When you notice that you have thinning eyebrows, it’s important to look at the possible causes to make sure you’re not making it worse and start to grow them back slowly.
This is an overview of the six most common reasons for eyebrow hair loss. Most likley it’s one of the first three or a mixture theirof. The last three reasons are medical conditions and are listed for the sake of completness. If you think that your eyebrows are thinning because of one these, please see a doctor.
Note: If you’re interested in some more advice on how to strengthen your eyebrows, have a look at the following articles:
Why You Have Thinning Eyebrows
1. Over-Plucking
Tweezing is a seemingly safe method to groom your eyebrows, and the results last longer than shaving. But don’t overdo it! Over-plucking eyebrows is the most common cause of eyebrow hair loss.
Before you start tweezing your eyebrow hair, consider this: it can take up to six weeks to regrow one eyebrow hair – if you make a mistake you have to put up with it for several weeks.
The possible dangers of over-plucking your eyebrows:
- ingrown hairs (happens when your eyebrow hair breaks off underneath your skin during tweezing. In such cases, the skin grows over the pore and traps the hair, which results in a red bump.)
- infections (tweezing hair leaves your pores open and makes them prone to bacterial infections. clean your tweezers with alcohol before plucking to prevent transferring bacteria from the tweezers to your skin.)
- follicle damage (plucking can damage the follicle underneath the hair. they are responsible for hair growth, so damaging them means permanent eyebrow hair loss.)
2. Nutrient Deficiency
Generally speaking, deficiencies in nutrients that negatively affect the hair on your scalp can also lead to sparse eyebrows. In addition to a balanced diet you need the following to grow strong hair:
- iron and zinc help the hair follicles to grow (found in lean meat or lentils for example)
- vitamin D may help activate hair growth
- protein is needed for cell growth and repair
- omega-3 fatty acids have shown to hydrate damaged hair (found in fatty fish like salmon)
- biotin can help strengthen and condition hair (also known as Vitamin B7, commonly found in eggs)
- vitamin B12 (deficiency causes weak or brittle hair shafts)
Supplement Recommendation
If you want to look into supplements to get your nutrients covered, make sure you find something that everything mentioned in the list above.
A good example for this would be the Hair Growth Essentials supplement which is also vegan/vegetarian, made in the USA and has no additional artificial flavors and colors.
Hair Growth Essentials has been rated 4.6 out of 5 stars on average by more than 800 customers.
Recommended Natural Topical Treatment
This cold pressed organic castor oil allows simple application to eyelashes and eyebrows to promote hair growth. If you want to learn why castor oil is such an effective way of naturally enhancing your eyebrows, have a look at the following post: How To Use Castor Oil for Eyebrows and Eyelashes.
3. Aging
As you get older, your hair generally gets thinner and drier and hair loss gets more common. This also affects your eyebrows. To prevent your eyebrows from showing signs of aging, consider the following advice:
- don’t apply too much heat to your eyebrows
- go easy with eyebrow makeup
- try to prevent stress
- make sure your skin is hydrated well enough
4. Hypothyroidism
Another reason that you have thinning eyebrows might be low thyroid (which is called hypothyroidism. The thyroid gland controls the rate of use of energy sources, protein synthesis by producing thyroid hormones. I the thyroid gland does not produce enough hormones, you might feel tired, freeze in the cold, gain weight or lose your hair. The most common cause of hypothyroidism is iodine deficiency.
If you’re concerned that hypothyroidism might be the cause for your eyebrow loss, have a look at this questionnaire from the Thyroid Foundation Canada and consider visit your doctor.
5. Atopic Dermatitis (Eczema)
Atopic dermatitis, also known as atopic eczema, is a medical condition that might lead to thin eyebrows. It’s an inflammation of the skin that leads to itchy, red and swollen skin. It affects around 20% of people in their lives and is more common in younger children.
While it’s not common, this might affect your eyebrows. If the skin around your brows is itchy and red, please consider talking to a dermatologist.
6. Alopecia Areata
This is also known as spot baldness. It’s an autoimmune disease in which hair is lost from some or all areas of the body. It usually appears on your scalp at first, as a noticeable bald spot. This only affects 0.1% of the population and is most likely not the cause of your eyebrow hair loss
Conclusion
Thinning eyebrows can be caused by a number of factors, and the solution will vary depending on what your particular cause is.
Over-plucking or nutrient deficiency can be easily solved on your own with behavioral changes and nutritional supplements, but if you suspect that your thinning eyebrows are caused by a health problem, please see a doctor right away for treatment. Do not attempt to address hypothyroidism, eczema, or alopecia areata without the guidance of a medical professional.
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