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Thin Hair
I have been on this healthy lifestyle for over a year now. I have not during the whole time been consistent with what I was eating and what not but I have for a good chunk of it. And I have taken a one a day multivitamin the entire time. During this time, my hair has gotten increasingly thin on top..as in I can see my scalp :o.
Barring any type of procedures, treatments, surgeries or pricey products...are there any tips or tricks to make it appear fuller or to grow it back? :| |
I am very ashamed of this but will post it anyway, here is an overhead shot. Overlook the fact my hair is nappy..it is post workout, pre shower hair :|
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...ay/balding.jpg |
Have you tried Nioxin shampoo and conditioner?Kinda spendy but works very well.Do you know a hair stylist?I have my mom pick it up for me at Peels and then I get her discount.
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I don't know a hair stylist but I will look into it, thank you :hug:
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Hi, Onderchic. Just a thought...have you had your thyroid checked recently? I was surprised to learn that one of the symptoms of hypothyroidism is hair loss. It has been a problem for me and I notice it particularly when my thyroid hormone replacement med needs to be adjusted. Once my medicine is adjusted, my hair loss almost completely stops.
Cheers, J |
I had that checked a couple years ago and everything was okay. I don't want to be bald :( After looking at the pic I posted, I have been sitting here crying :(
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don't cry girl...it's not as bad as you are thinking it is. What is your hair care routine in the week to give us an idea? How often you wash, what products you use etc., what would you say your natural hair type is (wavy, loose curls?)
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Onderchic,
Hey, just wanted to say congrats on the weight loss...... you are in inspiration. I just read on another thread that you are from Tennessee.... I am from across the river in Arkansas. anyway, I had very thick hair when I started. I have pretty much been a mirror image of how you lost weight........ and I am thinning too. My OBGYN said unless I am losing 300 hairs a day the dermatologist won't do anything...... and if he does, it will be prescribing Rogaine.... However, my beautician said to increase the vitamin Biotin..... Hope this helps. |
also are your hormones in balance?
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I generally condition my hair every day and shampoo it every other day though I just recently started doing that. Use tobe I would shampoo and condition it everyday. My hair is curly/nappy/frizzy. It is the top/bangs that are so bad and I dunno, it is really embarrassing to me. I have enough self esteem issues without trying to do a comb over to hide my scalp :(.
My horomones are okay as far as I know and I can not at this time in my life afford to go to a doctor or anything cause well..I am poor with no health insurance. |
A few tips I've been given
I can totally relate to thin or thinning hair. My bad diet over the years (coupled with an eating disorder and meds) has left my hair very thin and nearly bare in small patches. My hairdresser assures me that if I continue with the healthy eating it will improve and that it can take well over a year to see a real difference in regrowth rate. In the meantime she gave me a few tips:
1. Conditioner makes hair limp and appear thinner so only use it every 3 or 4 hair washes. When you do apply it, apply only to the very ends. 2. Use shampoo specifically designed for thin, fine or limp hair as it will be lighter than other hair products. 3. Use the minimal amount of hair products necessary as anything like hairspray or gel flattens the hair. 4. Examine the amount of stress in your life if you are experiencing continuing hair loss. Even a healthy diet and lifestyle cannot compensate for the effects of stress on hair loss. 5. Massage your head (either when shampooing or just with dry hair) using your fingertips (not nails!). Apart from being really really soothing it helps boost blood circulation to the hair follicles. 6. I often tease (or backbrush) the hair gently with a comb in my thinnest areas. you just brush backwards towards the roots a little. It works really well to disguise thin areas and give the illusion of volume. 7. Any pretty little hair clips can be great to cover particularly thin areas and draw attention away form the actual hair. I'm sure I can think of more random tips but I hope these might help a little! |
See your doctor? me too, since the age of 16 my hair has seriously thinned. Completely different styling required. A good stylist will give you bangs with a short underlayer to disguise this. I got a haircut (and many since) that rocked my world, thin hair and all.
I have chalked it up to hormones, being on birthcontrol (Diane one year, then yasmin for a few more) and maturation. I have to see my doctor about it too. |
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Thank you so much. I will explain why I have just been using conditioner mainly...it is because I have super frizzy hair :(. I also been using a hairdryer everyday and flatiron to try to tone down the frizzies. Should I stop those and if yes, how do I get rid of my frizzies? Thanks again for all the advice :hug::hug: |
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I was born and raised in Dell, Arkansas :) I was just reading an article about biotin and was thinking maybe I could try that. Thanks so much for the response :hug::hug: |
Oh I understand!!!
Ok so I feel for you! I not only feel for you I sympathize with you because my hair started thinning after I started losing weight. I think the biggest part was that the multi-vitamin I was taking wasn't a good one. So I went to a health food store & picked up a really GREAT multi-vitamin. I also researched that ginseng & horsetail helped hair to grow so I got a pill for that. I have a bunch of little hairs all over my head! The place that was thinning is rapidly growing back hair. If you want I can send you the links, but this is also working for my husband, & another mutal friend of ours so we believe in it. :) Just PM me if you're interested. ;)
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Small world! I used to drive through Dell to go to Blytheville to work. I don't know.... I live in Trumann and work in Jonesboro.
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Make sure your scalp isn't greasy also- that is a hindrance to hair growth.
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As far as I can tell, my scalp isn't greasy.
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We must have twin hair types.... mine is of the wild untameable Irish type!
In response to your questions, yes it is better to avoid the flat iron and hairdryer entirely. Realistically I find them impossible to survive without. My hairdresser said if I was to dry my hair with the hairdryer to hold it a bit further away from my hair so the heat doesn't damage it and also to use a ventilated metal hair brush as this dries the hair quicker (and I find if you use a big round metal brush it really helps to smooth the hair if you point the hair dryer down in the direction of the ends of your hair). With the flat iron it's really important to ensure all of your hair is dry before starting. I use a light styling spray that protects hair and is heat activated so you lock it into your hair as you straighten it. Also, move the flat iron down your hair as fast as you are able to get it straight. The less time heat is near your hair the less time it can do damage and ultimately break away leading to thinner looking hair. As for advice for the general frizzies (which I find create a 'beautiful' halo effect around me in shadows!) use the lightest/thinnest feeling product that works for you. In otherwards, experiment with random brands until you find the one spray or serum that weight down the little frizzy fellas without flattening all of the other healthy hair down too. |
Have you ever tried a silicone product for frizzies? I used to have really frizzy hair (somehow it calmed down) and lived on frizz-ease. It helps tame your hair without weighing it down.
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But I am more worried about thinning hair than I am the frizzies at the moment :o :(
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Do you have plenty of omega 3 in your diet? That seems to be helping my hair a lot. I have new hair growth going on.
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I eat some tuna everyday..is that omega 3?
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Nobody has mentioned diet (okay, I was slow at typing, someone just did), which can make a big difference. The only time I had real problems with thinning hair (talking tons every time I washed it) was when I was doing a combination of low cal / low fat (probably low protein as well). I wasn't tracking specifically, but I was doing low-fat vegetarian. I was also exercising a ton, which adds to body stress. At the time more than one person told me that I wasn't getting enough protein. Since this time I'm eating higher cals, higher protein, higher fat, it's hard to say which made the difference, but it really has.
I looked at your 'my journey' post and if you're eating lower fat, you might consider adding in some (say even 100 cals a day). Your range of 1400-1600 is low enough that adding that shouldn't be a big deal. It could just be that your body is having a hard time adjusting to what is an excellent rate of loss. When you deprive your body of full calories (which we all do to lose weight) it can play havoc with the rest of your systems. Think of it as running a car without gas, or too little oil, eventually it may affect the vehicle. The good news is that if you can stop of slow the hair loss, once you reach maintenance it is likely your hair will thicken up. |
Well, just to clarify, my funds are very very limited so my groceries are really cheap basics that I eat every day. I do have 1-2 tbsp country crock butter every day..is that fat or no? I just ask cause honestly I haven't a clue.
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My hair was thinning a bit a while ago which made me really concerned because i do not have huge hair to start with! But then i talked to my doctor and she said that when you go through something stressful, your body holds on to the hair because it is sort of "worried" and wants to hang on, whereas usually everyone loses a little bit of hair all the time. A few months before i had moved abroad which obviously was really stressful, so once i had adjusted a bit and gotten less stressed, my scalp "relaxed" and let all the hair go at once it seemed like! But after a while it stopped falling out so much and went back to my normal (thin, limp :-) ) hair. Not sure if this is applicable but thought it was kind of interesting. Otherwise the ideas about diet sound like good ones to me... Good luck!
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I also second the vitamin biotin and scalp massages, if you don't mind the smell of essential oils, doing a scalp massage with them could help.. here's an article that tells which ones to use and how much to mix with jojoba oil, etc.. you would use it the nights before you shampoo. if you can't get them all, rosemary would be the best one to try. http://altmedicine.about.com/cs/herb...a/Alopecia.htm |
Awww, Onderchic. It makes me feel bad to hear that you were crying about your hair. I honestly think that aging can also contribute to some hair loss. I am a bit older than you (not much) and I have noticed more of a change in texture and thickness as I age. It is depressing. But, I promise you, nobody else notices it the way you do.
Cheers, J |
Thanks so much rosiem and ringmaster :hug:
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Awww thanks J :hug:
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You're welcome! :hug:
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Alright, lol this might be a long post but hopefully it's helpful;
I've always had thin-errr hair. lol. I, too, have long, curly, frizzy hair. My soon-to-be mother-in-law has thin hair too and she told me to buy Mane & Tail shampoo & conditioner. I'm not sure if this works, I bought it but I have been really busy and haven't been paying attention to how it looks. I'm about to do a work out and then take a shower, so it doesnt look as good as it could right now, and I wanted to post this now because I'm a complete procrastinator. Explains why I'm about to do a work-out at 12:30am, haha. However, it's like 6 bucks for the Shampoo at Wal Mart, so I will keep using it a little more and let you know the results. Also, I've noticed over the years that condition does weigh hair down, so I put a tiny bit on my hands, rub them together so its spread out, and lightly put a little on the top of my head. Then I put more in my hand for the rest of my hair (not touching my scalp or even the bottom back of my head). Especially that you're working out and sweating, that plus the conditioner, minus the shampoo on the every other day, just weighs it down, and probably groups hairs together, it does that on my head. So the more shampoo and less conditioner, the better. Also, since you have curly hair, what kind of brush do you use to comb it? like a round brush, a flat brush, or a comb? and how often do you brush it? Wet or dry? And how often do you blow dry it? and flat iron it? I have found some steps that may help with thining hair, but it depends on the answers to those questions. I will try to check back on your page as soon as I can, but like I said, I'm a procrastinator lol, so drop me a comment if I don't get back to you for a few days, to remind me. :] I've said in my other comment, you're an inspiration and I just joined 3FC and I'm loving it, I feel like I can talk about things I cant even tell my close friends. I feel like it's alright if it's embarassing because there are people going through the same trials. Thanks for everything! and I hope I can help you out too!! :] |
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Onederchic, :hug: I feel your pain. Something to try while you wait for results from diet/supplements - Toppik or Boom Boom Hair. These are tiny microfibers you sprinkle on your scalp, it takes the shine away and makes any thin areas less noticeable. I'm in Canada, but I'm sure if you Google those names you'll come up with local suppliers. They come in a variety of colours; a container costs about $30 but lasts for a long time. Good luck, and more :hug: .
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I know other people mentioned it but have you seen a doctor/had blood tests done?
I know fats/diet have been mentioned but for me personally, I eat a low fat vegan diet, no fish supplements and I haven't had an issue with dry skin/thin hair. I know a lot of people in the 80s had issue because they were eating a lot of nonfat processed foods and indicators were dry skin/losing hair. Is your skin dry as well? |
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Thanks so much! I would love to be kept updated on your experience with the shampoo. I use a vented flat brush. I normally brush it while I am blow drying and I do blow dry and flat iron everyday :o Any and all tips are greatly appreciated :hug::hug: |
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Thank you very much! I will definitely look into the oil/capsules. I have already decided I am getting biotin as well so wish me luck :o :hug: |
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Awww thank you so much! I will definitely check em out :D :hug::hug: |
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No, my skin was very dry before I changed my eating and switched to drinking water but now it is pretty soft and nice :D As for the doctor, I have not been to one in about 1.5 years. I do not have any money or health insurance but the last time I did go, I was just told I was morbidly obese with high blood pressure and elevated sugar levels which I have managed to knock all 3 of those out :D |
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