Apple Health aggregates data from over 100 health apps, but until now it was missing one critical layer: hair density. The myhairline.ai integration adds density tracking to your Apple Health ecosystem, enabling you to see how sleep, stress, exercise, and hormonal cycles relate to your hair health.
Why Health Context Matters for Hair Tracking
Hair density does not change in a vacuum. Sleep deprivation increases cortisol. Chronic stress activates the sympathetic nervous system. Nutritional deficiencies starve follicles of building blocks. Exercise improves circulation to the scalp.
When your density data sits alone in one app and your health data sits in another, you miss the patterns that explain your results. Connecting the two creates a single timeline where density changes appear alongside the lifestyle factors that influence them.
Setting Up the Integration
Step 1: Update Both Apps
Make sure myhairline.ai and Apple Health are both running the latest version. The integration requires iOS 16 or later.
Step 2: Open Integration Settings
In myhairline.ai, navigate to Settings, then Integrations. Tap "Connect Apple Health." iOS will present a permissions dialog.
Step 3: Grant Permissions
You will see a list of health data categories. Grant read and write access for the categories most relevant to hair health:
| Category | Why It Matters | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Sleep Analysis | Chronic poor sleep raises cortisol, linked to telogen effluvium | Yes |
| Heart Rate | Resting heart rate indicates stress load | Yes |
| Heart Rate Variability | Best available proxy for chronic stress | Yes |
| Active Energy | Exercise frequency affects scalp circulation | Yes |
| Menstrual Cycle | Hormonal shifts affect shedding rate | Yes (if applicable) |
| Body Weight | Rapid weight loss can trigger hair shedding | Optional |
| Nutrition (if tracked) | Iron, biotin, zinc affect follicle health | Optional |
You can adjust permissions later in the Apple Health app under Data Access.
Step 4: Select Sync Frequency
Choose between three sync options:
- Real-time: Data syncs automatically whenever new data is available in either app.
- Daily: Data syncs once per day, usually overnight.
- Manual: You trigger syncs manually from the myhairline.ai dashboard.
Real-time is the recommended setting. It requires minimal battery impact and ensures your data is always current.
Step 5: Confirm Connection
After granting permissions and selecting sync frequency, tap "Confirm." The integration will pull your historical Apple Health data (up to 12 months) and begin displaying it alongside your density timeline.
Reading the Combined Dashboard
Once connected, your myhairline.ai dashboard gains a new "Health Context" overlay. Here is how to interpret it.
The Density Timeline with Health Overlay
Your density trend (the blue line) now displays alongside color-coded health metrics:
- Green bars: Nights with 7+ hours of sleep
- Orange bars: Nights with less than 6 hours of sleep
- Purple line: HRV trend (higher is better, lower indicates stress)
- Gray dots: Exercise sessions
When you see a density dip, look at the health overlay for the preceding two to four weeks. Density changes lag behind lifestyle changes because hair follicles respond to conditions over weeks, not days.
Common Patterns Users Discover
Pattern 1: Sleep disruption precedes density decline. Many users find that two or more weeks of poor sleep (under 6 hours) precede a measurable density dip. The mechanism is cortisol elevation, which can push follicles into the telogen (resting) phase.
Pattern 2: Exercise periods correlate with stability. Consistent exercise (150+ minutes per week) often correlates with stable or improving density. Improved cardiovascular health means better blood flow to the scalp.
Pattern 3: Menstrual cycle creates predictable fluctuations. Women tracking with cycle data often see small shedding increases during the late luteal phase. These are temporary and do not indicate progressive loss. Without cycle context, these fluctuations can cause unnecessary anxiety.
Pattern 4: Stress events create delayed effects. A period of high stress (visible as low HRV) may not show a density effect for 6 to 12 weeks. This lag often confuses users who feel fine now but see density declining from stress that occurred two months ago.
Practical Examples
Example 1: Is Finasteride Working or Am I Just Sleeping Better?
You started finasteride three months ago and your density is improving. But you also started prioritizing sleep around the same time. The Apple Health overlay shows your average sleep increased from 5.5 to 7.5 hours.
Both factors are likely contributing. The data helps your dermatologist understand the full picture. Finasteride is effective in 80 to 90% of users for halting loss and produces regrowth in 65%, so it is almost certainly helping. But the sleep improvement may be amplifying the effect.
Example 2: Why Did My Density Drop Last Month?
Your density dipped 3% at your last scan, and you are worried. The Apple Health overlay shows that four weeks before the scan, you had a period of very low HRV (indicating high stress) and averaged under 5 hours of sleep for 10 consecutive days.
This context changes your response. Instead of panicking about treatment failure, you address the sleep and stress issues and wait for the next monthly scan to confirm recovery.
Example 3: Cycle-Related Shedding vs. Progressive Loss
You have noticed increased shedding every 28 days. The menstrual cycle overlay shows that shedding increases align precisely with your late luteal phase. Your overall density trend is stable.
This is normal hormonal shedding, not progressive female pattern hair loss. Without the cycle data, you might have started treatment unnecessarily.
Privacy and Data Security
All data exchanged between myhairline.ai and Apple Health is encrypted in transit and at rest. myhairline.ai cannot access any Apple Health data beyond the categories you explicitly grant.
You can revoke access at any time from either app. Revoking access in Apple Health immediately stops data flow. Historical data already synced to myhairline.ai remains in your myhairline.ai account unless you manually delete it.
Apple Health data is stored on your device and in your iCloud account. myhairline.ai does not store Apple Health data on its servers. It reads and displays the data in real-time from your device.
Troubleshooting
Data not syncing: Check that both apps have the latest version. Verify permissions in Apple Health under Sources. Restart both apps.
Historical data missing: The integration pulls up to 12 months of historical data. If you have been using Apple Health for less time, only available data will appear.
HRV data not appearing: HRV requires an Apple Watch or compatible wearable. If you only have an iPhone, HRV data will not be available.
Battery concerns: The integration adds minimal battery usage. If you notice significant drain, switch from real-time to daily sync.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Consult a qualified healthcare provider for personalized treatment decisions.
Add the missing health layer to your tracking. Connect myhairline.ai to Apple Health and start seeing the full picture at myhairline.ai/analyze.