"Could birth control be causing my excessive shedding?"

"Does the BC pill cause hair loss?"

These are questions we see pretty frequently from women of all ages, who are upset about their visibly thinning hair.

There is no question, that in today’s world, thinning hair is a very big deal for women who are having to deal with it. 

Thinning hair can hurt your self-esteem, confidence and even affect your overall outlook on life.

If you aren't sure what's causing it, hair loss might make you question your overall health and well-being. 

If you are struggling with thinning hair and are taking birth control pills or have a birth control implant, there is a good chance your hormones might be off-balance. 

The use of contraceptives is a common cause of hair thinning in women.

According to the CDC, 14% of all women aged 15-49 are taking a birth control pill and another 10.4% are using a long-acting reversible contraceptive (like an IUD). 

One of the side effects of contraception pills is hormonal changes that interrupt the typical hair growth cycle.

How Do Birth Control Pills Work?

The most popular form of contraception is taking a birth control pill. 

They are able to stop pregnancy in a few different ways, but the most common pills contain synthetic estrogen and progesterone. 

The hormone level caused by the pill controls the surge in hormones that happen during a women’s cycle, stopping the ovulation. 

The hormones will also thicken the mucus surrounding the cervix that will stop the sperm from getting to the egg.

And in some pills, the lining of the uterus is changed, making it nearly impossible for an egg to implant and undergo changes.

There are five kinds of hormonal birth control:

• Pills
• Implants
• Vaginal Rings
• Patches
• Shots

The pill is versatile and can be stopped or started on a whim. 

Some women love the ability to simply stop taking the pill if they choose to try conceiving. 

Other women like to have control, knowing they are taking their pills every day.

The biggest issue with the birth control pill is that it is easy to forget. 

Sperm can live in the body for up to five days. 

Pills typically have to be taken at the same time each day in order to stay effective. 

A missed pill can lead to an unplanned pregnancy.

Implants are another popular form of contraceptive, but they will also use slow-release hormones to alter the cycles and prevent pregnancy. 

These are helpful for women who do not want to get pregnant for 3-5 years at a time.

Implants can be removed at any time, but do typically require a doctor to do the removal. 

For those who experience negative side effects, implants can be a hassle to change out.

Can Birth Control Cause Hair Loss?

Because of how birth control impacts the hormones, it naturally impacts the hair growth cycles as well.

Hair always grows in cycles. 

There is the anagen phase when your hair is actively growing from the follicle. 

This phase can last from two to seven years and will determine the maximum length of your hair.

In the catagen stage, the hair is transitioning and the growth stops. 

This lasts for 1-3 weeks.

Next, there is the telogen phase when your hair isn’t growing, but resting as new hair follicles start to grow.

Finally, the hair enters the exogen stage when the hair falls away from the scalp as it is pushed out by the new follicles.

On average, a typical adult will lose between 50-100 hairs each day.

At any given time, the majority of your hair is in various stages of the active growth stage. 

Only about 5% of hair should be in the catagen phase and 10-15% of hair should be in the telogen stage at any given time.

But, when the growth cycles are affected, the hair may be entering the telogen and exogen stages too quickly. 

If the hair is not staying in the active growth and rest stages, you will end up with thin and balding areas.

When the growth cycle is disrupted, you could be losing 150-300 hairs every day, which leads to thinning because growing hairs can’t keep up.

This kind of hair loss is called telogen effluvium, and you can lose a lot of hair during this time.

Birth control hormonal changes can impact the growth cycles similarly to how stress causes hair loss.

This can be a very frustrating side effect.

Losing hair can be devastating. 

But, feeling forced to choose between a healthy head of hair and birth control options isn’t a good feeling either.

At the end of the day, making sure you are supporting your hair with great products is the best way to approach going on “the pill.”

How to Support Healthy Hair Growth

The best way to support your hair health during this time is through products that protect the hair and encourage and promote growth.

Many products further stress the hair by coating it to contain frizz and dryness. 

In order to get that coating off, a harsher shampoo is needed to strip it. 

But, that stripping action takes off the natural hair oils and puts the hair into a stressed state.

Better products can support your hair and not continue this kind of vicious cycle.

The good news is: we have scoured the globe to find the strongest natural ingredients to support your hair and scalp.

Our products combine natural plant extracts, proteins, peptides and amino acids to make the strongest all-natural hair products available. 

We created a system to help support your hair and counteract the side effect of thinning hair while taking birth control. 

Our gentle Triple Stem Cell Shampoo is formulated to help nourish the hair as it cleans, not strip it. 

The gentle formula doesn’t have harsh chemicals and is made from supportive ingredients, like sunflower extract, wild cherry bark extract, argan system cells and bamboo.

Our revitalizing Amazing Moisture Conditioner is focused on improving the softness, flexibility and luster of your hair without trapping in the dryness or creating that damaging coat. 

This product uses naturally moisturizing ingredients that strengthen the hair and increase the shine. 

Sunflower extract, seaweed, meadow foam, silk and other key ingredients will protect your hair from the elements and support it if your hormones are shifting due to birth control.

If you are struggling with sudden excessive shedding or thinning, More Hair Naturally can help. 

If are dealing with sudden excessive shedding or thinning due to medications such as birth control,  we recommend starting with More Hair Naturally 9, which is a topical spray that targets the scalp to help support healthy growth.

For thinning issues that you believe are related not only to birth control but also to damaged hair or scalp issues, we recommend adding Hair & Scalp Synergy to restore an environment that encourages growth and rebalances the scalp’s microbiome.

If you are trying to be proactive and support your hair before starting birth control, we would recommend jumping into a 3 - 6 month program.

If you need help, feel free to contact our team at 1(800)655-3847 with any questions.