April 2011 in “Faculty Opinions – Post-Publication Peer Review of the Biomedical Literature” Hair cortisol is a reliable long-term stress marker during pregnancy.
July 2025 in “International Journal of Dermatology Venereology and Leprosy Sciences” In this review, researchers examined the concentration of cortisol in scalp hair of individuals with alopecia areata to explore its relationship with disease variables, as cortisol in hair can indicate chronic stress, which may impact alopecia areata pathogenesis.
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January 2016 in “NeuroImmunoModulation” This study found that daily hair washing was associated with significantly lower hair cortisol concentrations, suggesting it may influence the accuracy of using hair cortisol as a biomarker for chronic stress.
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October 2015 in “American Journal of Primatology” The researchers observed that pregnancy in rhesus monkeys was associated with an increased incidence of hair loss, though the underlying reasons remain unclear.
November 2025 in “Journal of Laboratory Medicine” This study found that cortisol levels, a biomarker of chronic stress, significantly increased in the post-COVID-19 lockdown period compared to pre-lockdown and during-lockdown periods, especially among females and young adults, reflecting sustained psychological stress from the pandemic.