From which side of the family is hair loss inherited? Can 100 brush strokes a day keep hair healthier? Test your hair loss knowledge with our Everwell Challenge.
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
From Rapunzel to Samson, a great head of hair makes for a spell-binding legend. But for those who are losing their hair, it can be a traumatic experience. To help you keep your crowning glory, or what’s left of it, take this Everwell Challenge. What you learn could ease your tress distress.
1. First question. Hair loss is inherited from:
A. Your mother’s father
B. Your father’s father
C. Both sides of the family
2. But how do know if you’re losing too much hair? That’s the next question. On average, how many hairs do we shed each day?
3. In women, which is a possible cause of hair loss?
A. Pregnancy
B. Hair coloring products
C. Testosterone
4. True or false, one hundred brush strokes a day will help keep hair healthy.
5. Which of these will help your hair grow better?
A. Cutting it
B. Washing it less often
C. Quitting smoking
Answers:
To brush up on the facts, we turned to dermatologist Elizabeth Tanzi.
1. C. Both sides of the family. Oftentimes in female pattern hair loss, is, is connected to the mother’s side of the family, whereas male pattern is more often dominant on both sides, male and female.
2. It’s normal to lose about 100 hairs a day. Although it can seem like quite a bit when it’s coming out in the shower, that’s a completely normal number.
Doctor Tanzi says one sign of abnormal hair loss is if it starts coming out in clumps instead of single strands.
3. Actually all of those reasons are a possible cause of hair loss.
All men and women have testosterone. There are certain normal levels within the body. Pregnancy will change a woman’s hormone levels and therefore since hair is so hormone-sensitive, you can get temporary hair thinning, whereas hair coloring products can cause damage to the hair shaft itself so you get breakage that leads to a perceived hair loss.
4. This is false. Although 100 brush strokes a day will help keep hair looking shiny, it doesn’t overall affect the pattern of hair growth.
5. The answer is c, quitting smoking. It’s important for the hair to get enough oxygen and nutrients because it’s very, very active and smoking will inhibit some of the oxygen and nutrients from getting to the scalp and therefore in the long run lead to less than healthy hair growth.