During the warmer summer period, many people experience more hair shedding than usual. A study showed hair loss increased by up to 6% per day in summer, compared to the average hair loss rate [1].
Summer hair loss or seasonal hair loss can impact both men and women and is caused by many different factors, from sun exposure to dehydration.
If you notice that you’re losing more hair in summer, you might be a little alarmed. However, with the right information, you can manage and even prevent summer hair loss. Here, you’ll learn:
When the weather is warmer, our bodies search for ways to conserve energy and keep us cool. Hair insulates our bodies, so when we’re already hot, our bodies don’t expend energy growing our hair.
Researchers monitored hair loss in 800 women over 6 years and found that there are more resting hair follicles over the summer months [2]. Hair follicles that are in the resting phase of the hair growth cycle shed their hair in preparation for regrowth, suggesting seasonal hair shedding can last well into autumn.
This process of shedding hair from more resting follicles than usual is known as telogen effluvium, and it’s a type of temporary alopecia.
Exposure to sunlight also causes our bodies to produce less melatonin, which affects the hormone levels in your scalp. Melatonin can influence hair loss as it sends signals to the follicles to carry out their natural shedding phase for longer than usual.
It’s worth remembering that most people shed around 100 hairs every day. It’s only if you notice significantly more hair loss than normal that you may need to take preventative measures.
Dryness caused by heat and humidity can cause hair to break. This can lead to the appearance of thinner hair, even though you’re not actually losing hair from the follicle.
Hair loss tends to result in thinning areas that make your scalp visible through your hair. Hair breakage, meanwhile, affects the ends of your hair rather than the roots. It may (unintentionally) create the appearance of layering.
If your hair has a very dry or brittle texture, it’s likely that you’re experiencing hair breakage rather than hair loss. Use conditioner and nourishing oils, minimise heat exposure, and trim your ends regularly to improve the condition of your hair.
It’s not always easy to see what’s causing your hair loss. Lots of factors can contribute to women’s hair loss, which is why it’s important to get a professional diagnosis and female hair loss treatment plan that’s tailored to your needs.
There are lots of treatments and techniques you can try to protect your hair in summer. Here are the most effective ways to prevent summer hair loss.
Keep your hair out of the sun as much as you can. Staying out of the sun at the hottest times is best for your hair (and skin). If this is unavoidable, hats and headscarves are the best way to go.
Choose a wide-brimmed hat like a sunhat or a straw trilby to get the most UV hair protection.
Keeping your hair healthy is a great way to minimise the chance of hair loss and breakage. This includes:
These tips should be used all year round to avoid seasonal hair shedding in spring and summer and maintain healthy hair growth.
Sweat, sand, saltwater – in summer, your hair doesn’t stay clean for long. Washing your hair everyday will help remove substances that can make your hair and scalp feel grimy.
Washing your hair everyday won’t make it fall out or cause additional damage (provided you have a good technique). It can actually help with hair growth and keep your scalp healthy.
Certain treatments can help you stimulate your follicles to grow new hair. If you’re really worried about your summer hair loss, you can ask a trichologist to recommend non-surgical treatments like laser therapy for hair loss. Alternatively, try natural remedies such as coconut oil to try to improve your hair health.
Here’s how to use coconut oil to boost hair growth:
Protective hair products are available to combat brittleness, dryness, and damage caused by sun, sea, and pollution. Many Brazilian women — for whom beach life is daily life — use protective hair oil when out in the sun. This helps their hair stay nourished, smooth, and intact.
Be careful of products that contain glycolic acid for hair, as this can make it more sensitive to sunlight.
Diet has a big impact on the health of your hair. Like the rest of your body, hair needs nourishment to grow, so you need to eat a healthy, balanced diet to ensure your hair gets the nutrients it needs. Hair growth is an optional extra from your body’s point of view, so hair growth is one of the first things to be affected if you have nutritional deficiencies.
You also need to drink plenty of water to minimise the risk of summer hair loss. This is important all year round, but the heat makes dehydration much more likely in summer. Dehydration leads to dry, brittle hair, so make sure you’re drinking plenty of water to keep your hair full and fresh.
If your hair is looking worse for wear in summer, you may be able to restore its shine with the following summer hair treatments.
A quality conditioner is essential in summer. Every time you wash your hair, use a generous amount to coat the strands (focusing on the lengths and tips). For added moisture, apply a leave-in conditioner.
Coconut oil adds much-needed hydration to your hair in summer. Regular applications may help to flatten your hair cuticle, making it feel smoother and silkier.
As well as offering excellent moisturisation properties, jojoba oil also has a UV protective effect. So regular applications may help minimise damaged caused by UV radiation.
Better known for its skin benefits, hyaluronic acid can also be good for your hair. It’s a humectant, which means it attracts and retains moisture, helping to reduce dryness and keep your health feeling healthy.
Some people also experience seasonal shedding in spring. As the weather becomes warmer, your hair follicles can react and move swiftly from their growth phase into their resting phase.
One study found that while shedding rates are highest in summer, many people are affected by a secondary shedding phase in spring, too [2].
Like summer hair shedding, spring hair shedding is usually temporary, and can be managed using the methods above.
A slight increase in hair loss over summer isn’t necessarily a cause for concern. Since dehydration may lead to hair loss, as well as UV exposure and heat, it’s normal for some people to experience greater hair loss.
However, if you’re losing significant amounts of hair, the cause may be beyond seasonal.
If you begin to see consistent heavy shedding across the scalp (for women) or in specific areas such as the crown or temples (for men), there may be a wider hair loss issue in play.
Let’s take a look at some of the most common types of alopecia and how they differ from seasonal hair loss.
Androgenetic alopecia is the technical term for male pattern baldness and female pattern hair loss. In men, it begins at the hairline and/or the crown before progressing across the scalp. Women are more likely to see a widening parting following by diffuse hair loss.
Diffuse hair loss is characteristic of summer hair loss, so it’s not always easy to distinguish female pattern baldness from telogen effluvium. Look for a widening parting as a specific symptom of female pattern hair loss.
Alopecia areata is an autoimmune condition characterised by smooth round bald patches on your scalp. It can progress into more severe forms, such as alopecia totalis (total loss of scalp hair) or alopecia universalis (total loss of body hair).
Alopecia areata presents very differently from seasonal hair shedding, so they’re unlikely to be confused.
Seasonal hair shedding is just one of many different triggers for telogen effluvium. Others include:
If you’re experiencing hair loss triggered by a recent stressful event, this will present with the same symptoms as seasonal hair shedding.
If you’re worried that your hair loss is permanent rather than seasonal, seek the help of a professional hair loss consultant. It can be distressing to learn you’re suffering from hair loss, but there are many treatments out there to help stimulate hair growth, restore lost hair, and prevent further hair loss.
At the Wimpole Clinic, we provide a range of hair restoration options for those suffering from ongoing hair loss issues. In addition to providing natural-looking hair transplants, we also offer many proven non-surgical hair loss solutions.
We’re dedicated to finding a hair loss treatment plan that works for you. Book a consultation with our team today to learn more.
Simply fill in your details in the form below and we'll get in touch with you shortly.
Δ
