Hair loss: which form of hair loss are you experiencing??

Hair loss- Shedding, breakage, matting?which is which?

Hi there,
Hair talk is one of the overstretched topics on the internet these days. An average google search earns millions of results on hair care/hair loss/hair topics. None the less, people still experience the same problems over and over again, even after they've followed the "gospel according some blogs" to the last letter. Why is that? Heyy!! do you really need to ask? Its obvious; not every one who claims to know actually knows what they claim to know (lol)
Having said that, i can only state in honesty, that i do not know it all, but this article will definitely help you a lot. That's cos i will be discussing this in an all-encompassing manner; both from a medical and ordinary man's ( or woman's, in my case) perspective.
Note, i have alsoe taken into consideration that the readers of this hub could probably be from different racial and ethnic origins, hence; different types of hair.Some of the facts may apply to you, and some may not. I am a woman of color, but i have hair of considerable lenght and have faced all the woes mentioned in my subtitle.
When you talk about hair loss; whether it be shedding, breakage or having to cut it off myself due to excessive matting, i've had them all. My last experience was 5 months ago (i'll hit y'all with the pics). i looked on the floor and tha hair i had lost resembled hair cut off from a barber shop!i'm not even playng, it was that much!!
So i noted all the periods i experienced hair loss, i analyzed and rationalized and also noted the things i did that made the hair loss stop. The efficacy of the intervention served as proof for me, concerning what caused the particular hair loss. In the paragraphs below i'll be talking about the different forms, how you'd know which one you're experiencing ( most of you may already know that, but just in case) and the different causes.
1. Shedding
How do i know? Long strands of hair which are about the lenght of your hair, and unmistakably same as your hair color, are always seen wherever you are ( on your office desk, your dressing table, etc). You can test for this by gently running your fingers through your hair, and i repeat, gently!! If you're shedding, you'll see long strands of hair falling out.
Causes: Natural process in the hair cycle( approx 60-100 strands per day),

• amino acid defficiencies,
• stress,
• excessive use of heat styling products( also cause breakage)
• medications containing vitamin A (retinoids), Antibiotics and antifungal drugs, Antidepressants, Steroids, Thyroid medications,Weight loss drugs, anticlotting medications, etc
• Underlying health conditions like cancers.
• Genetic balding

Prevention/Intervention: First line of action is to determine whether its due to medical conditions or not. See your doctor, review your medications, do a check up if needed.
Having ruled that out, you need to check for stress levels, if you've been under a lot of stress, you need to relax, take a lot of water
B-complex based vitamins, amino acids. I haven't tried it personally, but i have friends who have testified to the results gotten from prenatal vitamins, and OTC Biotin( its like the hair dope).
There's also a lot of hair products you can use: Nexxus products and Tresseme ( especially for Caucasians, but i have tried this on my African base hair and it still works!!), Profective growth renew ( for African Americans).
2. Breakage
How do i know? There's a lot of hair loss too, but unlike shedding, the lenght of the strands are not same as your hair lenght, but definitely same color and texture ( just so we can be sure its your hair breaking here!!). Combing or brushing excessively during this period would lead to more breakage.
Causes: Excessive use of chemicals is the known biggie here ( dyes, relaxers, texturizers, etc); overstyling with heat products ( straighteners, blow dryers, curling iron); thyroid problems; poorly managed hair (dry, unmoisturized hair); reaction to some hair products, tight hair buns or hair styles, etc
Prevention/Intervention: Here's when i assume you have no thyroid situation going. Once you notice the breakage has been going on for just about long enoug, its time to stop!! Yes, stop that flat ironing, that heat styling, that product your'e using. Let the hair breathe a little. I know that without these enhancing products, hair can be difficult to manage, but its only difficult, not impossible, so embrace a new move for a while and give the hair some time to recover.
Adequate moisturizers are really important at this point; check first to know whether your hair needs water based or oil based moisturizers. Oil based ones are usually more beneficial for women of color. Products with coconut oil, argan oil of Morocco, biotin, niacin, and glycerin complex come in handy here.
Other measures i have found to be really helpful are deep conditioning, protein treatment. Even with very healthy hair, you never go wrong doing those.
3. Matting
How do i know? trust me when its matted, you'll know! Its seen mostly after washing, but who's to say?it could happen in other situations. You feel large, thick clumps of hair on your head which makes it impossible to comb. The hair gets matted together so tight.
Causes: once you see this, you're guilty! Insuffecient detangling, For women who use relaxers, it happens when there is a lot of new growth and you didnt properly manage the two textures. Gel products caused matting for a friend of mine who's Indian, so that happens too.
Prevention/ Intervention: Proper detangling is the one way of preventing this from happeninng. Matting is so bad it could bring you to tears. Its that frustrating. In the event that this happens, you can take the quick way out- cut of the matted part. If you find that hard to do, then be prepared for the long battle, you'll have to soak the hair with detanglers and leav-ins, and a lot of moisturizers, let the hair soak up the products for hours, then use your finger and try to seperate the matting bit by bit, before you can comb it out.
Phew!! that certainly was a long talk. Remember, i may have missed out something somewhere, so pls feel free to add your comments. I'd like to learn more and get to know your own personal views.
I'll be talking about more hair issues ins subsequent writ-ups.
One love

whoosh!!this pic still freaks me out, this is how much hair i lost 5 months ago!!my recovery from this still baffles me