August is Hair Loss Awareness Month, but did you know that there’s more to hair loss than male pattern baldness? In addition to genes, things like stress, hormones, poor diet and certain medical conditions can also cause hair loss and thinning hair in both women and men. Here are the top 5 causes of hair loss and how you can help your tresses grow fuller, stronger and healthier!

Why is my hair falling out?

1. You’re not eating a balanced diet.

When you have a busy schedule, it’s easy to fall back on unhealthy foods—sure they’re quick and easy, but there’s a reason they’re called “empty calories.” Eating foods that aren’t nutritionally dense over time can lead to vitamin deficiencies, which in turn is often a factor in hair loss. For an easy way to up your vitamin game and grow stronger, healthier hair, we recommend Viviscal Professional Supplements.

2. It’s your hormones.

Hormone fluctuation can also contribute to thinning hair, especially during pregnancy or after childbirth. Ninety percent of your hair strands are naturally in their growth phase at any given time, but changes in hormone levels can cause a large number of these hairs to shift to their resting phase at once. These hairs then fall out when new hair starts to grow. Our pick for women’s hormonal hair thinning is the ReTress Hair Rejuvenation Kit, which uses a synergistic line of products with a patented tri-peptide complex and other soothing ingredients to rebuild hair density for stronger, beautiful hair.

3. Blame your styling tools.

Whether your weapon of choice is the blow dryer, the curler, the straightener, or all of the above, using them too much can lead to more hairs on your brush. Frequent heat styling can damage your hair to the point of breakage, and that’s compounded if you also happen to be a serial dyer or bleacher. Tight hairstyles like cornrows, braids and buns can also cause a condition called traction alopecia, which is characterized by a sensitive scalp and a receding hairline with a fringe. Luckily, you can repair this damage with a treatment shampoo like Ducray Anaphase Cream Shampoo, which works to repair and rejuvenate your locks with biotin, essential vitamins and soothing botanicals.

4. You’re under a lot of stress.

Stress and anxiety are responsible for a lot of health problems, and it can also cause you to lose a lot more hair than you normally would. The good news is that this type of hair loss is usually temporary, as long as whatever’s causing you stress doesn’t decide to hang around. For stress-related thinning hair, we recommend a targeted treatment regimen like the Rene Furterer RF 80 - Sudden Thinning Hair Kit. This kit includes four hair loss products designed to target both nutritional and vascular issues, promoting thicker hair and faster growth.

5. It’s in your genes.

Sometimes it comes down to the hand you’re dealt. Both men and women can be affected by hereditary hair loss, although they present in different ways. While men tend to develop a receding hairline and total hair loss starting at the crown of the scalp, women’s hair loss starts with a widening center hair part and rarely progresses to total baldness. To prevent and slow the progression of hereditary hair loss in men and women, our choice is the HairMax Professional 12 Laser Comb. This high-tech tool works to stimulate and nourish the scalp with low-energy laser light. With 8-minute treatments three times a week, this device helps reverse the thinning process, increase density and revitalize damaged hair.

Which thinning hair products are you excited to try? Let us know in the comments below!