Reasons for Hair Fall in Women: Causes, Hormones & Solutions

Hair fall in women is more common than many realize, and it often signals an internal imbalance. While it can be stressful, understanding the reasons for hair fall in women is the first step toward finding a real solution. Hormonal changes, nutritional deficiencies, stress, thyroid problems, and environmental factors can all disrupt the natural hair growth cycle.

This cycle has four stages. The anagen phase, or growth phase, typically lasts two to eight years and determines how long your hair can grow. The catagen phase, known as the transition phase, lasts about two weeks and signals the end of active growth. Next comes the telogen phase, or resting phase, which lasts for two to three months. Finally, the exogen phase, also known as the shedding phase, is when older strands fall out to make room for new growth.

When any of these stages are disrupted, noticeable hair loss or increased shedding can occur. This guide explores common female hair loss causes to help you understand what might be triggering your hair fall, so you can take the right steps to restore and maintain healthy hair growth.

Hormonal Hair Fall: The Hidden Culprit

Hormonal hair fall usually happens when there’s a fluctuation in your body’s estrogen, progesterone, or androgen levels. These hormones help control your hair growth cycle and keep your follicles healthy.

Here is more about hormonal hair fall:

1. Postpartum Hair Fall

During pregnancy, your estrogen levels are high, which extends into the anagen or growth phase, which is why your hair feels fuller. After childbirth, the estrogen levels drop, and this causes many of your hair follicles to enter the telogen/resting phase, resulting in hair fall. Postpartum hair loss, also known as telogen effluvium, is common and affects almost 90% women. For most women, postpartum hair fall starts 2-3 months after birth, and the shedding slows down or ends in about 6-12 months. 

2. PCOS-related Hair Thinning 

In Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), you have higher levels of androgen, especially testosterone and DHT. These “male” hormones, or androgens, make the hair follicles smaller or shrink them and shorten the growth phase. This makes the hair thinner, brittle, and causes hair loss. Hair fall due to PCOS can lead to female pattern hair loss or androgenetic alopecia.

3. Perimenopause or Menopause-linked Hair Loss

Changes in hormone levels and the process of natural aging can affect your follicles during menopause. Your body goes through a lot of hormonal imbalance changes in menopause, particularly a drop in estrogen levels, which can make your hair thinner or cause hair loss.

4. Birth Control Changes

Starting or stopping contraceptives or birth control pills can disturb your hormonal balance. These contraceptive pills contain an ingredient called progestin, which acts similarly to the male hormone androgen. The androgenic activity caused by progestin causes hair loss in women, especially those who are sensitive to hormonal changes.

Stress-Triggered Hair Fall

Have you gone through a traumatic episode, suffered emotional trauma, or experienced an extremely stressful situation? Stress hair loss in females is caused by Telogen Effluvium, a condition where a large number of your hair follicles are pushed into the telogen or resting phase at once.

The condition is triggered by factors like severe emotional trauma, sleep deprivation, and even burnout. The hair loss is not immediate; it shows up 2-3 months after the stressful event. You might notice a lot of hair in your drain or hair in your brush when you comb or wash your hair.

The hair loss may seem scary, but it is reversible. Telogen effluvium can be managed with stress management, eating a healthy diet, getting enough sleep, and taking care of your hair. As your body gets used to these changes, you will notice reduced hair fall in 6-8 months.

Nutritional Deficiencies That Cause Hair Fall

Certain vitamins and minerals play an important role in new hair growth and managing hair loss. A diet low in these nutrients can cause vitamin deficiency hair fall. Let’s look at the vitamins and minerals that your hair needs: 

1. Iron

Iron deficiency is common in women experiencing hair loss. Iron carries oxygen to hair follicles, and its deficiency can cause brittle hair and increased hair fall.

2. Vitamin D

Vitamin D helps create the cells that later develop into hair follicles. Research has shown that there are low levels of Vitamin D in people suffering from alopecia areata (an autoimmune disorder) or female pattern hair loss. 

3. Zinc

Zinc is an essential mineral needed for your hair follicles to function normally. It helps with follicle recovery and reduces follicle shrinkage, which can cause hair loss. 

4. Vitamin B12

Vitamin B12 plays a part in carrying nutrients to your hair follicles. Low Vitamin B12 levels can cause hair thinning and even hair loss.

5. Biotin 

Biotin, also called Vitamin B7, helps produce keratin, which is a protein that forms your hair. So if you have a biotin deficiency, it can show as increased hair fall and hair thinning. 

6. Protein

Your hair is primarily made up of keratin, which is a type of protein. When your body doesn’t get enough protein, it can make your hair weak, thin, and increase hair loss. This is also why a strictly vegetarian or vegan diet, which could be low in iron, protein, and zinc, can make it harder to maintain healthy hair.

Thyroid-Linked Hair Loss in Women

Your thyroid gland controls many of your body’s key functions, including metabolism, energy levels, and even hair growth. When the thyroid is underactive (hypothyroidism) or overactive (hyperthyroidism), it can disrupt the natural hair growth cycle, leading to noticeable shedding or thinning.

Research shows that hair loss occurs in about 50% of people with hyperthyroidism and 33% with hypothyroidism. The good news? This type of hair loss is usually reversible once your thyroid levels are balanced with proper treatment.

Thyroid hair loss in females happens when the endocrine hormone production is disturbed, which can cause prominent hair loss and thinning. It can occur if your body is making too many hormones (hyperthyroidism) or it's making too little (hypothyroidism).

Hair loss is common in thyroid disorders, and you might see a change in your hair texture; your strands can feel dry and coarse. You will also notice hair thinning, especially around your forehead. Moreover, in thyroid disorders, you might notice hair loss or thinning around your eyebrows, eyelashes, pubic, and armpit hair as well.

If you notice unexplained hair loss or visible hair thinning, you should check your TSH, T3, and T4 levels.

Other Common Female Hair Loss Causes

There are several other reasons for hair thinning in women. These can be a mix of lifestyle habits or environmental factors, like:

1. Tight hairstyles and heat styling

Tight styles like ponytails, braids, and slick-back buns can keep pulling at your hair, causing tension. This can cause a permanent type of hair loss called “traction alopecia”. Similarly, heat from hair styling tools damages your hair, causing breakage and leading to hair loss.

2. Hard water, UV damage, and pollution

Hard water has minerals like calcium and magnesium, which can damage your hair and make it prone to breakage. Harmful pollutants from the air stick to your hair, causing internal damage and affecting new hair growth. UV rays make your hair weak and brittle, eventually leading to hair loss.

3. Over-washing and chemical treatments, and products

Over-washing removes your hair's natural oils, making it dry and irritated. Using harsh products or getting chemical treatments affects your hair follicles and increases breakage. 

4. No oiling and scalp massage

While lack of oiling or massage is not linked to hair loss, it can cause dryness and irritation. A gentle scalp massage or weekly oiling helps improve blood circulation and reduce stress levels.

How to Identify Your Root Cause 

Here’s a basic self-assessment checklist to help you figure out the reason behind your hair loss:

1. Have you had a recent life-changing event or experience like pregnancy, childbirth, menopause, a traumatic or stressful event, or drastic weight loss because of a crash diet?
2. If the answer is yes to any of the reasons, or you have unexplained hair loss, it's best to get a full blood workup done. Test for deficiencies like iron, B12, Vitamin D, as well as thyroid profile.
3. Check the location of your hair loss. Is your hair thinning all over, or is it in patches on your head?
4. Is the hair loss sudden? This can be due to stress or an illness. Or have you been losing hair for weeks and months? This could be genetic or hormonal.
5. Look for symptoms like increased skin and scalp dryness, mood swings, irregular periods or unexplained weight changes.

The table below explains it further:

What Not to Do When Hair Fall Starts 

When you first notice hair fall, don’t panic. Stay calm, make subtle changes in your diet and hair care routine, and take professional help to manage hair loss.

Here’s what not to do when noticing hair fall:

1. Don’t switch your existing products with new ones. Constantly changing shampoos and conditioners can make matters worse. 
2. You might think oiling your hair will make it better, but that's not the case. Oiling every day can clog your hair follicles. The same goes for over-washing; wash your hair no more than 2-3 times a week, to maintain your scalp pH levels.
3. Don’t self-prescribe supplements. Excessive iron and biotin levels can worsen hair loss.
4. If you are feeling fatigued, moody or have irregular periods, don't ignore these symptoms. These can be signs of thyroid imbalance or hormonal disorder. 

Remember, it’s best to consult a doctor or dermatologist.

FAQs

1. Can hormonal hair loss be reversed?

Hair loss caused by hormonal imbalance in menopause, PCOS, or after childbirth can be reversed in most cases. PCOS-related hair loss can be improved with lifestyle modifications and treatment. Postpartum hair loss slows down 6-12 months after birth. Once your hormones are balanced, hair loss gradually reduces.

2. How do I know if it’s stress or hormones?

Stress hair loss in females happens 2-3 months after the stressful event, and the hair loss is rapid. Hormonal hair fall is gradual and linked to pregnancy, menopause, and birth control pills.

3. How much daily hair fall is normal?

It's normal to lose over 50-100 hairs per day. In severe hair fall cases, you can lose up to 300 hair strands daily.

4. Will cutting hair help reduce fall?

Trimming your hair doesn’t reduce hair fall, but it prevents split ends, giving your hair a fuller and healthier look. 

5. Can diet alone stop hair fall?

Proper nutrition is important. But if you are losing hair due to hormonal imbalances or thyroid issues, you might need to address those issues as well.

Conclusion

Hair fall is more than a beauty problem; it's a message from your body that something might be wrong.

Most reasons for hair fall in women are due to internal imbalances, and they can be fixed with the right action taken at the right time. Use the self-assessment checklist and try to figure out the reason behind your hair loss, get bloodwork done, and consult a doctor for a diagnosis and treatment plan.

Traya’s science-based approach, which includes Ayurveda, Nutrition, and Dermatology, offers a personalized treatment plan to help address the root causes of hair loss and promote hair health.

Take Traya’s hair test today and find a curated plan specific to your requirements.