Can Cold Winter Weather Cause Hair Loss?

Cold Weather and Hair LossHair loss is determined by a number of factors including genetics, stress and the overall health of the patient. One aspect of hair loss that has been discussed over the years is whether or not the time of year can cause greater hair loss to happen to a person. The cold of winter is one time of year that is heavily suspected of causing larger amounts of hair loss. Can cold winter weather cause the hair to fall like snowflakes? Does the need to wear caps to shield the scalp from the cold have an influence on the amount of hair that falls out of your head?

Thankfully, the answer is “Not Really”. Which bring us to our next question: “Why doesn’t the winter weather have a bigger effect on your total amount of hair loss?”

While there are some people who think the scalp loses more hair in the winter, a six-year study conducted at the University Hospital of Zurich showed that people tend to lose less hair in the winter than any other season. Many researchers feel this fact is nothing more than an evolutionary adaptation leftover from past generations. Another evolutionary example involves melatonin which is a hormone secreted by the pineal gland. The hormone is secreted in an inverse amount to the amount of light that the retina receives and, in turn, helps to regulate biorhythms. The regulation of biorhythms includes hair cycles as well.

There are still a few issues involved with cold-weather that need to be taken into consideration. Patients who have dry scalps often grow hair that breaks easily because of its brittle nature. Winter weather, as mentioned above, causes people to wear caps to protect their scalps from the cold weather. Amounts of excessive friction created by placing or removing a cap that is too tight can cause the hair to snap off or uproot from the scalp.

How can you go about protecting your hair from damage caused by hat friction? Take care of your hair by using products that are specifically designed to protect the scalp, and its hair, from cold and dry weather as well as any dry heat found indoors in an attempt to stay warm during the winter. By focusing on how you treat your hair during winter weather, you have a better chance of maintaining a happy and healthy head of hair that will look great when spring finally arrives.