15 JUNE, 2022
Do you think that your hair is thinner in the summer than the winter? – Well, you would be correct.
Thinner hair in the summer and thicker in the winter is a thing.
Should you be worried about this? The answer is no, it will all grow back again in the winter. Just think of this phase as a resting phase for your hair and scalp.
All things being equal (i.e. there is no other cause for hair loss such as poor diet, illness, unhealthy scalp, genetic causes) then your lovely locks will grow back again in the late autumn and winter.
With some people this summer hair loss is more prominent while others don’t really notice it.
The triggers for this greater hair loss are unsure, it has been postulated that the increase in temperature or longer days are the cause of increased hair loss in the summer**.
Others have suggested that sweat, chlorine, salt water, dehydration and UV exposure can all impact the hair, making it drier and more brittle. This would of course lead to more breakage, giving the appearance of thinning hair.
Another suggestion is that a thick head of hair in winter helps keep you warm protecting you from the cold but in truth we don’t really know. The warm theory makes sense, we lose about 10% of our body heat through our head so a thick head of hair does help keep you warm.
We see a similar phenomenon in animals who often shed their fur or coats more vigorously leading up to the summer months.
5 tips to prevent summer hair loss:
- Stay hydrated
- Protect your hair from the UV rays by wearing a sun hat
- Rinse out salt water and chlorine thoroughly after swimming
- Reduce use of heat styling appliances
- Towelling your hair dry gently, not vigorously rubbing
So, if you are one of those people who notice more hair loss in the summer than winter - don’t worry, enjoy the sun and the warmth, eat well, look after your scalp and it will all come back again in the winter.
*https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/bjd.16075
**https://www.zora.uzh.ch/id/eprint/20699/1/216832.pdf
Written by Dr Tina Grayson