What effect does stress have on hair?

• A. Stress makes hair grow faster
• B. Stress makes hair brittle and may cause hair to fall out
• C. Stress has no effect on hair
• D. Stress changes hair color

Answer: (B)

Stress disrupts the hair growth cycle and hair quality. Hair grows in cycles: a growth phase, a brief transition, and a shedding phase. When stress is high, more hairs can be pushed into the shedding phase and fall out a few months later, a pattern known as telogen effluvium. Stress can also affect the hair shaft, making strands feel dry and brittle and easier to break. Hair color, on the other hand, isn’t typically changed by stress in the short term. So the effect described—hair becoming brittle and possibly falling out—best reflects what stress can do to hair.