If oiling is good for hair fall, why some encountered more hair fall while oiling instead?
- If your hair is naturally oily, oiling should be avoided to prevent further hair fall.
- The poor application of hair oiling could also cause hair fall (e.g. tieing your hair after oiling for convenience)
How do you know if you are losing more hair than normal while oiling, when it is not possible to count one by one? From researching, a normal woman drops 50-100 strands of hair daily.
"Normal" is just an average. Losing less hair loss than normal doesn't mean you are perfect and vice versa, losing more than normal can be fine too depending on your scalp condition.
Dr. Shaurya Rohatgi, a dermatologist, shared, that "Oils or shampoos do not have any effect on hair growth as they are not absorbed in the skin".
Some recommendations to apply oil correctly:-
- Don't tie your hair tightly after oiling:
- Don't apply too much oil:
If you oil your hair more than recommended, the excess oil might dry up, clog the pores of your scalp, and the growth of your hair will be reduced.
How to Count daily Hair Loss After Oiling
Pull test: Pull around 60 hairs between your fingers and pull a little bit as you run your fingers through your hair. It is normal to see five to eight hairs in your hand. If you have 15 to 20 hairs, though, you could be losing more hair than normal.
The comb test: This requires you to perform this frequently. Comb your hair normally for 1 minute using the same comb and monitor if your hair loss is increasing. Do note this is not accurate if you have curly hair.
How Doctors Check Hair Loss
These are some of the ways which doctors will be checking your hair loss:
- Blood tests are required to diagnose female hair loss as it is far more complex than hair loss in men. The doctor is looking for your basic blood counts (CBC), thyroid (TSH) and iron (ferritin).
- For younger women with acne or increased facial hair, tests for DHEAS (hormones from the adrenal gland), androstenedione (hormones from the ovaries) as well as free and total testosterone and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) are required
- Women with irregular menstrual cycles may require blood tests to evaluate polycystic ovarian syndrome including tests for LH, FSH, DHEAS, androstenedione, prolactin, estrogen, free and total testosterone and 17 hydroxyprogesterone (17OHP) and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG).
- Women with dietary restrictions (e.g. vegetarian or vegan) may also have zinc levels checked and a few other minerals as well. Sometimes vitamin D is checked depending on where the patient lives.
- Scalp biopsy of a small section of scalp, usually 4 mm in diameter, is removed and examined under a microscope to also determine the cause of hair loss.
- Densitometry using a densitometer, handheld magnification device, to check for miniaturization of the hair shaft.
How much hair in your lifetime
Based on a 2003 study, the average human head (an average scalp measures approximately 120 square inches or 770 cm²) has about 100,000 hair follicles. Each follicle can grow about 20 individual hairs in a person's lifetime from 2007 studies. Therefore you will have an average of 2,000,000 million hair in your lifetime.
Changing hair parting to reduce thinning
One way to reduce the thinning of hair is to change your hair parting frequently. There is a condition called Traction Alopecia. Wearing your parting the same way constantly will lead to damage and the parting beginning to look bigger and more like a bald line/patch.
Why do hair part
We all have natural a part line, widow's peak, whirls, crowns and hair growth pattern. If your hair parts down the middle, that is showing the hair growth pattern on each side of your scalp.
How hair stylist find your natural part
When your hair is wet (dry is possible too but harder), comb your hair, top and sides, straight back. a hairstylist will take their hand and push on the crown top peak of your head.
The hair will loosen up and divide where it's meant to. That is your natural part. Straight down the center is common with Asian hair. Weight is dispersed evenly so a center part is common.How to train your hair to not have a part
You just have to do whatever you can to counter your natural part.
One way is to comb your hair the other way when you find it part on one side. You can secure it with hairpins or a headband (while letting your hair dry). If needed, you can use a little pomade to hold your hair in place.
You might have to tease your hair a little once it's dry to get some volume back.
Conclusion
It can be scary to see your hair getting stuck in the toilet sink or drainer after oiling. Stay calm and use the tests to check if your hair loss is normal. If not, find a doctor and seek further guidance.