501 citations
,
October 2008 in “Psychoneuroendocrinology” Hair cortisol levels can show increased stress during late pregnancy but only for up to six months.
2 citations
,
June 2022 in “Scientific reports” Women with PCOS have higher hair cortisol levels, which are linked to worse metabolic and inflammatory conditions.
2 citations
,
December 2021 in “Scientific reports” Scalp hair sweating is a significant predictor of hair cortisol levels.
November 2025 in “Journal of Laboratory Medicine” Chronic stress increased after lockdown, especially in young adults and females.
11 citations
,
February 2005 in “Clinical pharmacology and therapeutics/Clinical pharmacology & therapeutics” Hair cortisol could be a marker for chronic stress in pregnancy, but depression affects cortisol levels differently.
44 citations
,
June 2018 in “Journal of Visualized Experiments” A culturally sensitive method was developed to collect hair samples from African Americans for stress analysis.
May 2012 in “Neurotoxicology and Teratology” Hair cortisol can be a reliable way to measure long-term stress.
July 2011 in “Neurotoxicology and Teratology”
1 citations
,
June 2023 in “Psychoneuroendocrinology” Childhood sexual trauma, especially between ages 5-7, is linked to lower cortisol levels in adult hair, suggesting long-term stress response changes.
February 2024 in “Psychoneuroendocrinology” Mothers with lower stress during pregnancy but higher stress after birth had infants with lower development scores.
September 2021 in “Psychoneuroendocrinology” Nurses had higher stress levels during intense phases of the COVID-19 pandemic.
August 2015 in “Psychoneuroendocrinology” 21 citations
,
January 2016 in “NeuroImmunoModulation” Hair cortisol levels can indicate stress over the past three months.
January 2026 in “Psychoneuroendocrinology” Lye relaxers don't significantly change hair cortisol levels.
33 citations
,
January 2017 in “Psychoneuroendocrinology” Hair dyeing and washing frequency do not affect hair cortisol levels.
February 2024 in “Psychoneuroendocrinology” Higher anxiety during pregnancy is linked to lower cortisol levels in newborns' hair.
199 citations
,
July 2007 in “General and Comparative Endocrinology” Hair cortisol can reliably indicate chronic stress in cats and dogs.
122 citations
,
October 2010 in “Clinica Chimica Acta” Washing hair with water or shampoo lowers cortisol levels in hair.
101 citations
,
January 2014 in “Journal of Visualized Experiments” The method effectively measures long-term stress levels using hair samples.
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.
February 2017 in “Faculty Opinions – Post-Publication Peer Review of the Biomedical Literature” Hair cortisol measurement is a promising, non-invasive tool for monitoring cortisol exposure over time.
February 2024 in “Psychoneuroendocrinology” Higher prenatal anxiety is linked to lower cortisol levels in newborns' hair.
38 citations
,
August 2012 in “Biochemical and biophysical research communications” Human leukocytes and beard hair follicle cells have internal daily clocks, and PER1 and PER3 genes may indicate individual circadian rhythms.
February 2024 in “Psychoneuroendocrinology” The COVID-19 pandemic did not significantly change stress levels in preschoolers, but higher-income families' children showed higher stress.
2 citations
,
June 2021 in “Medicine” High levels of cortisol in hair are linked to a greater risk of brain aneurysm rupture.
2 citations
,
January 2009 The procedure reliably measures cortisol in rhesus macaque hair.
January 2026 in “Neuroscience Applied” Hair cortisol levels decrease as children age, stabilizing around age 4.
38 citations
,
September 2013 in “Therapeutic Drug Monitoring” First Nation individuals had higher hair cortisol levels, indicating more chronic stress.
January 2024 in “Institutional Repositories DataBase (IRDB)” The method accurately measures steroid hormones in hair to study hormone dynamics related to hair loss.
23 citations
,
January 2016 in “Brazilian Journal of Psychiatry” First-episode psychosis patients have higher hair cortisol levels, indicating early stress response issues.