Hair protection while walking to work (and unrelated hair loss Q to avoid flooding)

[samanthaj08]

Daily I walk about 8 miles (round trip) to work in Illinois. I typically just braid and hair stick it. My hair is wavy/curly depending on when the last time I washed it is and just past waist. Is this adequate? Or what would you do?

Also, on a more depressing note.. my hair has lost about half it's thickness since I was in high school (graduated 2008, so not that long). I had to have it thinned back then because I literally couldn't get anything through it. I, stupidly, used Garnier Fructis mousse DAILY after washing my hair DAILY. Yea, facepalm. Anyhow, my hair was mostly normal until a few years ago. I asked my doctor and he said that to really know anything, he would have to take a blood test. And I freaked and and changed my mind.

But now, I'm getting really freaked out. My hair looks normal when it's dry, but when it's wet.. it's so thin looking. My hair comes out just running my hand through it which is SUPER embarrassing at work. I only wash my hair once a week now because so much comes out after washing. I'm completely freaking out because my hair is my safety blanket. Like, I need it. It's my life force.

A couple of hypotheses:
-converting to full on vegetarian a few years ago.. maybe lack of protein? B12? Something else?
-moving to a new town two years ago.. I read something here about water hardness in different cities/countries affecting it. When my boyfriend (lives in India) came to my town for a week, his hair was falling a lot. So maybe?
-past chemical abuse coming up to bite me? That's the only real thing I've ever done to it.. I straightened it twice (too exhausting to do it habitually) and haven't ever dyed it

Do you have any ideas or any way to narrow it down? Or just go to a doctor?

Thanks :)

[jeanniet]

Definitely go to the doctor and have a full blood panel done as a first step. Being vegetarian doesn't automatically mean you're deficient, and it's entirely possible to get plenty of protein, but that doesn't mean your diet is the best it could be. You can get B12 from eggs and dairy, so that shouldn't be a problem. Make sure the blood panel includes thyroid, since that's a common cause of hair loss, and you don't always have obvious symptoms of low thyroid. Low vitamin D is another possibility, low iron, etc.

It's also possible to have thinning due to breakage, but that would more apparent on your ends (I mean the hair would be coming out of your head with normal thickness, but thinning rapidly at a certain point such as past shoulder length). Hard water could theoretically make your hair more brittle and prone to breakage, but I don't think it would make it fall out. Really, the best thing to do is to start with a doctor visit and go from there.

[SilknStarch]

If it is as bad as you describe, I would start with the blood work. If it is as simple as bad hard water, it might be simple as water filtration or chelation. If something more serious like thyroid or a deficiency you really want to find out for your hair and for your health. It's just a little needle... I'd go for it.

[teela1978]

Also... start measuring your thickness circumference. Saying "my hair is half as thin!" has a bit more pull if you can actually track the thinning through real measurements.

[samanthaj08]

Thanks everyone :)

The reason I say half is because daily I used to wear my hair in pig tail braids, and now a single braid is less than half of how thick those were. I had beastly thick hair lol

[Firefox7275]

Daily I walk about 8 miles (round trip) to work in Illinois. I typically just braid and hair stick it. My hair is wavy/curly depending on when the last time I washed it is and just past waist. Is this adequate? Or what would you do?

Also, on a more depressing note.. my hair has lost about half it's thickness since I was in high school (graduated 2008, so not that long). I had to have it thinned back then because I literally couldn't get anything through it. I, stupidly, used Garnier Fructis mousse DAILY after washing my hair DAILY. Yea, facepalm. Anyhow, my hair was mostly normal until a few years ago. I asked my doctor and he said that to really know anything, he would have to take a blood test. And I freaked and and changed my mind.

But now, I'm getting really freaked out. My hair looks normal when it's dry, but when it's wet.. it's so thin looking. My hair comes out just running my hand through it which is SUPER embarrassing at work. I only wash my hair once a week now because so much comes out after washing. I'm completely freaking out because my hair is my safety blanket. Like, I need it. It's my life force.

A couple of hypotheses:
-converting to full on vegetarian a few years ago.. maybe lack of protein? B12? Something else?
-moving to a new town two years ago.. I read something here about water hardness in different cities/countries affecting it. When my boyfriend (lives in India) came to my town for a week, his hair was falling a lot. So maybe?
-past chemical abuse coming up to bite me? That's the only real thing I've ever done to it.. I straightened it twice (too exhausting to do it habitually) and haven't ever dyed it

Do you have any ideas or any way to narrow it down? Or just go to a doctor?

Thanks :)

You need to see a doctor and have tests run, you should not be losing hair so young.

Nothing stopping you also taking a long hard look at your diet - not simply because you are vegetarian but because most people would benefit from that. An awful lot of us are creatures of habit eating a poor variety, too much processed/ ready made stuff and not enough wholefoods, many people on a 'diet (be that ethical, moral or weight loss) combine restrictions of the 'diet' with the restrictions of our personal taste and end up imbalanced.

Consider complete protein (little and often), type of carbohydrates (whole/ unprocessed/ very low glycaemic index/ hidden sugar), amount of fat (little and often), type of fat (especially long chain omega-3s, you don't have oily fish), vitamin B12, bioavailable vitamin D (you don't have oily fish), iron (you don't have the haem form), balance of calcium to magnesium, if you eat the full rainbow of produce daily (blue/ purple, dark green, red, yellow/orange), general variety that you eat, general balance of processed to unprocessed (processed includes breakfast cereals, breads, jar sauces not just junk).

Also worthwhile reviewing your general lifestyle - physical activity levels (8 miles sounds great but do increase your nutrient intake accordingly), sleep patterns, stress management, overweight/ underweight, smoking, alcohol, caffeine, skipping meals.

Could ensure your haircare regime is scalp friendly, don't use sulphate surfactants as they have been implicated in hair loss, preferably no anionic surfactants, no alkaline soap or baking soda. Instead a product at pH 4.5 to 5.5, gentle ingredients like aloe vera inner leaf gel if you are fine with that. Consider if there is any traction alopecia issue with you having long (?heavy) hair and walking to work.

[samanthaj08]

You need to see a doctor and have tests run, you should not be losing hair so young.

Nothing stopping you also taking a long hard look at your diet - not simply because you are vegetarian but because most people would benefit from that. An awful lot of us are creatures of habit eating a poor variety, too much processed/ ready made stuff and not enough wholefoods, many people on a 'diet (be that ethical, moral or weight loss) combine restrictions of the 'diet' with the restrictions of our personal taste and end up imbalanced.

Consider complete protein (little and often), type of carbohydrates (whole/ unprocessed/ very low glycaemic index/ hidden sugar), amount of fat (little and often), type of fat (especially long chain omega-3s, you don't have oily fish), vitamin B12, bioavailable vitamin D (you don't have oily fish), iron (you don't have the haem form), balance of calcium to magnesium, if you eat the full rainbow of produce daily (blue/ purple, dark green, red, yellow/orange), general variety that you eat, general balance of processed to unprocessed (processed includes breakfast cereals, breads, jar sauces not just junk).

Also worthwhile reviewing your general lifestyle - physical activity levels (8 miles sounds great but do increase your nutrient intake accordingly), sleep patterns, stress management, overweight/ underweight, smoking, alcohol, caffeine, skipping meals.

Could ensure your haircare regime is scalp friendly, don't use sulphate surfactants as they have been implicated in hair loss, preferably no anionic surfactants, no alkaline soap or baking soda. Instead a product at pH 4.5 to 5.5, gentle ingredients like aloe vera inner leaf gel if you are fine with that. Consider if there is any traction alopecia issue with you having long (?heavy) hair and walking to work.

Thank you so much for being so thorough! Seriously, I love you right now. Appointment for doctor in a half hour. Wish me luck :)

[Firefox7275]

Thank you so much for being so thorough! Seriously, I love you right now. Appointment for doctor in a half hour. Wish me luck :)

Wow that is efficient! I hope it gives you peace of mind/ helps you feel you are moving forwards, please do update the thread.

[PetuniaBlossom]

Firefox, just a quick note to say that your comments and suggestions are always right on the money. I think you've helped a lot of people with your wise and insightful posts. You and a few others make this forum a valuable resource. Thanks for that.

[Othala]

I second what PetuniaBlossom said above. Firefox7275, you have been providing excellent information and guidance for folks here and we all benefit from that. Thank you.

[jacqueline101]

I'd see a doctor and get lab work done. That seems to be a lot of hair.

[emilyann]

I'm so wary about vegetarianism. Some people do just fine on it, but after four years of following a very strict vegetarian diet, I began to see all sorts of health problems, including my current, irreversible hypothyroidism. No one in my family has any of the health problems that I now have. Like I said, some people do perfectly fine as vegetarians, vegans, paleo eaters, raw foodists; many even thrive.

BUT it's definitely worth analyzing how you feel physically and mentally whenever you are following any kind of restricted diet, including changes in hair, skin and nails (which often correlate with changes in hormones), changes in weight without "trying," changes in thought patterns (anxiety, depression), and changes in energy. If you never experience any of this, and feel awesome most of the time, you might be a lucky one that can play around with diet. Just be honest with yourself, your health is more important than a philosophy :)

For protective styles, I tend to put it in some kind of bun with a stick or a fork. I avoid using elastic bands on a daily basis, but some days I just want a dang braid! Typically I will french, dutch or english braid a single braid down the back, that way I feel less scalp pull because it's distributed more evenly over my head. If I dutch braid I can easily secure my braid in a bun without an elastic using a fork, and it doesn't slip all day.

Good luck, I hope you learn something helpful from your tests, or at least rule out something! :)

[samanthaj08]

So he checked my thyroid (by hand only, no tests) and asked general lifestyle questions. Then sat with a confused look on his face, before telling me to take Biotin (which I already do).. so he said take more. Then he gave me a referral to a dermatologist and I have an appointment in two weeks ><

Oh, and he basically refused me bloodwork saying it was entirely unnecessary. He said that if it's truly needed, the 'specialist' will ask.

Have you guys ever been blown off like that?

[emilyann]

Lame! Ask to see a specialist if he won't check your levels; a thyroid disorder could be serious. Hair loss as you described it is a symptom of something! However, you might get somewhere with a dermatologist. Worth checking into!

[samanthaj08]

I'm so wary about vegetarianism. Some people do just fine on it, but after four years of following a very strict vegetarian diet, I began to see all sorts of health problems, including my current, irreversible hypothyroidism. No one in my family has any of the health problems that I now have. Like I said, some people do perfectly fine as vegetarians, vegans, paleo eaters, raw foodists; many even thrive.

BUT it's definitely worth analyzing how you feel physically and mentally whenever you are following any kind of restricted diet, including changes in hair, skin and nails (which often correlate with changes in hormones), changes in weight without "trying," changes in thought patterns (anxiety, depression), and changes in energy. If you never experience any of this, and feel awesome most of the time, you might be a lucky one that can play around with diet. Just be honest with yourself, your health is more important than a philosophy :)

I certainly hope that I'm one of the lucky ones. I feel totally fine physically though, just this hair issue.


For protective styles, I tend to put it in some kind of bun with a stick or a fork. I avoid using elastic bands on a daily basis, but some days I just want a dang braid! Typically I will french, dutch or english braid a single braid down the back, that way I feel less scalp pull because it's distributed more evenly over my head. If I dutch braid I can easily secure my braid in a bun without an elastic using a fork, and it doesn't slip all day.

Great ideas :) I'll have to YouTube them to find a good tutorial.

Thanks for your input :)