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.
101 citations
,
January 2014 in “Journal of Visualized Experiments” The method effectively measures long-term stress levels using hair samples.
90 citations
,
July 2014 in “Conservation Physiology” Hair cortisol levels in brown bears can be affected by both long-term and short-term stress.
24 citations
,
October 2018 in “Addiction Biology” Alcohol dependence affects stress hormone levels more than childhood maltreatment.
23 citations
,
January 2016 in “Brazilian Journal of Psychiatry” First-episode psychosis patients have higher hair cortisol levels, indicating early stress response issues.
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.
7 citations
,
September 2025 in “Psychoneuroendocrinology” Hair analytes decrease with storage, so analyze within six months.
5 citations
,
May 2021 in “Veterinary medicine and science” Injecting cosyntropin into grizzly bears increases blood cortisol but doesn't change hair cortisol levels.
1 citations
,
December 2021 in “American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology” Hair cortisol levels peak in the third trimester and decline postpartum.
April 2026 in “Comprehensive Psychoneuroendocrinology” Hair cortisol levels may be linked to stress, but results are inconsistent.
Higher cortisol levels might be linked to worsening keratoconus.
January 2026 in “Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)” The study aims to see if maternal hair cortisol levels during pregnancy relate to adverse childhood experiences.
January 2026 in “Neuroscience Applied” Hair cortisol levels decrease as children age, stabilizing around age 4.
November 2025 in “Contraception” COC use doesn't increase hair stress hormone levels, but hair treatments may affect results.
May 2012 in “Neurotoxicology and Teratology” Hair cortisol can be a reliable way to measure long-term stress.
10 citations
,
November 2018 in “Developmental Psychobiology” Hair can effectively measure DHEA and testosterone levels in children.
December 2022 in “Cureus” Hormones significantly influence hair growth, with conditions like hirsutism and patterned hair loss linked to hormone levels; more research is needed for full understanding.
489 citations
,
June 2005 in “The FASEB Journal” Human hair follicles can produce cortisol like the body's stress response system.
22 citations
,
January 2010 in “Clinical Medicine Insights Endocrinology and Diabetes” Forearm hair has more cortisol than lower leg hair.
16 citations
,
January 2021 in “Frontiers in veterinary science” Pigs in farrowing crates and loose-housing systems showed no difference in chronic stress levels as measured by hair cortisol.
12 citations
,
December 2020 in “Comprehensive psychoneuroendocrinology” Hormone levels in hair change during pregnancy, with progesterone increasing significantly compared to non-pregnant women.
5 citations
,
January 2021 in “PeerJ” Elephant tail-hair can show past stress levels, matching times when stressful events happened.
July 2025 in “International Journal of Dermatology Venereology and Leprosy Sciences” Higher stress levels may worsen alopecia areata, suggesting stress management is important for treatment.
10 citations
,
September 2019 in “Frontiers in Veterinary Science” Older steers have higher hair cortisol levels than younger steers.
May 2026 in “The Knowledge Bank (The Ohio State University)” Mare and foal hair cortisol levels are strongly linked, indicating potential for assessing fetal health and stress.
April 2026 in “Frontiers in Veterinary Science” Male cats have higher stress levels than females.
May 2026 in “Preprints.org” Dark-coated cats are more stressed, and adoption reduces stress in cats.
Higher pre-pregnancy BMI is linked to more stress in mothers and more behavioral problems in two-year-old children.
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.