Vitamin D3 to Help with Thinning Hair or Massive Shed?

[Tea Lady]

Has anyone had success with Vitamin D3 supplements to help with hair thinning/massive shed? I had a huge shed (I thought from stress most likely, and yet...?) at the start of the year. I have been taking a lot of steps, doing a lot of reading for solutions. I saw my endocrinologist, and she did a whole battery of tests. Among them was a Vitamin D level. Mine was 26; normal range is 32-100. She started me on Vitamin D3, 1000 IU daily. However, I was reading that one can take higher dosages. I plan on asking her, but I would like to take a supplement I found that provides 5000 IU daily.

I am also taking Biotin at her suggestion; I have taken this often before, but sporadically. I am also taking a multi-vitamin and Omega 3, 6, 9 oil. That and trying to eat healthier, exercise more, sleep more, and drink water, plus oiling my hair with various oils (castor oil mixed with jojoba, coconut, Better Botanicals hair oil, and a few drops of rosemary essential oils). I'm doing an analogy of that thing where you throw everything at a wall and see what sticks!!

Does anyone have any experience with Vitamin D3 and resolution of thinning/shedding? I would love to hear your thoughts.

Thanks, Tea Lady

[panffle]

I had a severe vitamin D deficiency (mine was way lower than yours) and started taking a supplement a few weeks ago. I take about 2000-4000 IU depending on how much sun exposure I got that day. I did notice a slight difference in shedding, although not amazing or anything... but I didn't experience severe hair loss before either, so I can't really tell.
Just remember that taking more will not make your hair loss suddenly stop, with vitamins it's about routine... you need to give your body some time to heal too. The hair is one of the last things to improve. Just like eating a lot of protein on one day will not give you one inch of growth overnight.

[rainfortheend]

Vitamin D didn't help me, but then again, my hair loss was Accutane-induced. It all depends on the cause of the hair loss.

If it's from stress, your body may be producing all thee excess androgens in response to your emotions. So your liver has to process all these excess hormones and gets overloaded. To help your liver deal with all these androgens, drink detox tea-- it has herbs that stimulate your liver's filtering feature. My hair loss has been tapering off recently because of it.

Sugars and carbohydrates can cause your blood sugar to rise, and the body produces hormones as it deals with it. Caffeine may also stimulate excess hormone production. Make most of your diet protein and fiber, and be sure to drink plenty of water to flush out your system.

[Firefox7275]

Are you not eating oily fish regularly? Pilchards/ sardines, mackerel and herring are excellent sources of bioavailable vitamin D, long chain omega-3s DHA and EPA and many other micronutrients, especially if you eat the crumbly bones in the canned stuff. Your 6s and 9s supplement may well be working against you because the US and UK diet contains an excess of omega-6s. These act in opposition to omega-3s blocking their beneficial effects, most are pro inflammatory which is not good for skin or hair health. The 9s are not classed as essential and again are abundant in our diet. Supplements should ideally be supplements only, they can never substitute for antioxidant rich wholefoods.

It's not necessarily a good idea to randomly try everything, anything you apply topically may be diluted or fight with one another, nutrients usually work synergistically and in opposition not in isolation. Vitamin D for example work synergistically with calcium and magnesium in bone health, magnesium and calcium oppose one another in muscle contraction and relaxation, vitamin D and magnesium are both important in mental wellbeing especially managing stress/ anxiety. Your choices of topicals as just oils seem more oriented to hair health than skin (scalp) health, have you considered actives like aloe vera, ceramides, allantoin or panthenol? Someone on another forum whose scientific background and opinion I respect raves about sea kelp bioferment for skin health and hair growth and has 'published' recipes incorporating other proven actives. She runs this store if you are into DIY, references to published studies for many actives even if you are not http://stores.skinessentialactives.com/StoreFront.bok
If DIY is not you thing Komaza Care make largely natural products based on their own work (they offer scalp and hair analyses) as well as published scientific research http://www.komazahaircare.com/

There are strong links between stress (not only life events but unhealthy lifestyle choices, poor sleep patterns etc put the body into a state of stress) and systemic inflammation, between stress and nutrient deficiencies, between inflammation and hair loss. Whilst formal exercise is normally beneficial it also stresses the body out and increases your need for every nutrient, you might be safer initially increasing your lifestyle physical activity to the equivalent of 10,000 steps a day.

HTH.

[lilliemer]

This is good advice but women of childbearing age (pregnant/breastfeeding/may become pregnant) may unfortunately have to avoid these oily fish because of contaminants in the oceanborne food supply.

http://www.nhs.uk/chq/pages/should-pregnant-and-breastfeeding-women-avoid-some-types-of-fish.aspx?categoryid=54&subcategoryid=216#close

[Firefox7275]

This is good advice but women of childbearing age (pregnant/breastfeeding/may become pregnant) may unfortunately have to avoid these oily fish because of contaminants in the oceanborne food supply.

http://www.nhs.uk/chq/pages/should-pregnant-and-breastfeeding-women-avoid-some-types-of-fish.aspx?categoryid=54&subcategoryid=216#close

Your link does NOT say that all women of childbearing age/ may become pregnant have to avoid oily fish!! UK mainstream medical/ nutrition advice for the general population is to eat at least two servings per week, but to avoid specific large carnivorous sea fish during pregnancy or when TTC. The body of published scientific evidence for the benefits of long chain omega-3s and bioavailable vitamin D is overwhelming, I can assure you for the vast majority of the population the negative effects of deficiency far outweigh any small risks of contaminants in small oily fish such as the ones I listed. Omega-3s are classed as essential nutrients just as vitamins and minerals are not optional extras, fish and other seafood is a food group we evolved eating on a daily basis.

That NHS link says
"You can eat most types of fish when you're pregnant or breastfeeding. Eating fish is good for your health and your baby’s development. However, you should avoid eating some types of fish and limit the amount you eat of others ...
When you're pregnant or trying to get pregnant, do not eat:
shark
swordfish
marlin

When you're pregnant or trying to get pregnant, you should limit the amount of tuna you eat because it also contains high levels of mercury. Don’t eat more than:
two tuna steaks a week (weighing about 140g when cooked or 170g raw)
four medium-sized cans of tuna a week (about 140g a can when drained) ...

These types of fish contain high levels of mercury, which can damage your baby’s developing nervous system .... Pregnant women should also limit how much oily fish they eat because it contains pollutants such as dioxins and PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls). Don’t eat more than two portions of oily fish a week."

[Allychan]

My hubby is an x-skipper on a long line fishing vessel, these fish Shark, Swordfish, and Marlin that they are testing are huge (over 100kg) and old fish, that's why they have so much mercury. ie Smaller fish are ok, it's just the huge old ones you need to steer clear of

[Othala]

I take 5000 iu of vitamin D3 every day winter and summer and it had had no effect on my shedding. I still shed about 150 to 200 hairs a day.

[BeccaAngel]

My sister is taking D3 for her vitamin D deficiency, I hope it works out for her :)

[jeanniet]

I was diagnosed with Vitamin D deficiency a couple of years ago, but I don't remember what my levels were. I live in a sunny climate and do spend time outdoors, but don't seem to absorb D very well. Anyway, my shed level was the same either way. I do shed quite a bit, but it's always been fairly consistent so I don't think it's abnormal. Did you have your D levels retested? You may not be taking quite enough.

[Silverbrumby]

Vitamin d made no difference to me.

Questions

1 age range? I started heavy shredding with perimenopause.

2. Iron levels

3. Have you changed your shampoo wash

4 what is your pony tail circumference

6. Have you recently gone off or on birth control

7 Or recently had a baby

[Tea Lady]

Hi all, thanks for the replies.

panffle - Yes, I will try to patient. It is very hard though! It's as though I want this fixed yesterday. I find it hard not to feel anxious about it.

rainfortheend - Good point about the liver and detox. Is there a specific detox tea you recommend? It's funny that you mention the sugar and caffeine. I recently went on a three-week cleanse that including not eating alcohol, animal products (including dairy, I don't eat meat anyway, but am heavy on the dairy products usually), caffeine, gluten, and refined sugars. I felt really good during those three weeks! I m thinking ever since that I should try to keep to the cleanse for the most part, with only occasional ventures into the non-cleanse foods.

Firefox 7275 - I don't eat meat or fish because I am vegetarian. I hope that means I am not subject to the imbalance in the Omegas that you mentioned. You are right about the random trying everything as possibly not a good idea!! It is mostly that I feel such panic about this shed. It is literally terrifying, and I think especially for a longhair. Because all I can think about is that even if I am successful in stopping this thinning/shedding, it will take so long for the new hairs to grow out. It is like starting over. Thank you for the links. I especially liked the Komaza Hair Care one.
There are strong links between stress (not only life events but unhealthy lifestyle choices, poor sleep patterns etc put the body into a state of stress) and systemic inflammation, between stress and nutrient deficiencies, between inflammation and hair loss. I do agree with this, which I am slowly learning. I wish I knew before how profound an effect stress can have on a body.

lilliemer - You know, one of the reasons we gave up fish also when we stopped eating other meats 23 years ago was for this very reason. I had a hard time giving up fish at first, but the concerns about the possible high mercury content convinced me.

Allychan - That makes sense, the longer exposure.

Othala - Thanks, good to know. Now that my shedding is slowing down (I hope), I shed anywhere from a normal, sometimes even low amount (35-100), But then there are other days when it is 100-225 or so. It averages out, which is my saving grace, to 80, at least for the two months when I did a daily count (tedious!).

BeccaAngel - I hope so too, for your sister and me!

jeanniet - I will be tested mid-summer. She will be testing both the Vitamin D and re-testing my Thyroid levels. I am curious to see how they change.

Silverbrumby - (My answers are added after your questions/bolded)
Questions

1 age range? I started heavy shredding with perimenopause. I am almost 55, and peri-menopause is definitely an issue. :-(

2. Iron levels These were fine.

3. Have you changed your shampoo wash I didn't during the time the shedding started, and I have been fairly consistent with the one I switched to onee I realized the extent of the shed. I am trying new shampoo bars once they arrive in the mail.

4 what is your pony tail circumference Currently 2.5", but I am fairly certain ir=t was at leat 3" prior (I had measured long ago for my hair typing, but cannot remember except that it was in the 3 range).

6. Have you recently gone off or on birth control N/A!!

7 Or recently had a baby N/A!!

Thanks again all, and I am happy to hear additional replies on the subject. Any and all information I can get, I appreciate.

Tea Lady

[longhairedlady]

My level came back at a 9 and I started out with 10000 IUs, and tapered down to 5000 ius. That was in Juanusry when I started and I get my level rechecked soon to see where its at.

I have noticed in the last couple months new hair growth and faster hair growth, so I think its related to my levels improving.

[Firefox7275]

rainfortheend - Good point about the liver and detox. Is there a specific detox tea you recommend? It's funny that you mention the sugar and caffeine. I recently went on a three-week cleanse that including not eating alcohol, animal products (including dairy, I don't eat meat anyway, but am heavy on the dairy products usually), caffeine, gluten, and refined sugars. I felt really good during those three weeks! I m thinking ever since that I should try to keep to the cleanse for the most part, with only occasional ventures into the non-cleanse foods.

Firefox 7275 - I don't eat meat or fish because I am vegetarian. I hope that means I am not subject to the imbalance in the Omegas that you mentioned. You are right about the random trying everything as possibly not a good idea!! It is mostly that I feel such panic about this shed. It is literally terrifying, and I think especially for a longhair. Because all I can think about is that even if I am successful in stopping this thinning/shedding, it will take so long for the new hairs to grow out. It is like starting over. Thank you for the links. I especially liked the Komaza Hair Care one. I do agree with this, which I am slowly learning. I wish I knew before how profound an effect stress can have on a body.

lilliemer - You know, one of the reasons we gave up fish also when we stopped eating other meats 23 years ago was for this very reason. I had a hard time giving up fish at first, but the concerns about the possible high mercury content convinced me.

Tea Lady

I think Komaza Care are a best-kept-secret but worried I sound like an employee I mention them so much on hair forums, ha ha!!

Yes being vegetarian you are at particular risk of fatty acid imbalances. Plants only contain short chain omega-3s which are converted to the useable long chain format at rates than can be as low as 10% (tho usually higher in veggies). Omega-6s are far more abundant in nature being found in grains, nuts and seeds, vegetable oils. There are a couple of solutions, firstly to eat a ridiculous amount of ground flax, chia, or flaxseed oil daily (basically organise your diet around it, none should be heated or cooked!); secondly and more practically to eat omega-enriched eggs regularly AND take a marine algae extract supplement supplying a decent amount of DHA and EPA. The highest I know of is Opti-3 which is also a source of bioavailable vitamin D, tho I am not sure if you can get that in the US.

There is only higher contaminant content in SOME fish, particularly in large carnivorous fish at the top of the food chain and from certain parts of the world. Small wild caught oily fish like sardines, mackerel, herring and anchovies are not generally considered to be a risk. There are literally hundreds of peer reviewed studies showing the benefits of the bioavailable vitamin D and long chain omega-3s, these are classed as essential nutrients. By all means choose not to eat fish for ethical reasons but do not swallow the pseudo-science and half truths churned out by some in alternative health.

Please don't do 'cleanses' without appropriate medical supervision - registered dietician or consultant doctor - these are just highly restrictive imbalanced diets and there is little to no scientific evidence that they are effective and some evidence they can be harmful. You already eat a restricted diet being vegetarian and are already experiencing nutrient deficiencies. The human body evolved eating a wide variety of different wholefoods from multiple groups including daily seafood, if you cut one group out you must replace with other foods supplying the same nutrients. For example people of European descent have adapted to benefit from dairy products because we stopped eating whole fish bones and long cooked land animal bone stock. What is important if you eat a plenty of dairy products is to balance the calcium intake with magnesium rich foods such as cocoa powder, pumpkin seeds, chia, ground flaxseeds, wheat bran and rice bran. Magnesium is critical in stress/ anxiety management, is deficient in modern soils, alcohol and sweating rob the body of magnesium.

Without these minerals the body cannot maintain homeostasis unless it robs from our bones, needing to dip into stores can put the body into a state of stress as can generally eating low calorie. This increase in stress hormones like adrenaline partly or wholly explains changes in mood or energy levels when undertaking highly restrictive diets. This effect has also been measured in intermittent fasting type diets.

Having said that alcohol, caffeine and sugar are all highly inflammatory and should comprise only a small proportion of our daily calorie intake. I wouldn't describe cutting back on these anything other than everyday healthy eating. No evidence that gluten is 'bad' for most people but foods that contain wheat are often highly refined and processed which again should be kept to a minimum, few of us eat whole wheat berries. If you have negative effects from wheat it's far more likely to be the high glycaemic index (pro inflammatory) carbs than gluten which is only one of a number of proteins in wheat. Like any foodstuff wheat should be eaten in moderation and balanced out with nutrient dense, lower GI unprocessed carbs like beans, lentils, low sugar fruits and non starchy vegetables. I wouldn't suggest one of my nutrition clients eat two or three bananas three times a day any more than I would recommend commercial wheat cereal for breakfast, sandwich for lunch and pasta for dinner. Again this is not detoxing, having small servings of a wide variety of wholefoods is everyday healthy eating.

The human body also evolved to 'detox' itself effectively given a balanced diet and lifestyle - our liver, kidneys, bladder, digestive tract, lungs and skin are ALL involved in excretion; these function best when given complete protein, carbohydrates, essential fats, bulking fibre, vitamins, minerals AND antioxidants. Furthermore as we move our large muscles pump the lymphatic system which also aids in 'detoxing' and immune function which is why the daily 10,000 steps is more important than formally exercising a couple of times a week. Basically humans evolved to be on the move.

HTH.

[Silverbrumby]

I went from around 3 to about a 2.6 now but the drop off past shoulder is the biggest issue I'm facing. I have a lot of hair on my head but after shoulder my ponytail is 1' if I'm lucky. It's rather odd but my terminal length has shrunk as well as the volume of hair on my head.

Hang in there. What I'm currently doing is taking Biosil, biotin and upper the protein. My hair, skin and nails are all looking better but the shedding and getting more hair and longer hair hasn't happened in the two years I've been doing this. There is a part of me which is making peace with this volume of hair and finding the best ways to enjoy it. I think maybe that's the best one can do and any bonus (new growth!) is a wonderful surprise. Of course take care of the health issues!

[Tea Lady]

There is a part of me which is making peace with this volume of hair and finding the best ways to enjoy it. I think maybe that's the best one can do and any bonus (new growth!) is a wonderful surprise.

Yes, I am trying to think this way too. Something that helped was watching a youtube video of another member here from LHC who has had issues with shedding. Her hair is thinner, yes, but it is so well cared for and looks beautiful. I guess it's a matter of learning to admire one's own hair!

Tea Lady

[Kate199023]

I was wondering about myself and lack of Vitamin D3 with shedding. I've been shedding rather badly . I want to ask my Dr to check my levels but he's quit an a hole at times lol I wonder if I should just go ahead and buy Vitamin D3 and see what happens.

[Johannah]

I've had a vitamin D deficiency as well. My hair looked dull, but didn't shed. I think it's possible this will solve your problem, though!

[jeanniet]

No, you shouldn't just randomly supplement yourself with D, or any other vitamin for that matter. If you don't need the D, you'll be overdosing yourself and that could have negative effects. Get a blood panel done if you think you might be low on D or something else. Really, the best thing to do is to improve your diet if you're concerned about your nutrition. Real food is much, much better than supplementation. If you don't eat a lot of vegetables, start there--try to eat at least 5-7 servings a day. Veggies have a ton of nutrients that are good for your hair and skin, plus fiber. Way better than a pill!

[walterSCAN]

No, you shouldn't just randomly supplement yourself with D, or any other vitamin for that matter. If you don't need the D, you'll be overdosing yourself and that could have negative effects. Get a blood panel done if you think you might be low on D or something else. Really, the best thing to do is to improve your diet if you're concerned about your nutrition. Real food is much, much better than supplementation. If you don't eat a lot of vegetables, start there--try to eat at least 5-7 servings a day. Veggies have a ton of nutrients that are good for your hair and skin, plus fiber. Way better than a pill!

In this case, she's not randomly supplementing herself-- her endocrinologist ran blood tests and put her on a D supplement. She was just curious if a higher dose supplement would be beneficial or not, or had been beneficial to anyone here, and does plan to ask the endo about it as well.

[ExpectoPatronum]

I recently went to the doctor on my campus when I was rather sick and she suggested I take 2000IU of vitamin D a day to help boost my immune system. I take around 1600IU, 1000 in just a D supplement in the morning and 600IU in a supplement with calcium, magnesium, and zinc at night. It's not what she said to take exactly, but I maintain a fairly healthy diet and do try to get out in the sun when it's out (rare up here, plus I'm usually stuck studying inside :/). I've been taking this for a few weeks and it's helped me to just feel better overall, and I've actually been sleeping better, which I attribute to the magnesium. I can't say I've noticed if it's decreased my shedding as I've changed my routine since then. I just know it's helped me in other ways that I didn't really know I needed until now.

[sourgrl]

I recently had bloodwork done by my doctor because of thinning hair. One of the things he checked was my Vitamin D levels. Good thing too because it was at an 18 :shocked: He immediately put me on a Vitamin D supplement, which I hope to be able to stop taking when summer rolls around. That said, he specifically said that most hair loss in women is attributed to stress and to go back about 6 months to look at what may have triggered the loss. In my case, it was definitely stress related.

[jeanniet]

In this case, she's not randomly supplementing herself-- her endocrinologist ran blood tests and put her on a D supplement. She was just curious if a higher dose supplement would be beneficial or not, or had been beneficial to anyone here, and does plan to ask the endo about it as well.

Sorry, I should have quoted. I was replying to Kate, not the OP (this thread is older), who has not had her levels checked.

I take 3000IU daily now. My doctor had me increase it based on the results of my last bloodtest.

[swearnsue]

My doctor had me take 2,000 units of Vitamin D a day after a blood test. This was years ago. After my D levels were good he said to continue to take "at least 1,000 units per day."

I would take whatever the doctor recommends. I have a calcium supplement that has Vit D in it too.

[Lissandria]

I always shed a lot of hair due to vitamin D deficiency. After about 9 months or so of taking supplements my shedding dramatically reduced. It usually takes at least 6-12 months to really notice an improvement from taking supplements.

[walterSCAN]

Sorry, I should have quoted. I was replying to Kate, not the OP (this thread is older), who has not had her levels checked.

I take 3000IU daily now. My doctor had me increase it based on the results of my last bloodtest.

Oh my, I did not realize the original post was from June, or I would have realized that you were likely talking to Kate. Sorry about that! :flower: I definitely agree that one should have their levels/ overall health checked before starting specific supplements like that.

Incidentally, Kate199023, if my doctor were such an a-hole that I hesitated to make appointments, I'd find a new one. Just my :twocents:

[jeanniet]

Oh my, I did not realize the original post was from June, or I would have realized that you were likely talking to Kate. Sorry about that! :flower: I definitely agree that one should have their levels/ overall health checked before starting specific supplements like that.

Incidentally, Kate199023, if my doctor were such an a-hole that I hesitated to make appointments, I'd find a new one. Just my :twocents:

No problem! :) I agree that perhaps it's time to find a new doctor. Kate, Vit. D is fat soluble, so you don't want an excess building up. But even with water soluble vitamins, it's better to know if you really need them first, because everything is processed through liver and kidneys and no sense in making them work if it's not necessary.

[Kate199023]

Sorry it took me so long to reply to this as I lost my password lol Anyway I saw different Dr and he had me get my thyroid check. I don't know the results yet . I do belive most if not all my hair loss is hair Shed and not breakage. Its either stress or something else.

[Kate199023]

well my thyroid is normal so now I have no idea what is

[Samantha303]

I always shed a lot of hair due to vitamin D deficiency. After about 9 months or so of taking supplements my shedding dramatically reduced. It usually takes at least 6-12 months to really notice an improvement from taking supplements.

Hi, may I ask what was your level and your dosage? How long did you take supplements before your level improved? Thank you!

[tigereye]

I tested for vitamin D deficiency too (I live in the sunniest place in Scotland, and yet, we still don't get enough UV to produce any Vit D for most of the year. In winter they reckon around 85% of us are D-deficient. It's unfortunately been quite heavily linked to the shorter life expectancy in Scotland than down in the south of England, above alcohol and diet).
They wanted me to go on D2, but I ended up on D3 after doing a bit of research. The majority of science journals on the databases I get access to as a science student have shown that D3 is more effective at raising vitamin D levels and most experts recommend using it instead of D2. I'm on sublingual 3000IU (sublingual meaning under the tongue, so it's more bio available. I won't bore you with the mathematics, but under the tongue, Vitamin D more directly enters the bloodstream so less is lost via the GI tract. It's all to do with pH and individual properties of the compound). I take it as long as I don't show any side effects - I usually have to stop taking it when I go to work in Europe as I have the last couple of summers and get a sudden burst of my skin producing its own. It's not enough to keep my vitamin D up for that long after returning though. If it's over cast for a couple of months after getting back to Scotland, I'm deficient in a couple of months unless it's either very sunny (and before September has arrived) or I take my supplements. I don't know if I just use it up really quickly or something.
One thing I suggest is keeping an eye out for signs your body is getting too much (like I said, I only get this if I'm in Europe in summer and keep taking my supplements - I'm very pale, so my body probably makes a lot with only a short amount of sun exposure). For me, I get very similar symptoms to what I get with excessive stress - loss of appetite, become very thirsty. I get these symptoms at what I expect to be far, far less than what people say it's apparently "safe" to take. I probably start to show symptoms at not much above 12,000 a day including sun exposure. It's probably partly because I struggle to keep my weight up, and since vit. D is lipophilic, I have less fat to store excessive amounts in (also probably why it drops so fast for me when I don't have the sun or supplements as there is not as much stored) Don't listen to numbers - listen to your body.

My usually stress shedding at exam time did improve a small amount, but then I more recently had a massive mini-pill-induced shed when I started that last winter. Vitamin D made absolutely no difference in that.
What I have noticed is my nails are growing! My cousin noticed a similar thing with moving from the northern-most part of the Scottish mainland to a sunnier area down south - her hair and nails are growing back. She was showing signs of vit D deficiency for years, but never got them looked at, but moving to a place sunny enough for her to make some vitamin D has made all the difference. I think it entirely depends on whether the increased shedding/reduced nail growth was related to the deficiency. If it's not, you probably won't see any difference, but if it is, then you might. If it's hormonal, rather than deficiency related, I doubt vitamins would help much at all I'm afraid.

[mira-chan]

I had shedding from Vitamin D deficiency that improved with Vitamin D3 supplementation. I've been told I'll have to take 2,000UI daily, indefinitely. I live in a sunny place but my body apparently does produce vitamin D as it should. My shed was related to the deficiency so things improved.

[mamaherrera]

I knew androgens came in from PCOS, but I never knew that stress causes more androgens out there. I am always stressed (often times about my hair shedding) and I have high androgens (from bloodwork) I need to chill out, and I bet, if I could just learn patience, that my hair would probably improve. but it would take lots of time since I've been in a stressed-state (out of habit) for so many years.

[jeanniet]

I didn't even know you could get sublingual D. I'll have to look for that. I tested on the low end of normal even on 3000iu a day, so now I'm on 5000iu. And I'm in California!

[tigereye]

I didn't even know you could get sublingual D. I'll have to look for that. I tested on the low end of normal even on 3000iu a day, so now I'm on 5000iu. And I'm in California!

It's hard to find D3 alone in sublingual tablets despite it being one of the better ways to take it, but I get mine from the chemist. They're similar to these (clicky) (http://www.puritan.com/vitamin-d-326/microlingual-d3-5000-iu-instant-dissolve-tablets-070842) that just dissolve gently under the tongue, only 3000IU (the ones I linked are 5000IU) and a different brand name. Mine from the chemist are peppermint flavoured but they don't seem to sell them online or in the US.
Similarly, you can also get sublingual sprays like this one (http://www.hollandandbarrett.com/shop/product/betteryou-dlux-3000-vitamin-d-oral-spray-60012895) that work very well for kids with D-deficiency. They only go up to 3000IU though, so are often not enough for deficient adults, but they tend to be high enough for deficient kids. They're what I used when the chemist was out of my usual and had to get them ordered in.