worried thinning hair

[Chocowalnut]

Recently my hair seems like it might be thinning and I'm really concerned. It seems like my part is getting wider and when I pull my hair back I can see more scalp than normal... I am recovering from an eating disorder and used to abuse my hair so that might be why but its been a year and a half since I started taking care of my hair stopped dying and such. But also I started using henna and when I think about it the thinning started a little after that. So I'm wondering what I should do if there's anything I can do to make sure I don't lose my hair because its really important to me

[Rio040113]

Recently my hair seems like it might be thinning and I'm really concerned. It seems like my part is getting wider and when I pull my hair back I can see more scalp than normal... I am recovering from an eating disorder and used to abuse my hair so that might be why but its been a year and a half since I started taking care of my hair stopped dying and such. But also I started using henna and when I think about it the thinning started a little after that. So I'm wondering what I should do if there's anything I can do to make sure I don't lose my hair because its really important to me

It's possible that it could be from your ED, I had Bulimia for several years and I know it can have an effect. There are some who believe you should change your parting every so often to prevent it widening but I'm not sure if there's much truth in that to be honest, it's not something I've ever experienced. Did you have light coloured hair before the henna? Could it be that your brighter/darker red hair has more of a contrast with your scalp, making it more noticeable? I think it would be slightly unusual but I guess you might be having a bad reaction to the henna... although I've not heard of it causing hairloss but hey, every head of hair can react differently. Another thought I just had, if you've recently started taking care of your hair is it possible that you're just paying much closer attention to it now and noticing things you hadn't before?

How long has your hair been thinning, roughly? It might be worth taking pictures weekly/monthly and see if it's actually thinning. Most people go through a 'seasonal shed', so it could be that but in all honesty any hairloss should really be checked out by your doctor, especially as you had an ED, it might be that you're lacking or deficient in something, or that you're anemic etc.

It could be a lot of things, so I'd say best to get your health checked and work from there :flower:

[Chocowalnut]

Also I started using sulfate free shampoos awhile back and I use conditioner on my scalp could this be a problem?

[Chocowalnut]

It's possible that it could be from your ED, I had Bulimia for several years and I know it can have an effect. There are some who believe you should change your parting every so often to prevent it widening but I'm not sure if there's much truth in that to be honest, it's not something I've ever experienced. Did you have light coloured hair before the henna? Could it be that your brighter/darker red hair has more of a contrast with your scalp, making it more noticeable? I think it would be slightly unusual but I guess you might be having a bad reaction to the henna... although I've not heard of it causing hairloss but hey, every head of hair can react differently. Another thought I just had, if you've recently started taking care of your hair is it possible that you're just paying much closer attention to it now and noticing things you hadn't before?

How long has your hair been thinning, roughly? It might be worth taking pictures weekly/monthly and see if it's actually thinning. Most people go through a 'seasonal shed', so it could be that but in all honesty any hairloss should really be checked out by your doctor, especially as you had an ED, it might be that you're lacking or deficient in something, or that you're anemic etc.

It could be a lot of things, so I'd say best to get your health checked and work from there :flower:

My hair was lighter before the henna but I still feel like too much scalp is showing and other things I can't really afford to go to the doctor.thanks for your answer

[NoRush]

Since you're recovering it might be that your body is making adjustments and finding its balance again and you're just seing effects from a while back just showing now. Like what happens after major surgery, people loose a ton of hair months after the operation or an illness, it's distressing but not permanent.

Things you can try, to rule out a sensitivity issue, are switching out your products to see if that helps (go cone free if you're using cones or viceversa, that sort of thing), try something like coconut oil all over, see if that makes a difference in your shedding pattern, one thing at the time and most importantly, monitor your hair but you have to be patient and give it time, one way or another hair changes are not apparent overnight, especially growth.

Best advice I think you can get is try not to stress about it, because that could be contributing to an eventual hair loss, give it time and don't trust your eyes too much, get a measuring tape and track your pony thickness every month or so, if you see the circumference going down a doctor's opinion is the only option, at that point probably it's not anything you're doing to your hair from the outside but more likely something happening on the inside.

Hope this helps and best of luck on your recovery sweet!

[Madora]

Recently my hair seems like it might be thinning and I'm really concerned. It seems like my part is getting wider and when I pull my hair back I can see more scalp than normal... I am recovering from an eating disorder and used to abuse my hair so that might be why but its been a year and a half since I started taking care of my hair stopped dying and such. But also I started using henna and when I think about it the thinning started a little after that. So I'm wondering what I should do if there's anything I can do to make sure I don't lose my hair because its really important to me

It might be that you're putting too much pressure on your hair when you pull it back. Also, if you have used the same part time after time, it may be that the hairs have weakened in that area, causing your part to become wider.

That being said, I'd suggest that if you need to draw your hair back, you do so in a manner that is not tight (no ponytails either!). Use a barrette instead. Be sure the crown hair is slightly loose in order not to put too much pressure on the delicate front and side hair.

You also might want to try gentle scalp massage (with just your finger pads) to help nourish your follicles. Just lay on your bed with your head over the edge and gently massage your scalp. Be sure to detangle with a wide tooth comb when you are finished.

[ashke50]

Some people find that using conditioner on their scalp causes shedding - maybe worth just conditioning the length for a bit and seeing whether that helps?

[**Vera**]

How is your overall health currently? If you think you might have any deficiencies or imbalances then first thing would be to treat them.

Keep your scalp clean and moisturized. I was just recently having a lot of shedding because of dandruff, itchy scalp and my habit of washing my hair once a week. I used homemade oil (if you want the recipe tell me. It is simple), used a fine toothed comb to remove the dead skin, washed my hair every other day, moisturized the scalp very lightly with the same oil and daily massaged gently.I have been doing it for barely 5 days and my shed is almost gone and now i feel stupid for not doing this earlier.

Use herb infused oils,herbal scalp masks etc that strengthen follicles.

Keep your hair loose in up dos. Switch your parting to areas that have thicker hairs or do a zigzag parting.

If you are interested (as most western people don't believe in it) read up about Ayurveda and doshas.

And don't worry. Worrying makes everything worse :)

[Panth]

Any stress has the potential to cause excessive hair shedding, and that includes chronic stresses on the body like eating disorders. So, the thinning hair could be a direct consequence of your eating disorder (in which case, it should lessen and your hair should grow back as you improve your eating habits).

Alternatively, your eating disorder may have made you deficient in certain vitamins or minerals in addition to calories and/or you may have an imbalance of the thyroid or reproductive hormones. All of these can cause hair loss. To rule this out, you simply need to request a full blood test from your doctor (GP), including all vitamins and minerals (especially iron, B12 and folate) plus thyroid hormone levels and oestrogen/progesterone/testosterone levels. Don't accept a 'oh, you were fine' - ask for the actual numerical reading for each test and also the range which your doctor considers normal as sometimes people can be symptomatic whilst being in the lower (or upper) range of normal.

I wouldn't worry about your parting per se - increased parting width is usually an optical illusion based on thinner hair (as is suggested by the fact that you also are seeing more scalp than normal). I think it's unlikely that you have traction alopecia along your parting.

Another idea is to monitor your hair thickness. This is best done by measuring the circumference of a ponytail made at the same place every month. Remember that to figure out how many hair strands you are gaining/losing, you have to calculate the area (as area is proportional to hair number, but circumference isn't). Monitoring your hair thickness allows you to figure out how bad the problem is and whether it is getting better or worse. It also gives you some hard facts in case (as has happened to some members here) your doctor doesn't take your hair loss seriously.

Good luck!

[Chocowalnut]

thanks for all your great answers :)

[restless]

To the body, growing hair isnt really a prioritised task and when the body isnt feeling well (for example, its starving) it cant/wont spend a lot of energy on it. Instead it spends everything it has to survive. I dont think it really matters how kind you are to your hair when it comes to cutting out dye, heat, chemicals, etc if youre not taking care of yourself too. Healthy hair comes from the inside.

A couple of years ago when I was in my early 20s, I had the exact same dilemma as you do now. I didnt eat properly and eventually it started to take its toll on my hair too (as well as on other parts of me). It didnt grow and I shed way more than what is normal for me. During this time I also started to care for my hair- I stopped with the heat and other abuse I did to it, but the (re)growth didnt come until I started to care for all of me.

I dont know which diagnosis you have, but I do know how difficult it can be to break free from those thoughts so I want to send you many hugs and plenty of good luck :blossom:

[wavyhair]

if your over 40 it may be caused my estrogen declining if thats the case then eat some phytoestrogen foods and see if that helps

[two_wheels]

chocowalnut there are some great suggestions already, I have nothing more, but i wish you well in recovery :blossom:


It might be that you're putting too much pressure on your hair when you pull it back. Also, if you have used the same part time after time, it may be that the hairs have weakened in that area, causing your part to become wider.

That being said, I'd suggest that if you need to draw your hair back, you do so in a manner that is not tight (no ponytails either!). Use a barrette instead. Be sure the crown hair is slightly loose in order not to put too much pressure on the delicate front and side hair.
I have a question about this- I have had the same part for years without realising this was not ideal, and it is slightly thinning at the front. How do you go about retraining without pulling it tightly? (Also, a belated thankyou for posting in every thread about wet brushing that it is a bad idea. I gave up after about the 5th time I read you mentioning it, and think it has saved me from a lot of damage this time around.)

[Theobroma]

Also I started using sulfate free shampoos awhile back and I use conditioner on my scalp could this be a problem?

It very definitely could. I CO-washed for a year and a half and lost 40% of my volume during that time. I'd be bald if I'd kept it up!

I suggest you immediately stop letting conditioner get on your scalp and see if that makes a difference. (Also, if this turns out to be the culprit your scalp might not like oiling either -- I shed handfuls if I oil mine -- so you might want to be careful about trying that too.)

Best of luck!