Thining hair ladies - any tips??

[Ally T]

I posted a few months back about suddenly starting to lose more hair than usual. Some of you may also have seen my hair pic in Classy Rocks' thread for curly hair - it was full & curly & the envy of almost every female friend I have.

Probably a coincidence, but since coming off the pill earlier in the year (think it was April / May) my hair has started to thin. I have a healthy diet, take all the right vitamins & minerals, do not heat style (I let it dry naturally, always) but i'm starting to become concerned. I have been to see my Dr who did blood tests for anaemia & thyroid function amongst some general health checks, which all came back normal. I turned 39 in June, so am not really that old, and have 2 sisters with VERY thick glossy straight black hair & a brother who is as bald as a baby

There are no bald patches, just thinning generally all over. I have to be careful how I pin it up, as sometimes it can show too much scalp on the top of my head. My hair is very dark, so the scalp shows through very obviously. Has anyone else ever been through a serious shedding phase like this? Did it grow back? I am seeing my hairdresser next Wed so i shall ask her to look through her lense to check for new growth. And keep my fingers crossed! And ladies who DO have thin hair, how do you deal with it? I know its only hair at the end of the day, and I am fit & healthy, but I am rather fond of it

 

[Sky56]

You are already taking vitamins and minerals but I found this helpful - I have thick hair but noticed at menopause 14 years ago that my hair was thinner. I started taking a daily liquid supplement called Buried Treasure VM Complete citrus flavor. It is a powerful plant based vitamin/mineral formula. My hair is now thick as when I was young. I saw results fast. I order it on-line - it saves a lot of money. My favorite vendor is Lucky Vitamin. Not for those who have herpes and some people feel too much energy. It works great for me as I am a sleepy laid-back type. It gives me energy. Good luck to you with your hair!

 

[ecf8503]

I don't have any words of advice, but I feel for you - I'm in the same situation. Dark curly hair that has thinned over the last 2 years or so. It started being noticeable after I lost weight a few years ago (which I guess is normal to see about 3 months after). My scalp was biopsied and a whole slew of blood tests run but everything was normal. I take vitamins (including biotin), exercise regularly, eat well, etc and I still don't think it's any better. So I'm looking forward to hearing any suggestions / opinions!

 

[Sky56]

Have you tried flax seed oil capsules? Great for skin and hair.

 

[Ally T]

Thanks ladies. I am currently reading up on the Buried Treasure stuff, but I do eat a heaped spoon of flax seed every morning. I really do look after my health, so it is a mystery

 

[missy]

Hi Alex, I wish I had something useful to share with you but I just wanted to post saying that I totally understand what you are going through because the same thing has been happening to me over the last couple of years. I however am in a different age category than you and am solidly in perimenopause. My dermatologist told me that it is normal for hair to thin when in perimenopause (great just another lovely side effect lol) and recommended the GNC hair/skin/nails vitamins. I have been taking these for well over a year and not sure it is helping but I figure it is not hurting.

As long as you are having a complete medical workup to make sure there is nothing health related I recommend just treating your hair very gently as you are and eating well and sleeping well and avoiding as much negative stress as possible. Stress is a killer and definitely can affect your hair adversely. Alex, I am sending you big hugs and good thoughts for healthy thick hair! You too ecf8503!

Sky, thanks for that recommendation. I am going to check it out though I might have too much energy for that supplement haha as I don't need anything to increase my energy levels that's for sure.

 

[luv2sparkle]

I would recommend a couple of things. Good vitamins are a must. I would also invest in a all boar bristle brush and brush your hair twice daily with it. It is supposed to stimulate blood flow to the scalp and helps get rid of any sebum which can clog folicles. It wont damage your hair. Also, years ago when I started noticing this in myself, I read a book by Dr. John Lee, called 'What your Dr. won't tell you about perimenopause". He is a proponent of natural progesterone cream. I have been using it for years now, and I think it is truly the answer. The brand I use is called Life-flo and it is in a measured pump. You use it for 3 weeks and off for 1. It helps with a great deal of things but hair loss is one of them. It does take some time to see results as it takes time to grow back. I would also use a shampoo that is natural. There are a lot of chemicals in shampoo. I personally like DermOrganic, but anything without the sulfates is good, I think. I know my daughter has had some success in recommending Nioxin to her clients having hair loss, but I am not sure what the ingredients are.

I will never have really thick hair, but when I hit about 40 I started noticing a little thinning. I started doing these things and prevented any more and some regrowth. I am really interested in the Buried Treasure vitamins. I take a cocktail of vitamins that includes a 5000 mcg of biotin.

I didn't go to the doctor for my hair thinning because I really had no other symptoms. I am now 54 and am not on any meds except vitamins. Good luck! It is an awful problem that hits our self-esteem big time, so I hope you find the combo that works for you!

 

[Sky56]

You're welcome. To be honest, half the people we know who tried Buried Treasure did not like it - either it brought out more herpes outbreaks or it energized them too much. It works great for my husband and me: more alertness without too much energy, much increased resistance to cold virus and flu, and luxuriant hair growth. Main thing I notice is if I get a bad night's sleep, I feel normal and not tired the next day.

That is great advice about boar bristle brushes and natural shampoo and conditioner. Be sure to only buy a brush with 100% boar bristles: most have nylon bristles interspersed.

 

[mjr1]

I became a type 1 diabetic about 5 years ago and was immediately started on insulin. Insulin is a hormone. Prior to being on insulin I had very thick hair. All of a sudden I noticed my hair thinning. I was mystified-I keep a very clean diet and take vitamins etc..... I mentioned it in passing to the doctor who told me it is not uncommon at all for this to happen. He assured me it would correct itself as my body adjusted. I was skeptical, but asked around to a few other health care professionals who agreed with him. I used hair products with "thickening properties" but just inexpensive drug store kind of stuff.I would say it helped the look a bit but did nothing to increase hair growth. Sure enough, a few months later I noticed my hair loss slowing and eventually it thickened back up. I wonder if the change in your medications has had a similar effect on your hair and will self correct with time? Good luck and I hope it all works out....

 

[HollyS]

As a woman going through the first stages of menopause, I have had my hair thin out somewhat over the last two years. And while I know it is normal to not have super thick hair in my fifties, it is disappointing.

I take Biotin as a supplement. I am not on hormones (which is a contributing factor; but since the jury is still out on whether HRT can make one more prone to certain cancers, I'll accept less hair, thank you). And I take great care to not overstress my strands by letting my hair mostly air dry before styling.

Bar none . . . and I've used darn near every single expensive and inexpensive product available . . . the best shampoo is Living Proof (the full hair one). The leave-in hair styling cream or their texturizing product, Amp, will also fluff up strands after blow-drying. Now, these products work with and because of heat, so some use of a blow dryer is necessary.

I'm very happy with the results of using these products, and no one would ever know that I have had any thinning at all.

 

[Niel]

I'm glad you posted this as I think its happening to me as well. I am not anywhere near Premenopause (I'd assume) but recently I noticed my temples looking thinner. I saw a picture today where I was laying down and my temples where distinctly lighter than the rest of my head. I broke down in tears!

I really want to cut my hair and now I don't know if I do what it'll look like, if I have to hold off until its better.

I'm hoping its just stress. Stress of the wedding and my job have been keeping me up at night and has me frazzeled all day. But I'll try eating flax seeds. I only need a few centimeters to grow back before I cut it so here's to hoping.


I'm sorry Alex! Hopefully something works.

 

[Ally T]

Thanks ladies. I am SO glad I am not alone. I have been using the Nioxin shampoo & conditioner since June after mentioning the sudden shedding to my hairdresser, and she said she said she has seen really good results in other clients after several months, so here's hoping!

My mother also mentioned peri-menopause yesterday. Seemingly she started with it in her late 30's until things were really bad & she had a hysterectomy at 45. She believes that because the pill tricks your body into believing it is pregnant & hugely increases oestrogen, now that I have stopped taking it my body is naturally catching up with where i should be genetically. As my Blood work was all normal, it seems it must just be 'one of those things' like the Dr said. The Dr also said that my age is just catching up with me

I have taken some comfort from my chuckling husband, who said if I do go bald then he would treat me to a real human hair curly wig

 

[CJ2008]

Alex, you're not alone. I too this year saw thinning along my hairline, right above my forehead. It's very slight, but if you happen to look there and really look, you can see it. Not too long ago I visited a friend I hadn't seen in a while and I saw her look at it.

I had the blood tests and my testosterone did show to be slightly slightly high - so probably not the cause...my dermatologist told me to go on 5% Minoxidil but I am conflicted about it. Some people say they saw their skin deteriorate / wrinkle after being on it, and I did run into someone who said one study shows that Minoxidil DOES make the underlying problem worse if you ever go on it ETA: and then off (as opposed to that you just shed whatever hairs you would have shed anyway). So I am hesitant.

I do take Biotin and use shampoos without sulfates so I hope that's helping in some way.

I had never heard of Nioxin shampoo - and I am just realizing once I scrolled down I missed a couple of posts - like the one from Holly, and the shampoo she mentions. So maybe I'll look into these options.

One thing I ran into in my research is forehead reduction surgery - yup, they lower your hairline down - I am not "there" yet and I know that's extreme, but that could be an option down the road.

 

[Ally T]

CJ2008 - I feel your pain. It must have been a bit tummy churning to catch your friend looking at it. I had lunch with a friend today who's 52, and she very kindly said she couldn't tell when we were chatting. I think because my hair is curly it hides it to an extent. When my hair is wet & I pull it straight you can see how thin it looks, but the curls lift it. She did however sympathize. She is starting to head into the menopausal stage & is really suffering. Her hair has thinned slightly, but she has sprouted black facial hair which she's currently having laser treatment on It's all horrid, what us women have to suffer through.

Apart from the Nioxin I have also read that Head & Shoulders has had some results on thinning hair due to the zinc content. Worth a shot?

 

[luv2sparkle]

I just want to reiterate that the natural progesterone I mentioned is plant based not HRT. It balances out the synthetic hormones that we ingest just by the chemicals found in daily lives that mimic estrogen. It is worth a try, but it does take about six months. But so does most of the things that have been mentioned here. I just wanted to make sure that was not misunderstood.

 

[makhro82]

My friend swears by the Bumble and Bumble powders for thinning hair.

 

[CJ2008]

I just want to reiterate that the natural progesterone I mentioned is plant based not HRT. It balances out the synthetic hormones that we ingest just by the chemicals found in daily lives that mimic estrogen. It is worth a try, but it does take about six months. But so does most of the things that have been mentioned here. I just wanted to make sure that was not misunderstood.

(Sorry for the threadjack Alex - but I'm hoping maybe this is a question you could've had too!)

luv2sparkle - Is this something you could try whether or not you tested your current hormone levels? I don't know much about HRT...but is this different because it's a cream/plant based? (I guess logically I'm thinking it doesn't matter how the hormone is introduced into the body, but maybe it does?)

 

[luv2sparkle]

Yes. The amount your body makes is one thing, and that is not the problem. The problem is that so many of the things we encounter in our day to day world mimic estrogen in our bodies. The stuff in our creams and lotions that we use every day, the plastics that we use to drink out of and wrap our food in-many many compounds. The body develops an over abundance of estrogen which produces a lot of symptoms-one of which is thinning hair. It is called estrogen dominance. You can google the symptoms (or read Dr. John Lee's book). For me, thinning hair and raging pms were my main symptoms and I can't even begin to tell you what a difference the cream made for me. It was truly a life saver. I am not saying it is the only thing that can help thinning hair but I would look into it for anyone who is experiencing hair loss as one of the options. Personally, I would try it before I tried something like minoxidil.

Hair loss in women is now a huge problem. Every where I go I see women in various stages of hair loss, some profound. What has caused it in the last twenty years? I can only think that part of the reason is the amount of chemicals and additives in food and products. OK, that's my soap box, and I will get off it now.

 

[Ally T]

Hi ladies! I have seen the tricologist at my hair salon today & thought I would give you an update.

She has had a good rummage and.... Found short, soft, downy hair re-growth all over my scalp!
The hair will not really show up until it is about 2 inches long, so hopefully by Christmas I will have results. I was SO horrified after I had had my shampoo treatments & went to sit in my usual chair. I am familiar with the lighting in there & have always felt comfortable, but when she combed my hair straight back, parted it down the center & combed it straight down I burst into tears. All you could see was pink scalp on the top of my head, which I have never had happen before

She asked if I'd had blood tests etc & we chatted about medical stuff, and she firmly believes it is a result of lots of factors. In Feb you may remember I lost the pear diamond from my ring, which I luckily found, but the shock & stress caused my first ever ocular migraine. A couple of months later I came off the pill & all that extra oestrogen pumping through my body slowly dissipated. And then I have had 2 babies within a short period. Apparently stress & shock can greatly affect hair, sometimes up to 6 months after the event. The removal of the pill has meant a leveling off of hormones. And seemingly new research has shown that pregnancies in quick succession can take several years to recover from & still show in your hair. The body has geared itself to becoming pregnant again in a cycle that followed the first pregnancy when the second pregnancy occurs, meaning my hormones are still going a bit mad, there is no pregnancy & so the natural testosterone is kicking in. She has seen what I am experiencing many times, and whilst some women loose hair & never regain it, she strongly believes that with me it has been circumstantial & it will rectify & regrow.

I will continue to take the Perfectil supplements I have been taking for 1.5 months along with extra magnesium & iron, & using the Nioxin treatments that I've used since mid-June. Although I am trying to push it to the back of my mind & not worry, I am obviously still concerned. She was very confident about the downy regrowth, pointing some more obvious growth around my temples out as it was hard for me to see the top of my head, so I am trying to go with the flow. As a bonus, she says because I have full curls it disguises the problem better than straight hair, and she never noticed it until I pointed it out at the start of the consultation due to how I had my hair pinned. Fingers crossed & PS dust for healthy regrowth! And to all of you affected also

 

[missy]

Alex, thanks for the update and I am so glad for you that there is regrowth!

Stress is a killer and I have been thinking back to when I first noticed my hair thinning/loss and it was around the time my dh was diagnosed with melanoma. Recently we are dealing with another potential melanoma and I have noticed my hair shedding/thinning increasing again. Coincidence? No I don't think so. But I have made a pact with the universe that if my dh is fine I don't care if I go bald! Seriously.

Anyway I am very happy for you and continued good luck dust for a full resolution. We curlies need to stick together!

 

[luv2sparkle]

Yay! I am so happy for you Alex! That is great news!

 

[movie zombie]

have not read this thread in depth but hair thinning/loss can be indicative of a thyroid problem.
besides biotin, neem is a good hair/scalp supplement.

 

[Ally T]

Movie zombie - I have had blood works & thyroid function tested. All were normal.

Luv2sparkle - thank you

Missy - I am SO sorry to hear about your husbands melanoma. Lost of positive thoughts coming you way that this new one is easily treatable. Will you keep me posted? And yes, too much regarding your hair to be coincidence. Stress. She's a b!tch. (((Hugs)))

 

[missy]

Thanks Alex. I appreciate all the good thoughts you can spare. Ironically these 2 suspicious lesions are on is head so not the easiest area to biopsy and in fact over the last 6 weeks the doctors have been running other tests in the hope of not having to biopsy but it's looking like they are going to have to.
Sorry to derail your thread with my worry.

 

[Ally T]

Actually Missy, your derailment of my thread is good, because it has totally put into perspective my silly worry over losing my hair. It IS only hair and I am NOT ill. You must be beside yourself with worry. Do you not think that getting the biopsy straight away is a good thing? It would save a lot more time & stress to just get it over & done with & then you know exactly where you stand. How is your husband dealing with it? I hope he is keeping positive, as incredibly hard as that must be

 

[missy]

Hi Alex, my dh is keeping calm and cool as he does with most issues. I am consumed with worry because I keep imagining worse case scenario which is not good. My dh is always rational and methodical when dealing with problems and concerns. I am trying to keep calm, positive and upbeat for him because he does not need to worry about my state of mind in addition to everything else he is handling right now.

I agree with you that the specialist should just go ahead and biopsy the 2 areas on his head. They have been dealing with these 2 areas for over 2 months now and running all these tests that keep coming back with inconclusive results. I am pretty sure they are going to end up doing a biopsy for both these lesions but won't know for sure till next week or the week after. They are concerned about the areas the lesions are in and it won't be a simple or straightforward biopsy and therein lies the hesitation but I think it needs to be done despite the difficulty.

I apologize because I did not mean to make it sound as if hair loss and/or hair thinning in a woman is not a major concern. These are 2 entirely different matters and I am not trying to compare. One has nothing to do with another and just because someone is dealing with a major health issue does not take away the worry of losing one's hair and I am so sorry if I made it sound like that concern is not an important one. I was just saying in my case I made a deal with g-d and if my dh comes out of this healthy and good I would gladly give up all my hair LOL but totally not meaning your issue is any less of an important one.

Thank you for the hugs-I need all the hugs and support I can get and right back at you!

 

[dreamer_dachsie]

Alex, do you have short hairs growing in on your head to replace the ones that fell out? In both of my pregnancies, the hormones caused my hair to go dormant. It did not fall out and my hair was so thick! About six months after my babies were born, suddenly my hair kicked into gear and about half my hair fell out at once! Then it started growing back all at the same time too. Usually, your hair falls out randomly so all your follicles are on different timelines, and you don't notice that some hairs are very short and growing in. But after both my kids it was super annoying to have so much hair all on the same timeline and the same short length growing in. Wondered if this happened to you because you went off the pill?

ETA: A ha! For some reason, hair loss and regrowth came to mind because of my own experience! It is annoying and takes a long time to grow out the "baby hairs" but it will come!

Missy, I am so sorry about your husband! I think a spouse being ill is worse than being ill onself. You love them so much and can't really do anything to help. Hang in there, and fingers crossed for him.

 

[Ally T]

Thanks Dreamer! And yes, the exact same thing happened after both of my pregnancies. I had lovely thick hair until a few months after & then boom! It was blocking the drains! It was less severe than what I am experiencing now though. It was much thicker to start with due to the pregnancy, so although I shed a lot in the months afterwards, i didn't seem to miss it. This time however, I am missing it A LOT. Under spot lighting you can see more scalp on the top of my head than you can hair. I am being inventive with the pinning up, at which point it looks lovely & you cannot tell at all. Yes, the hairdresser said the new hair is replacing the lost hair, and it IS very much there, but it has an awful lot of growing to do to be visible. I think it was the coming off the pill too. Very coincidental if not. It does trick your body into believing its pregnant, after all. My lovely & very straight forward mother has just been for coffee, so she had a good look at my scalp with a light. She said there is heaps of teeny tiny regrowth. She more than the hairdresser has made me feel more relaxed about just letting it do its thing, as if she was concerned she would be the first to whip me back to the Dr!

Missy, you & your husband sound exactly like me & mine! He is calm, rational & logical, I am hyper, irrational & illogical! He will wait for proof or evidence whilst I have whipped myself into a worry frenzy at the very idea of something bad! But that aside, I am full of hopeful optimism for yours. The dragging of medical heels 'might' mean that they are not seeing urgency & major illness? And you absolutely in no way made light of mine or any other females hair loss by talking about melanoma. I did not infer that from your text at all so please don't worry!

 

[luv2sparkle]

Missy, prayers for your hubby! Hugs to you!

 

[missy]

Thank you so much for the good thoughts ladies- I really appreciate them.

Dreamer, I totally agree. I wish it was me instead of my dh. I feel helpless especially when I cannot get things to move as fast as I want them to with regards to doctor appointments and the such. Thank you for the good thoughts.

Luv2sparkle-thank you for the good wishes for my dh and the hugs for me. I will gladly take them both! I agree with you about chemicals and food additives. Who knows what damage all of that is doing to not just our hair but our bodies/health as a whole.

Alex, we have decided to do the biopsy but now have hit another roadblock as the plastic surgeon our main dermatologist want us to use is booked till end of Oct/Nov and there is just no way to squeeze us in according to his staff. Our derm is going to call and try to figure a way to do that but after having spoken to his staff I am not hopeful. What I did was make a biopsy appointment with another doctor in that plastic surgery office though my derm said he wants my dh to see the plastic surgeon he trusts. We'll see what happens. It's just not worth waiting IMO since this has been suspicious for a number of months already and all I care about is keeping my dh healthy for a long long long time.