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neloyoji
February 18th, 2015, 09:56 AM
Hello everyone! I'm new to the forums so bear with me this is gonna be a lengthy post.

A bit of background on me;

I'm 26, male, blond .. and have been growing my hair out since june 2013.

So a few months ago (october-ish) I was told (by my mother) that she noticed she could see my scalp a bit more around my crown area and that I was losing hair.
I was surprised because I haven't really noticed anything, or any noticeable amount of hair loss when brushing and washing my hair.
So I took a pic of it and started analyzing every last bit of it 'cause I was going crazy thinking I'm balding now haha.
Now when this happened, I had been constantly (like every single time I showered) blasting my hair with a ridiculous amount of heat and I suspected that was the culprit to why my hair was looking thinner on the top (my sides, back and hairline haven't really changed at all in the last few years). Plus I was pulling my hair up into a bun very tightly the second my hair was long enough to tie up.
I still suspect that these were the causes of my thinning hair on top. So I've recently been noticing around my middle part and even spread around the rest of the top of the head and crown that I have a bunch of hairs sticking out which have been getting longer in the last few months (they were barely noticeable in October) especially when my hair is tied up and It's a windy day, 'cause I'll feel all of those little hairs on the top of my head move with every breeze.

So my question is - are these new hairs that are growing out after all the damage I did? or are they just broken damaged hairs and am I really thinning out on the top of my head?
(Oh and for reference, nobody in my mother's or father's side of the family is balding - apart from the regular thinning from old age my father has (he's in his 50s but still has a full head of hair)

I stopped using blow dryers or any kind o heat on my hair in October, and just let my hair air dry now. I don't put my hair tightly tied up anymore and usually have it in a very very loose bun or tail by my neck if I'm working or if I'm out. I wear it down at home.
My hair usually feels a bit dry when I first get out of the shower and it has finished drying. But within a few hours to the next day it feels a lot softer, however if I go 2 days without washing, my hair usually gets extremely oily and of course it causes my crown to be a bit more noticeable.

I've been debating on if I should just say screw it and cut it short again and start over, or If I should just let it grown and regularly trim off the damaged hair?

Here are some pics. (please excuse any stupid facial expressions lol)

(Start 2013)
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y45/NeloWolf/Picture51_zpsd167d7de.jpg
And here's a recent shot from Jan
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y45/NeloWolf/DSC_3359_zps2cc2327b.jpg


- Here's the top from back In October when I first noticed. (Pics taken when hair was oily after a couple of days from washing)
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y45/NeloWolf/oct2014A_zpsguzv7ewv.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y45/NeloWolf/DSC_3140_zps40288409.jpg

And here's some shots of the top, back and the hairs sticking out on the top - taken yesterday (Hair was wet - right after shower)
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y45/NeloWolf/feb2015A_zpsnt7dilkv.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y45/NeloWolf/feb2015back_zpsczvchza5.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y45/NeloWolf/feb2015Closeup_zpszooq2ptz.jpg

Here's the back when dry

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y45/NeloWolf/feb2015backdry_zpsimk1fqcr.jpg

Any comments or help is appreciated! Thanks for reading. :)

Arctic
February 18th, 2015, 11:30 AM
I think your hair looks great and you seem to have the kind of face that can pull off both shorter and longer hair with ease!

In the October photo, the one showing the top of your head, it does look a bit thin, but I know with my own hair that sometimes photos look worse than the hair really is, especially if you used flash and had dirty hair. In other photos I see no similar signs, and your hair looks good, even the top.


It's very common to get new growth when one changes the hair care to a more gentler one. Easy way to see if the short hairs are new growth or old, broken hair is this: New growth is usually finer at first, and the very tip is tapering into nothing, like letter v. Whereas a broken hair has a blunt or otherwise rough looking (maybe with a split end), thick tip that ends abruptly without the telltale taper of a new hair.

endlessly
February 18th, 2015, 11:46 AM
Based on your pictures alone, I’d say that it’s quite possible to have some breakage as a result of the tight hairstyles, but you probably also have new growth, too. There is a little bit of thinning at the part and crown like you had mentioned, but that just might be a result of how your hair was parted that day, if it was a little oilier, or even how it was styled. I wouldn't rush to have a cut anytime soon, though, just try to baby your hair a bit more and you should notice an improvement.

Since you mentioned your hair feeling quite dry after washing, I would strongly recommend using a deep conditioner and a leave-in conditioner or leave-in oil to add more moisture to your hair. Dry hair tends to be much more brittle and prone to breaking, so more moisture definitely wouldn't hurt! Also, I'd recommend wearing looser hairstyles and avoiding plastic hair ties (they can rip hair), so you can prevent further damage. Switching your hairstyle day to day is also very beneficial so you don't stress the same strands - bun one day, pony the next, or even wearing it down.

Long hair is daunting, to be honest, but once you have a routine, it's very easy and surprisingly less work than shorter hair. Best of luck!

gwenalyn
February 18th, 2015, 01:58 PM
First of all, you and your hair look great! I'm so jealous of your color and thickness. In that one picture, it does look pretty thin, but like everyone said that could be the parting, the greasiness, or the flash, so don't panic. Tight buns and ponytails can definitely create balding spots (ask me how I know!) so changing that up may help.

When it comes to male pattern baldness, the key is to look at your mother's father--if he is bald/balding, you are much more likely to have hair loss in your genes (X-linked).

lapushka
February 18th, 2015, 03:42 PM
Seems like it was thinning there for a while - seems like it. Could also be a color change in the roots? Or do I see this wrong? Anyway. I'd think those short hairs are new growth. Stop with the tight bunning/ponytailing and baby it until it thickens up again.

10000days
February 18th, 2015, 05:44 PM
Hi there! I don't have any comments re thinning, but I just wanted to tell you that you really pull off long hair! I love the voluminous shoulder-length look (yours is a bit longer, granted)- so good!

neloyoji
February 18th, 2015, 08:12 PM
Thanks for the replies and positive comments everyone.
So I looked at the new hairs closely and they seem to be new growth after all. They are very fine and the ends taper and are not blunt.
My buddy says I'm overreacting and that it's new growth and I should just give it time to grow in.
As for after washing my hair, I do use oil - specifically jojoba oil - but I try to use very little of it on my ends 'cause my scalp tends to produce a hell of a lot of oil and very quickly.
Living in Miami doesn't help either with all this heat and humidity everywhere.

I think the most damage I did was because of heat. I used to blast my head with the blow dryer on the hottest and strongest setting... and I did it waaaaay to close to my head (I know I'm stupid)
Cause my head would get pretty damn hot.

Here's a pic of how tight I used to wear it which I think also contributed to the damage.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y45/NeloWolf/Picture%2073_zpsyswqc1gc.jpg

I don't wear it tight like that anymore, however I do put it up into a bun but a very loose relaxed one.

Here's hoping in a few months with length the new hairs cover up that thin part.
Thanks again everyone.