How To Reverse Hair Loss Caused By Stress | My Healthy Hair Journey

I’m going to get very personal and vulnerable on this post. I share a lot about myself and my life on the blog, however, I’m actually a very private person and I keep important things to myself. It is always a fine line on not sharing enough to overhearing, but sometimes putting your truth out there 100% is both freeing and helpful for someone else experiencing the same thing. If you clicked on this post after reading the title, chances are you have lost hair from anxiety or stress before or you are experiencing it right now, just like me. You’re not alone and there are things you can do to reverse the damage before it is too late.

I’m not a doctor and my methods may not work for everyone, but if your hair loss is recent and also caused by stress and anxiety, then the information I am about to share may be as essential for you as it has been for me.

I noticed my first bald spot about five months ago. After a few stressful years and one very rough year and a half, I noticed that I was loosing a lot more hair than I usually do. The thin spots near my temples became extra thin and were looking bare. But that wasn’t the worst of it. A whole chunk of hair was missing in the back of my head. I discovered a few bald spots. It took me until it was almost completely bald at the nape of my neck for me to notice. The back of my hairline, which used to be full and thick, was missing a giant chunk in the middle and receding throughout the whole back and behind my ears. The first thing I did of course was panic. I also shed a few tears. It sounds dramatic, but any changes in our body can be alarming and cause fear when you’re not sure if it is permanent or not. And like many women, my hair was a big part of my identity. But I knew pretty quickly that worrying over it only made it worse and it made me feel bad too. I also know that I am much more than just my hair. It was my body’s way of telling me that something had to be done. All the stress and anxiety I had been feeling was showing through my body in so many ways, but the hair loss was the most prominent. I needed to make some big changes.

My hair was a good first sign, but there were other clues too. For example, my hair was also greying rapidly. Where before I only had a couple occasional silver tinsel, I had dozens of wiry grays popping up all over my head prematurely, especially on the top where I never had them before. They appeared at a time when my stress levels were at their peak. The emotional abuse I’ve been receiving over the past year and more has had some very unhealthy effects. I was exhausted, getting nightmares, not being able to sleep, lost my appetite, and I have developed pretty severe anxiety and depression. My eight was flunctuating. My skin was dry and I looked tired and older. Fine lines appeared exaggerated. My digestive system was in bad shape and I started showing other signs of illness caused by my mental state. I knew that the first thing I had to do was take care of myself.

The first thing you should do for yourself is limit exposure to what is stressing you out. The true root of the problem is stress and anxiety, I know, that is much easier said than done, but it is truly essential if you want to heal yourself form the inside out. Completely eliminating the stress from your life is even better. With the guidance of a really wonderful therapist and very close friends, I made the decision to get some space from a person in my life who had been toxic and emotionally abusive for quite some time. It was the hardest thing I have ever done and I still feels many ups and downs about it, but it was also the most loving thing I have ever done for myself. I had to put myself first. For a people pleaser like myself, that was really hard to do. It also went against my nature. Up until this point I had been walking on eggshells and doing everything in my power to “solve” things, but the issue wasn’t with me. I had to pull together all of my self love, self compassion, and self respect to do it. But my health, happiness, and life matters too. I deserve to be healthy and happy and you do too. Whether it is a toxic relationship, work related stress, or any number of stressors, the kindest thing you can do for yourself it to remove it from your life, even if it is only temporary. And if you can’t, find ways to minimize the stress. It is the only way that you can stop losing hair and causing your body and mind further harm. Stress makes you sick. It causes depression and it can even cause cancer.

Once you have accomplished making space for yourself to heal, you need to commit to self care. Your body needs rest, nutrients, and calm. Do whatever you have to do to calm down your nervous system and start chipping away at the toxic stress and anxiety.

Your goal should be to seek calm in your every day. You can do this by listening to music you love, creating a calming morning or evening routine, meditating, doing yoga, working out, taking a warm bath, calling a positive friend, or doing something you love. I personally took up meditation, yoga, weekly cardio workouts, time out in nature, and L-theanine supplements to calm my adrenal fatigue.

Take care of you. Calming down the stress response is vital, and then you’ll need to heal your body. Make sure you’re getting plenty of sleep, getting exercise, time spent outdoors, and getting proper nutrients with three meals a day. Before I noticed how bad my hair loss was getting, I was only eating one full meal a day. I skipped most meals and opted for small snacks. This had to change. I started taking vitamins and making sure I had three meals a day. I started small with a piece of fruit or oatmeal for breakfast, a light and healthy lunch, and dinner with my husband every night, something that with our busy schedules was often missed.

I also had to get nutrients that my body and hair needed. I started taking hair vitamins and drinking protein shakes made with vegan proteins and almond milk. I also started applying an organic and natural scalp nutritive serum for female hair loss called “Grow New Hair” by Just Nutritive. (You can find it at this link by clicking here.)

This serum, although not a miracle cure, was essential for my hair care journey. I learned that I needed to properly care for my scalp, not just my hair alone. I read so many reviews (not the ones from their website as I worried they would pre-selected) online and on blogs before making the decision. The Grow New Hair serum was expensive at $42.99 for the bottle, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much value there was. This bottle was much bigger than I thought and it lasts a very long time. The best part about Just Nutritive products is that they are also all natural and hand made, so they fit perfectly into my natural lifestyle. The order also came with samples for their Hair Therapy Shampoo, which became vital for my hair journey later on.

Two months in I started seeing hair growth in my bald spots, but I knew that it would take more time and attention.

I learned that a lot of hair loss, as long as it is not completely genetic, is reversible with proper self care and hygiene. For example, I learned that product build up and natural oils from your hair can clog and suffocate hair follicles, causing permanent hair loss over time if not corrected. Because of my anxiety and depression, I hadn’t been washing my hair regularly. Now I make sure I wash my hair every other day. When I wash my hair I also wash it with apple cider vinegar  or a vinegar based hair cleanser like Just Nutritive’s Vinegar Hair Rinse once every week or two to clear away dead skin cells and clear off excess oils and product that may be blocking my hair follicles.

After finding success with the hair serum and loving the shampoo from the sample, I decided to order the Just Nutritive Hair Therapy shampoo and conditioner ($24 each) along with their natural hair gel and vinegar rinse cleanser. Just Nutritive often has coupon offers and if you join their list, you can build up points for money off on future orders. At this point into my hair journey I was using raw apple cider vinegar as a cleanser every other week, but it stunk really badly and it also burned my sensitive skin. Although the products I ordered are much pricier than what I would usually spend, I decided that high quality products that were essential to my hair and good for me (as well as natural and safer for the environment) was worth the investment. Although I had been using a shampoo bar to use less plastic, the shampoo bar was leaving my hair very dry and brittle and my curls were loosing their shape and becoming very frizzy.

Lastly, I stopped wearing my hair up or back, especially at night when I went to bed. I used to wear my hair up in a high bun or ponytail, but now I believe that it was the biggest cause of my hair loss at the nape of my neck because of the tension it caused my hairline. I started wearing my hair down and natural every day. Thankfully, my long hair when parted to the side hides all of the spots I was worried about. But on some hair days I really wish I could put my long curly hair up. At this time, I feel that the extra weight and pressure on my scalp would further deteriorate my condition so I’m not pulling it up except for an occasional loose braid. One day soon I’ll be able to mix it up again.

Nearly five months in I’m seeing a big reversal to all the damage, minus the thinning at the very nape of my neck. I’m still not sure if that will ever fully recover. Mostly, I’m thankful that my thinning temples are returning to normal and you can see little baby hairs all around my hair line. My hair appears fuller and thicker and by taking proper care of my hair the curls are returning and the frizz is going down. I know that not everyone is fortunate enough to be able to reverse alopecia, but I do believe that by listening to our bodies, we can reverse some damage and lead healthier lives moving forward.

I hope that my tips and hair journey are able to help you with your own hair. Please share this post and leave a comment below.