Actress Gail Mabalane Is one of the few local stars who have been open about their journey with hair loss while suffering from alopecia.
Photo: Oupa Bopape/Gallo Images
- Don’t jump to panicking if you’re experiencing hair loss.
- Thyroid issues, stress and genetics can all affect hair loss.
- Black women will typically shed 50 to 100 strands of hair a day.
As a Black woman, I speak on behalf of most of us when I say that losing your hair is one of the most traumatic experiences to go through.
I can recall all the times I’ve combed my mane, only to see just a little too many hairs on the comb. Panic would set in. Or, I’d undo braids and then notice that my hair has become thinner and hairline weaker. Other reasons for hair loss are far more scarier than mine.
What is hair?
“Hair is defined by many in different ways. We at Mizani define it as fibrous protein that emerges from the hair follicle as a hair shaft. Each hair fibre on our head has a life circle of its own, meaning each hair is born, develops, grows and eventually falls off,” says Rocky Bukasa, Hair Educator at Mizani South Africa.
The hair’s life circle is divided into four phases:
- Anagen: active phase where hair growth is known to be active.
- Catagen: transition phase; slow down of growth.
- Telogen: hair growth comes to almost a stop.
- Hair Loss: fibre disconnects from the follicle and then a new anagen phase begins.
Causes of hair loss
There are as many causes of hair loss as much as we are all different. But, they can be broken down into the following groups:
1. Check your thyroid
The thyroid has been linked to a number of health issues, such as unexplained weight loss or gain, fatigue and more. It’s a gland found in the base of the neck, which is responsible for producing hormones that control a number of processes in our bodies.
If the thyroid over or even under performs, your hair growth cycle will be negatively affected .It’s not the main but one of the reason behind hair loss.
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2. Motherhood
It’s one of the lows of pregnancy as told by moms and moms-to-be. In some women, the hair will appear fuller and richer during their pregnancy; this is due to the great levels of hormones that keep the hair from shedding as per usual. Unfortunately, this doesn’t last.
Right after giving birth, as your hormones go back to normal, the hair strands fall off rapidly. The amount varies from woman to woman and can take almost two years for your mane to stabilise.
3. Keep stress at bay
Stress manifest itself through hair loss. The stress will cause more hair strands to go in resting phase, which will lead to more hair falling out than usual. These are the strands you notice when you’re brushing and combing your hair. When you’re stressed, your body goes into shock, resulting in the process previously explained, also known as telogen effluvium.
4. Tight is not right
Tightness is one of the major causes of hair loss amongst black women; it is the result of tight ponytails, braids (biggest culprit!) and extensions. The tightness literally pulls the hair from the root, also known as the follicle.
This type of damage can be untreatable, hence it’s permanent. This is the main reason for weak and non-existent hairlines, a condition called traction alopecia.
5. In the genes
This type of hair loss is completely uncontrollable, it’s usually hereditary It ranges from thinning of the hair to completely balding. It’s called androgenetic apolopecia.
6. Chemical damage
Texture-manipulating chemicals such as relaxers can cause severe damage to the scalp, leading to burns on the scalp. This is why it’s important to use these correctly. When these burns evolve into scarring, they close off the hair follicles resulting in permanent loss of hair. This type is known as scarring alopecia or cicatricial alopecia.
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When not to panic
It’s completely normal to lose a few hair strands every day when brushing, combing, washing and untangling your hair. The normal lifecycle of a single strand is four to five years, then it sheds and is replaced in six months by a new hair strand.
Generally, a Black woman will shed about 50 to 100 strands of hair per day. A woman should have an average of 100 000 strands on her head, so losing 50 shouldn’t worry you. However, most of us stress because of the damage that has occurred over the years due to various explained causes.
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