Did you know that on average, American alcohol consumption doubles over the holiday season? Think about it - mulled wine, spiked cider, and Baileys in your coffee, it’s easy to drink more than you normally would. This increase in alcohol consumption is mostly due to social drinking, and since we’re in the thick of the heaviest drinking season of the year, now is a good time to talk about the correlation between alcohol consumption and hair loss.
There is no direct relation between alcoholism and hair loss. However, binge drinking can lead to other health concerns that in turn can lead to hair loss. It is important to remember that there are multiple causes of hair loss, so it is important to speak to a doctor about your concerns.
Now, you may be wondering, how much alcohol is too much? According to the CDC website, it is recommended that men of the legal drinking age should drink no more than 2 alcoholic beverages per day, and one alcoholic drink per day for women. So basically, the nightly glass of wine you’re having, or occasional night out on the town won't cause any harm.
Dehydration
Like mentioned above, hair loss and alcohol are not directly related, however drinking heavily can lead to multiple health concerns. The first being dehydration. Over consumption of alcohol dehydrates you, and dehydration dries out hair follicles. Once hair follicles are dried out this can lead to an increase of inflammation, which is one of the leading causes of hair loss. Once a hair follicle becomes inflamed and irritated, thinning hair occurs. Keep in mind that a hair follicle is so microscopically small that even the smallest change to it will affect it and can potentially lead to hair thinning and loss.
Once a hair follicle becomes dried out, it’s time to turn towards hair loss remedies. Zenagen has multiple products that combat hair loss and cleanse the follicle, fighting against inflammation and irritation. This is all done through the healing power of plants. Check out our blog on the products you need in order to combat hair loss for more on this topic.
Stress
Increased stress levels and out of whack sleep schedules are a very common side effect of binge drinking. Telogen effluvium is an occurrence when stress causes hair loss by pushing the hair follicles into a premature resting stage known as telogen. The natural ingredients in our products work to lengthen the growth stage of the hair cycle known as anagen. Therefore, when the anagen stage is shortened, and the telogen stage is lengthened, hair thinning begins and can eventually lead to overall hair loss.
Nutritional deficiencies
The last link between hair loss and alcohol we are going to talk about is nutritional deficiencies. Drinking too much alcohol can lead to deficiencies in important nutrients. A decrease in key nutrients may lead to hair loss and shedding. Some of these nutrients include zinc, copper, protein, and maybe even iron. It is important to take your vitamins and keep up with your nutrients for not only hair health, but overall body health.
Smoking
Hair follicles rely on blood circulation to receive these important nutrients. Smoking has a negative impact on blood circulation and sometimes goes hand in hand with binge drinking. Cigarette smoke contains harmful chemicals that clog blood vessels and block nutrients from getting to your hair follicles. Once your hair follicles lack these key nutrients, your hair growth cycle is disturbed and leads to overall hair shedding.
If you struggle with alcohol consumption, please reach out for help. There are many beneficial resources that can help you get your drinking under control. If you are experiencing hair thinning or overall hair loss, check out our products and read our blog posts for more information on hair loss and hair loss remedies and follow us on social media for more information.