23 citations
,
October 2008 in “Experimental and Clinical Endocrinology & Diabetes” Hair can show increased cortisol levels during late pregnancy.
12 citations
,
December 2020 in “Comprehensive psychoneuroendocrinology” Hormone levels in hair change during pregnancy, with progesterone increasing significantly compared to non-pregnant women.
3 citations
,
November 2021 in “Stress” Girls had higher stress hormone levels during school due to social and emotional issues, while boys had higher overall hormone levels with slight changes when school started.
3 citations
,
June 2021 in “Journal of affective disorders” Hair cortisol and cortisone levels may affect how work stress influences depression in Chinese fishermen.
July 2024 in “Nursing Research” Hair and nail cortisol levels can show long-term stress in young males.
September 2017 in “OhioLink ETD Center (Ohio Library and Information Network)” Caregivers had lower stress hormone levels than non-caregivers, suggesting caregiving stress affects the body differently.
1 citations
,
December 2018 in “Veterinary dermatology” The hair coat disorder in Schipperkes is similar to Alopecia X and involves increased androstenedione levels and hair cycle arrest.
122 citations
,
October 2010 in “Clinica Chimica Acta” Washing hair with water or shampoo lowers cortisol levels in hair.
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.
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.
50 citations
,
July 2018 in “Psychoneuroendocrinology” Hair cortisol can indicate long-term stress levels, but hair growth rate differences may affect accuracy.
38 citations
,
September 2013 in “Therapeutic Drug Monitoring” First Nation individuals had higher hair cortisol levels, indicating more chronic stress.
22 citations
,
August 2016 in “European Eating Disorders Review” Adolescent girls with anorexia nervosa have lower hair cortisol levels than healthy and psychiatric peers.
11 citations
,
May 2020 in “Frontiers in psychiatry” Child abuse is linked to higher BMI, but not because of hair cortisol or cortisone levels.
11 citations
,
April 2020 in “Animals” Moving horses to new places can increase their stress levels, as shown by higher stress hormone in their hair.
5 citations
,
June 2020 in “Therapeutic drug monitoring” Hair sample weight is a better measure for cortisol levels in hair than hair protein concentration.
3 citations
,
January 2012 Hair cortisol analysis shows sweat affects cortisol levels, and severe OSA may increase stress, but CPAP treatment doesn't significantly reduce physiological stress.
2 citations
,
June 2022 in “Scientific reports” Women with PCOS have higher hair cortisol levels, which are linked to worse metabolic and inflammatory conditions.
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.
January 2026 in “Psychoneuroendocrinology” Lye relaxers don't significantly change hair cortisol levels.
November 2025 in “Contraception” COC use doesn't increase hair stress hormone levels, but hair treatments may affect results.
June 2020 in “Authorea (Authorea)” First-time mothers had higher stress hormone levels in late pregnancy than mothers who had given birth before.
October 2008 in “Experimental and Clinical Endocrinology & Diabetes” Long-term unemployment leads to higher stress levels.
101 citations
,
January 2014 in “Journal of Visualized Experiments” The method effectively measures long-term stress levels using hair samples.
20 citations
,
July 2009 in “Experimental and Clinical Endocrinology & Diabetes” Cyclosporin A does not change sex hormone levels.
November 2025 in “Anxiety Stress & Coping” Higher anxiety symptoms and social behavior affect stress levels in hair.
January 1989 in “Handbook of experimental pharmacology” Drugs can change hair growth and this is important because it can upset people.
33 citations
,
January 2017 in “Psychoneuroendocrinology” Hair dyeing and washing frequency do not affect hair cortisol levels.
May 2025 in “Psychoneuroendocrinology” Discrimination during pregnancy affects newborn stress hormone levels.
February 2024 in “Psychoneuroendocrinology” Higher anxiety during pregnancy is linked to lower cortisol levels in newborns' hair.