How to Stop Your Hair From Shedding, Once and for All

Eat a Balanced Diet

"Eat a balanced diet with plenty of vegetables, lean meat, and seafood—all of these contain the essential nutrients for hair," Burg says. 

Look for foods packed with vitamins and healthy fats, like eggs or avocados.

Here are some of our other favorites:

• Spinach is full of iron, which helps carry red blood cells to your scalp to promote new hair growth.
• Food full of vitamin C, like oranges, tomatoes, and peppers, helps produce collagen, which keeps hair follicles healthy.
• Seeds like flax or chia are full of omega-3 fatty acids, which help keep hair healthy and strong while also promoting new growth.

Avoid Tight Hairstyles

Alas, if you're experiencing shedding, a tight ponytail is definitely not helping. "Avoid tight hairstyles and harsh chemical treatments or heat near the scalp," Burg advises. "These can stress follicles and lead to increased hair fall."

The American Academy of Dermatology says that you can help prevent early hair loss by looking for signs you're pulling your hair back too tightly. Have breakage near your hairline or where you secure your hair back? Try wearing a looser style. Loosen your braids, don't pull your hair into super-tight updos, and try to change up your hairstyle when you can. Alternating styles not only gives you a new look, but it also gives your hair some time to recover.

Get Enough Sleep

"Get at least seven to eight hours of sleep, as the body and mind need that amount to regenerate," Blaisure advises. The hormone that helps regulate your sleep cycle, melatonin, has also been proven to promote hair growth (both when applied topically and when you get enough of it naturally from sleep).

Not only is getting enough rest vital to helping your hair grow, but it can also help keep your hair from getting super oily. When you lose out on sleep, your stress levels can rise, leading not only to decreased hair growth but also increased oil production.

Take a Supplement

Haven't you heard? Multivitamins are super cool now. Blaisure says to take a multivitamin, like BosleyMD Healthy Hair Growth Supplements ($35), to help make sure you get the nutrients you may be lacking. This supplement has copper and riboflavin in it, both of which are important to promote new hair growth and healthy hair follicles. We're also fans of Ouai Hair Supplement for Thinning Hair ($28).

Get Your Omega-3s

Blaisure also recommends getting plenty of omega-3 fatty acids in your diet, as they can help boost hair growth. You can get these in the form of whole foods like salmon and chia seeds, or try a fish oil supplement from a quality brand like Hum Nutrition. Fish oil helps reduce inflammation, which means it could give your hair follicles more room to open, allowing more hair to grow.

Try a Scalp Treatment

One of the best preventative measures you can take against hair shedding is incorporating scalp care into your regular haircare routine. Hill explains, "Using weekly pre-shampoo scalp treatments that stimulate follicular health goes a long way to help retain the strength and vitality of the hair follicle." She recommends René Furterer Complexe 5 Stimulating Plant Concentrate ($50), which detoxes the scalp using essential oils like orange and lavender to clarify and purify without removing any of the good oils. It also comes with a bonus scalp massager so you can really get into those roots.

Hill also recommends using additional topical scalp treatments, like creams, masks, and shampoos. Some are available over the counter, while others may require a doctor's prescription, in the case of treating scalp psoriasis or other skin ailments. Groh Scalp Hair Rejuvenating Serum ($50) is designed to promote healthy hair growth and is meant to be massaged into the scalp daily to help thinning hair. Also by René Furterer, TRIPHASIC Reactional Concentrated Serum is one of the best hair growth serums on the market—it's designed to be used once a week for three months. Fans have been loyal to this product for decades, and for good reason.

Maximize Your Masks

Applying a hair mask before you go to sleep can really make your mask work for your benefit. While you snooze away, the nutrients your hair needs to live its best life make their way to your hair and scalp. "This allows maximum penetration of moisture, lipids, and proteins to penetrate the hair cuticle to serve as the best foundation for the hair to retain elasticity and strength," Hill says. A formula like Living Proof's Perfect Hair Day Night Cap Overnight Perfector is designed to work over an extended period—put it on, catch some zzz's, and wake up the next day with stronger and healthier-looking hair.