Dealing with hair loss
Founder of Simone Thomas Salons, Simone Thomas Wellness, and the Living Life Well podcast, Simone Thomas is a multi-award winning hair loss consultant who has helped thousands of people to regain healthy hair and confidence. Here, Simone shares valuable insight into the triggers of hair loss and the way to tackle it.
What are the main causes of hair loss?
Ultimately, everything that’s going on in our life, and everything that we put into our body, can be a possible cause of hair loss. The triggers are different for different people. We hear a lot of talk about hair loss caused by stress, and that certainly can be a key trigger, but there are many other reasons for hair loss and the various forms of alopecia. From a lifestyle point of view, the key factors are gut health, nutrition, water consumption, and sleep.
How long can it take for imbalances in the body to trigger hair loss?
For some people, it can be quite immediate. For example, postnatal hormone imbalances can cause hair to shed and thin straight away. For other people, it can take time to notice changes. With all of my clients, I look at the last three years; at their lifestyle over that period of time, at their health, and at what has been happening in their life.
How should salon owners approach things if they are concerned that a client is suffering hair loss?
It’s important to remember that hair loss is a very sensitive subject for clients. It has a huge impact on confidence and self-esteem, so it’s probably not a good idea to bluntly tell them that they are losing hair. Take a gentler approach. Ask them if they have noticed any changes in their hair, how their hair feels, if they are happy with the condition of their hair, what their home haircare looks like.
Once they have voiced concerns about shedding hair, or about their hair getting thinner, it’s then important to establish the extent of this. Obviously, our hair is meant to shred at certain times as a natural part of the hair growth cycle. But if it seems like the hair loss is more than just natural shredding, that’s when imbalances need to be looked at and addressed.
It can be really useful to get your salon team together to discuss the best approach to take regarding client hair loss, and to ensure they are all equipped to deal with the issue. Being clear on the basics is important, but it’s also really worthwhile to look at investing in more in-depth trichology courses and qualifications. It’s a great specialist service to be able to offer as a salon.
What led to the launch of your haircare and skincare brand?
The brand comes from a very personal place; it’s a real passion. From a professional point of view, the impact of lifestyle factors became more and more apparent to me during the 90 minute consultations I was having with clients about their last three years. And, from a personal point of view, I suffered with hair loss myself, and also witnessed how hair loss affected both my mum and my husband. I re-qualified in nutrition and bioenergetics, and launched Simone Thomas Wellness in 2019 with the aim of helping people to tackle the imbalances that trigger their hair and skin concerns.
How do you treat hair loss?
Firstly, it’s important to realise that you can’t just use a shampoo or conditioner as a band-aid; you have to find out what the trigger is. Equally, you need to be aware that there may not be just one trigger, that it’s likely to be a multitude of things. And then you need to address or treat all of the triggers. Consequently, it’s not about just taking magnesium, zinc, or biotin. If you don’t address the other issues, then vitamins are wasted.
