Journal

Causes, not symptoms

Most people arrive having already been sold something. A shampoo, a supplement, a package of sessions. Almost nobody arrives having been assessed. Here is what the assessment should have looked like.

Written by the HEADS Hair Knowledge Team · Last updated 22 August 2026 · Educational content, not medical advice

Treatment station in the HEADS salon in Makati — A treatment chair is where most people start. It should not be where the questions start.

The question that comes before the product

Thinning at the crown, a widening part, handfuls in the shower, patches that appeared over a weekend — these look similar in the mirror and are not the same condition. Telogen effluvium after childbirth or illness behaves nothing like pattern loss, and neither behaves like alopecia areata. The treatments diverge completely.

So the first useful question is never which product. It is: how long, how fast, and where. Sudden and diffuse points one way. Slow and patterned points another. Round, sharply defined patches point somewhere else entirely.

What the scalp tells you

A proper look is unglamorous: the parting under good light, the density at the crown compared to the back of the head, the condition of the skin itself. Redness, scaling and tenderness matter — an inflamed scalp is a different problem from a quiet one, and no amount of care products resolves inflammation that needs a doctor.

Bring photographs. Monthly pictures of the same parting in the same light are worth more than any single examination, because hair loss is a story about trend, and memory is unreliable about trends.

Every age, every stage

We see teenagers with a single round patch, mothers three months post-partum, women in their fifties whose part has widened slowly for a decade, and people going through chemotherapy. Grouping them under one word — "hair loss" — is what makes the internet so unhelpful. The honest answer to a nineteen-year-old is often this will likely recover on its own. The honest answer to someone with ten years of gradual pattern loss is different, and pretending otherwise wastes their money.

The tests worth asking for

In the Philippines, iron and vitamin D deficiency are common enough that they belong on the first blood panel. Thyroid too. These are the causes that are genuinely fixable, and it is worth ruling them out before spending on anything else. If a barangay health centre can do basic blood work, that is a real starting point — see what actually helps for the longer version.

Volupropol scalp and hair care, natural formula — Care supports the environment hair grows in. It does not replace a diagnosis — and we would rather say so.

Where care fits — honestly

Gentle cleansing, less tension, protection from heat and sun: this is the boring part that works, and it costs almost nothing. Our own Volupropol™ line sits here — targeted scalp care, not a cure. We make and sell it, which is precisely why we would rather be clear about its limits than have you expect the wrong thing from it.

And the visible part is a separate question from the biological one. Wanting to look like yourself again while you wait for treatment to work is not vanity. Those two battles run on different clocks, and it is reasonable to fight both.

The HEADS studio in Makati, consultation space — Consultations at the Greenbelt studio are free, private and carry no obligation.

How to tell an assessment from a sales pitch

It asks about timeline and pattern before naming a product.
It mentions blood work or a dermatologist where relevant — and says when neither is needed.
It is willing to say "this will probably recover on its own", which earns nothing.
It separates biology from appearance instead of promising one solves the other.
It gives you a reason to come back in three months rather than decide today.

You asked

What blood tests should I ask for?

A sensible starter panel: ferritin (iron stores), TSH (thyroid), vitamin D, and in women with irregular cycles, androgens. Bring photos of your parting from different months — trends beat impressions.

Can stress alone make hair fall out?

Yes — major physical or emotional stress can push many follicles into resting phase at once (telogen effluvium), with shedding 2–4 months later. It recovers once the stressor passes. Chronic low-grade stress is less clear-cut but worth managing anyway.

I can’t afford a dermatologist right now. What can I do meanwhile?

Free basics: photograph your parting monthly, loosen your hairstyles, sleep and protein, check if a barangay health center can do basic blood work. And ask us — the community has been through most situations, and asking costs nothing.

All community questions →

Not sure which of these describes you? Ask the community — or ask us directly. Real people answer, there is no charge and no obligation: hairloss.ph/questions.