C4.10 Hair Loss in the UK¶
Why do international students lose hair while studying in the UK? What to do about it?
When studying abroad in the UK, hair disappears without a trace—mum no longer has to worry about your hair loss...
Talking about hair loss, it really brings tears to my eyes.
I believe everyone who comes to the UK will have this trouble: why do they keep losing hair?
Every time after washing hair, a handful of it falls out.
Oh my god, why is this happening?
It’s really annoying and distressing.
Come on, let’s look at the "face of hair loss in the UK"—Prince William. For the older generation, they can say, "I watched him lose hair from childhood to adulthood." As for our generation, we can say, "I grew up watching him lose hair from childhood onwards..."
In 1982, the newly-born William nestled in his mother’s arms, so tiny. Looking at his parents, they both had such thick hair. At that time, his father Prince Charles was 34 years old. Logically, with such good hair genes, the prince should have kept his hair at least until he was 34. But who could have guessed...
When William was a child, he had a tender little face. Looking at his shiny light blonde hair—wow, he was so good-looking。。。
In his twenties, William still had a full, vibrant head of hair. Looking at his father, who was nearly 60 at that time—his hair was still thick too...
Oh wow, in 2011, when 29-year-old William got married, his hair had become like this. Hair, my hair—if you’re going to leave me, please tell me honestly. Don’t slip away quietly. If you’re going to leave me, please give my anti-hair loss shampoo and conditioner back. They’re useless on you; I can return them to the hair salon. All that talk of "forever" was just casual talk...
Oh wow, when he turned 31 and became a dad, his hair was like this。。。
Oh wow, when the leaders of the two countries met。。。
Some people say that hair loss is caused by the hard water in the UK.
In fact, the water in the UK is standard drinking water, and even cold water can be drunk directly. There are so many people living in the UK, yet not all of them suffer from hair loss because of drinking the water here. Besides, cold water in many other countries is also safe to drink directly, so there is no real connection between water quality and hair loss.
Look at the British Queen, who was born in 1926. She is 90 years old this year, and her hair is still so lively and neat. She has a four-generation family, and this whole family must have been drinking the same kind of water。。。
In the UK, most taps in sinks are separate—cold water comes from the left tap and hot water from the right. The cold water is safe to drink directly, but the hot water is not. You must never drink the hot water; it’s recirculated water, and some people even say it’s industrial water.
Having two separate taps is quite awkward for students who like to wash their hair directly in the sink... Take me, for example. When I lived in university accommodation, I was shocked when I first saw these taps. Oh my goodness, the UK is so "generous" to have two taps—It was the first time in my life I’d seen that; I was absolutely stunned!!
However, as someone who has received good education for a long time, I can’t help feeling concerned. Your Majesty, could we promote the spirit of thrift and replace them with single taps? I’d even treat you to a meal with the money saved from the extra taps...
As shown in the picture below: a world of ice and fire (hot and cold taps).
So does everyone lose hair when they come to the UK?
Of course not.
I have several friends, both male and female, who haven’t lost any hair since coming to the UK. Some of them told me the following: One male friend studied his undergraduate degree in the UK for 3 years, then a master’s for 1 year, and is now pursuing a PhD. He has never lost hair; instead, he finds having too much hair a nuisance. He often has to go to the hair salon to get a haircut and thinks it’s a waste of money, wishing he could lose some hair.
Another girl who went to the UK at the same time as me also said that since arriving in the UK, not only has she not lost hair, but her hair has grown more and more, and she has also put on weight. She doesn’t know if it’s because life in the UK is too good.
Another girl who did her undergraduate in the UK and is now in a combined master’s and PhD programme said her hair is almost long enough to reach her waist, and she doesn’t lose any hair. She hates to cut it, but every time she washes her hair, she finds it really troublesome because she has to use so much shampoo and conditioner.
There’s also a consultant sister who studied for a master’s in the UK, got a PSW visa after graduation, and has been in the UK for 5 years. She drinks cold water as she likes, eats whatever she wants without any hesitation, never worries about hair loss, and still has a lot of hair—thick, black, and shiny.
Another student who went to the UK for high school and has now graduated with a master’s from the University of Warwick said he rarely eats Chinese food, has fully westernised his diet, only eats western food and drinks iced water, and still has plenty of hair.
Therefore, hair loss mainly depends on various factors such as an individual’s living habits and physical condition.
So what causes hair loss?
And how can we prevent it?
Don’t be stressed or anxious. Well, this is really hard to do—most people are very anxious and stressed. One of the causes of hair loss is excessive stress and anxiety. As long as you relax, you won’t lose hair. For example, Karen Mok’s character in the movie Out of the Dark (starring Stephen Chow) lost all her hair because of stress. So don’t put too much pressure on yourself; too much pressure is also bad for your health. Your health is your own—without it, everything you have will end up belonging to someone else.
Go to bed early and get up early; don’t stay up late. Well, this is also quite difficult. Most people stay up late and get up late, playing with their phones until 1 or 2 in the morning. It seems like playing with phones, using computers, or watching TV are ways to relax, but in fact, they increase the burden on your body. You don’t get real relaxation; instead, it’s like working overtime, which brings more stress.
Eat more fruits and vegetables, and less meat. Eat more foods rich in iron, iodine, vitamin E, and plant protein, including soybeans, black beans, peanuts, black sesame, carrots, potatoes, cabbage, eggs, fish, kelp, laver, and bananas. Eat less foods with high acidic content such as liver, meat, and onions. Vegetables are expensive in the UK while meat is cheap, so many students often eat meat instead of vegetables. A balanced diet is very important.
Don’t get caught in the rain. Although many people think light drizzle isn’t worth using an umbrella for, or that walking in the rain looks cool, this "coolness" will show itself more prominently on top of your head in the days to come.
Drink less alcohol, smoke less, and eat light food. You should probably quit these habits. Deep down, you know they’re bad, but you just can’t help it. However, I’ve never drunk alcohol or smoked in my life, and I still lost hair in the UK. Oh well, forget I said that. When I was in the UK, I tried to persuade my roommate several times, telling him he ate too much salty food and advising him to eat lighter. He said, "If I can’t eat whatever I want in life—if there are so many things I can’t eat—then I might as well die early. What’s the point of living?" So, let’s pretend I never gave this advice. Your life is yours to live; just be happy, and don’t let others’ words affect your life.
Wash your hair every other day. Don’t wash it every day—that’s what they say online.
Exercise. Do moderate exercise; avoid intense or prolonged workouts. This way, you relax, promote blood circulation, and exercise your body at the same time.
Don’t overindulge in sensual pleasures. Don’t frequently visit inappropriate websites or watch inappropriate adult videos. Well, young people are full of vitality, so this is probably hard to follow. Forget I mentioned this.
Dye or perm your hair less often. Well, you see those celebrities—they change their hair colour or style all the time, looking so glamorous. Let’s pretend I didn’t say this either.
Comb your hair every day. Well, this seems simple, but for example, I often forget to comb my hair before going out.
If your hair loss is hereditary, oh wow, I can’t help you. In fact, hair loss is also related to factors like genes. It might also be because you have kidney deficiency—but I’m just making that up. After all, everything I’ve said above is just stuff I found online and made up. I’ll go try these methods first and come back to tell you the results later.
P.S.: I just asked a friend who’s still doing her PhD in the UK. I asked her why she thought she was losing hair, and she replied, "Studying is too tiring, and I don’t have time to go out and have fun." Oh, so that’s it. Let’s add one more point: 12. Stop studying.