The Power of Hair Follicle Testing in Uncovering the Root Cause of Hair Loss
- Team Holly
- Sep 29
- 3 min read
Understanding the Power of Hair Follicle Testing in Uncovering the Root Causes of Hair Loss
Hair loss is never just about hair.
Hair loss is a signal, an indicator that something deeper might be off within the body. That’s why getting to the root cause can often require more than one lens. Traditional lab work can be an important step, providing real-time data about your current health. To complement that snapshot, epigenetic hair follicle testing offers a broader view, capturing long-term patterns and cumulative imbalances that may not show up in standard labs. Together, they create a fuller picture of your overall health and what’s influencing your hair.
In the clinic, I use hair follicle testing as a powerful diagnostic tool to get a clearer, longer-term view of your body’s internal health. While lab work tells us what’s happening right now, hair follicle testing looks back over the previous 90 days, revealing trends and stressors that could have been building long before the first signs of thinning or shedding appeared. We can capture even more data when we combine this testing with your initial Hair & Scalp Evaluation. All of this information helps us to map out a more precise starting point and can drastically reduce the time needed to start seeing results.
Why Hair Follicle Testing Matters
By using a few hair strands with the bulb attached, the testing software provides personalized nutrition and optimization reports not only for your hair but for your overall health. Some of factors considered are toxins, chemicals, viruses, bacteria, gut health, digestion, oxidative stress, sleep, adrenals, circulation, brain, and other systems. Once analyzed, your hair can tell us an incredible amount of information about what’s been impacting your body over time.
Here’s what we can uncover through hair follicle testing:
Nutritional deficiencies vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, amino acids, antioxidants (which account for an estimated 60% of hair loss cases)
Resistance indicators (fungus, molds/spores, virus, bacteria, parasites)
Chronic stress markers (emotions, oxidative stress, adrenals)
Environmental & EMF exposures that may be silently impacting your health (radiation, chemicals & hydrocarbons, toxic metals, electromagnetic frequencies)
Armed with this information, we can create a customized care plan that targets the actual underlying issues related to your hair loss rather than just putting a Band-Aid on the symptoms.
Nutritional Deficiency: The Silent Saboteur
While hair loss can stem from a variety of conditions (hormonal shifts, autoimmune disease, medications, etc.) more than half of all cases are tied directly to nutrient depletion. The challenge? Nutrient levels don't always show up clearly in bloodwork. The body is smart: it prioritizes critical organs and systems, and hair is considered “non-essential” in the hierarchy of health. So if something’s lacking (often iron, vitamin D, zinc, B vitamins, or protein) your hair is often the first thing to suffer.
Hair follicle testing helps detect deficiencies that may not be captured in traditional labs, or that appear “normal” on paper but are functionally low for your body’s needs. By layering this information with your lab results, we get a more comprehensive understanding of how nutrition and other factors are affecting your hair and health.
How I Can Help - Lab Work & Hair Follicle Testing
Whether you prefer to visit in person or complete your test from the comfort of home, hair follicle testing is easy and accessible for everyone. I offer in-clinic hair follicle collection & analysis and I also offer mail-in kits for guests located out of town or seeking added convenience. Both options give us the data we need to develop a tailored treatment plan, with clear next steps and support at every stage. If you haven't had bloodwork done recently, I can also order labs for you - saving you a visit to another care provider.
Knowledge is Power. And Data is the First Step.
Hair loss isn’t a mystery when you have the right information. Utilizing the epigenetic hair follicle testing gives us the clarity needed to take informed, strategic action toward healthier hair and better overall health and wellness. You can schedule your hair follicle testing as a standalone appointment or as an add-on to most of our other services as well.
If you’re ready to stop guessing and start knowing, let’s talk. Use the button below to schedule your appointment or reach out to request a mail-in kit today! Sample reports are available upon request.