My hair is thinning...a lot :(

[Qamar]

My hair used to be about twice as thick as it is now. Its healthier than its ever been, and some of the thinning may be due to the fact that I'm not as young as I used to be, but I miss my thick, lush former crowning glory. Aside from aging, what factors (that I have control over) could be contributing to the thinning? Its happened over a few years, not just recently, and I am very healthy with a very good diet. I do take a multi-vitamin daily, as well as biotin, fish oil, chromium piccolinate, an aspirin, calcium and potassium. I would love tips on encouraging my hair to thicken up again. I'm not sure I'm ready to resign myself to an eventual pony tail as thick as a pencil. Its not that bad yet, but thats certainly my great fear.

[hennared]

Hi there -

I'm not sure what to suggest, but I wanted to say I know how you feel, I am going through the same thing, more or less. And I have always been a bit of a 'health nut' with my diet.

I have lost maybe 25% of my hair (gauging by thickness when pulled back) in the past 3 months. I think it was triggered by stress and that it is slowing down now, the shedding, but I'm not sure if it is, or I'm just more used to the shedding, now.

I had very thick red hair that I'd finally grown long for the first time in my life! The loss doesn't look too bad, since I had a lot to start with... but it is still depressing, especially if it
continues to fall. I am wondering if I am nearing early menopause or something.

I'm taking biotin, selenium, zinc, and a good multivitamin. Also experimenting with hair oils and scalp massage. Too soon to tell if that helps.

Best wishes and hang in there...

-hennared

[Qamar]

I also use camellia oil on my hair when I wash it and use a nice boxwood comb that is super gentle when combing my hair. I suppose I could add zinc to my regimen.

[longhairedfairy]

My sister's hair got thinner in her early 20's (I think) and a hair dresser said she needed MORE fat in her diet. She started drinking whole milk and began to feel something fuzzy on her scalp. She realised it was new hair coming in.
Obviously, I don't know your diet plan, but could it be possible that you're limiting your fat intake too much?

[Milena]

Have you gotten your thyroid checked out?

[Nes]

Stress is a huge factor in temporary hair loss. I went through a terrifying shed last year due to stress. Every time I washed my hair, huge clumps came out.

Could stress be a factor in your hair loss? Have you been more stressed lately? If you think this may be the case, it may well be worth looking into some relaxation techniques.

Nes x

[sibylla]

Check your thyroid with a blood test. Tell your doctor about the hair loss. Otherwise:lots of massage of the scalp and cold water for circulation.Good luck!

[ChloeDharma]

Echoing the advice of....get some checks done just to be sure, some things like type 2 diabetes can be there for years without you realising.
Stress, everyone should practice some form of relaxation.
Sounds like you are very diet and nutrition aware so doubt you need any advice there, though you might want to try some other fats too, like more nuts and seeds, maybe EPO (as long as you don't suffer with epilepsy or migranes) and cayenne/chilli in the diet really boosts circulation.
Scalp massage, done daily i find helps alot, especially if combined with scalp brushing with a BBB. Scalp oiling i find excellent too....base oils of coconut, sesame, avocado and safflower are particularly usefull, although i'm sure others have their uses too.....some use castor oil to reduce hair fall and thinning. Herbs like bhringraj, brahmi, amla, curry leaf, methi (fenugreek seed) this also is good as a supplement to counter hairloss, rosemary, burdock root and nettle root spring to mind but i'm sure there are others, anyway, these are often used to counter hairloss. Aloe vera applied to the scalp and left on overnight is another remedy claimed to be successfull.....something about superoxide dismutane and nitric something combining to stimulate follicle activity. A wash made from combining coconut milk and aloe vera gel with a bit of wheatgerm oil seems a popular recommendation though i've not tried it yet so don't know how heavy an oiling it will remove.
There's a thread over on the recipes board about essential oils for hairloss which might be worth a look, and a couple of threads on indian herbs for hairloss too.
I would switch to natural products if you havent already, at least on the scalp. I'm not claiming using sulphates definately causes hairloss, and i know some people like them, but i would want to minimise risks even if there's just a chance it could be contributing to the problem.
HTH

[camara]

I second that you should have some tests made. Apart from that, are you exercising regularly? I ask because that can help increasing blood circulation. Scalp massages may help, too. I hope you find some solution!

[carols_e]

I have lost allot of my own hair due to severe food allrgies ..I have been getting treatments that are working very well and since then my hair has almost stopped shedding. I lost about half or more of my thick hair. One of my allergies that I think was causing the hair loss was that I was allergic to my own estrogen after that one was treated my hair slowed the shedding allot! I also was low on zinc, magnesium, D and C helped allot too. Does your doctor have you on aspirin and potassium? Also you need to take magnesium with calcium to absorb properly if you take C with that it will work even better. hair shedding is a symptom of so many things it takes some good investigative work and a good attentive doctor to find the culprit. I wish you the best!!