Causes of female hair loss – post-pregnancy

by Viviscal Hair Expert, originally posted on November 22nd, 2013

According to Josh Wood, celebrated colourist and John Vial, expert hair stylist, post-pregnancy hair loss isn’t something that is very often discussed in anti-natal classes, but maybe it should be! In a recent article in the Sunday Times Style magazine, John tells us that it’s normal to shed about 100 hairs a day, because hair has a natural lifespan, but that during pregnancy the shedding process stops, meaning that hair can become beautifully thick. Many post-birth women then notice their hair falling out as the hair that would have been shed during the pregnancy is lost all at once. John says that according to trichologist Ricardo Vila Nova, the scientific causes of hair loss post-pregnancy include the rebalancing of the hormones post birth coupled with the loss of nutrients which are transferred to the newborn via breastfeeding. Josh notes that post-pregnancy hair thinning usually happens along the hairline. In the case of dramatic hair loss Josh recommends: colouring hair a lighter shade to reduce the contrast between the hair and visible scalp, using multi-tonal colouring to create density, and keeping fine shorter hairs at the front lighter so as to soften the hairline.

Causes of Male Hair Loss

by Viviscal Hair Expert, originally posted on November 19th, 2013

40% of men will have noticeable hair loss by the age of 35 and 65% by the age of 60

The Sunday Times Style magazine recently printed some surprising statistics about male hair loss, figures which Style’s resident hair expert, John Vital, finds particularly alarming when there are now more ways than ever to slow hair loss or even stop it in its tracks.

6.5m men experience hair loss in Britain alone; 40% of them will have noticeable hair loss by the age of 35 and 65% by the age of 60.

Causes of hair loss in men:

The article explains that hair loss in men, or specifically male-pattern baldness, is caused by an inherited sensitivity to male hormones in the hair follicles – the more testosterone a man produces the more likely he is to find that it is having a negative impact on his hair growth. The male body releases an enzyme called 5-alpha-reductase that converts testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT) – a hormone which essentially attacks the base of the hair follicle.

According to Style magazine, every man starts out with 100,000 – 150,000 hairs with each individual hair living for three to six years. If the average follicle produces approx. 25 hairs in a lifetime then this should mean that the average man should keep most of his hair for 75 years! In some cases, however, DHT speeds up the cycles, shortening the lifespan of hair – the set number of cycles makes it important to take action once this process begins!

For men who have already started to see their hair thinning, it may be desirable to disguise thinning patches. As recommended by Style magazine, Viviscal Volumising Hair Fibres, provide an interim cover-up solution to conceal thinning hair and add volume to fine hair.  Easy to apply, each ultra fine fibre made with keratin has an electrostatic coating which binds to the hair shaft building density to create the appearance of thick fuller-looking hair in seconds.