Hair loss in women, female pattern baldness, or androgenetic alopecia can be a symptom or consequence of stress, genetics, health conditions, hormonal changes, or pregnancy. Additionally, there are triggers such as seasonal weather changes, styling preferences, and environmental factors that could be to blame.
Cannabidiol and hemp extracts are a natural solution for hair loss in women. Why?
Studies have found that direct application of CBD oil can increase hair strength and volume in as little as six months. Additionally, CBD’s therapeutic properties make it a safe medicine for physical and mental ailments that contribute to hair loss in women.
If you are a biological female and are not or have never had hormone replacement therapy, below is why you are losing hair and the effects cannabidiol and hemp extracts will have on your scalp and hair.
Quick take: hair loss in women, causes and a solution.
- CBD and hemp extracts support hair follicle health when ingested or applied topically.
- Adding menthol and peppermint to CBD oil may boost hair growth/recovery, according to the cited study (see below).
- There currently is no cure for female pattern baldness, but a combination of CBD oil, minoxidil, and other treatments can help retain more hair.
- Undiagnosed STIs, including syphilis, can contribute to hair loss.
Table of Contents
Hair Loss in Women: Causes, Symptoms, and a Natural Solution.
What are The Risk Factors for hair loss in women?
CBD for Hair Loss in Women: Stress, Depression, and Anxiety.
How does CBD oil Treat Hair Loss in Stressed Women?
CBD for Hair Loss in Women: Female Pattern Baldness.
Cannabidiol for Hair Loss in Women: Autoimmune Disease, Trauma, and STIs.
CBD for Hair Loss in Women: Pregnancy and Hormonal Changes.
Is it safe to use CBD and hemp extracts during pregnancy?
CBD for Female Pattern Baldness: Styling, Environmental Factors.
CBD oil Vs. Minoxidil and Spironolactone. 1
Why am I Losing So Much Hair?
You are losing hair because (1) you are stressed, depressed, or anxious. (2) you have female pattern baldness/hair loss in women. (3) trauma, genetics, or an autoimmune illness. (4) damaged hair follicles. (5) the medication you are on. (6) your hair care practices. (7) you have an STI.
What triggers hair loss in women include changes in diet or dietary deficiencies, eating disorders, pregnancy-related changes, infections, and chronic illness.
What are The Risk Factors for hair loss in women?
You are at elevated risk of losing hair if you are above forty, hair loss runs in the family, or if you have high-stress levels.
How can you tell what is causing hair loss in women?
To diagnose a hair loss condition, there are several options. The best option is to consult a dermatologist.
At home, you should:
- Check your family history on both sides. For many, hair loss is an inherited condition. It may skip a generation, but if a family member has it, you are likely to have it.
- Check medication side effects. Antidepressants, hormonal treatments, and other medicines have the potential to cause hair loss. Consequently, it is important to be aware of a medication’s side effects before or while using it. If the cause is medication, do not abandon treatment. Instead, work with a physician to find alternatives.
- How are your stress levels? Do you often experience episodes of hopelessness, impending doom, or dwell on the past and possible futures? These are indicators that you are stressed, depressed, or anxious. Anxiety and depression can cause hair loss in many ways as explained in this article.
- Hair-pull test. Can be conducted at home or by a professional (see below).
What if I do not find a cause?
If you are unsure what is causing hair loss, a doctor may recommend:
A Hair Pull Test.
A hair pull test, as the name suggests, involves the pulling of hair to test strength and shedding.
Once pulled, hair can tell you several things about your scalp and overall health. If there is a white bulb at the base of pulled hair, it can be a sign of telogen effluvium or infection.
What a hair pull test will tell you is:
- The condition of hair shaft and hair. Weak or dry hair breaks easily and may be an indicator of an underlying condition.
- The state of hair loss, is it preliminary or advanced? The majority of hair loss conditions are treatable if diagnosed early.
After a hair pull test, a physician may recommend autoimmune disease testing if a cause is unclear.
A Scalp Biopsy.
Hair loss in women can be a symptom of infection and a variety of ailments. A scalp biopsy tells you if the condition is treatable at home or if it requires specialized care.
The process involves the examination of the hair and scalp under a microscope. That helps identify bacteria, microorganisms, or other causes of hair loss in women.
Blood Test.
If a scalp biopsy or pull test yields no results, a blood test may be necessary.
Autoimmune and thyroid diseases are among the many causes of hair loss in women.
Cannabidiol and hemp extract: A natural solution for hair loss in women.
Once you have identified what is causing you to lose hair, you need a solution that will not cause more problems.
Cannabidiol, a non-psychoactive extract of hemp or marijuana, is the solution to most hair loss conditions in women. Below is why.
CBD for Hair Loss in Women: Stress, Depression, and Anxiety.
High stress, depression, or anxiety levels will not only cause hair to enter the resting phase but it also disrupts immune function, making you more susceptible to infections that cause hair loss.
- Have you gone through a traumatic or stressful event recently?
- Do you have feelings of self-doubt, hopelessness, and so on?
Stress will not cause hair loss immediately. Depending on how you manage it, you may experience shedding and loss within a couple of weeks, as late as six months, or as long as the stressor exists.
How does CBD oil Treat Hair Loss in Stressed Women?
As an anxiolytic medicine, you may use CBD topically to support skin and scalp health, relax muscles, and improve circulation to the scalp. When ingested, inhaled, or vaped, CBD oil dilates airwaves, calms blood pressure, and improves sleep.
You may also use CBD oil and hemp extracts to manage the physical symptoms of stress, such as:
- Aches and pains in different parts of the body.
- Chest tightness and a racing heart (CBD is effective at relieving blood pressure).
- Improve sleep.
- Relieve headaches, discomfort, and inflammation.
- Improve digestive function.
Stress management is incomplete without (1) identifying and making peace with your stressors. (2) learning to speak and defend yourself (do not be a “yes woman” all the time). (3) seeking help when you need it.
We recommend creating a support system for your mental health and incorporating CBD oil into your diet and hair care routine.
we recommend:
CBD for Hair Loss in Women: Female Pattern Baldness.
Hair loss in women or female pattern baldness is a condition that one may inherit from ancestors.
As you age, you may notice thinning and hair loss. The issue usually peaks during or after menopause.
Check your family history. Does baldness run in the family?
If yes, it is in your best interest to act early.
Treatments including minoxidil and finasteride can help you retain more hair. But there currently is no cure for female and male pattern baldness.
If you have this type of hair loss, we recommend using CBD oil and hemp extracts to complement medication and therapy.
Cannabidiol for Hair Loss in Women: Autoimmune Disease, Trauma, and STIs.
Undiagnosed syphilis can cause hair loss, and it may be the only symptom. The best way to be sure hair loss is not STI or disease-related is to go for a checkup at least once every six months.
While CBD possesses anti-microbial properties, it will not treat STIs, meaning the problem may persist as long as you avoid treatment or until the illness goes away.
Hair loss in women may also result from autoimmune illness.
Signs that you may have an autoimmune illness, apart from hair loss include:
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing.
- An on-and-off fever. Some may experience chills and night sweats, depending on the condition.
- Fatigue, muscle aches, and weakness.
- Joint pain and stiffness.
In general, you want to see a doctor if hair loss is accompanied by other symptoms.
What CBD and hemp extracts can do for autoimmune illnesses include:
- Improve hair and skin health during and after recovery.
- Manage the side effects of medications.
- Control immune reactions such as inflammation, according to recent studies.
According to medical and anecdotal evidence, full and broad-spectrum hemp extracts are best suited for persons with autoimmune illnesses. Said products deliver a mix of cannabinoids, flavonoids, and terpenes that may benefit immune function.
While THC has therapeutic benefits, it will cause a high, and you will test positive for use.
So, if you are in active service or work a job that requires testing, it is best to stick to CBD isolates and hemp extracts.
That said.
Using CBD oil and hemp extracts topically to treat hair loss in women will not cause positive test results.
Additionally, hair loss in women may be a symptom of:
- Parasitic infections, including ringworms.
- Allergic reaction.
- Psoriasis and other inflammatory ailments of the scalp.
- Scalp and hair dryness.
CBD for Hair Loss in Women: Pregnancy and Hormonal Changes.
While pregnant, the body undergoes changes, some of which cause hair loss. Not all women will experience hair loss while pregnant.
You are at elevated risk if:
- You stop using oral contraceptives or undergo an abortion or miscarriage.
- Changes in estrogen levels also contribute to hair loss.
Telogen effluvium or hair shedding usually occurs a few months after giving birth. At least fifty percent of women who give birth experience it. Learn more about telogen effluvium here.
In general, hair loss during pregnancy is deemed normal. But, if you are losing too much hair or developing bald patches, a doctor’s visit is advisable.
Is it safe to use CBD and hemp extracts during pregnancy?
The FDA and the CDC do not recommend the use of inhaled or orally administered cannabinoids while pregnant or breastfeeding. The reason for that is cannabidiol and other cannabinoids, including THC, are fat soluble and may thus be passed from mother to child.
Additionally, researchers are unsure of the long-term side effects of cannabinoids on the young or developing brain.
Because of that, if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, only use cannabinoids topically, that is, on the scalp or as spot treatment.
CBD for Female Pattern Baldness: Styling, Environmental Factors.
The environment in which you exist may contain pollutants and other factors that contribute to hair loss.
Additionally, your hair care routine could be the cause.
We recommend a review of your environment and wearing protective measures whenever necessary.
A major factor in hair loss in women is allergens.
Allergens can cause an inflammatory reaction that results in hair loss or irritations that cause scratching and pulling.
CBD oil is an effective treatment for itch, redness, and inflammation.
You may use it as a spot treatment or massage the scalp. Massaging the scalp using CBD improves hair loss because of increased blood and nutrient delivery and scalp tension relief, and there is evidence that CBD oil can regulate the immune system, preventing overreaction.
Allergens trigger inflammation, hair loss, and several other issues.
CBD oil Vs. Minoxidil and Spironolactone.
Once diagnosed with a hair loss condition, treatment should be centered on the condition.
For stress-related hair loss and telogen effluvium, giving the scalp and hair time to recover and managing stress levels should be sufficient.
For female or male pattern baldness, your doctor will likely prescribe spironolactone or minoxidil.
Compared to minoxidil and spironolactone treatment, researchers have found, quote:
“The addition of menthol through the peppermint extract is probably acting through promoting a rapid onset of anagen phase. This topical hemp formulation was superior to oral finasteride, 5% minoxidil once daily foam, and CBD topical extract alone. Since this hemp extract works through novel mechanisms entirely different from both finasteride and minoxidil, it can be used in conjunction with these current drugs and would be expected to have synergistic effects.”
CBD for hair loss in women: what to remember.
- Once diagnosed with female pattern baldness, it is best to use CBD oil to complement treatment. While CBD can boost hair growth, female pattern baldness is a genetic condition, meaning once you start losing hair, it can be difficult to recover.
- If you have telogen effluvium (see here), managing stress levels and applying CBD oil directly to the scalp and hair is enough. Be patient. Remember, studies suggest that CBD oil can help hair regrowth by as much as ninety-three percent.
- Use CBD and hemp extracts topically only if hair loss is related to pregnancy.
References.
- Smith, G. L. (2023). Hair Regrowth with Novel Hemp Extract: A Case Series. International Journal of Trichology, 15(1), 18-24. https://doi.org/10.4103/ijt.ijt_34_22
