For most people, hair loss doesn’t happen all at once or overnight. Typically, it’s a gradual process that may appear innocuous at first. You may not notice bald patches immediately. Instead, you may notice your hair feels thinner, or maybe you’re seeing more breakage. While you may not notice hair loss at first, when you notice it, it may become the thing you notice the most. While experiencing hair loss is stressful, it’s a fairly common condition. This may not seem comforting at first. However, because it is so common, there are treatments and solutions available to help you combat hair loss.

When hair loss starts, you start looking for solutions. While researching potential solutions, you’ve most likely come across Minoxidil, also referred to as Rogaine®. Minoxidil is the only topical FDA-approved hair loss drug. However, Minoxidil does not come without problems despite having a lot of positives. While many people have seen success with Minoxidil, its biggest drawback is that, if Minoxidil works for you, you have to use it indefinitely. Like any drug, if you stop taking Minoxidil it stops working.

Coping with mental health while experiencing hair loss can be an overwhelming experience. Hair loss itself can leave you feeling unsure of who you are. While the hair loss may be triggered by a big life event or change, such as a stressful move or giving birth, it can be difficult to deal with, even if you’re prepared for it. Even if you have not struggled with a mental health condition in the past, it is vitally important that during this time, you’re very cognizant of the state of your mental health. It can be easy to write mental health off, as it's something that is not visible to most, but it is still a huge part of your overall health and well-being.

There is no right way to experience hair loss. Hair loss can be caused by an array of factors, making each person’s experience with hair loss unique. If you’ve just started to lose your hair, you may feel as if you don’t know where to begin or what to do. Even if you’ve been dealing with hair loss for a while, you may feel like you’ve tried everything and aren’t sure where to go next. Maybe you’ve tried regrowing your hair with Minoxidil. You may have even resorted to trying hair growth myths such as brushing your hair 100 times a day. But if you’re on this page, you may be wondering: when is the right time to buy a wig?

When you start losing your hair, you’re willing to try almost anything to stop it. Our hair is often directly linked to our identity, so you want to do everything you can to retain it. Many people decide to try Minoxidil, the only topical FDA-approved hair growth treatment. Others look for alternative methods. While some of these methods are not proven, others have been shown to work with some results to reduce and prevent further hair loss.

Losing your hair can trigger a roller coaster of emotions, similar to the stages of grief. While many may wonder why losing hair can trigger such intense emotions, it’s important to remember that hair is often tied to our sense of self or even our identity. Hair, especially for women, is highly valued in Western societies. Outsiders, or even yourself, may feel silly or vain for feeling upset over your hair loss.

With any product, there are always benefits and drawbacks. Some companies will try and write disclaimers in tiny print so the product looks as good as possible. It can be difficult to find unbiased information directly from a company. While this may work for some companies as a way to increase sales, it doesn’t build trust with the consumer. After all, you, as the consumer, are spending your hard-earned money on a product. You want to know all about the product, not just the promises a company wants to sell you.

Hair loss and mental health are two topics that are often stigmatized. With recent reports of a rising mental health crisis and a discussion around hair loss following the Oscars, these once-taboo conversations are being discussed more and more. While on the surface the two may not appear to be directly related, hair loss can be exacerbated by underlying mental health conditions. The inverse is true as well; mental health can be impacted by hair loss. When you begin experiencing problems with one or the other, you may end up experiencing problems with both.

While many products claim to stimulate hair growth, only two products are FDA-approved to treat hair loss: Minoxidil and Finasteride. Minoxidil, widely known by the brand name Rogaine®, tends to get more attention simply because it’s available over the counter for both men and women. In contrast, Finasteride, first launched under the tradename Propecia, requires a doctor’s prescription and is not FDA-approved for women.

Hair loss can feel like a guessing game. Whether you’ve been experiencing hair loss for a while or are suddenly noticing more hair falling out, you want an answer. You need to know what’s going on to properly address the issue. If you haven’t taken a test to help you determine the exact cause of hair loss, you may be considering which test to have done. After all, a test would provide a definitive answer to your hair loss questions.