ithappens.
Maybe do something about thestigma of hair loss so we're not
(07:24):
all embarrassed about itbecause we shouldn't be.
It is just.
It is really, really normal.
The most common complaint abouthair loss that I get is
typically after women havebabies.
A couple months after they havea baby or after they're done
breastfeeding, they willexperience hair loss.
Yeah, if you've had a child,you've probably experienced that
(07:45):
.
But there are some simplethings that you can do and we'll
talk a little bit about thattoo.
Before I even get started withany of that, just remember that
the hair loss treatments andrecovering from hair loss takes
time.
It takes patience, no matterwhat you decide that you're
going to do.
So let's talk about what is hairloss and thinning.
(08:07):
Let's start by defining it.
So, hair thinning means areduction in the volume or
density of your hair.
Hair loss, or alopecia, is whenhair falls out faster than it
grows back.
That makes sense and that couldshow up in many ways.
Your part can be widening.
You have thinner ponytails, youhave excessive shedding, you
(08:29):
have bald patches, like I did,or an overall loss of volume in
your hair.
Most of the time, hair loss isoften seen as a men's issue, but
the truth is that over 50% ofwomen will experience noticeable
hair thinning in their lifetime.
That's a lot of us out there.
So why does this even happen?
(08:49):
Well, there's several reasonsfor hair thinning.
Here's some of the most commonfor women over, say, 40 or 50,
but it can happen at any age.
First and foremost is hormonalchanges.
Hello, menopause, yeah.
As estrogen and progesteronedecline, hair growth slows and
(09:10):
the follicles shrink.
However, then you end up withhair that's growing on parts of
your body that never had hairbefore, like chin hairs.
What's up with that, I don'tknow.
Then there's genetics Femalepattern hair loss often runs in
families.
So look back at yourgrandparents.
(09:31):
If there's female pattern hairloss, my grandmother had the
thinnest, thinnest hair.
Yep, you're probably going tohave thin hair.
And then there's stress.
Physical or emotional stresscan trigger temporary hair
shedding.
That's called telogen effluvium.
Am I saying that right?
I think so.
Telogen effluvium.
(09:53):
Again, words are hard.
Sometimes Medications for bloodpressure medications,
antidepressants and even hormonereplacement therapy can also
cause your hair to thin or shed.
Then there's nutritionaldeficiencies low iron, low
protein or low vitamin D canabsolutely affect hair growth.
And then, like I had mentionedin my case, autoimmune
(10:17):
conditions such as thyroidissues or psoriasis.
If you're noticing changes, it'snot just aging, it's your
body's way of saying to you thatsomething needs attention.
So when should you even worryabout your hair loss?
Yes, we did say that you mightnotice your thinner ponytails, a
(10:40):
widening part, but let me tellyou what's normal.
Normally, we shed 50 to ahundred hairs a day.
That's just normal hairshedding in the shower, on your
pillowcase, and if you havelonger hair, you're going to
notice more hair because yourhair is longer.
When should you start worryingIf you are losing more than 150
(11:06):
hairs a day?
And yes, there are some doctorsout there that actually will
have you collect your hairs andcount them, maybe even have you
bring them into your appointmentin a little Ziploc baggie.
A lot of people notice whentheir ponytails are getting
smaller or their parts are justenlarging and you can see your
scalp.
So what happens at a doctor'sappointment?
So, say you, you have hair loss, you notice it and you want to
(11:27):
do something about it.
Well, you make an appointmentat the dermatologist.
Here's what you can expect.
They're going to take adetailed health history.
They'll ask about your recentstress, your family history,
hormones, your diet, anymedications that you're on.
I could tell you right now ifthey're asking you this and you
(11:48):
just said, yeah, I had a babytwo or three months ago.
Hello, that gives them thesignal that something shocking
happened to you and then that'syour body's way of dealing with
it.
I used to think that afterhaving a baby, it's your
hormones.
I used to actually used to tellpeople that when, when you're
pregnant, your body was hangingon to all its energy to make a
(12:12):
baby and it whatever I don'tknow I don't know if I don't
think I was making it up, Ithink I had heard this and then,
after you have a baby, then itcould release, and it releases
your hair and maybe because ofall the vitamins you're taking
when you're pregnant, no, it'sreally the shock of something
happening to you.
That's why you're losing yourhair.
(12:33):
So, like I always say, when youknow better, you do better,
right, so now I know better.
So any kind of stress, a deathin the family, divorce, anything
stressful there's a lot ofthings in life right now that's
stressful.
I'm surprised we're not all atthe doctors talking about our
hair loss.
Okay, what else are they goingto ask you at the doctor's visit
(12:55):
?
They're going to look at yourscalp.
They'll look at the pattern andthe condition of your scalp and
your hair follicles so theymight even look at it under.
It looks like a littlemicroscope for your scalp and
then you could see the enlargedfollicles on like a computer
screen.
I have one of those Very, veryinteresting.
But they could see if yourfollicles are clogged, if
(13:17):
they're healthy or even ifthey're not there anymore.
So if you have lost hair and itis scarred over, you cannot
grow hair back there.
So that's what they're lookingfor as well.
Then they might take some bloodwork and this helps to check
for your thyroid function, yourhormone levels, iron, vitamin D
(13:38):
and so much more.
I'm not a doctor, can't tell youwhat else they're looking for,
and sometimes, in rare cases,they might do a biopsy where
they take a little small pieceof the scalp and it's tested to
diagnose conditions likescarring, alopecia Again, if
there's scarring involved.
And how do you get scarring?
I could tell you one way to getscarring.
(13:58):
There's this thing calledtraction alopecia and that is
usually when people wear braidsin their hair, like cornrow
braids, and they pull it backunder high tension.
What that does is those tightbraids and the pullback, it
causes traction and it can causescarring.
(14:20):
Because the hair falls out andbecause it's pulling on, it
causes scarring and the hairwill never grow back again.
All right, so what are some ofthe treatments?
First and foremost, there'sreal solutions.
Thank goodness for scienceright Anything from topical to
high tech.
So let's break them down.
The topical treatments there'sminoxidil, which you might've
(14:42):
heard of.
It's called Rogaine and it isFDA approved.
It's the only FDA approvedtopical treatment for women and
it used to be that women had touse a lower dose.
But now the 5% minoxidil thesame type sold to men you can
use that.
Actually, the men's minoxidilor Rogaine is actually cheaper
(15:06):
than the women's.
Yeah, try to get the foam,because the foam stays put,
stays wherever you put it.
If you get the liquid or thespray, it could drip, and
anywhere that drips will growhair.
So you don't really want hairgrowing out of the front of your
forehead.
Just saying could beembarrassing.
(15:27):
So get the foam, and what thisdoes is it helps to stimulate
hair growth, and this costsbetween like $25 to $40 a month
depending on where you get it.
You can get the generic.
You don't have to get theRogaine, you can just get
Minoxidil and you can order itoff Amazon.
(15:47):
You can get it at the drugstore, it's everywhere.
That's probably the first thingI would recommend, but you do
have to apply it two times a day, every single day.
Some people ask will your hairfall out when you stop using it?
No, no, no, no, it doesn't fallout when you stop using it.
However, it will go back towhat it typically the growth
(16:08):
pattern was.
So if your hair was thinning,it'll go back to its thin self.
It just won't be growing asfast quickly thick, okay.
So another topical treatment isserums with peptides or growth
factors, all types.
Again, they're out there andthose usually are a little bit
(16:30):
more expensive.
They're between 50 and ahundred dollars, probably per
month, because you're probablygoing to go through them.
Do they work?
I think so.
I think so.
I've used a few serums in mytime and, yeah, I think it helps
stimulate the hair follicles,gives it environment to grow in.
Some of the serums have likementhol or pepperminty.
(16:53):
But do some research, find outwhat works for you.
I can link my favorite ones inthe show notes.
Now let's talk about oralmedications.
Now for hormonal hair loss.
Yeah, ladies, if you've hitmenopause, there is a
prescription only medication.
I don't really know how topronounce it, it's finasteride.
(17:16):
Again, words are hard whenyou're not a doctor.
It's about 10 to $40 a monthwith insurance, but this is only
for hormonal hair loss.
Then we have PRP therapy, thatis, platelet rich plasma.
This is when they take your ownblood and they spin it around
(17:38):
in some kind of machine and thenthey inject it into your scalp
to stimulate the hair follicles.
Dermatologists can do this, soyou can just go to a
dermatologist to have this done,but it gets kind of expensive.
It costs between $500 and$1,500 per session and you
usually need about three to sixsessions for it to even work.
(17:58):
And there's not really a lot ofresearch that tells you how
effective it is, even though itis effective, but they don't
have the research on saying youknow, one out of five people
this works on.
They don't have that research,but it does work from what I
hear.
It just costs some money.
But I tell you what, when weare losing our hair, we are very
(18:20):
vulnerable consumers and wewill do whatever it takes.
So it depends on your budget.
I'm just giving you the options.
Then there's low level lasertherapy.
This is those in officetreatments like we had at the
salon, and it is the red lighttherapy and it encourages
follicle stimulation.
In my opinion, it does work.
(18:41):
They do have at home laser caps.
They're not as strong as redlight waves, however, they still
have red light in them.
These can cost at home, for thehome device, anywhere from 300
to a thousand dollars Heck, I'veseen even more expensive than
that.
And then if you were going intoa clinic like what we had, it's
(19:01):
50 to $150 a session.
Again, that is 20 minutes threetimes a week.
So it starts adding up, and thereason why it's so expensive is
because the machine is soexpensive.
I can tell you that right now,that's what we used to charge.
We used to have little packages, not little packages, monthly
packages that you could buy, andthen it was up to you to
(19:22):
schedule your time to come in.
But that was the hard part isscheduling the time to come in.
That's what people used to hateabout it.
Then there's supplements andyour lifestyle choices.
The supplements that you reallyneed to be looking at are
biotin, iron, vitamin D andprotein.
You really need to make surethat you're getting a balanced
(19:45):
diet and that, if you're not, oreven if you are, if you add
these four supplements to yourdiet, it's going to help your
hair get stronger.
And then, of course, of course,talk to your doctor before
starting anything new.
And don't forget your scalpcare routine.
This can go a long way insupporting whatever treatment
(20:05):
you choose, because if you'renot cleansing your scalp,
exfoliating your scalp, itdoesn't matter what you're doing
, because you're suffocatingyour hair follicle and your hair
is going to be thin anyway.
Some final thoughts.
I have a couple of things.
Oh, I wanted to share a funnystory.
You know, over 30 years ofdoing hair behind the chair,
(20:27):
I've seen a lot of things, a lotof things, especially when I
used to work in California.
Oh, wow, the things that I sawthere.
I don't know why thereespecially, but Virginia is
different than California.
When I had my salon in Carlsbad,california, it was on a resort.
(20:48):
We were right by the beach andour salon was positioned right
next to a resort, so we got allkinds of people visiting, all
kinds of tourists.
Sometimes the guests from theresort would make appointments
at my hair salon because it wasso convenient you just walk
across the parking lot.
I remember this gentleman whocame in and he wanted a haircut,
(21:10):
no problem, and he sat down inmy chair and then he took off
his hair, which, okay, he had atoupee.
However, he had snaps embeddedinto his scalp.
His toupee snapped on to hishead.
I could not.
(21:31):
It gross, I couldn't believe itand I've never, ever, seen
anything like it since.
I would think that I don't knowvery many doctors who would do
that.
But yes, they were likeindustrial size snaps, like for
jeans or pants that's what itlooked like to me but they were
(21:53):
embedded under his skin and thenhis toupee snapped on.
That has been the most crazything that I've ever seen
dealing with hair loss.
I have seen some really badhair plugs in 30 years, that
kind of look like Barbie dollhair.
Now hair transplants aren't asbad as they once were.
(22:17):
In fact, it used to be thatthey would take hair and they
would, you know, like every Idon't know centimeter, whatever,
and they did it in rows and Idon't know how they did it.
But now they take hair from theback of your head, where it's
thicker.
I don't know why your hair isthicker in the back of your head
, but everybody's hair isthicker in the nape area of
(22:39):
their hair.
Crazy.
But they take hair from thereand they actually had to pull it
with the bulb, one by one, andthen somebody, one by one, plant
it into your you know, make alittle tiny incision and then
plant it into your scalp andthat takes a couple of sessions
to do, because you couldn'tcan't do the whole scalp that
(23:01):
way.
No, to make it look natural, tomake it look believable, it
takes two or three sessions ofthat, and those sessions can be
anywhere from five to $15,000.
Yeah, crazy.
Let's talk about hair extensionsfor just a minute.
If you are experiencing hairthinning or hair loss, I would
(23:22):
stay away from hair extensionsfor the time being, because your
hair can't take the stress ofwearing a hair extension, unless
it's those one hair extensionsthat have the little invisible
band I think they're called halo.
That's not going to stress yourhair out.
Or if you were doing a ponytailand you were just putting a
ponytail extension on top ofyour own ponytail, that's not
going to stress your hair out.
Or if you were doing a ponytailand you were just putting a
(23:44):
ponytail extension on top ofyour own ponytail, that's not
going to stress it out.
I'm talking about sewing inhair extensions or taping in
hair extensions.
I don't care if they're thetiny, tiny ones.
I don't care.
If you're experiencing hairthinning, hair loss, please do
yourself a favor and don't letany body tell you to get hair
(24:06):
extensions to cover up thethinning.
Be patient and, for right now,do all these things to get your
hair strong again.
So let me just say this Losingyour hair does not mean losing
your beauty or your identity oryour self-worth.
Hair is powerful, it's personal, and when it starts changing,
(24:30):
it could really shake ourconfidence.
But you have options and youhave support and you don't have
to figure it out all alone.
This is your reminder to begentle with yourself, get
answers, explore treatments andremember beauty is never about
perfection.
It's about embracing yourstrength through every season of
(24:54):
your life.
Look, if today's episode gaveyou some clarity or comfort,
please consider sharing it witha friend who might need it too.
And don't forget to subscribeso you never miss an empowering
conversation.
Want product recommendations orresources from today's episode?
You can find those in my shownotes or on my Amazon shop.
(25:15):
I'll leave that link as well.
And until next time, I'm DeniseKylitz and remember it's never
just about hair.
It's about feeling good in yourown skin, and when you know
better, you do better.
Thanks for tuning in to AllAbout Hair.
If you loved this episode, hit,subscribe, leave us a review
(25:36):
and share it with a fellowstylist or hair-loving friend.
You want more tips, tools andbehind-the-scenes goodness?
Follow me on YouTube or head tomy website at denisekeilitzcom.
Yes, I know it's hard to spell,so don't worry, the link is in
the show notes.
Until next time, keep learning,keep creating and keep loving
what you do.
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