Hey there! I'm having definite issues with thinning hair at the minute, which, frankly, scares the bejayzus out of me. Anyone else had/having this problem? Anyone got any suggestions for counteracting it/reassuring anecdotes with which to sooth my troubled breast?

Not thrilled about this - I've got PCOS & my hair is already less than half the thickness it used to be - I can't afford to have it get much thinner, or I'll have to start thinking seriously about investing in wigs.

I know that people's hair can fall out from not getting enough calories over a long period of time. It happened to me, my sister, and a friend. We were all on a vegan diet... I don't know if it was the veganism or the lack of calories. It all grew back but like you, I was quite anxious about it.

I have hair loss due to PCOS and I take MSM supplements and I SWEAR by it. My hair has doubled it's thickness in the last 2 1/2 months. My crown was getting very thin and it was very troubling. But now it's significantly thicker! MSM is a natural sulphur, required by the body, but most of us are deficient. Also, controlling your insulin spikes through diet and exercise will slow the hair loss. A woman with PCOS eating a slice of cake will significantly up her chances of losing more hair. Whenever I want to eat something that is high-glycemic I just think of my hair falling out. When our insulin spikes our hair follicles contract, causing those strands to break off and fall out. So keeping insulin in check will let the follicles relax and grow new hair.

It may be your PCOS but thryoid problems can also cause hair loss so if you haven't seen your doctor for awhile and you have any other symptoms-dry skin, constipation, etc. Might be worth a trip to have your thyroid checked. Also, I have heard some people say selenium supplements help. There are also some medications that can make this problem worse, so again may want to check with your doc about whether or not you are on any of these and if so, can you be switched to another.

I lost a little over 100 pounds pretty quickly (5 months) in 1992 and lost a significant amount of hair. Although I took photos of my sink, which was covered in hair every morning, to my doctor, he was more thrilled about my weight loss than concerned over what he called, "a little hair loss." He actually said losing some hair was worth the weight loss I achieved!

Any way, it really bothered me so when I saw Richard Simmons on a late-night infomercial say that the hair he has on his head (in front/on top) was not his own due to weight loss hair loss, I thought he was speaking to ME! So I wrote Richard Simmons a letter to tell him about what I was going through. In response, Richard Simmons called me at work and told me to UP my protein to stop the hair loss. He suggested I add foods such as low fat cottage cheese, fish, chicken, eggs, turkey, and anything else that I found was healthy, and also loaded with protein to my diet. Then he sent me a personal letter congratulating me on my weight loss along with a signed copy of his book (Never Give Up).

That's why whenever I'm on a low-calorie diet I never miss a serving of 2% cottage cheese and I always make sure to get turkey or an egg into a meal for the protein.

Additionally, flax seed oil gives me incredibly thick and shiny hair and fingernails too! At its longest, my hair is down to my waist in the back and very, very thick all over – I believe it’s because of the vitamins I take (GNC Women’s Mega Active) and the tablespoon of Flaxseed oil I drink in a little bit (a swallow) of orange juice or V-8 every evening.

I hope this helps and above all, I want you to know you are not alone!!

I also take 5000mcgs of Biotin as told by my Endo ...it is about 10.00 per bottle of 60 - get it at the drug store - I think it has helped alot, it also helps with the blood sugar somehow ...my nails are also growing great!!

I know how you feel with this hair thinning issue, it is really scary but there are alot of things to try - hope you find something that works )

I also meant to say that I also have pcos and diabetes, and I swear that I wasnt losing any hair until I got quite overweight ...the more weight I lose the less hair I lose ...I am sure the two are linked together when you have pcos

Thanks so much for the suggestions, folks! I can't think that it's a lack of protein or calories in my diet, with the low-carbing, surely? (eg - yesterday I had a coconut milk/strawberry/mulberry/almond butter/flax seed shake with a dash of sucralose and half a spoon of protein powder for breakfast, then for lunch chicken salad and a couple of cubes of watermelon, then for dinner rare beef and cheddar salad, with a wee pot of double cream mixed with almond paste, cocoa powder and sucralose.)

But I'll see if I can pick up some Biotin and make sure I get a spoonful of flax seeds every day (will look for flax oil, but I've not seen it around anywhere). Fingers crossed - it IS rather horrible. I don't want to look like Uncle Fester, people! Bad enough being fat, without being fat and bald!

The annoying thing is that although I'd had problems with hair loss maybe 6 years ago, it had stabilised and been fine - I mean, it's still less than half the thickness it used to be, but then it started out VERY thick indeed. But this past month I've definitely been noticing that I'm starting to moult again. Which seems so unfair when I've lost 2 stone and when low carb is supposed to be GOOD for PCOS!

But there's no point in railing against the universe, I know - and I really do appreciate your support!

CABunnyGirl - may I ask how you lost your 100lb? It sounds like you were following a low calorie plan?

Congratulations on your 100 lb loss WTG !!!! HOW COOL that RS called you, I love that guy, I really do. He seems to be the only one out there that truly cares about people.


Fay, lean protien and fish oils help too, omega 3,6,9... when I was taking the oils my nails and hair were so healthy and thick. (I need to start taking them again). A friend of mine swears that the fish oils helped lower her cholesterol as well. .... he doctor was amazed because no "drug" could help her with her cholesterol.

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Cheers, loves!

I've been taking one calcium supplement, one multivitamin/mineral pill, one fish oil/evening primrose oil combo and one Chromium (& all sorts of other things) supplement since I started low carbing in January.

However, the hairloss-prevention supplement the chemist sold me the other day looks like it contains a higher level of chromium than the diet pill thingy, so I've decided to swap. It rejoices in the name Harry Resque and contains:

158.7 mg horsetail extract
100 mg Methionine
75 mg Zinc chelate (providing Zinc 15mg)
55 mg Flax Seed Powder
50 mg Cysteine
7 mg Selenium chelate (providing Selenium 70 mcg)
1 mg Chromum piccolinate (providing Chromium 120 mcg)
.075 mg Biotin

Frankly, I'm very pleasantly surprised that there's any English on the box, let alone USEFUL English. Although it was in small print and well hidden, so it took me a while to find it...

I too went through hair loss. At first I didn't mind because like you my hair was so thick it would take 10-15 minutes to blow dry on the highest setting. However, as menopause progressed and I also had some heavier than usual periods, my hair began to literally fall out.

There is hope though. I began the South Beach Diet on January 1. I have also been taking Chronium, Selenium, Biotin as well as increased calcium and magnesium besides my multi vitamin. I am not sure which one is working but my hair has thickened. I would say give it about 2 months depending on how thin you are on top. If you notice in this photo if I part my hair on one side it is thin in one spot in the front. Well, that picture was taken at Easter and I can tell you that today it is singificantly filled in. Keep up the protein and supplements. You will be Lady Godiva once more.

I was told to eat more eggs, and take a silica supplement. As long as I keep the sugar out of my system, and eat my eggs, I dont have much problem anymore.

My hair is actually thicker, and curlier(very curly) than ever before.

I have been vegan for a very long time, and so has DH and we have very thick, lush hair. Not an exact scientific proof, but anecdotal and true for us, all the same. I'd say a lack of nutrients and the effects of that is likely the culprit for most, with hormones and genetics factored in.

I'm with Soulbliss on this. During college my hair started falling out and gradually got worse until I remembered what veggies were!! Once I began to eat more balance it started growing back. Then when I switched to vegetarian and now vegan it's gotten even better in a very short amount of time. It's softer, more bouncy and I can see tons of baby hairs starting to grow.
Now about the damn grays..... that I haven't figured out =P