Today, more and more women find themselves being troubled by thinning hair. Women tend to experience hair loss less dramatically than men, as female hair loss is more diffuse (hair over a large region of their scalp rather than loss of hair in a specific area), but the effects are still devastating.

You may think constant styling, colouring or even ageing is contributing to your hair loss or thinning, but you’d be wrong. Yes, they may damage and dry out the hair, but hair loss or thinning is actually more to do with what you are using to wash your hair, combined with hormones, medications and poor scalp conditions.

Understanding Hair Growth

Human hair grows in three stages: the anagen phase, catagen phase, and the telogen phase. Some highly successful approaches to treating thinning hair is to naturally manipulate the amount of time hair cycles through each phase by providing specific nutrients, enzymes, and amino acids to hair follicles during specific phases to either protect the hair papilla (the hair’s root) or enhance the hair papilla’s mitotic (cell division) process.

Anagen Phase:

On average, about 85% of all hair on a woman’s head is in this “active growth” phase at one time. Hair that grows during this 4 – 6 month phase is thick, healthy, and will grow at an average rate of 0.5 inches per month.

Catagen Phase:

On average, about 5% of all hair on a woman’s head is in this “regression” phase where hair growth and cell division halt, the hair follicle shrinks, and the hair begins to separate from the follicle. This phase can last 3 – 5 weeks.

Telogen Phase:

On average, about 10% of all hair on a woman’s head is in this “resting” phase as the follicle recovers, and the old hair fiber grows out. Once the hair fiber has grown out, the follicle recovers and begins a new Anagen Phase as it begins to grow new hair. This phase can take 3 – 5 months.

Why Women Experience Hair Loss or Thinning

Some of the most common causes of female hair loss is caused by:

hormones (9%), medications (26%), and poor scalp conditions (65%).

• An imbalance in hormone levels, sometimes caused by contraception or ageing, can facilitate heightened levels of testosterone which produces a hormone known as DHT which is responsible for the shrinking and gradual disappearance of affected hair follicles.
• There are a shockingly large number of medications that cause a condition known as “telogen effluvium,” where hair is prematurely shifted into a resting stage where hair shedding will occur. Some other medical treatments, such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy, causes a premature shift to the anagen phase, but during this special case phase, there is no cell division to produce hair cells.
• The condition of the scalp is also essential to healthy hair growth. In 65% of all women experiencing thinning hair, simply clarifying the scalp ceased and even reversed the thinning. This is by far the most overlooked problem of female hair thinning today. To be clear, follicles are easily invaded by bacteria, fungi or viruses (usually associated with styling products or heavy conditioners) and when they become infected causing inflammation. When inflammation occurs, it will cause the hair to fall out. When infection or inflammation persists, the hair follicle can be damaged and become permanently dormant.

Why Choose Organic Hair Products?

Organic hair products have a few advantages over their synthetic counterparts, beginning with fewer harsh chemicals. By replacing synthetic ingredients with essential oils and natural cleaning agents, you’ll decrease the risk of allergic reaction, irritation and serious environmental impact. When it comes to the consequences of using conventional shampoos, dandruff is just the tip of the iceberg—hair loss, eye irritation and the release of toxic chemicals like formaldehyde into the water system are real threats.

Since gentler plant-based, time-tested ingredients are used in place of uncertain chemicals, most organic shampoo and conditioner brands are also cruelty-free and many are vegan. Ultimately, choosing an organic hair care product shows your commitment to a wide variety of eco-friendly and socially responsible ideals.

Which product is right for me?

If you have thinning hair, or are experiencing hair loss, our Natural Elements Energising Shampoo & Body Wash offers a natural alternative to conventional shampoos, enriched with Peppermint & Cucumber, the actives work by stimulating hair follicles whilst cleansing the scalp and strengthening existing strands to minimise breakage.

Available in either 75ml or 250ml the dual blend formula is safe to use all over the hair and body, in the shower or bath, making it a must have product for men and women of all ages.