Many people experience thinning hair as they get older, but did you know that if you are consistently losing your hair, it could be the sign of a larger health problem? One of the first things you should do if you begin to notice that your hair is falling out is to get a blood test. This will help doctors to pinpoint if there really is something there to worry about. Conditions such as lupus, anemia, and thyroid diseases can make you lose hair rapidly, so don't discount this as just a normal happening in the aging process.

If you do suffer from one of these conditions, oftentimes steps can be taken to improve your health and this can help you to stop your hair loss. For example, anemia can oftentimes be treated with simple iron supplements. This obviously isn't always the case, but sometimes it is. You can only find this out if you visit a doctor. The sooner you find this out the better off you will be.

Many women write hair loss off as a symptom of menopause, but this isn't always the case. Hormonal shifts in the body can make this happen, as can childbirth, some certain medications, and stress, but it is better to be careful in this regard. Everyone handles the body changes that happen as we age a little differently, and there's no way to tell for certain that hair loss is part of something more severe unless you are able to get your blood tested.

Some hairs falling out in the shower or a few getting pulled loose when you are brushing your hair are normal. However, there is an easy way to tell if your hair is thinning or not. Doctors recommend holding onto a small portion of your hair and begin tugging gently on it. Start at your scalp and slide your fingers along until you run out of hair to grip onto. If more than six strands come out after you do this, your hair is, unfortunately, thinning.

There are some products out on the market that can help reverse this problem or prevent it from happening. The most famous example is probably Rogaine, an over the counter drug that is used to help grow hair back. There are other beauty products out there, too, that can increase your hair's health and add volume and shine to the hair that you do have.

If you're losing your hair, there are many things that you can do to help yourself. These steps should be some of the first steps that you take. If nothing seems to work, you can always purchase a wig, but make sure you speak to your doctor first to make sure that your hair loss cannot be easily reversed by treating an existing illness.