Hair Loss in Summer

Just like all living things, our hair growth cycles go through periods of birth, growth and eventually death. Although it's more common to lose excessive amounts of hair in the wintertime due to biological processes in our bodies, it's still completely normal to shed extra hair as the seasons shift warmer. The reasons are completely different, however. In summer, our hair sheds primarily due to external forces. Let's run through the most common ones!

Excessive Sweating 

It's only natural to sweat a little more in the summer. Unfortunately for our hair and scalp, sweat isn't their best friend. Sweat is bittersweet for our hair. It contains urea, a compound which helps moisturise our skin. Sounds great right? Well, sweat also contains sodium chloride which is simply just salt, and it's highly drying to the scalp!

When left unwashed, the salt will draw moisture out of the scalp and the follicles, as well as the sebum. As a result, the sebum becomes hard and clogs the follicle. When this happens, you'll start to see excessive hair loss. To prevent this from happening, be sure to wash your hair if you've been sweating. 

Swimming

Who doesn’t love to hit the swimming pool or to go to the beach in summer? Unfortunately for our hair, chlorine in the swimming pool and the saltwater of the ocean not only damage your strands but they can highly irritate your scalp. When your follicle is not in the best condition, it will often let go of the hair. If you have a sensitive scalp, it's best to avoid dunking your hair in the water. If your work or passions don't allow that, then please wear a swim cap at the very least! 

Sun Exposure 

Staying out in the sun all day exposes your scalp to harmful UV rays. Prolonged and unprotected exposure to radiation from the sun directly wounds the hair follicle. If this happens, your damaged hair follicles will struggle to hold onto the strand. Hair loss from sunburn can result in permanently damaged follicles that may not regrow hair. So don't forget to wear a hat the next time you're outside!

Please note: Sometimes sun exposure builds up. If you're in the sun every day for three months, by the end of the summer, your hairs may shed due to all the oxidative stress over the summer. 

Changes in Lifestyle 

Our bodies are truly adaptable. However, they don't always adapt as fast as the seasons change. In winter, our lifestyles look completely different to how they do in summer.  From the foods we eat, the amount of exercise we get or how much we sleep. As our lifestyles shift along with the seasons, it can often be a shock to our bodies. If you stay indoors all winter with little sun exposure and start attending wine festivals in the sun in summer, it can often be too much of shock to your body.