If your hair has been falling out in the past year, you鈥檙e not alone. A recent study in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology reports that since the pandemic took hold in the U.S.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been astronomical,鈥� said Abra McField, the CEO and founder of St. Louis-based Abra Kadabra Hair & Healing. She hears from people dealing with the problem every day. 鈥淚t definitely has gone up quite a bit since the pandemic.鈥�
On Friday鈥檚 St. Louis on the Air, McField explained that it鈥檚 natural to lose hair 鈥� 鈥渁bout 10 to 15% of your head is always in a shedding phase鈥� 鈥� but that a healthy body will shed it over time. When you add stress, 鈥渋t pushes that [process] faster and makes it happen all at once.鈥�
She said that stress from the past year and the initial closure of hair salons led to a particular increase in hair loss within the Black community.
鈥淣ormally, minority women put their hair in the hands of professionals completely because our hair is more natural 鈥� it鈥檚 more dry, it鈥檚 coily, it鈥檚 kinky, it鈥檚 very hard to manage,鈥� McField said. 鈥淪o we trust the professionals fully to manage it for us 鈥� to keep it healthy.鈥�
She continued: 鈥淣ow we have to manage our hair on top of being a mother, and working and things like that. We don鈥檛 know what to do, so oftentimes we鈥檙e doing the wrong things, and we just do so much, [like] colors and relaxers and different types of products that cause irritation and affect our scalp.鈥�
To mitigate the effects of hair loss, McField advises a holistic approach, including use of products that contain DHT inhibitors, making sure you鈥檙e getting adequate amounts of vitamins and minerals (especially zinc, biotin and vitamins B and D) and most important, addressing the root cause of your stress.
鈥淸Figure] out what is it that鈥檚 actually causing stress and try to resolve that. Try to put yourself around people that make you laugh, that love and support you, try to engage in things that are very calming to the body,鈥� McField said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 proven that meditation and breath work really well to calm the heart, calm the blood, calm the mind, which really reduces stress. And then, definitely exercise and getting involved in some activities 鈥� that help bring a lot of joy to your life.鈥�
鈥�鈥� brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is hosted by and produced by , , and . The audio engineer is .
