hair growth after ED

[sunnylove]

Hi everyone,
I have a question about growing hair out after an eating disorder. I'm in recovery now from bulimia, and I used to have shiny, long blonde hair to my waist. Its now just below the shoulders (I did not get any major haircuts-shows the damage EDs can have) and very dry and dull. I've stopped using blow dryers and heating tools and deep condition about twice a week. Does anyone have any experience with their hair after an eating disorder? I'm sure it will just take time, but any extra advice would be greatly appreciated :)

[DinaAG]

i had something like this but after a strong depression lasts for months, try sulfate free shampoos + scalp massage + vitamins vitamins vitamins..+make sure with your doctors that that did not effect anything else on your body as to fix it soon, best of luck xox

[torrilin]

I had drug induced anorexia for a while in my teens. This is not to say it's the same as a psychological eating disorder, since stopping the problem drug fixed me right up. Given my background, if it had continued longer, it's possible it could have shifted from purely drug induced to something nastier... but I got really lucky.

I don't remember any obvious impacts on my hair, but I got off the drug before I was down more than 20% of my ideal bodyweight, and I had never actually been as heavy as my ideal bodyweight before the drug.

Bodies differ a good bit tho, and some people will see the effects of malnutrition in their hair very easily, and others will take longer. While I probably had minor vitamin deficiencies, I was aware there was a problem and I tried really hard to force down stuff that was more nourishing. If I'd just gone with what the drug told me, maybe I would have seen effects sooner. Dunno.

It also wasn't a catastrophic enough weight loss for my body to decide menstruating was optional. This doesn't mean I was healthy, it just means my body probably has some really unhealthy and dangerous priorities.

[gossamer]

Be patient with yourself and your hair. There's a noticeable difference in quality and thickness between my ends, which I think were roots back when I was still on again/off again with disordered eating, and the last few years of growth during which I've sorted out my eating habits.

Everything growing out of your scalp from now on, given your improvement in diet, is going to be healthier hair than before. Proteins and healthy fats are a great start.

:grouphug: on going through the ED recovery process. We're all rooting for you!

[sunnylove]

Thank you, thank you so much everyone for your support! I figured it was going to just be a time and patience sort of thing, and I'm eating lots these days so hopefully the hair growing in will be nice and healthy!

[bunnylake]

I was anorexic AND bleaching my hair and straightening it. Talk about damage! The best thing I ever did for my hair (and for myself in general) was to overcome my anorexia. I cut off all damaged hair around the time I began to recover, and with a healthy diet and regular exercise my hair grew back strong and healthy. No shampoo or oil or deep treatment or supplement can do what a good diet can do for our hair.
Eat a lot of fresh fruits and veggies, get plenty of protein, eat whole organic foods if you can, natural sugar and real butter, etc. Treat your body well and your hair will grow beautifully.
I know that recovering from an ED can be very scary, and there can be setbacks and relapses, but don't give up. You can do it.
Good luck and keep us updated on your progress!

[Mountaingrrl]

Good advice here! To that I'd add, take advantage of the collective knowledge here on updos. Putting your hair up in attractive, protective styles can really enhance the long journey back to long hair.

[thirstylocks]

Hugs to you...something similar happened to me in my teens and it took about a year for my hair to become vibrant and full again. I did have to have a major hair cut because my ends were thin. The best advice I have is to eat a very balanced and healthy diet, and whatever you are missing, you should replace it with vitamins.

[red-again]

You have already, as is usual for this great forum got some great advice.
I would say the no heat etc is VERY good for your hair, my fine hairs around my hairline and nape have always broken off at abut two to three inches. Since I gave up heat in May, they are six inches long.
The other thing will be vitamins. Take one with a good amount of vitamin d ( one with a natural source of vitamin d rather than a manufactured form if possible as they are better for your body to absorb). And one that has a good daily amount of the b complex vitamins. Solar and quest are great brands, hope you can get them where you live.

The last thing is more protein. Maybe look into a good natural whey protein peoder. I use vital whey as it is from grass fed cows who are reared hormone and antibiotic free ( unless they need the antibiotics due to infections, they are not used routinely to KEEP infetctions at bay)

The above will help the new hair grow ou from within healthy. To help your already 'out here' hair, oiling, protein treatments eg simple old egg yolk as a mask followed by say coconut milk to moistuise ( protein always should be followed by moisturisation to balance) there is the whole ayurvedic herb list, henna, cassia, brahmi etc to look into too.

Good luck! And I'm so delighted for you that you are recovering. Well done!

[goldloli]

Protein shakes! protein in general and healthy fats. As soon as your body is in a healthy stage again, your hair will reflect this.

[Aeris]

I want to offer hugs and support to you - recovering can be so daunting and awful. I was anorexic for about 2 years before my hair started to thin dramatically. I was so scared of losing all my hair that I tried to recover on my own, and ended up becoming bulimic for about 8 years. :rolleyes: So much for that. It wasn't until I got out of the abusive relationship I was in that I was secure enough in my life to focus on my health and actually get better.

I would recommend keeping your hair as an afterthought, if possible. Definitely take good care of it, but as your body heals, your hair will follow. :)

I wish you all the luck in the world! You are doing a great thing, and your hair will thank you.

[tambalina]

Congrats on overcoming ED!! That in and of itself is AWESOME!!!

I would talk to my doctor about getting your blood checked out (CBL) to make sure there isn't anything else health-related that you need to be aware of. Just to be sure. (Not trying to scare you!!) As long as everything checks out fine - benign neglect, oiling, protective styles and vitamins will be helpful in your growing. HTH!!

[AnnaJamila]

You can try juicing. That can have a huge impact on your health and since it's just a glass of liquid made up of fruits and veggies it can be easy to "accept", if you understand me. And the vitamins you get from fresh foods are way superior to anything you get in a pill.

After that lots of good, healthy fats (ie, extra virgin olive oil, salmon, walnuts, etc) and lean protein (from a blend of vegetable and animal ((if you go for that)) sources.)

I drank a lot of soups and juice. Psychologically it was easier than solid food.

[mzBANGBANG]

I was just posting the other day how LHC helped me to overcome my eating disorder because I channeled my obsession to my hair instead of food. Recovery in general is the best thing you can do for you hair, follow a few small ideas from here (minimal heat, no harmful chemicals, and oiling every now and then) topped with focusing on recovery and you will see a drastic improvement in as little as three months. After a year of being here, I am baffled by the health of my hair. Good luck to you, I'm glad to hear from someone else who decided to start loving themselves again :)

[Miss Catrina]

If it's lost that much length without an actual cut, I would go get one. Broken ends tend to just break again and again.

Other than that, I would continue do some oil and/or deep conditioning treatments, and focus on the rest of your health - the health of your hair will follow.

Good luck with the recovery and with your hair growth!

[lazuliblue]

I was severely underweight with anorexia a year and a half ago, and it damaged my hair SO much. It was so thin I ended up cutting it into a pixie. I'm at a healthy weight now and honestly the only thing keeping me from sliding back in to starving myself is that I want to have healthy hair! So it's a battle of wills at the moment between my desire to be 'thin' and my desire for having my hair back!

I'm trying to eat a lot of protein (because obviously that is what hair is) but being a vegetarian it makes it a bit more challenging! Like another person has said, nutritional drinks are fab, I take Complan (I'm in the UK, not sure if it's available elsewhere).

Anyway, my hair has grown 4 inches in 5 months, and is at the thickness it should be, so that's going well :)

[SilverDoe]

It's quite a long time ago since I was at my sickest. (At 13, I'm 21 now.)
And my body took it out on my hair the most, I had beautiful long, golden glowing, thick, fine hair with waves & perfect corkscrew curls.
But when I got ill, I completely lost my texture, thickness & color. I'm almost at peace with the fact that I'll never have my amazing hair back, though it's no longer crap at least.

What helped me besides actually eating, was protein shakes & good fats, both in supplements & good food. Hair supplements helped with the shedding.

Most usually regain healthy hair after recovery, sadly I wasn't one of them.

[hermosamendoza]

I've never had an eating disorder though some books describe my former eating habits as disordered eating..if that makes sense. BUT after having a baby my hair fell out for an entire year or more. I didn't understand why and I eventually cut it super short like in my first pic on the signature. It turned out to be my iron was low (among other things). As soon as I amped my eating up with iron-rich foods like meats, beans/legumes, avocados and oils like coconut oil and olive oil my hair stopped falling out and my nails stopped breaking.

It takes time to recover from extreme vitamin loss be patient and loving to yourself and your hair (like you already are)

[lazuliblue]

I like this thread. It's nice to know there's others out there that are using growing healthy hair as motivation for recovery :)

[stew]

I like this thread. It's nice to know there's others out there that are using growing healthy hair as motivation for recovery :)

healthy hair is fantastic motivation for overall health. i was also anorexic -- though only for a relatively short period -- when i was 14. this was when my hair was at its longest at waist length. i didn't notice a significant amount of hair loss then, but i have experienced hair loss for different reasons since then. i sympathize with both recovering from an eating disorder and hair loss. i only FULLY recovered from my eating disorder about eight months ago, meaning i don't think of food as an enemy or a nuisance anymore and i haven't gone through a cycle of minor self-starvation since then.

for me, at least, an eating disorder satisfied my need for control over a portion of my life, and now i've replaced it with nutritious eating and moderate exercise in favour of having long healthy hair again. :) good luck with your recovery, i know how tough it can be!

[leslissocool]

Hello! I have a history with anorexia.

I was severely anorexic, went to rehab and was put on IV's. I lost my period and I weighted about 85lbs. I lost most of my hair.

It really is about eating healthy. Protein was a HUGE factor for me, because if you don't eat enough your body uses it for major organs first and there is not enough for hair. So track your protein intake, and I'd suggest picking up some vitamins with iron in it.

Like many others mention, shakes really helped me to get protein. What also helped was eating avocados. They hare HIGHLY nutritious, I eat one 3 times a week and it really helped me. Also I eat raw veggies and fruit.

Also get blood pumping. I attribute my ability to maintain a healthy weight and not fall back on then anorexic wagon to weight lifting and plyo. Believe it or not, I fit into some of my anorexic clothing now and I am 30 lbs heavier because of weight lifting. Just seeing that I can have the body I want without starving, and have the hair I want completely changed my life.

:cheer: You are doing great! Stay strong, slowly you'll get all the hair you had back. It took me years for my body to heal, but it's AMAZING how resilient our bodies are!

[McFearless]

I'm happy for you, to hear you are in recovery and am wishing you the best. I would say patience is the most important thing you can have because it will take time until all follicles begin to produce the same hair it used to. As you watch your vitamin and mineral levels you can experiment with different hair washing methods like Conditioner Only, Water Only, or sulphate free shampoos. Scalp massages with oil can help speed things up a bit. Maybe a blunt haircut can freshen up your look and mask thinning ends. Good luck :)

[Wahinee]

Thank you for posting this! I have been lurking for a while and I actually joined because I saw this post.

I had anorexia for over 10 years, and broken, unhealthy hair. 3 years ago I entered treatment, and cut all of my hair off to symbolize a new beginning. I now have beautiful healthy hip length hair and a healthy body to go along with it!

Best of luck to you. It is really helpful to learn to take care of your hair and focus some of th eenergy you would give your eating disorder on your hair care. It's not an easy road, but it will get easier.

[winnifred17]

Thank you for posting this! I have been lurking for a while and I actually joined because I saw this post.

I had anorexia for over 10 years, and broken, unhealthy hair. 3 years ago I entered treatment, and cut all of my hair off to symbolize a new beginning. I now have beautiful healthy hip length hair and a healthy body to go along with it!

Best of luck to you. It is really helpful to learn to take care of your hair and focus some of th eenergy you would give your eating disorder on your hair care. It's not an easy road, but it will get easier.

Did each individual hair strand grow out thinner when your hair was unhealthy? And then did it become thick again after recovery? How long did it take?

[winnifred17]

Hello! I have a history with anorexia.

I was severely anorexic, went to rehab and was put on IV's. I lost my period and I weighted about 85lbs. I lost most of my hair.

It really is about eating healthy. Protein was a HUGE factor for me, because if you don't eat enough your body uses it for major organs first and there is not enough for hair. So track your protein intake, and I'd suggest picking up some vitamins with iron in it.

Like many others mention, shakes really helped me to get protein. What also helped was eating avocados. They hare HIGHLY nutritious, I eat one 3 times a week and it really helped me. Also I eat raw veggies and fruit.

Also get blood pumping. I attribute my ability to maintain a healthy weight and not fall back on then anorexic wagon to weight lifting and plyo. Believe it or not, I fit into some of my anorexic clothing now and I am 30 lbs heavier because of weight lifting. Just seeing that I can have the body I want without starving, and have the hair I want completely changed my life.

:cheer: You are doing great! Stay strong, slowly you'll get all the hair you had back. It took me years for my body to heal, but it's AMAZING how resilient our bodies are!

Is your hair back to the way it was before you had anorexia? And did each individual hair strand grow out thinner when you were unhealthy and then grow out thicker again when you recovered?

[winnifred17]

I want to offer hugs and support to you - recovering can be so daunting and awful. I was anorexic for about 2 years before my hair started to thin dramatically. I was so scared of losing all my hair that I tried to recover on my own, and ended up becoming bulimic for about 8 years. :rolleyes: So much for that. It wasn't until I got out of the abusive relationship I was in that I was secure enough in my life to focus on my health and actually get better.

I would recommend keeping your hair as an afterthought, if possible. Definitely take good care of it, but as your body heals, your hair will follow. :)

I wish you all the luck in the world! You are doing a great thing, and your hair will thank you.

Is your hair back to the way it was before you had anorexia? And did each individual hair strand grow out thinner when you were unhealthy and then grow out thicker again when you recovered?

[winnifred17]

I was just posting the other day how LHC helped me to overcome my eating disorder because I channeled my obsession to my hair instead of food. Recovery in general is the best thing you can do for you hair, follow a few small ideas from here (minimal heat, no harmful chemicals, and oiling every now and then) topped with focusing on recovery and you will see a drastic improvement in as little as three months. After a year of being here, I am baffled by the health of my hair. Good luck to you, I'm glad to hear from someone else who decided to start loving themselves again :)

Is your hair back to the way it was before you had anorexia? And did each individual hair strand grow out thinner when you were unhealthy and then grow out thicker again when you recovered?

[winnifred17]

I was severely underweight with anorexia a year and a half ago, and it damaged my hair SO much. It was so thin I ended up cutting it into a pixie. I'm at a healthy weight now and honestly the only thing keeping me from sliding back in to starving myself is that I want to have healthy hair! So it's a battle of wills at the moment between my desire to be 'thin' and my desire for having my hair back!

I'm trying to eat a lot of protein (because obviously that is what hair is) but being a vegetarian it makes it a bit more challenging! Like another person has said, nutritional drinks are fab, I take Complan (I'm in the UK, not sure if it's available elsewhere).

Anyway, my hair has grown 4 inches in 5 months, and is at the thickness it should be, so that's going well :)


Is your hair back to the way it was before you had anorexia? And did each individual hair strand grow out thinner when you were unhealthy and then grow out thicker again when you recovered?

[winnifred17]

It's quite a long time ago since I was at my sickest. (At 13, I'm 21 now.)
And my body took it out on my hair the most, I had beautiful long, golden glowing, thick, fine hair with waves & perfect corkscrew curls.
But when I got ill, I completely lost my texture, thickness & color. I'm almost at peace with the fact that I'll never have my amazing hair back, though it's no longer crap at least.

What helped me besides actually eating, was protein shakes & good fats, both in supplements & good food. Hair supplements helped with the shedding.

Most usually regain healthy hair after recovery, sadly I wasn't one of them.

Did each individual hair strand grow out thinner when you were unhealthy and then grow out thicker again when you recovered?

[winnifred17]

Be patient with yourself and your hair. There's a noticeable difference in quality and thickness between my ends, which I think were roots back when I was still on again/off again with disordered eating, and the last few years of growth during which I've sorted out my eating habits.

Everything growing out of your scalp from now on, given your improvement in diet, is going to be healthier hair than before. Proteins and healthy fats are a great start.

:grouphug: on going through the ED recovery process. We're all rooting for you!

Is your hair back to the way it was before you had anorexia? And did each individual hair strand grow out thinner when you were unhealthy and then grow out thicker again when you recovered?

[winnifred17]

Thank you for posting this! I have been lurking for a while and I actually joined because I saw this post.

I had anorexia for over 10 years, and broken, unhealthy hair. 3 years ago I entered treatment, and cut all of my hair off to symbolize a new beginning. I now have beautiful healthy hip length hair and a healthy body to go along with it!

Best of luck to you. It is really helpful to learn to take care of your hair and focus some of th eenergy you would give your eating disorder on your hair care. It's not an easy road, but it will get easier.

Is your hair back to the way it was before you had anorexia? And did each individual hair strand grow out thinner when you were unhealthy and then grow out thicker again when you recovered?

[winnifred17]

I was anorexic AND bleaching my hair and straightening it. Talk about damage! The best thing I ever did for my hair (and for myself in general) was to overcome my anorexia. I cut off all damaged hair around the time I began to recover, and with a healthy diet and regular exercise my hair grew back strong and healthy. No shampoo or oil or deep treatment or supplement can do what a good diet can do for our hair.
Eat a lot of fresh fruits and veggies, get plenty of protein, eat whole organic foods if you can, natural sugar and real butter, etc. Treat your body well and your hair will grow beautifully.
I know that recovering from an ED can be very scary, and there can be setbacks and relapses, but don't give up. You can do it.
Good luck and keep us updated on your progress!

Is your hair back to the way it was before you had anorexia? And did each individual hair strand grow out thinner when you were unhealthy and then grow out thicker again when you recovered?

[Sarahlabyrinth]

Winnifred, this is an old thread and those posters aren't around any more on the LHC.

I would imagine though, that given good nutrition, time and patience, hair would grow out healthier and thicker than previously. For most people, anyway :) But the advice there is good :D

[winnifred17]

Hugs to you...something similar happened to me in my teens and it took about a year for my hair to become vibrant and full again. I did have to have a major hair cut because my ends were thin. The best advice I have is to eat a very balanced and healthy diet, and whatever you are missing, you should replace it with vitamins.

Is your hair back to the way it was before you had anorexia? And did each individual hair strand grow out thinner when you were unhealthy and then grow out thicker again when you recovered?