Excessive hair loss has many causes. Most often, it is from improper hair care. For most makes, hair loss (known as androgenic alopecial) is hereditary.

Nowadays, salons and beauty centers abound. They offer an endless list of hair treatments – dyes, tints, bleaches, straighteners, permanent waves, hair relax, hot oil, rebond, cellophane, etc. Normally, these procedures are not harmful, but if done too frequently, the hair can be weakened and can break or even fall off. Fragile and brittle hair also results when chemicals are used in the treatments or when the treatment solutions are left longer than necessary.

This seems to be the cause in your case. Should you want to delay hair loss, allow time for your normal hair to grow and for your hair to “relax” from various hair treatments or manipulations.

Use of very strong shampoo and conditioners or combing too hard can also contribute to falling hair. Vigorous rubbing with towel when drying hair can also do harm. Combing should be done gently using a large-toothed comb.

Since tight ponytail style puts pressure on the hair roots, it is also a cause of pulling the hair too tightly. Most often the hair on the sides are the ones pulled out. This is called traction alopecia.

Hereditary causes of alopecia or hair loss cannot be prevented, but proper hair care can help prevent aggravation. In women, thinning of hair is the manifestation of hair loss, while in men it could be balding on the front or on the middle head. Hair loss can start as early as the 20s or 30s.

Daily application of minoxidil or intake of tablets such as finasteride can help prevent hair loss. Hair transplant is another option, but get a certified and expert doctor to do it, otherwise you may end up with a worse and disfigured hair and scalp condition.

Other less common causes are from an infection on the scalp after childbirth or from high fever, malnutrition, lack of iron, or other chemotherapy in cancer patients.

Another cause of balding which is common in women is more of a psychological problem. Impulsive hair pulling or trichotillomania, as the problem is known, is sometimes used as a coping mechanism from stress or as a sign of an underlying mental problem.