489 citations
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June 2005 in “The FASEB Journal” Human hair follicles can produce cortisol like the body's stress response system.
Hair cortisol content can indicate cortisol exposure and varies with age, puberty, and BMI in youth.
3 citations
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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.
16 citations
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March 2013 in “Clinica Chimica Acta” Cortisol and cortisone release from hair increases in steps over time during incubation.
January 2026 in “Open MIND” High-stress mothers had lower hair cortisol than low-stress mothers, and daughters' cortisol was linked to their stress response.
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.
January 2026 in “Open Science Framework” Measuring cortisol in hair can help assess adrenal function in asthmatic children using inhaled corticosteroids.
April 2026 in “Comprehensive Psychoneuroendocrinology” Hair cortisol levels may be linked to stress, but results are inconsistent.
May 2021 in “Journal of the Endocrine Society” A patient produced cortisol after adrenalectomy, possibly due to residual tissue or other body parts making steroids.
August 2018 in “Psychological Science” September 2025 in “OSF Preprints (OSF Preprints)” December 2019 in “Case Medical Research” 9 citations
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January 2005 in “Experimental Dermatology” Human hair follicles can produce stress hormones like the body's main stress response system.
30 citations
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July 2016 in “Psychoneuroendocrinology” September 2024 in “Toxicology Letters” Cortisone and cortisol levels in pregnant women’s hair increase as labor approaches, indicating higher stress.
July 2026 in “Psychoneuroendocrinology” Hair cortisol and cortisone levels can indicate specific psychosocial stress factors.
May 2026 in “Microchemical Journal” 21 citations
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January 2016 in “NeuroImmunoModulation” Hair cortisol levels can indicate stress over the past three months.
May 2026 in “Psychoneuroendocrinology” 1 citations
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July 2019 in “Psychoneuroendocrinology”
11 citations
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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.
May 2026 in “Research Square” November 2025 in “Contraception” COC use doesn't increase hair stress hormone levels, but hair treatments may affect results.
1 citations
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June 2024 in “Rehabilitation Medicine” Higher cortisol and cortisone levels in hair may predict mood disorders after a stroke.
January 2026 in “Open Science Framework” Standardized procedures are needed for accurate hair cortisol analysis.
August 2015 in “Psychoneuroendocrinology” 122 citations
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October 2013 in “PEDIATRICS” Maternal stress during pregnancy affects a child's stress levels.
February 2020 in “VSNU Open Access deal” Hair cortisol levels change with age, starting high at birth, decreasing until age 6, then rising to adult levels by age 18.