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21 hours ago
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Whether you've got a slick cowlick or a wacky mullet, your hair can reveal a lot about your sense of style.
But according to scientists, your mop can also be a key indicator of your health.
This includes everything from how much sleep you are getting to whether you are eating the right diet - and even your risk of having a heart attack.
And if you're starting to lose your hair, it might not just be unfortunate genetics that are to blame.
Professor Desmond Tobin, a hair and hair loss expert from University College Dublin, told Daily Mail: 'Most individuals with conditions that are described as "baldness" have an acquired form of hair loss, meaning they are not born with this condition.'
In fact, whether or not you still have a full head of hair by the age of 50 may have more to do with your hormonal balance than it does with your ancestry.
If your hair is long or short, dry or greasy, or starting to go grey – the state of your locks can usually be traced back to your lifestyle and habits.
So, what does your hair say about you?
Whether you have healthy hair or no hair at all, the length of your locks could be the secret to understanding your health, according to scientists (stock image)
Long and healthy hair
If your hair is long, luscious, and healthy, it isn't just your shampoo that's responsible.
Your hair is a living extension of your body, and healthy hair is a good sign that you are also in tip–top condition.
Dr Christos Tziotzios, a consultant dermatologist from King's College London, told Daily Mail: 'Hair is essentially the product of cells that live in the skin, in a highly complex process involving cell division, which relies on and can be affected by several growth factors and nutrients and influenced by hormones.
'A good head of hair may imply a healthy diet to maintain optimal levels of all the necessary vitamins and micronutrients.'
And if you ever thought that people with great hair just seem to be happier, you are actually not wrong.
Dr Tziotzios points out that healthy hair is also a sign that someone isn't undergoing acute stress.
However, the length of your hair isn't actually all that important.
If you are lucky enough to have long, healthy hair like Cher's famous locks, it is a sign that your body is getting all the nutrients it needs to support growth and that you aren't experiencing excessive stress
What does your hair say about you?
Long and healthy hair: You are in good health and getting all the nutrients you need.
Thinning hair: You may be missing key nutrients or have an iron deficiency.
No hair at all: This could be a sign of a hormone imbalance that may increase your risk of heart conditions.
Greasy hair: Excessively oily hair can be a sign of hyperthyroidism.
Grey hair: Some greying is normal, but it can be brought on early by smoking.
Damaged hair: You may be exposed to high levels of pollution or spend a lot of time swimming.
Human scalp hair grows at a rate of around 0.25 mm per day and is pretty much fixed, meaning healthy people's hair doesn't really grow any faster.
The big difference between people is the duration of hair growth, which affects how long someone's hair can grow before it naturally falls out.
Professor Tobin says: 'Some women can only grow shoulder–length scalp hair before it completes its growth cycle and is naturally shed, while others can grow their scalp hair to the ground and beyond.
'It's genetics, and not really a sign of one's own health.'
Thinning hair
Just as a thick head of hair can be a sign of good health, thinning or damaged hair can be a sign that something is going wrong.
In particular, if your hair is starting to fall out or is thinning at the scalp, it could mean that you have a form of nutrient deficiency.
Dr Tziotzios says that hair thinning might be caused by 'insufficiency in nutrients such as copper, zinc, iron or the B vitamins and oxidative stress'.
If your hair is starting to thin, it could be a sign that you are lacking the right nutrients. In particular, an iron deficiency can lead to hair thinning and hair loss (stock image)
Studies suggest that iron deficiency is the most common dietary issue associated with hair loss.
Iron plays an important role in the formation of the protein haemoglobin, which carries oxygen to tissues in the body.
When there is a disruption to haemoglobin production, this means less oxygen can get to the hair follicles, leading to hair thinning and eventually loss.
Studies have also shown that stress increases the rate of hair loss by leading to a buildup of the stress hormone cortisol.
Likewise, sleep deprivation has been shown to accelerate hair loss – so make sure to get your beauty sleep if you want to keep a full head of hair.
No hair at all
The most common forms of hair loss that lead to baldness are what doctors call 'androgen induced' – meaning they are linked to the production of sex hormones.
Male–pattern baldness, also known as androgenetic alopecia, is the most common cause of hair loss and is related to an androgen called dihydrotestosterone (DHT).
If you have no hair at all, like Vin Diesel (pictured), it is likely a sign that you have a hormone imbalance, which causes a condition called androgenetic alopecia. This has been linked to an increased risk of coronary heart disease in men
Is balding related to health issues?
Most forms of balding are not related to any serious health issues.
However, scientists have found statistical links between balding and some diseases.
The most common form of balding is caused by an excess of the hormone dihydrotestosterone.
Scientists think this hormone also causes problems for other organs.
In men, balding has been linked with coronary heart disease and prostate cancer.
In women, hair loss is associated with an increased risk of polycystic ovary syndrome.
These hormones are important for normal sexual development, especially during puberty, but DHT also helps to control the hair growth cycle.
If too much DHT builds up in the body, it overstimulates the hair follicles, leading to thinner and shorter hairs and eventually baldness.
Since male pattern baldness is associated with a hormone imbalance, having a bald head can also mean you are more at risk of certain health conditions.
If you are losing your hair, you may also be more at risk of coronary heart disease and prostate cancer in men and polycystic ovary syndrome in women.
However, if you suddenly start losing hair at a younger age, it could be because you are under intense physiological stress.
Dr Tziotzios says: 'Acute stress can also trigger autoimmune hair loss, in conditions such as alopecia areata and frontal fibrosing alopecia, which are the two commonest types of autoimmune hair loss these days.
'Moreover, anxiety can sometimes manifest as obsessive–compulsive hair–pulling, in a condition known as trichotillomania.'
Greasy hair
Greasy hair is caused by a build–up of sebum, a wax–like compound that is produced by special cells in the skin. Sebum normally keeps our hair healthy, but it can get out of control if something disturbs our body's natural balance (stock image)
Excessively oily or greasy hair is caused by a buildup of sebum, a wax–like compound secreted by special cells in the skin.
Normally, this sebum helps our skin and hair stay healthy and hydrated.
However, certain conditions can cause the skin to overproduce sebum and create an oily buildup, leading to a flaky, irritated scalp.
If you find that your hair is excessively oily even with regular washing, it could be a sign of an underlying hormonal issue.
For example, an underactive thyroid gland, a condition known as hypothyroidism, leads to increased levels of testosterone production.
One consequence of this is an increase in sebum production, leading to unusually greasy hair.
Interestingly, new research is beginning to show that greasy hair could also be a sign that your scalp microbiome isn't as healthy as it could be.
Just like your gut, your head is home to a diverse ecosystem of bacteria and fungi, which help support normal, healthy function.
Extreme cases of sebum buildup can lead to hyperseborrhea, a condition which causes a flaky, irritated scalp (pictured). This can be a sign of a hormonal issue, such as hyperthyroidism
These bacteria help to regulate the production of sebum and feed on the excess oils, breaking it down and keeping the hair clean.
If these bacteria are disturbed or the microbiome is damaged, it could lead to greasy hair.
Grey hair
Although grey hair is usually considered a sign of getting older, that isn't necessarily the case.
In fact, it can be completely normal for some people to start losing their hair from quite a young age.
'Normal hair greying in some populations can start as early as the early 20s,' says Professor Tobin.
'It would not necessarily be regarded as premature in people of European geographic ancestry.'
But if your hair starts to grey suddenly at a young age, it could be because you have a condition that is preventing the formation of melanin, the chemical which gives hair its colour.
If you, like Chris Pine (pictured), are starting to go grey as you approach 50, it is not necessarily a sign of ill health. However, greying can be brought on early by a poor diet and heavy smoking
Dr Tziotzios says: 'Melanin is made by specialised cells known as melanocytes and stored in small organelles known as melanosomes.
'The early or premature loss of hair colour can be a sign of several disease states affecting any step in this process.'
These could include autoimmune conditions such as vitiligo, which leads to loss of pigmentation, or insufficiencies in nutrients like copper, zinc, and iron.
However, one of the most common causes of sudden greying is smoking.
Smokers are more prone to early onset greying than non–smokers, and the risk of greying increases the longer someone smokes.
So if you are a smoker who has started losing your hair colour, the cigarettes could be the thing responsible.
Damaged hair
Even if your hair isn't falling out, you may find yourself battling with split ends or broken strands of hair.
Damaged hair and split ends can be caused by high levels of exposure to pollution, particularly pollution caused by burning organic compounds like oil, coal, or even tobacco (stock image)
If you have noticeably damaged hair, it is probably a sign that there is something in your environment that is damaging the hair strands or follicles.
One possible reason is that you are being exposed to high levels of pollution.
Organic compounds formed by burning coal or oil can contaminate the hair from the environment.
When these compounds are exposed to UV light, they start a chemical process that degrades DNA, proteins, and cell membranes in the hair strands.
Over time, this can lead to the hair becoming damaged or even bleached.
Another common cause of hair damage is swimming, especially in chlorinated pools.
Chlorine deeply penetrates the hair, breaking down the keratin which gives it its strength.
At the same time, repeated exposure to water creates stress and friction, which mechanically breaks down the hair, leading to damage.
What are the causes of hair loss?
It is perfectly normal for people to lose small amounts of hair as it replenishes itself and, on average, people can shed between 50 and 100 hairs per day.
However, if people start to lose entire patches of hair or large amounts of it it can be more distressing and potentially a sign of something serious.
Pattern baldness is a common cause of hair loss as people grow older. At least half of men over the age of 50 will lose some of their hair just through the ageing process, according to the British Association of Dermatologists.
Women may lose their hair as they grow older, too.
Other, more concerning causes of hair loss include stress, cancer treatment such as chemotherapy or radiotherapy, weight loss or an iron deficiency.
Most hair loss is temporary, however, and can be expected to grow back.
Specific medical conditions which cause the hair to fall out include alopecia, a disorder of the immune system; an underactive or overactive thyroid; the skin condition lichen planus or Hodgkin's lymphoma, a type of cancer.
People should visit their doctor if their hair starts to fall out in lumps, falls out suddenly, if their scalp itches or burns, and if hair loss is causing them severe stress.
