What's Really Going on with My Hair?

As a hairstylist, I didn't always recognize the signs of chronic stress. Over the years I've had people ask questions about hair loss, or changes in the quality of their hair, and I could only ever offer a basic response. Which was something like this: "certain medications, nutrient deficiencies, your thyroid can have a negative impact on your hair..." was basically all I could offer, and then follow up with "maybe make a doctor appointment if it's really bothering you." Chronic stress was never in my vocabulary, or any other health condition that could contribute to hair loss or negative hair changes. Cosmetology school does a good job with training people to learn the basics, but it's really up to each of us to keep updating and expanding our education. I never really thought of learning about general health, but it makes sense to have the best possible understanding of how our body works, and how things may impact our hair. Our bodies change so much over time, and understanding the changes and how they can affect the quality of your hair is very important. I'm learning and sharing as I go, and I hope this is helpful for someone.

Losing more hair than usual isn't always a bad thing, but learn what to do about it.

Things are always in motion and always evolving. Even your hair - but also your entire body. Tuning in and becoming aware of your body's "baseline" and what is normal for you, can help you recognize and changes, and hopefully address them as they arise so that they don't become more serious issues in the future.

Normal Hair Changes

My experience as a hairstylist has taught me about things that can impact the quality of your hair. If you have had surgery and were under anesthesia, certain medications including antibiotics, weight fluctuations, and more - these things can change the quality of your hair strands, and sometimes even your scalp for a period of time. Not everyone knows these things, and wouldn't know how to manage it when it happens. Most of these things are not serious and will resolve on their own over the course of 1-2 months. When you notice changes that are not returning to normal after 3-6 months, it is time to take a deeper look at what may be going on under the surface. It's always recommended to check in with your doctor, but in my experience, they do a very basic amount of testing, and are looking for specific markers which may not necessarily reflect the changes that are happening and that you are feeling in your body. For myself, I got a lot more information and answers from a Naturopathic Doctor. (Here is a link to the doctor I saw: Dr. Nicole Panethere).

This topic is inspired by my own health journey, and I want to share what I know so that others can learn from it and manage things better than I did. It can feel scary when your body is completely different and dysregulated, and you have no idea how to try to bring it back to "normal." First, let's dive into things you may notice initially including visible physical changes, and also how you feel.

Be aware of temporary factors that contribute to hair loss.

My Hair is Falling Out!

This is usually the first sign that people notice - excessive hair shedding. You may also experience sudden, and somewhat drastic weight gain or weight loss. We don't seem to notice the chronic exhaustion, or general weakness, or difficulty having enough energy to get through the day. You may even become aware of a new inability to tolerate minor issues or find yourself to be very irritable a lot more often. These are all signs of your body is struggling to stay in balance. Our hair, whether we like it or not, is an important part of our identity and how we present ourselves to the world. When that key piece of our identity starts to change noticeably, it can feel scary. Not to worry, it's actually VERY COMMON. Rest assured, your hair will generally bounce back to its former glory.

This made me ask why. Why is this happening? For me, I was living with chronic inflammation that was becoming debilitating. I could barely get through the day, or by the end of the day it was really hard to walk upstairs to get ready for bed - like way harder than it should be. Hard enough to almost make you cry because you wonder what the heck is going on with your body that's making you feel so weak. I'm saying all of this only to illustrate a scenario that finally got my attention. After so many years of "just push yourself", and telling yourself that this is normal (it's not normal at all), I finally thought "okay body, you win. I can't keep pushing myself like this, or something bad is going to happen." Keep reading for more about my hair journey.

I learned a lot about what was happening. I learned that I'm highly insulin resistant, which is a strong contributor to inflammation, and I was under constant stress (as a single mom) for many years. The stress hormone Cortisol can wreak havoc on so many functions in the body. Prolonged high levels of cortisol has many serious negative effects. Here's what my Google search told me:

Understanding Cortisol

Prolonged high cortisol levels can disrupt nearly every body system, leading to health problems like weight gain (especially around the face and abdomen), high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, bone loss, muscle weakness, mood changes, sleep issues, and increased risk of heart attack, stroke, and infections. These effects stem from the chronic activation of the stress response, which can also impact cognitive functions like memory and concentration. 

• Metabolic & Cardiovascular Effects

  • Weight Gain:

    Cortisol increases fat storage, particularly in the face (moon face), neck (buffalo hump), and abdomen. 

  • High Blood Pressure:

  Cortisol can elevate blood pressure, increasing the risk of heart disease and stroke. 

• *Type 2 Diabetes:

  High cortisol levels promote gluconeogenesis (glucose production) and reduce insulin sensitivity, leading to high blood sugar and an increased risk of type 2 diabetes. 

• Dyslipidemia:

  Elevated cortisol can lead to unhealthy cholesterol levels, including increased triglycerides and LDL cholesterol, and decreased HDL cholesterol. 

Skeletal & Muscular Effects 

• Bone Loss:

  Prolonged high cortisol can weaken bones, increasing the risk of fractures and conditions like osteoporosis.

• Muscle Weakness:

  Cortisol can cause muscle weakness, especially in the upper arms and thighs. [Source: Google Search Results]

The stress is what I was trying to push past and call it normal, but I didn't know anything about Cortisol, and the negative effects it can have. I also didn't even know what insulin resistance was. Not to say this is the same scenario for everyone. But you may have a different combination of things contributing to chronic inflammation, and the chronic inflammatory response to your body is similar for everyone.

I looked up what the long term effect of chronic inflammation is on your hair - and it's quite interesting and makes so much sense. To be clear, I'm not talking about inflammatory scalp conditions, I'm talking about generalized chronic inflammation throughout your body. I will talk about scalp conditions another time ;)

Understanding the Effects of Chronic Inflammation on Your Hair

Google says:

"Chronic inflammation can lead to various long-term hair changes, including excessive hair loss by damaging hair follicles and disrupting their growth cycles, potentially causing miniaturization and, in some cases, permanent follicle destruction. It can manifest as general thinning or specific conditions like autoimmune hair loss and scarring alopecias. You might also experience symptoms of scalp inflammation, such as itchiness, sensitivity, or flaking."

It also says:

How Inflammation Affects Your Hair

• Follicle Damage:

Inflammatory mediators can impair the health and function of the cells responsible for hair growth, the keratinocytes. 

• Disrupted Growth Cycle:

Inflammation can prematurely force hair follicles into the shedding (telogen) phase, leading to increased shedding. 

• Nutrient Deprivation:

Chronic inflammation can reduce blood flow and the delivery of essential nutrients to the hair follicles, which are the "command centers" of hair growth. [This entire answer was found on Google]

That truly answers my question. It's not in your imagination. It's about paying attention to the signs that your body is giving you, and truly take care of yourself with soothing relaxation techniques. It's not your fault. Life is designed in such a way these days where it's just about pushing yourself to the max CONSTANTLY in order to appear that things are good. In my opinion, the magnitude of the quality of my health and longevity has become my guide for the decisions I make. I quit smoking 4 years ago. I've slowly started moving my body with light exercise and I'm making positive changes to my nutrition. It's a very slow process, but it feels great because it's so intentional. I just remind myself that my body was struggling for a very long time, and it will take time to heal and get back to feeling more normal. Patience and love for your healing journey is the best way to go. Let's stop beating ourselves up for our imperfections, and just love ourselves through it. Look at all the things your body can go through during less than optimal conditions (high stress, anxiety, inflammation, etc), and imagine how great it can be when we actively, lovingly CHOOSE to take better care of ourselves. Not only for us, but for those around us that love us.

A professional shampoo service with clarifying products, scalp scrubs, nourishing moisturizers, and a scalp massage is a great way to keep your hair and scalp healthy.

My Hair Journey

My hair was thinning all over - meaning, it wasn't patchy hair loss, it was pretty even shedding all over. It is overall less dense than it used to be, and I think it will stay this way. I can reluctantly accept this as a normal part of the aging process. My hair was dull, brittle and breaking and my front hairline was receding. For me it was quite noticeable. My hair was much less manageable, and didn't style well. I tried to leave it alone and not use much heat or chemicals on it, but it still wasn't improving. I have started using the Monat products (consistently since March 2025) and I've never used anything that has given me this kind of significant improvement. I remember thinking "how good could it be?" I'm skeptical, especially about hair products, because a lot are very overrated, and often disappoint me. But Monat, is a whole new experience. It takes some getting used to because the way you use it is quite different, but once you get used to it, you will never want to be without it. This is the ONLY line that I've ever seen, that I can tell when people have been using it for a long time. When people have been using the Monat products for more than 3 months - I can see how healthy their hair looks, it looks strong and shines from the inside out! If you don't believe me, then you should try it for yourself. I'm certain you will fall in love with it like I did. If you want help finding out which products are best for you, here is a questionnaire to fill out and I can help you.

Over these last 3 years, it's been difficult to not only recognize myself, but try to show up positively while my health seems to be struggling. It sounds vain, I'm sure, but when things change rather quickly, like within 1 year, it's hard to wrap your head around it. My advice would be to arm yourself with as much knowledge as possible, that's what I've tried to do. I plan to share what I've learned, and even share the resources I've found. Treat yourself with kindness and patience during this process. Learn and implement changes, even small changes matter. Believe in yourself and know that you will align with the right people and solutions that will help you along the way. We do have to start considering our amazing bodies as machines that we can optimize with movement and nutrition as medicine.

Positive changes might look like a 20 min walk everyday, or having one less treat, or saying no to that thing that always stresses you out. The little changes matter because they are empowering - empowering yourself on your self-care journey.

10 Recommendations for Regulating Your Body for Optimal Hair Growth:

• Proper nutrition - high protein, low sugar

• Supplements - biotin, creatine, collagen

• Movement - many doctors refer to movement as medicine. A strong body functions more optimally

• Naturopathic Medicine - I recommend this because it really filled in the gaps for me, giving me so much more clarity about what was happening in my body

• Self-care - more soothing relaxation rituals in your life - ASAP - massages, facials, or a scalp spa facial!

• Scalp-care - give yourself scalp massages, oil treatments for scalp and hair. *I recommend this one: Rejuvenique Oil

• Make time for friends - this always makes your soul feel good

• Set goals - any kind of goals, it helps your mind focus on other things instead of always focusing on the negative experience of your hair changing

• Practice Positivity - it's important to stay positive, it helps you be more kind to yourself and others

• Keep learning - always learn more about things you need to know, and also other things that you just think are interesting - keep your brain stimulated in a positive way!

Some Social Media Accounts I follow that I Learn From:

The Glucose Goddess - YouTube

Dr Eric Berg - YouTube

Dr Mary Claire - Instagram

Dr Gabrielle Lyon

*I will add more as I remember lol

I hope you found some information that is helpful to you, or at least just interesting! Share this with your friends if you think they could benefit from this information! Join our Facebook Group: Bespoke Hair Experience by Kristyn Erika. See you there.