Dealing With Hair Loss During The Holidays

Dr. Angela Phipps [00:00:02]:

Well, if you’re struggling with hair health, you need to limit the amount of heat and chemicals that you put on your hair. And a lot of those Dyson hair dryers, they’re very high in heat and their wattage, especially the flat irons and the crimpers and all of the new barreling wands and stuff. So to tell them not to use those tools is an act of futility because we’re going to fix our hair and then to put on a heat protectant before you use those heat tools to give some protection to the hair shafts, you are going to use those.

Kevin Rolston [00:00:46]:

Welcome to hairpod, the podcast where you get to hear real people talk about their hair journeys. I’m your host, Kevin Ralston, and each week I get to interview people from different walks of life whose lives have been touched by hair loss in some form or fashion. Many of our guests have experienced hair loss themselves and found a way to get their confidence and their hair back. This week, we’re excited to welcome Dr. Angie Phipps back to the Hair Pod. Her episode about male and female pattern hair loss was so mind blowing, we had to get her back on the hair pod to talk about how the holidays can impact our hair loss and what we can do about it. As the holiday season approaches, we can look forward to spending quality time with our loved ones and maybe even partaking in the festivities with our families and friends. Whether you love extravagant holiday parties or prefer quiet gatherings at home, this is a time to create memories and cherish the people you hold dear.

Kevin Rolston [00:01:44]:

Let’s be honest, as much fun as the holidays can be, they can come.

Kevin Rolston [00:01:48]:

With their share of stress.

Kevin Rolston [00:01:50]:

From long days of travel and juggling family commitments to the pressures of gift giving and hosting events, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. And while we often think about how stress affects our mood or levels, there are those of us who deal with hair loss and we think about how it impacts our hair.

Dr. Angela Phipps [00:02:12]:

So when you’re under stress, your body produces a certain hormone called cortisol. And when that cortisol level rises, because your stress level is rising, your hair follicles are very smart little organs, and they recognize that change in that hormone level, and they’re afraid that that cortisol is going to attack them. And so to protect themselves, they will shut down. The cells will shut down and transition into the dormant phase of their life cycle and cause sometimes mass exit of shedding of the hair shafts because all the roots are shutting down trying to protect themselves from that rise in the cortisol level. So that’s bad news, but there’s good news in that that doesn’t cause permanent hair loss. Once the stress levels go down, the cortisol levels lower. Your body recognizes that the hormone levels are back in equilibrium. And then they have to finish out that dormant phase, though that which can last for three to five months.

Dr. Angela Phipps [00:03:04]:

Before that, they will, you know, resume back into the growth phase and start to make the new hair shaft again. So the stress during the holidays or stress during any time will come back, but it’s delayed. So you want to kind of minimize the stress as much as you can because you’re going to have to wait for that new hair follicle to grow the hair shaft after it’s had to stay in that dormant phase that it got kicked in. And so it can take three to five months post holidays before the hair starts to grow back.

Kevin Rolston [00:03:29]:

Oh, that’s brutal. For five, five months you can set your hair health back just from the holidays?

Dr. Angela Phipps [00:03:35]:

Just from the holidays.

Kevin Rolston [00:03:36]:

It may not be the most wonderful time of year for your hair then. That is rough. Now tell me about what you see. Do you notice this in clients that come in in the new year and.

Dr. Angela Phipps [00:03:48]:

Absolutely. January is one of my busiest months. Really, They’ve already, you know, people start stressing. I mean, I’m in my stores right now, it’s only October 1st, and for two weeks I’ve seen Christmas decorations. I’m like, yeah. Now it’s not only are we not celebrating Thanksgiving anymore and jumping to Christmas, now, they’re almost bypassing Halloween.

Kevin Rolston [00:04:06]:

It’s crazy.

Dr. Angela Phipps [00:04:07]:

So the stress levels are starting even faster.

Kevin Rolston [00:04:10]:

Yeah.

Dr. Angela Phipps [00:04:10]:

So by the time the holidays roll around in the new year, I mean, everybody’s just mentally and physically exhausted and so are your hair follicles. And so January is one of my busiest months for people coming in who just been exhausted and have noticed the decline in their hair health, as well as sometimes their physical and emotional health.

Kevin Rolston [00:04:27]:

Something else is stressful. Not only the holidays, but you have birthdays and things like that. Is this something that you see a pattern throughout the course of the year? Where do you see seasonal hair loss because of the events that, you know, we all seem to be going through?

Dr. Angela Phipps [00:04:42]:

Usually not birthdays. That’s not a big stressor. It’s usually Christmas time is the major one because people start preparing for it months in advance. And that stress level starts months in advance. And so it’s prolonged stress, typically, that will cause that reaction. Not just a little bit of daily stress. Because if little bits of daily stress, you know, made your Hair fall out, I’d be bald.

Kevin Rolston [00:05:04]:

Right.

Kevin Rolston [00:05:05]:

I hear you.

Kevin Rolston [00:05:07]:

So we know that stress can cause the hair loss. What about other factors happen during the holidays? For instance, a lot of times our diets go out of whack. Is that something that could affect hair loss?

Dr. Angela Phipps [00:05:16]:

Yeah. Okay, so, okay, October, people were thinking, okay, I got two to three months to get these last ten pounds off before the Christmas pictures. And you’ll go on crash diets or start using new medications and trying anything and everything to lose that weight. And it puts your body into a state of catabolism or breaking down. And your body recognizes the change in the homeostasis. And their hair follicles do not like to be in disequilibrium and they think that these changes are going to affect them, so they shut down and you can have shedding. So yeah, your hair follicles are very in tune to everything that’s going on in your body emotionally, physically, hormonally, weight wise, nutrition wise. And so you really got to, you know, keep yourself in check.

Dr. Angela Phipps [00:05:59]:

Or you can have hair issues. And then if you’ve got the genetics for male or female pattern hair loss in your system and you compound that with stress, the hair loss can be exponentially even worse because you’re, you’re hitting it by two different mechanisms.

Kevin Rolston [00:06:17]:

Stress impacts all of our physical processes. This is a great reminder of how important it is to stop amidst all the chaos and enjoy the moment. It’s okay to recharge. Your battery, however, feels right for you, whether that’s your daily self care. Doing a favorite activity like journaling or reading, or even keeping up with your fitness routine. After all, self care isn’t just about managing stress. It also includes nourishing our bodies properly with festive meals and delicious treats all around. Some people choose to indulge, while others may become even more mindful of their diets and might even consider weight loss options.

Kevin Rolston [00:06:56]:

This led me to my next question. How do weight loss drugs and our dietary choices affect hair health?

Dr. Angela Phipps [00:07:08]:

There is a correlation between the GLP1 medications in certain people. Just like some women undergo hair loss during after childbirth and have a lot of shedding and some women don’t. Some people’s bodies will respond to these weight loss medications in a negative way and it will affect their hair. Now, does it happen to everybody? No, but it definitely can to some people. And you won’t know it till you try it. But just be aware that what you’re doing is. You could be sacrificing some hair health while you’re losing the weight.

Kevin Rolston [00:07:39]:

Wow. Okay, so lose weight.

Dr. Angela Phipps [00:07:41]:

Lose hair and weight. So I don’t know what kind of trade off that is for a lot of people, right?

Kevin Rolston [00:07:45]:

I don’t know either.

Kevin Rolston [00:07:46]:

Now tell me about people who might.

Kevin Rolston [00:07:47]:

Be going the other direction. Maybe there’s some people that they’re like, hey, during the holidays, I don’t think about it. I pack on the weight, I don’t take it off. But you might be talking about foods that are sugary, are fatty, you might be having more alcohol. Is that going to have any kind of effect on hair loss?

Dr. Angela Phipps [00:08:03]:

Not typically, no. You know, unless you have other metabolic issues that are going on, like if you’re diabetic and your blood sugar is being randomly, you know, raising and raising and raising with these bad foods that you’re eating and not exercising, then that’s making your internal metabolism change and deteriorate. And your hair follicles then will respond to those changes with a stress reaction.

Kevin Rolston [00:08:25]:

Now, have you noticed any kind of correlation when it comes to climate and what might happen? Because as it starts getting cooler in most places of America, does that have any kind of effect on hair loss?

Dr. Angela Phipps [00:08:36]:

Climate change does not. Whether you live in the north or south, you know, especially if you’re talking about the genetic component, you either have the genetic sensitivity to the hair in the hair follicle cells for the hormonal changes or you don’t. Because if that were the case, no one would live up north because they’d be bald and everyone would be living in Florida and Texas. We’d only have two states in the country.

Kevin Rolston [00:08:56]:

Yeah, true.

Kevin Rolston [00:08:57]:

Yeah. For me, in the winter where I am, it just means it gets drier and.

Dr. Angela Phipps [00:09:03]:

Yes.

Kevin Rolston [00:09:03]:

So my skin dries out.

Dr. Angela Phipps [00:09:05]:

Yes. The people in the north do have to be aware of your scalp health because if the scalp gets drier, it can start to form a buildup of skin cells that can then kind of suffocate or smother the hair shafts and the ability for it to produce oil that your hair and scalp needs. And then that could. The same is true if you live in a really, really hot climate where you’re excessively sweating and you have a lot of oil production. So it’s all about maintaining balance, just as everything else is in life as well, with your hair and your scalp, keeping it at the, at a neutral zone so that it’s not too oily, it’s not too dry, just maintaining a neutral balance of scalp and hair health.

Kevin Rolston [00:09:47]:

There you have it, straight from the doctor’s mouth. Balance is the key to our scalp and hair health and balancing out our stress and our hair care regimen can help us hang on to the hair that we have throughout the holidays. But there are some of us who understand what it feels like to go into these family gatherings or holiday party situations and not feel confident because we don’t feel like we look our best. And for some of us, hair loss is that big looming insecurity. So I asked Dr. Phipps what people in that situation can do if they’re looking for a quick fix to help them get through the holiday pictures. Looking and feeling great.

Dr. Angela Phipps [00:10:31]:

I got the perfect solution. And it’s hair clubs X strands. So they’re little micro hair extensions that are done almost follicle by follicle and they bond that to the base of the existing hair follicle with non weighted or damaging adhesive. And you can add hundreds of hair follicles to your existing hair to give you that instant volume, instant density, instant color that will make your holiday pictures incredible.

Kevin Rolston [00:11:03]:

Okay, there you go. The secrets to beauty right here and there. A simple quick fix for you. Now let’s talk to people that might be planning a little bit more ahead. Let’s say we’re talking about the new year. And I think it’s probably what you said to start things off was kind of an o yikes moment, hearing about how stress can help you lose your hair and how you see more clients in January. So what could somebody start looking towards right now? Because you got to be thinking about a couple things. What can I be doing on my own for hair health? And then when I try to repair? Because a lot of people look about their body, look about their looks and everything else, it’s a new year, it’s a new you kind of thing.

Kevin Rolston [00:11:42]:

What should they be preparing for for January if they’re not going to have the time or the money to focus on their hair now, how can they start thinking ahead? How would they save money, get themselves financially ready? Or what should they be doing with their diet or routines to make themselves at a better place when it comes January?

Dr. Angela Phipps [00:11:59]:

Yeah. So you want to definitely start taking care of your body in a slow but steady pace. None of the crash dieting, none of them, you know, and the medications, while they do work to lose weight, you lose it so rapidly that you sometimes lose muscle mass with that. And it just puts your body into a state of disequilibrium really, really quickly, which does cause a lot of fat dissolving and weight loss rapidly. But that’s not the Most healthy way long term to lose weight because of the negative impact that it can have on your other body systems. So you want to be prepared and try to think about just eating a well balanced diet, trying to get some cardiovascular exercise in two or three times a week and try and get in some weight training two or three times a week to try and increase your, you know, your lean muscle mass so that your hair follicles aren’t being affected by anything that you’re doing to your body by eating poorly or not working out. And then you want to make sure that you’re paying attention to what your weather is and giving yourself the time to do self care and make sure that you’re using a good shampoo, a conditioner, if you’re in dry climates, a leave in conditioner. Because you want your hair shafts and your scalp health to be as good as possible.

Dr. Angela Phipps [00:13:13]:

And it takes time for those products to actually have an effect on the scalp and the hair. It’s not a magic wand. So you, you want to start several months in advance and just slowly do it and not expect immediate results. The key to anything being successful is having the right expectations and making sure that you’re giving yourself the time to see the results and not just wanting a, an immediate result. And then when you don’t get it, you jump to something else and you could be doing something more harm than it is good.

Kevin Rolston [00:13:40]:

Now let’s say you have somebody in your life, they are open about their hair loss, they understand it, they want a solution. And let’s say you’re a loving partner of somebody who is going through hair loss or just even hair care. What would be the top products that you would recommend to give as a holiday gift? Anything from a stocking stuffer to this is a little bit more of a big ticket item. What would be some things across the range of prices and sizes that you would recommend when it comes to hair care that you would give for gifts during the holiday season?

Dr. Angela Phipps [00:14:11]:

Yeah. So my number one gift from Santa Claus is a low level light therapy device. It’s a hat, it’s like a baseball hat and it has laser lights in it that you wear for as little as eight minutes a day. And that light will penetrate your scalp skin and photobiochemically stimulate the hair follicle cells to be as strong as possible. So that makes them live longer, it makes them produce thicker hair shafts, and it also helps the health of the scalp because it increases blood flow to the area. So that is a wonderful, wonderful Christmas gift to people who have either thinning hair from genetics or even just naturally have fine thin hair that you don’t might not necessarily have hair loss, but you want to just try and make it more voluminous and the best hair health possible. Now, it has a little bit of a price tag to it, but it’s well worth your money because it does what it’s supposed to do and it’s very, it’s not invasive and it doesn’t take very long to do. It takes eight minutes a day.

Dr. Angela Phipps [00:15:10]:

You’re going to do something for eight minutes a day. You know, you’re going to watch a TV show, you’re going to scroll on TikTok, you’re going to do something and just put that hat on. And it’s a wonderful way to increase the health of your scalp and strengthen the hair shafts. And then if you’re having male and female pattern hair loss, a really great stocking stuffer would be Minoxidil. It’s a very inexpensive medical treatment that you can get from hair club that you could put into someone’s stocking to say, hey, I know you’re concerned about your hair health and you know, I want to help you. If you don’t know where how to get started. This is something that’s very inexpensive that you can do at home that doesn’t cost very much.

Kevin Rolston [00:15:50]:

Now, if you’ve been puzzling over gift ideas for that family member who has everything and you know that they’ve been looking for a hair loss solution to try, it’s worth researching these options and seeing if they’re right for you or your loved ones. This made me curious to know if there are any gifts Dr. Phipps would not recommend for people struggling with their hair health.

Dr. Angela Phipps [00:16:15]:

Well, if you’re struggling with hair health, you need to limit the amount of heat and chemicals that you put on your hair. And a lot of those Dyson hair dryers, they’re very high in heat and their wattage, especially the flat irons and the crimpers and the all of the new barreling wands and stuff. So, you know, women aren’t not going to fix their hair. So to tell them not to use those tools is an act of futility because we’re going to fix our hair, right? So what you want to do is you want to make sure that you’re nourishing and conditioning your hair, leaving a leave in conditioner, possibly doing a hair mask, and then to put on a heat protectant before you use those heat tools to give some protection to the hair Shafts. If you are going to use those.

Kevin Rolston [00:16:57]:

Is there an alternative instead of giving something that might be damaging to hair that would do about the same thing that you have seen on the market or are you just danged if you do danged if you don’t kind of thing when it comes to Dyson and some of those big brand names that are big for the holidays.

Dr. Angela Phipps [00:17:12]:

Yeah. I mean in order to curl hair you have to add heat to it. In order to straighten hair, you have to add heat to it. So there’s no tool out there that’s better than the other one. Other than here’s one tip you could do is a lot of those tools come with different heat settings.

Kevin Rolston [00:17:28]:

Okay.

Dr. Angela Phipps [00:17:28]:

You can crank it all the way up to like 420 degrees. That’s just murder on your hair.

Kevin Rolston [00:17:34]:

Wow.

Dr. Angela Phipps [00:17:35]:

You’re the layers of your hair shaft, but the hotter it is, the quicker it curls. So you can dial down that heat temperature to the lowest possible and then just take a longer amount of time to curl the hair or straighten the hair so that you it takes a longer time but you’re using less heat, it’s going to be less damaging to the hair. So just allow yourself more time to get ready so that you’re not damaging the hair as much with as much with the tools that you are using.

Kevin Rolston [00:18:01]:

Well, there you go. Everything you need to know about the holidays, the stress that causes the hair loss, how to look good in photos and the gifts to give. I think we’ve touched on basically everything you need to know about hair on the holidays. Always great Talking to you, Dr. Phipps.

Dr. Angela Phipps [00:18:15]:

You too. Thanks for having me back. Can’t wait to talk to you again.

Kevin Rolston [00:18:22]:

I hope our conversation with Dr. Angie Phipps has given you valuable insights into the impacts of diet and stress on our hair health and what you can do starting right now to improve your hair health. I personally am going to try to remember to breathe and slow down this holiday season so I don’t let the stress get to me. And I hope you can find some time to do the exact same thing. And if you know someone who can benefit from what Dr. Phipps share with us in this episode, please go ahead and share with them. You never know how much it could help. For more inspirational stories and words of wisdom from people who have been through hair loss or professionals like Dr.

Kevin Rolston [00:19:01]:

Phipps.

Kevin Rolston [00:19:02]:

Make sure to subscribe to the show.

Kevin Rolston [00:19:04]:

On your favorite podcast app. Thanks for listening to another episode of hairpod. Check us out at Hair Club on Instagram or search hairpod on Facebook. To continue the conversation. If you know somebody who could benefit from hearing this episode, we would love it if you would share it with them. If you’re enjoying the show, consider leaving us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app. We also have a website. Check it out by going to podcasts hairclub.com we’re here to build people up and share real stories so people experiencing hair loss feel a little bit less alone.

Kevin Rolston [00:19:39]:

And when you share, review and subscribe, it helps us do just that. So thank you. Until next time.