Going bald is not just a male thing. But as it pertains to women this topic is rarely discussed in today’s culture. In fact we seldom see a bald headed woman unless she is trying to make a statement be it political, fashion or otherwise. These women shave their heads and go bald by choice such as Sinead O’Connor. Unfortunately some have become bald due to chemotherapy or radiation used to treat cancer. Being bald has never been chic for most women but an embarrassment. It seems when a women looses her hair she is instantly the butt of tasteless jokes. So women who find themselves loosing hair will do almost anything to cover it up. This can mean wearing a wig, hairpiece even a hair implant.

Thinning hair is a common occurrence during menopause. Hair loss (noticeable hair loss called alopecia) is caused by a reduction in levels of estrogen. There are several options to dealing with menopausal hair loss.

1. One is HRT (hormone replacement therapy) which usually involves taking estrogen or progesterone. There have been concerns raised about a possible increase in breast and ovarian cancer with this kind of therapy. If you are concerned there are alternatives like plant based hormones such as soya.
2. Herbal remedies
3. Propecia (Finasteride) helps prevent hair loss and encourage growth
4. Minoxidil (Rogaine) promote growth and thickness by stimulating hair follicles. Minoxidil is the only drug approved by the FDA to treat female pattern baldness.

The use of Propecia is discouraged in pregnant women as it can cause birth defects.

As we age women like men often find their hair thinning, patchy hair loss and at times leaving bald spots. Some women eventually go completely bald. Female pattern baldness tends to occur with thinning of hair over the entire head but maintaining the crown.

Menopause is a major factor but just one of the many reasons for hair loss in women. Others include:

1. Under or overactive thyroid dry brittle hair can be a symptom of hypothyroidism
2. Medications
3. Stress
4. Genetics
5. Vitamin and iron deficiencies
6. Iron
7. Chemicals
8. Skin diseases
9. Lack of protein in the diet

In many ways the hair and skin are alike. The hair like the skin contains natural oils that can become depleted through abuse or from chemicals. Hair can become dry, brittle and damaged.  There are days when the inability to manage and style it can be called nothing short of a hot mess.

If you love to swim and spend a lot of time on the beach or in the pool then protecting your hair from loss of natural oils and maintaining its natural shine can be of utmost importance. Chlorine added in swimming pools is a major contributor to drying hair and causing split ends giving it a frizzed appearance (swimmers hair). If you are a blond or have light colored hair it can turn green. Hair turns green because of the mixture of chemicals like chlorine and copper sulphate. Green hair is great on St. Patrick’s Day or if you’re a punk rocker. But short of this most of us are looking for a way to prevent swimmers hair and dryness. A few tips towards that goal are:

1. Apply a leave-in conditioner and wear a swimming cap before swimming
2. Just wear a swim cap
3. Shampoo and condition hair after swimming to help remove chlorine
4. If hair is green after swimming use a purifying or clarifying shampoo along with conditioner
5. You can also use the juice of a lemon to help remove green coloring.
6. Rinse hair with water before  and after swimming
7. Apply conditioner again after swimming
8. Deep condition about once a week

The best shampoo for swimmers are those that contain a chelating agent which helps to soften water and neutralize metal ions in hard water. They are many on the market like L’ANZA Swim & Sun Daily Chelating Shampoo which can be rather pricy but contains an HPF 30 (hair protection factor).

Another less pricy alternative for swimmers is Joico K-Pak Chelating Shampoo.

Even though Chlorine is used to kill bacteria in many homes and public pools; its effects can be counteracted with a little effort and steps towards prevention.