Tag: hair loss

How Stress Affects Skin and Hair Blog graphic

How Stress Affects Skin and Hair

Posted on by Editorial Team

There’s no doubt that stress has been a part of our existence over the past few years. A global pandemic, among other things, have challenged everyone to cope in different ways. In this blog post, we’ll be addressing how stress affects skin and hair, and what you can do to deal with these challenges.

How Stress Affects Skin

How does stress affect your skin? When we are stressed, our bodies undergo many changes that impact our skin. Psychodermatology studies the effects of our emotional states on our skin. Hormones like cortisol and adrenaline activate our “flight or fight” response. This can cause an increase in oil production, leading to increased acne. Excessive sweating, and decreased blood flow to the skin can provide the ideal environment for fungal infections and other skin conditions. Stress has been shown to trigger outbreaks of eczema and psoriasis.

Rosacea is another common skin condition that causes facial flushing and occasional blemishes. Its etiology is not really known, but there are many triggers that can bring on a rosacea flare-up, like alcohol, excessive heat or cold, or stressful situations. It also tends to run in families.

How Stress Affects Hair

How does stress affect our hair? While the hair shaft itself is not alive, it is attached to hair follicles, which are impacted by environmental and psychological stressors. Ever notice how our U.S. Presidents appear to turn gray almost overnight? Many have attributed this to the responsibilities inherent in their office. One Columbia University study demonstrated that, when stress was reduced, gray hair reverted back to its original color. Lifestyle factors like extreme dieting, malnutrition and sleep deprivation can also impact hair production and quality. Dehydration can affect both skin and hair, leaving it brittle and dull.

Improving Skin and Hair by Reducing Stress

While some sources of stress are beyond our control, we can find ways to mitigate the negative effects of stress on our bodies. This can help to improve skin and hair, as well as our overall health and wellbeing. Here are a few ideas;

  • Practice mindfulness – whether it’s journaling, yoga, or TM, it’s important to connect with your inner superpower to get through the challenging periods of your life.
  • Connect with your “Tribe” – no one can get through life alone, so find time to connect with the people (and/or animals) that mean something to you. Purge negative people from your life if you need to; they will only sap your energy.
  • Eat clean and healthy – Our diets can serve to mitigate the negative effects of stress. Proper hydration helps our bodies remove toxic by-products. Too much sugar can decrease immunity and stresses the skin. Ample antioxidants like Vitamin C, Vitamin E, resveratrol and anthocyanins can neutralize harmful free radicals. Extreme dieting can exacerbate hair loss and leads to nutritional deficiencies. Incorporate lots of whole foods into your diet.
  • Get a good night’s sleep – The quality of our sleep is truly important in terms of our body’s ability to recover from stress. Things like avoiding blue screens late at night, comfort, a cool environment, progressive relaxation, and avoiding caffeine and alcohol will help you achieve deep, restorative sleep.
  • Keep moving – Our sedentary lifestyles don’t serve us well when it comes to stress. When our bodies move, we release endorphins (the “feel good” hormone”). Exercise can reduce blood pressure, improve circulation, and improve sleep. Whether it’s walking, yoga, or skateboarding, find a routine that you love and can maintain over time. That can include hobbies like gardening, cooking, painting or sewing. Working with our hands can be very therapeutic.
  • Find the self-care rituals that work for you – It’s important to find out what your skin responds to; when we’re living our best life, it often shows. For some it might be a massage or mani/pedi; for others, it’s lymphatic drainage or micro-needling. Or how about a bubble bath? Whatever you choose to do, make sure that it doesn’t stress out your skin and hair. Too much sun, bleaching and dermabrasion can leave skin and hair feeling dry and irritated.
  • Know what’s in your skincare and haircare products – More consumers are reading labels and that’s a good thing. It’s important to know what you’re using, in the event that you develop an allergic reaction, or if you have dry, sensitive or problem skin. Keep things simple and use one product at a time, if necessary, until you know how your skin and hair respond. Use products that include soothing ingredients like aloe, Vitamin E, castor oil, glycerin, allantoin and gentle oils and cleansers. If retinols are too harsh, try pro-retinol. Use a barrier sunscreen if you’re spending considerable time in the sun. Along with the previous steps, you’ll see (and feel) the difference during stressful times. To see our line of restorative skincare products, visit Our WEBA Naturals line.

Reference: https://www.insider.com/how-stress-hurts-your-skin-2019-5

hair loss tips by WEBA Natural products

Hair loss prevention tips

Posted on by Lydia D

Hair loss treatments are a multi-billion dollar business and a growing concern for both men and women. There are many possible causes of hair loss, but most of them fall into two categories: 1) Hair loss (or alopecia) caused by system-wide medical conditions; and 2) Hair loss caused by environmental factors. As we are not medical professionals, addressing #1 is beyond the scope of this blog post. As for #2, there is much that we can do to address the various environmental stressors that might contribute to hair loss. Moreover, there are a few tips that we can provide that don’t cost a lot, and that may help stem the tide of hair loss that you may be experiencing.

Environmental Stressors

Aside from the conditions that can cause male pattern baldness and female pattern baldness (heredity, autoimmune conditions, metabolic conditions), there are the things that we do to our hair that place stress on the hair follicles. These include such things as tugging and pulling wet hair, hair coloring, blow drying, and pulling hair back into a tight ponytail. These factors affect the hair strands themselves by placing stress on the follicles. Over time, these practices can cause inflammation and weaken the hair shaft. Harsh sulfate shampoos, silicone products, and product buildup could lead to damaged hair and scalp.

The solution is simple; we need to cut down on the amount of stress we place on our hair. If we suffer from dandruff or scalp psoriasis, it’s important to seek treatments that will alleviate these conditions, as well. It’s important to treat our scalps the same way we treat our skin. Avoid harsh chemicals and fragrances that can cause rashes and allergic reactions. There are many sulfate-free shampoos on the market now, and a good rinse with apple cider vinegar can help to eliminate or prevent product buildup in our hair, which can clog hair follicles.

For thousands of years, ayurvedic scalp treatment have been used to stimulate circulation in the scalp to help maintain a healthy scalp. Using coconut or amla oil, and including essential oils of neem, rosemary, or tea tree can help minimize harmful bacteria and nourish the hair, as well. One study found it beneficial to use hair products infused with caffeine to stimulate hair growth.

Exercise and eating a balanced diet that is low in sugar are also helpful, as anything that benefits the rest of the body will invariably benefit our hair and scalp.

To sum up, here are some hair loss prevention tips that can help you maintain healthy hair and scalp:

  • Avoid mechanically stressing the hair (pulling, wet-brushing, blow-drying, tight ponytails) as much as possible
  • If you smoke or drink heavily, stop.
  • Use mild shampoos and conditioners, and rinse hair with apple cider vinegar once a week
  • Avoid using harsh treatments like perms, relaxers, and hot curlers, which can burn hair follicles
  • Wear a hair covering and/or barrier sunscreen on your hair and scalp when out in the sun
  • Try yoga or acupuncture to help relieve stress and bring down stress hormones
  • Massage the scalp regularly using ayurvedic herbs like Arnica and Ashgawanda (use as directed)
  • Use scalp treatments containing essential oils like neem and rosemary, and caffeine-infused treatments like our coffee/orange/clove oil bar soap.
  • Eat a healthy, balanced diet that includes adequate calories and vitamins and is low in refined sugar, which causes inflammation.
  • Stay active. Not only will it enhance your immune system and improve mood, but it will improve overall circulation.

Finally, if you think there is something wrong, see a doctor. It’s important to rule out any underlying medical condition that may be causing your hair loss. Hair loss can be a scary and embarrassing thing, but with a little effort you can take steps to maintain healthy hair and scalp.

References:
WikiHow article on hair growth
Top 10 Ayurvedic hair loss prevention treatments
American Hair Loss Association website