3 tips for maintaining heathy hair with PCOS

As a Naturopath interested in supporting women with PCOS, I've noticed many clients with PCOS struggle with their hair health, in particular hair loss and or hair thinning. I know first-hand how stressful going through hair loss can be, all you want to do is find the magic trick to stop it and get your hair back to how it should be. 

Back in 2020, I lost most of my hair.  I experienced overall hair thinning and bald patches. Losing my hair was stressful and all I was concerned about was wanting it to grow back and not having this as my new normal. At the time I thought the hair loss was stress related or the beginnings of an autoimmune disease (Alopecia areata). It wasn't until later on that I realised it was due to my PCOS, in particular high levels of the hormone Androgen and high levels of inflammation. 

Fortunately, I managed to address the root cause of my hair loss. The hair loss stopped after a few months and my hair began to grow back. It's now been 3 years and I've not experienced any more hair loss, which is a huge relief. However, now that I know it's a risk I have to manage my health accordingly because it could happen again. 

The mistake I see a lot of women make is that they focus on hair care products or take generic over-the-counter supplements in the hope this will fix their issues. You see this does not address the root cause of your problem. Hair loss is just a side effect of whatever is happening, so you need to focus on what's happening internally and try and rectify that. 

Here are my 3 tips to maintaining healthy hair with PCOS:

1. Get blood testing from your doctor. You want to check for any deficiencies that could be contributing to your hair loss, as well as hormones, and inflammation and get a picture of your overall general health. The following tests may be helpful, Vitamin B12, Iron, Zinc, Vitamin D, TSH, CRP, ESR, Liver Enzymes, Fasting Glucose and Cholesterol. 

2. Manage your stress levels. We can never completely rid ourselves of stress however, it's important to work on the way you manage your stress and your response to stress. Stress can cause havoc on our bodies and therefore can increase the likelihood of hair loss. Which I know is a little bit of an oxymoron when you're probably experiencing stress because you are losing your hair. Consider implementing mindfulness activities and practising deep breathing. Herbal medicine can also assist with this, so speak to a Naturopath or Herbalist.

3. Reduce inflammation. High inflammation can contribute to hair loss so it's worth implementing strategies to reduce this. The best way to tackle inflammation is through eating an anti-inflammatory diet. Remove foods that are inflammatory triggers such as sugar, alcohol, caffeine, gluten and dairy and add lots of antioxidant-rich fruits, vegetables and spices to your diet. 

Once you address the fundamentals it's easier to tackle the root cause of your hair loss and address your overall health and well-being. As a Naturopath, I can help you if you are struggling with your PCOS and PCOS symptoms such as hair loss. Book in a FREE PCOS Success Gameplan Call and let's begin the journey of improving your health.

3 tips for maintaining heathy hair with PCOS