First Time Growing Long Hair.. Problem And Advice?

[DLL333]

Hey everyone! New on the forum, thought I'd join a group of long hair enthusiasts to see what information I can get from people who've done it and know how to take care of it, you know? I've ALWAYS had a buzzed head, just suited me better and there was no maintenance, etc.. but now I'm growing my hair long for the first time, and I'm getting pretty stoked! It's probably about 2-3 inches long (doesn't seem like much, but for me it's a lot) and I'm having some concerns that maybe some people can help me with.

First of all, I'm really noticing my hair falling out now. Maybe it always did (I heard people lose around 100 hairs every day) and I just didn't notice, but every day when I brush it or comb it, a sometimes uncomfortable amount of hair is coming out. Same with when I shampoo/conditioner it. It seems to be considerably thinner on the top of my head, especially towards the back. The sides and back are thicker. My hair itself looks like it's getting thicker and longer, but there are spots where it's noticeably thinner.

I started using a product called Doo Gro - ( the one with no mineral oil) , and I'm noticing that all it's doing making more hair fall out, so I stopped.

I use a shampoo/conditioner called Nutri-Ox, and I also use the spray, which I use on my scalp morning and night. It's specially for thinning hair.

I take multi-vitamins and krill oil, and some extra Vitamin E.

I live in Arizona, where the water is really nasty, so we use a shower filter to help remove some of the trace metals/chlorine, etc.

I suppose this could be male-pattern baldness? I really have no idea. It's not TERRIBLE like to where I need to comb anything over or anything like that, but the top of my head is noticeably thinner and I'm kind of freaking out about it now that I can notice it. Could this be the heat? The water? Genetics? DHT? Is there any product you can recommend or any advice on making the hair thicker on the top? I heard of a DHT blocker shampoo that's supposed to work well.

Thank you so much in advance! Let me know if you need to see pictures.

[jrmviola]

There is a men's thread, it might could help you (Gentlemen... Start your postings!) is the name of the thread...

[Hairitic]

Many have found success applying Monistat (for yeast vaginal infections) to their scalp a few times a week. A more natural product many find works is Castor Oil. There are related threads on the boards. Enjoy and Welcome! :disco:

Here's the Monistat thread:
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=156

Here's the Castor Oil thread:
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/forum.php

[AmyBeth]

It might be helpful to you to actually count the dropped hair for a week or so to see where you're actually at. If you have kept a shaven head for a while, you may not be used to seeing hair drop. People do undergo periodic major sheds which really have no impact on the thickness of your hair. You can try to use monistat, but that is used mostly to speed up growth. Castor oil treatments are recommended for increasing the thickness of each individual strand of hair. And you could also try Minoxidil which prolongs the lifecycle of each follicle of hair, preventing it from falling out. Minoxidil is the only product which has been scientifically proven to help reverse male pattern baldness. You can get the generic version at WalMart and it's not too expensive. It will take a few months to see if it works. Don't panic. Be very gentle with your hair. Try not to use products which will coat your scalp with heavy oils. Also, in my personal experience a gentle massage once or twice daily works wonders! You don't have to spend a lot of time on it. Just 2-3 minutes until you feel the circulation pick up. This, again will take a few months to show an effect. You can combine the massage with the application of minoxidil. Again, don't panic- stress is the enemy of your hair!

[jacqueline101]

I'd try Monistat to help the growth.

[LaurelSpring]

When I was doing castor oil soaks I saw new hairs sprouting around my hairline. Harsh shampoos or too much brushing might make it worse. Scalp massages could help also and I think I read somewhere that caffeine could also get things going (using it on your head). I rubbed cocoa on my head a few times to use as a dry shampoo. You might want to switch to a hair skin and nail vitamin that has biotin. I think that makes a difference. I ran out of it once and started losing hair. Eat lots of protein!!

[Firefox7275]

Welcome!

If this is nor normal for you see your family doctor or a dermatologist. You can do more harm than good self treating a self diagnosis, few here have any medical qualifications so should not be 'prescribing' anything. Supplements do not substitute for a nutrient dense, balanced and varied wholefood diet, taking small groups of micronutrients can set up or worsen imbalances.

http://igorsbelltower.blogspot.co.uk/2011/02/infamous-biotin-rant.html

[Nope]

I would recommend to stop brushing and combing your hair, too. It's do short, so it's likely not even able to be tangled and you're just brushing it for nothing. Also a lot of people have noticed less hair fall when they take biotin supplements. :)