Chemical Causes of Female Hair Loss

There are many reasons for female hair loss and there are also chemical causes of female hair loss which result in breakage, damaged hair and even bald patches. A lot of women use chemical treatments on their hair to change its appearance.Some of these chemical causes of female hair loss products include tints, dyes, bleaches, straightening products, permanent waves and hot oil treatments.

These treatments do not normally damage the hair if they are applied and removed properly by someone who knows what they are doing. However, the hair can weaken and break if chemicals are used too often or too many chemicals are used together. The strong chemicals in hair products can break down the hair shaft, adversely affect the hair follicle and cause hair thinning or hair loss. This is usually temporary but if you damage your hair severely or burn your scalp, the results could be permanent.

Hair Styling Products

Even certain shampoos, conditioners and styling products contain harsh detergents and chemical ingredients which can promote hair loss. A lot of cheap hair care products contain a lot of harsh chemicals as fillers, so when looking at chemical causes of female hair loss, don't forget about the day to day hair products you are using too.

It is often a bad idea, for example, to use a straightening process on the hair and a bleaching process soon after, because the hair is not designed to withstand this amount of chemical treatment. If the hair becomes brittle from chemical treatments, it is best to stop using them until the hair grows out, to prevent any further damage.

Other chemical causes of hair loss are when the chemical solution is left on too long or if bleach is applied to previously bleached hair. Some types of chemical hair relaxants, used to permanently straighten hair, contain strong chemicals and people have been known to suffer chemical burns from them, which result in permanent hair loss as well as a painful skin burn.

Medical Chemicals and Hair Loss

More chemical causes of female hair loss are exposure to medicinal chemicals, for instance strong drugs to fight cancer which cause hair loss as a side effect. Radiation and chemotherapy fight cancer cells but they also kill the hair follicles. Steroids can also cause hair loss or thinning hair. With this type of hair loss, the hair usually grows back after the course of treatment is finished. If the beginning of your hair loss corresponds to when you started taking a new medication, you can ask your doctor if there is a similar medicine for you without the side effect of hair loss.

Cleaning chemicals, such as those used in swimming pool maintenance and those used in certain heavy duty cleaning jobs, can cause hair loss. Depending on the length of exposure and the type of chemical, the hair will usually grow back when the exposure to the chemical agent stops.

Because of these chemical causes of female hair loss, you should only go to qualified hair stylists. If you want to chemically treat your hair yourself from chemical causes of female hair loss, it is very important to ensure you only use reputable products and follow the product directions exactly, to avoid possible injury, burns or chemical related hair loss.

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