Science

First, let’s cover the hair growth basics.

Every follicle has a hair growth cycle with three major phases before the hair sheds:

Growth (Anagen)

Continues for two to seven years. Typically, 90% of your hair follicles are in the growth phase.

Transition (Catagen)

Lasts two to three weeks. The hair is no longer receiving nutrients and has stopped growing.

Rest (Telogen)

Takes up to three months. The hair is waiting to shed. It’s perfectly normal to shed about 100 hairs every day.

Our research shows that underlying root causes can profoundly impact your hair.

Multiple common imbalances that affect overall wellness can also shorten the hair growth phase, delay new growth, and cause new hairs to grow thinner.

Five key root causes of thinning hair.

Stress

Why it matters

75% of Americans report increased feelings of stress in the past year (2019). Over time, stress can disrupt our hormones and increase nutrient deficiencies needed for hair growth.

How it affects your hair

When we are stressed, the body releases cortisol. Cortisol signals the hair follicle to prematurely shift from growth to rest where the hair can no longer grow.

How we target it

Sensoril® Ashwagandha helps you build resistance to stress by balancing elevated cortisol.

Hormones

Why it matters

Genetics and lifestage (such as menopause in women) increase the likelihood that DHT (Dihydrotestosterone) will affect hair follicles and cause thinning hair.

How it affects your hair

DHT is an androgen hormone that’s responsible for development of male traits. It’s present in men and, to a lesser extent, in women. It’s also produced in the scalp and causes the hair follicle to slowly shrink (a process called miniaturization) and eventually close entirely. Women have 40% fewer androgen receptors than males do, which is why they have different hair loss patterns than men.

How we target it

Saw Palmetto and Maca are known to balance hormones including reducing DHT. (Maca is exclusive to Women’s Balance.)

Environment

Why it matters

Overstyling, pollutants, and heavy metals disrupt normal hair follicle cycling and increase oxidative stress in the body. These can come from air, water, personal products, and food. When you eat seafood containing methyl mercury, more than 95% of the toxin is absorbed.

How it affects your hair

If the body is unable to clear toxins quickly, antioxidants stores are depleted and oxidative stress can damage the hair follicle causing weak and thin hair.

How we target it

Tocotrienol Complex and Astaxanthin both help reduce oxidative stress to promote scalp and hair health. (Astaxanthin is exclusive to Women’s Balance.)

Metabolism

Why it matters

The hair follicle has 20 different types of cells that need energy for hair growth. Your cellular metabolism is what provides that energy for your follicles to grow hair.

How it affects your hair

Aging, inflammation, and thyroid imbalances can all lead to poor metabolism, which leaves your body with less energy to power healthy hair growth.

How we target it

Curcumin supports a healthy inflammatory response and lowers oxidative stress to promote scalp health. Organic Kelp supports thyroid health for the energy your body needs to grow hair.

Nutrition

Why it matters

Key nutrients from the diet help build hair fibers, texture, and support hair follicle health. Only one in ten US adults meet the daily recommended intake of fruit and vegetables, which provide nutrients to the body and support gut health needed for their absorption.

How it affects your hair

Deficiencies in protein, biotin, vitamin D, iodine, zinc, and selenium are linked to thinning hair.

How we target it

Marine Collagen and 10 supportive vitamins and minerals provide nutrition for gut health and hair construction.

Science buffs can read more about our published root cause study here.