Rant!!!

[DancingQueen]

Excuse my language, but F**K - I feel like I am loosing all my hair! My pony circumference have gone down significantly since I joined here, and every time I comb my hair, literally HANDFULS come out! I am getting so sick of this! All my life, I have been a heavy shedder, but It seems to actually influence my thickness now! How do I stop this?

I have tried just about everything - Priorin, scillica, Vitamin B-complex, omega 3 - you name it, I have done it. The only thing that seemed to work moderately was priorin - but that cost a small fortune, and since I don't have a job, I can't afford it. It is just so unfair!

I just don't get it! I am doing all the right things, but my hair just does not respond. I just hate to look at my pathetically thin ponytail, and wondering how thick it would be, if all my hair didn't fall out. This post was mainly to rant, but if anyone have a clue what might be going on, it will be very much appreciated.

Whew, felt good to get that out of my system! Sorry for the bad karma. I hope everyone is having a better evening than I am.

[lazuliblue]

Sorry to read you're having so much trouble. Have you been to the doctor to check that it isn't a medical issue?

[Unofficial_Rose]

Have you tried Jamaican Black Castor Oil as a prewash treatment (on roots, obviously). I have similar issues, I've only tried it for a week, but my shedding is practically nothing so long as I put it neat onto my scalp. I tried mixing it with bhringraj oil and I shed again.

Could be stress-related or iron issues, though.I do know how upsetting it is to shed a lot of one's hair constantly.

[DancingQueen]

Sorry to read you're having so much trouble. Have you been to the doctor to check that it isn't a medical issue?

I have had the thought lately. It is just that it have been this way as long as I can remember, although it seems to be extra bad right now.


Have you tried Jamaican Black Castor Oil as a prewash treatment (on roots, obviously). I have similar issues, I've only tried it for a week, but my shedding is practically nothing so long as I put it neat onto my scalp. I tried mixing it with bhringraj oil and I shed again.

I tried a castor oil mix a few years ago, when I first discovered LHC. It actually did work for a little while, but then I seemed to get immune to the effect, and it actually got worse than before. It have actually been since then that I started to look thickness, or at least that was when i started to notice.

[woodswanderer]

Sorry you're having a rough go of it. I recently started taking iron for anemia. My hair is thinner than what I remember form the past and I don't know if it is hitting 30 or some deficiency. I hope the iron will help out. Definitely something to ask your doctor about when you can. :hugs:

[ExpectoPatronum]

Like you, I've had a huge problem with shedding and it seemed no matter what I did, it would not go away. Not only was I losing a ton of hair in the shower, but I couldn't run my fingers through my hair without pulling out hairs. Same with braiding or bunning. There would also be shed hairs everywhere when I was done. I tried all different routines to help combat the shedding - different gentle shampoos, supplements, oiling the scalp, not oiling the scalp, scalp massages, not touching my scalp.

The only thing that has helped me? Going back to sulfates and cones. I think because sulfates lather up so nicely, I have to rub my scalp less, thus reducing friction and hair loss. Cones give my hair slip that no oil or cone-free product has, so my hairs don't snarl around each other. Yeah, I still lose a little more hair than I'd like to when washing, but it's less than it was and I can run my fingers through it without pulling out half a dozen hairs. I don't notice a ton of shed hairs when putting my hair up either.

[ARG]

I have had the thought lately. It is just that it have been this way as long as I can remember, although it seems to be extra bad right now.


Go to the doctor and get a simple blood screen done. Shedding has been linked to many different health problems, from anemia to thyroid. If you have a healthy diet, little stress, drink plenty of water, and no known allergies, then I would definitely
go visit your doctor ASAP.

[Laurenji]

First I would try and rule out 1) stress and 2) hormonal / vitamin issues.

That being said, I was digging through the forum archives and I found a couple recipes for hair-thickening scalp massage oil that uses essential oils. Here's the link (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/entry.php?b=116226) to the blog post I put it in. I put a couple variations in the comments. I have no idea if it works or not, but you could certainly try it. Supposedly one of the blends was tried in a medical trial and induced hair growth in several alopecia sufferers.

[AmyBeth]

Absolutely, your first step should be to see your doctor to make sure that no medical issue is causing a massive shed. Baring that, you might want to try a minoxidil formulated for women. Minoxidil is proven to prolong the growth phase of the follicle, and it might reduce the rate of shedding. It doesn't work for everyone, and is definitely not for pregnant women, though.

[eadwine]

Stop using what you are doing, you might be taking too many extras! please consult with your doctor and please take along with you what you have been taking or they don't get the full picture. I hope it will get sorted!

[DancingQueen]

Like you, I've had a huge problem with shedding and it seemed no matter what I did, it would not go away. Not only was I losing a ton of hair in the shower, but I couldn't run my fingers through my hair without pulling out hairs. Same with braiding or bunning. There would also be shed hairs everywhere when I was done. I tried all different routines to help combat the shedding - different gentle shampoos, supplements, oiling the scalp, not oiling the scalp, scalp massages, not touching my scalp.

The only thing that has helped me? Going back to sulfates and cones. I think because sulfates lather up so nicely, I have to rub my scalp less, thus reducing friction and hair loss. Cones give my hair slip that no oil or cone-free product has, so my hairs don't snarl around each other. Yeah, I still lose a little more hair than I'd like to when washing, but it's less than it was and I can run my fingers through it without pulling out half a dozen hairs. I don't notice a ton of shed hairs when putting my hair up either.

Yes, maybe I should try that. It is funny; my hair was way better (still bad, but much better), when I was doing all the wrong things, like blow-drying, flat ironing, using silicones, and ripping a brush thought my hair. Maybe too gentle handling is just not for my hair. :rolleyes:


First I would try and rule out 1) stress and 2) hormonal / vitamin issues.

That being said, I was digging through the forum archives and I found a couple recipes for hair-thickening scalp massage oil that uses essential oils. Here's the link (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/entry.php?b=116226) to the blog post I put it in. I put a couple variations in the comments. I have no idea if it works or not, but you could certainly try it. Supposedly one of the blends was tried in a medical trial and induced hair growth in several alopecia sufferers.

I guess my stress levels have been rather high lately, though I am working on keeping them down. I could of course be lacking some iron or zink, or something. It is just not that easy to go to the doctor here; unless it is something serious, and you know something is wrong, they generally look at you as though you are hysterical. Kind of ironic, I guess. :)

[DancingQueen]

Stop using what you are doing, you might be taking too many extras! please consult with your doctor and please take along with you what you have been taking or they don't get the full picture. I hope it will get sorted!

Don't worry, i am only taking one supplement at a time, and I always follow the instructions on the package. All the things I have tried, I have tried over a long period of time, one thing at a time. But thank you for the warning, I know this is not that uncommon. :)

[eadwine]

Ah ok good. Yeah I know what bad effects taking too much can have (working in health care ;) ), so I was a bit worried.

But go see the doctor, even if it is just to put your mind at ease! :)

[W2]

How do you wash your hair?

I tried co washing with the same result ... massive shedding. So I stopped and are now csc washing head down. And for a while used Gibidyl shampoo.

[DancingQueen]

How do you wash your hair?

I tried co washing with the same result ... massive shedding. So I stopped and are now csc washing head down. And for a while used Gibidyl shampoo.

Co washing doesn't work for me either. I use a ginger shampoo and a honey moisturizing conditioner from the body shop - both without silicones, and only very little sulphates in the shampoo. I like the way my hair looks with this routine, but it does shed more, and there is less slip, than when I am using silicones.

[W2]

Try the Gibidyl Shampoo - it does work

[ravenheather]

I have had good luck reducing shedding with neelibringhadi oil.
This is the one I use:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008GZ2R4S/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=1EYINDGT44GB0&coliid=I2BWPLA3NZT9ML

I leave it in for a couple hours to overnight every other day. Then wash it out.

[Theobroma]

My response would be: If you were OK before you started doing things recommended on LHC, and started shedding unreasonably after you started doing those things... then stop doing them. Go back to what you were doing before and see if it helps.

I started shedding insanely as a result of CO washing. So many people on here rave about it, and I absolutely loved how soft it made my hair, but my scalp had other ideas. By the time I realised what the problem was, I'd already lost 40% of my thickness. I went back to shampoo (and later to soap) and the shedding stopped instantly, as though someone had flipped a switch.

The point being, even if something sounds wonderfully natural and gentle and hair-friendly and all the rest of it, that doesn't mean it's going to work for everybody. And slightly less happy hair attached to your scalp is infinitely preferable to perfectly happy tresses spiralling down the drain or swept up off the floor and tossed in the trash. I'd suggest you go back to your pre-LHC routine (minus the flat iron and the rough brushing) and see what happens. Maybe your scalp doesn't like the ginger in your ginger shampoo? If your shedding reverts to normal levels, that's a good indication that something in your new products was the culprit. Then you can scout around for alternatives. But even sulphates and cones aren't objectively evil -- lots of people here use them with great results.

Good luck! You will find a way to fix this.

[DancingQueen]

My response would be: If you were OK before you started doing things recommended on LHC, and started shedding unreasonably after you started doing those things... then stop doing them. Go back to what you were doing before and see if it helps.

I started shedding insanely as a result of CO washing. So many people on here rave about it, and I absolutely loved how soft it made my hair, but my scalp had other ideas. By the time I realised what the problem was, I'd already lost 40% of my thickness. I went back to shampoo (and later to soap) and the shedding stopped instantly, as though someone had flipped a switch.

The point being, even if something sounds wonderfully natural and gentle and hair-friendly and all the rest of it, that doesn't mean it's going to work for everybody. And slightly less happy hair attached to your scalp is infinitely preferable to perfectly happy tresses spiralling down the drain or swept up off the floor and tossed in the trash. I'd suggest you go back to your pre-LHC routine (minus the flat iron and the rough brushing) and see what happens. Maybe your scalp doesn't like the ginger in your ginger shampoo? If your shedding reverts to normal levels, that's a good indication that something in your new products was the culprit. Then you can scout around for alternatives. But even sulphates and cones aren't objectively evil -- lots of people here use them with great results.

Good luck! You will find a way to fix this.

Hmm, I guess you are right. I just went out and bought a kreastase series, that I used to use when I was younger, and had no problems. It was way too expensive, so I really hope it will work.

Thank you for all the advice, everyone. I hope I get this under control.