Mindfulness Matters: Your Stress-Free Guide to Healthier Hair

Medically reviewedby Edna Skopljak M.D.

WrittenbyLiza Schermann

Last updated Jul 24, 2024

Did you know low mood and depression can actually be linked with hair loss? A study [1] found that half of all women experiencing hair loss have symptoms of depression. This creates a vicious cycle, as losing hair can feel devastating, leading to even more distress and hair loss.

Mindfulness could be the key to breaking this cycle. It helps you manage stress and can therefore contribute to your efforts of reducing hair loss. Read on to find out how mindfulness can help you manage stress and support your hair health. You'll learn:

Table of content

1. What is Mindfulness?

2. What Are the Different Ways to Practise Mindfulness?

3. Mindfulness beyond meditation, breathing, and journaling

4. Combining Mindfulness with Professional Treatments: Can Mindfulness Complement Medical Treatments for Hair Loss?

5. Takeaway

6. References

What is Mindfulness?

Before we dive into the science behind mindfulness, its connection to hair health, and practical tips, let’s first address the question:

What does mindfulness mean?

Mindfulness is a way of paying attention to what’s happening right now, both around you and inside your mind.

In other words, it helps you focus on the present, rather than worrying about the past or the future.

Can You Practise Mindfulness If You’ve Never Done It Before?

The best thing about mindfulness is that it’s easy to start and anyone can do it, even if you’re a complete beginner. This is because you don't need any special skills or tools. It's all about being present and aware.

You can start with five minutes of deep breathing each day. Here's how:

Find a quiet spot, sit comfortably, and close your eyes.
Focus on your breath, noticing the air flowing in and out.
If your mind wanders, gently bring it back to your breath.
You can listen to meditation music to help you block out any distractions.

Can Mindfulness Reduce Hair Loss?

Mindfulness can reduce stress, and can therefore be a useful support in hair loss reduction.

Stress ca cause hair loss by triggering certain body responses.[2] For example, stress increases a hormone called CRH. This can stop a process called autophagy, the natural, conserved degradation of the cell that removes unnecessary or dysfunctional components through allowing the orderly degradation and recycling of cellular components. High stress levels also raise cortisol levels—the stress hormone, which can disrupt your hair's growth cycle. As a result, more of your hair enters the resting phase causing more hair to fall out—a condition called telogen effluvium.

A study [3] found that a mindfulness program significantly lowered stress levels in participants:

Cortisol levels in hair dropped by 88.8%
Perceived stress decreased by 54.6%
Anxiety reduced by 50%

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What Are the Different Ways to Practise Mindfulness?

You can practise mindfulness through different techniques. These include meditation, gratitude journaling, and breathing exercises.

Meditation

Research [4] shows that meditation lowers stress, anxiety, and depression. This is because it:

Lowers the levels of the stress hormone, cortisol [4,5]
Increases chemicals like melatonin, which helps you sleep better
Increases dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEA-S), which is crucial for the production of certain hormones

There are many ways to meditate. Some popular techniques include:

Focused Attention Meditation: Focus on a single object, thought, or sound to keep your mind from wandering.
Open Monitoring Meditation: Observe all thoughts, feelings, and sensations that arise. Notice them without reacting.
Loving-Kindness Meditation: Send love and positive thoughts to yourself and others.
Body Scan Meditation: Focus on different parts of your body, noticing any tension or discomfort and letting it go.

Actionable Tip: Start with a simple, focused attention meditation in a quiet space. Sit comfortably, close your eyes, and focus on your breath. Notice the air going in and out of your body. If your mind wanders, gently bring it back. Practise daily for 5 minutes to see benefits.

Journaling and Gratitude Exercises

Writing about gratitude reduces stress. It cuts negative feelings by shifting focus to life's positive aspects.

In one study, [4–6] people who wrote about gratitude were less stressed. They also had fewer negative feelings after one month. Another study [7] found the same thing. It reported that making gratitude lists helped cut stress and depression.

Actionable Tip: Begin by writing down three things you’re grateful for each day. This will help build a positive mindset and reduce stress.

Breathing Exercises

Research [7,8] shows that breathing exercises can greatly reduce stress.

For example, a study [9] that looked at 12 trials with 785 participants found that breath-work lowered stress. It also showed reductions in anxiety and depressive symptoms. Another study [10] with university students reported similar results.

Common breathing practices include:

Deep Breathing: Take slow, deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth.
Diaphragmatic Breathing: Breath deeply into your diaphragm, so your belly rises and falls with each breath.
4-7-8 Breathing: Inhale for 4 seconds, hold your breath for 7 seconds, and exhale for 8 seconds.
Box Breathing: Inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds, exhale for 4 seconds, and hold again for 4 seconds.

Actionable Tip: Take a few minutes throughout the day to do deep breathing exercises. Do them, especially during stressful moments. This simple practice can help reduce stress and support better hair health.

Mindfulness beyond meditation, breathing, and journaling

Mindfulness is more than meditation, journaling, and breathing. It’s a mindset that can be applied to every aspect of your life, including exercise, sleep, and diet. This will help lower stress and improve your overall wellbeing, including your hair.

Mindfulness and exercise

Regular physical activity in itself helps reduce stress levels by reducing the body's response to stress.[11]

Exercise raises levels of neurotransmitters, including dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins, known to boost mood and energy levels, and reduce stress. Studies [12] also show that exercise helps the CNS (Central Nervous System) by boosting cellular energy, clearing damaged cells, and reducing inflammation.

A study that looked at 14 trials [13] found that more activity or better fitness led to lower stress. Another study found that people who exercised at least once a week had lower resting heart rates. They also felt less stressed after a stressful task.

Mindfulness tip: You can take exercise to the next level by combining it with mindfulness with yoga or tai chi—both excellent forms of exercise that train mind and body.

Mindfulness and sleep

Research [14] shows that poor sleep can increase stress hormones like cortisol.

Normally, these hormones follow a pattern, but a lack of sleep disrupts this pattern. This is why people with insomnia are:

10 times more likely to have depression [15]
17 times more likely to have anxiety [15] compared to those without insomnia.

In contrast, a study [15] of 65 trials with over 8,600 participants found that improving sleep reduced:

Depression
Anxiety
Stress

Mindulness tip: Create a bedtime routine that calms your mind with mindfulness practices. For example, try to reduce screen time and read or meditate instead before bed to relax. This will improve sleep and reduce stress.

Nutrition and mindfulness

The relationship between diet and stress is complex.[16]

For example, stress can affect eating habits, leading to poor nutrition and weight changes. On the other hand, a good diet can help manage stress. It does this by supporting brain function and reducing inflammation. The gut-brain connection is another way diet affects mental health. A healthy gut microbiome has been shown to improve mood and behaviour.

Researchers [17] have also studied the impact of specific nutrients on mental health. Polyunsaturated Fats (PUFAs), for example, can improve mood.

Similarly, studies [17] show that the following nutrients can reduce stress:

Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) which can be found in cold-water fatty fish, including salmon, tuna, mackerel, sardines, shellfish, and herring
Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) an omega-3 fatty acid found in cold-water, fatty fish, such as salmon
Alpha-tocopherol (a form of Vitamin E), which can be found in almonds, sunflower seeds, avocado, and peanut butter
Magnesium found in greens, nuts, seeds, dry beans, whole grains, wheat germ, wheat and oat bran
Folic acid, which can be found in broccoli, brussels sprouts, and leafy greens

Mindfulness tip: In addition to eating a variety of nutrient-rich foods, try to find time to sit down and enjoy each meal. Make sure chew the food properly and focus on enjoying the flavours and texture—this will help you stay in the moment.

Combining Mindfulness with Professional Treatments: Can Mindfulness Complement Medical Treatments for Hair Loss?

Using mindfulness with professional treatments can boost your results.

Doctors commonly recommend professional care routines to treat hair loss. These treatments can work. But, managing stress with mindfulness can boost their benefits.

Combining mindfulness with professional treatments means you're addressing hair loss from multiple angles. The medical treatments work on your hair follicles. While mindfulness helps create a healthier internal environment for hair growth. This holistic approach can lead to better outcomes and healthier hair.

Takeaway

Caring for your hair health goes beyond products. It's about managing stress and supporting your overall wellbeing.

Mindfulness practices like meditation and journaling reduce stress significantly. By incorporating mindfulness into other areas of your life, you can gain even more benefits and improve not just your mood or stress management strategies, but also the wellbeing of your hair.

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