157 citations
,
June 2015 in “Psychoneuroendocrinology” Hair cortisol and cortisone levels increase with age, are higher in diabetics, vary by gender, decrease with frequent hair washing, and are lower in winter.
33 citations
,
January 2017 in “Psychoneuroendocrinology” Hair dyeing and washing frequency do not affect hair cortisol levels.
23 citations
,
January 2016 in “Brazilian Journal of Psychiatry” First-episode psychosis patients have higher hair cortisol levels, indicating early stress response issues.
19 citations
,
June 2020 in “General and comparative endocrinology” Hair cortisol is a reliable stress indicator in cattle but may not be valid for pigs.
October 2025 in “Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation” Black hair in cats has higher cortisol levels than white hair.
122 citations
,
October 2010 in “Clinica Chimica Acta” Washing hair with water or shampoo lowers cortisol levels in hair.
90 citations
,
July 2014 in “Conservation Physiology” Hair cortisol levels in brown bears can be affected by both long-term and short-term stress.
June 2020 in “Authorea (Authorea)” First-time mothers had higher stress hormone levels in late pregnancy than mothers who had given birth before.
23 citations
,
October 2008 in “Experimental and Clinical Endocrinology & Diabetes” Hair can show increased cortisol levels during late pregnancy.
21 citations
,
October 2009 in “Dermatology” Men with male pattern hair loss have different levels of certain hormones compared to men without hair loss.
13 citations
,
October 2002 in “Journal of Biochemical and Biophysical Methods” Men with male-pattern baldness have higher levels of certain testosterone metabolites and may have more active androgen metabolism.
9 citations
,
February 2020 in “Stress” Children with lower inhibitory control experience more stress when starting third grade.
4 citations
,
September 2003 in “Livestock Production Science” Epidermal growth factor reduces hair growth, but cortisol does not.
September 2025 in “International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR)” Stress causes hair loss by disrupting hair growth cycles, and combining medical and cosmetic treatments can help manage it.
September 2024 in “Toxicology Letters” Cortisone and cortisol levels in pregnant women’s hair increase as labor approaches, indicating higher stress.
Women with androgenetic alopecia (hair loss) have normal prostate specific antigen levels but higher testosterone levels.
1 citations
,
July 2023 in “Psychoneuroendocrinology” Hair cortisol is a reliable marker of long-term cortisol levels and is linked to daytime saliva cortisol but not morning levels.
50 citations
,
November 2020 in “Physiology & behavior” People with depression often have higher hair cortisol levels, while those with PTSD tend to have lower levels, but more research is needed to understand this fully.
16 citations
,
March 2013 in “Clinica Chimica Acta” Cortisol and cortisone release from hair increases in steps over time during incubation.
11 citations
,
September 2020 in “Steroids” A new method accurately measures steroid hormones in a few hair strands and could help study chronic stress and hair loss.
January 2026 in “Western Journal of Nursing Research” Hair cortisol levels don't reliably indicate chronic stress in people with multiple sclerosis.
11 citations
,
May 2020 in “Frontiers in psychiatry” Child abuse is linked to higher BMI, but not because of hair cortisol or cortisone levels.
April 2025 in “Medical Journal of Babylon” Copeptin and cortisol levels are higher in alopecia areata patients, suggesting they could help diagnose and manage the condition.
199 citations
,
July 2007 in “General and Comparative Endocrinology” Hair cortisol can reliably indicate chronic stress in cats and dogs.
151 citations
,
December 2004 in “Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences” Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia is a genetic disorder with two forms, causing symptoms like early puberty and severe acne, but can be identified through screening and treated with glucocorticoids.
149 citations
,
June 2002 in “Veterinary record/The veterinary record” Trilostane effectively improved symptoms in dogs with a certain adrenal gland disorder.
69 citations
,
May 2016 in “General and Comparative Endocrinology” External factors can significantly affect hair cortisol levels, so it's not always a reliable stress marker.
49 citations
,
April 2016 in “International journal of molecular sciences” Shift nurses show altered body temperature and stress hormone levels, suggesting their body clocks adjust to irregular schedules.
46 citations
,
August 1990 in “The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism/Journal of clinical endocrinology & metabolism” Ketoconazole reduced hair growth and improved acne in women, but caused side effects needing careful monitoring.
25 citations
,
January 2022 in “Endocrine journal” Long COVID patients may have hormonal imbalances linked to their symptoms.