Help with severe tangles

[Quenhilde]

I decided to henna my hair for the first time today. My hair has a tendancy to try to tangle up at the slightest provocation, so I thought I'd been extra careful with trying not to let it get the opportunity while applying and rinsing out my henna. I seem to have done a terrible job of that though, as after rinsing, my hair is literally matted from about ear length to the ends.

I'm currently in a big panic as (due to meds) my hair is shedding drastically and I have no idea how I'm going to untangle this without losing it all. So far I have carefully tried to coat as much of it in conditioner (with a little added oil) and am leaving it to dry as I figured the conditioner might loosen it a little and that it would be best to deal with this once the hair is dry to avoid damaging it further. I expect this will take a few hours as its really matted and I don't want to stick a hairdryer on it.

Does anyone have any suggestions as to anything else that might help?

[Arctic]

How about hopping under shower, and try to finger comb under running water? An acidic rinse might help too, if for some reason your cuticles have opened. I don't know what good having the conditioner dry on your hair would do though, usually adding conditioner to detangle is done because the conditioner provides slip, which helps the detangling process.

[littlestarface]

i dunno try lots of slippery conditioner... my hair tangles just by me looking at it, heck it tangles even after combing it. i have to quickly right after combing is put in braids real fast or else im knee deep in tangles

[Quenhilde]

I'd always thought the hair was much more fragile when wet and figured that trying to sort this out while wet would be the worst thing I could try. I bow to the superior knowledge of my fellow LHC members though and will give it a go. I'm honestly desperate to try anything at this point as the little hair I have left I'd like to keep.

[Nique1202]

I have had some experiences with henna that ended up FEELING like it was totally matted after just rinsing or even washing it with shampoo, but drowning it in as much conditioner as you can squish in there should help immensely. Even if you have to squish it so much that it feels like you might make the matting worse, try because you have very little to lose (except a few dollars in conditioner). Let it sit for a few minutes, rinse, try to get your fingers through it (DO NOT touch it with a comb or brush until you can get your fingers through it reliably, or until you give up) and then another round of conditioner if you're still having problems.

I don't recommend letting it dry out completely. You definitely want to try rinsing after you let the conditioner soak in. Given the time of this post, by now it should be plenty soaked for your first round of conditioner, so go rinse it out and try finger combing a bit.

[MsPharaohMoan]

First, breathe. Panic will make you want to get this done quicker and you'll need to accept that this will take some time. Have you rinsed all the henna out? Crumbs left behind will make it more difficult. Working on your hair in sections will be easiest, try to section using your fingers. I understand your fear of further shedding but it's inevitable while combing that some hairs are going to comb out so try not to panic too hard about this :) you can do it wet or dry, if you've had good results with conditioner detangling go for it, otherwise a heap of oil can also provide good slip. Start by lightly finger detangling the section you have, getting out all the sheds you can. Then work from the bottom up using your comb. Take your time! If you need, a needle can be useful to get those tight knots. If it's so tight you can't use a needle, it's probably best to just snip the knot (no need to go scissor happy here though).

After some time you'll find it gets easier. Just keep removing those sheds, they tend to make the tangle appear worse than it is in my opinion. I look forward to hearing of your success. And remember, BREATHE! You got this.

[Arctic]

I'd always thought the hair was much more fragile when wet and figured that trying to sort this out while wet would be the worst thing I could try. I bow to the superior knowledge of my fellow LHC members though and will give it a go. I'm honestly desperate to try anything at this point as the little hair I have left I'd like to keep.

You are right, hair is most fragile when wet, but the running water helps often with the detangling. Conditioner (tons of it) helps too. OIls probably also.

Take your time, and like others have said, don't panic.

[Quenhilde]

The acid rince did help a little, as did the conditioner but after 45 minutes of trying to even separate this out of one big clump, all I've managed to do is free a couple of strands from the edges and starting at the bottom like I usually do has cleared about an inch or two and the rest isn't seeming to budge at all. Going to try letting it dry and working with a little oil. The 45 minutes I spent trying to free my hair has shown me one thing though. I think most of the matted hair part is hair that has shed while I was rinsing the henna out and is forming knots. This is going to be very slow and heartbreaking I feel :(
This is not going to separate into sections, its going to have to be a slow tease of each individual hair I think.
Thank you all for the lovely help and for helping to calm me down. SOrt of resigned to losing a lot of it now and hoping I can salvage enough to still feel like I have hair.

[spidermom]

As long as you are careful and not yanking through tangles, combing while wet is o.k. I had an experience years ago where I added baking soda to my shampoo to clarify. OMG! It matted my hair up like I had felted it. Every single morning for about two weeks, I had to hop into the shower to work conditioner through my hair so that I could comb it. I literally could not get the comb through my hair without the conditioner. My hair slowly returned to normal; thank goodness!

Good luck!

[Ava Ruu]

Henna powder still left in hair tends to make my tangles feel larger and worse than they really are. Maybe rinsing more would help? Getting henna out of long hair takes a lot of water and time.

I would also like to warn you that after hennaing I always feel like I have lost a lot of hair even though I have not been shedding more than usually. I think that the strands seem to want to be closer to each other so the hair compresses more. It might feel scary if you have been shedding a lot lately, but that feeling can be temporary and go away in a few days.

[meteor]

Quenhilde, some great ideas were already posted. I'll just add what I can:

1) Soak it in the slipperiest, coniest, oiliest conditioner you have. Do a WCC (shampoo + condition + condition). Do an oil rinse between shampoo and conditioner if your hair is more slippery with oils. Condition more than you think you need.

2) Try to finger-detangle and/or use a very wide-tooth comb on some sections in the shower with wet hair soaked in conditioner. Where you get too much resistance, please let it go, leave it alone, don't rip through - you can attack it later.

3) When the hair is dry:
Wait until you have time and you know you are feeling patient and not rushed to detangle. Keep an oil, a coney conditioner, spray bottle with water and something very pointy (rattail comb), a pick, a needle, a pin... next to you. Use fingers and wide-tooth combs only.
Whenever needed, wet down the hair again with a spray bottle and add conditioner/oil. You can mix oil, water and conditioner in one bottle if it makes application and detangling easier. Choose whatever combination of products that gives you maximum slip at that moment - ignore all other properties of the products for now, because you can easily wash the product off later.

4) If you have a friend/family member you can ask for help, it would help speed up the process immensely.

5) As you are separating sections and when you are done with some section - immediately section it away from the rest of the mane, braid that section and maybe cover it with something (silk wrap/plastic wrap/etc). You need to make sure the detangled sections don't re-loc with the loc you are working on.

6) Don't fight it too hard. When it's too tangled and you have no time left, leave it for now, section the matt away from the rest of the hair, and attack it again when you have more time. PATIENCE is key! It can take a couple days if you give it an hour here and there. It's better if it takes a couple days than if you rip through it aggressively. You might want to watch some YouTube videos on how matts and dreadlocks are removed - it takes multiple days/sessions, so it's a bit reassuring to see and know that it's normal if it takes a very long time. So don't give up! :blossom:

Best of luck! :cheer: And I really hope it will go easily for you! :pray:


i dunno try lots of slippery conditioner... my hair tangles just by me looking at it, heck it tangles even after combing it. i have to quickly right after combing is put in braids real fast or else im knee deep in tangles

Ha-ha, that sounds like my hair, too! :hifive: I try to think of big tangles as a test of patience and positive thinking. Tangles just come with the territory... the long hair territory. :lol:

[school of fish]

I decided to henna my hair for the first time today. My hair has a tendancy to try to tangle up at the slightest provocation, so I thought I'd been extra careful with trying not to let it get the opportunity while applying and rinsing out my henna. I seem to have done a terrible job of that though, as after rinsing, my hair is literally matted from about ear length to the ends.

I'm currently in a big panic as (due to meds) my hair is shedding drastically and I have no idea how I'm going to untangle this without losing it all. So far I have carefully tried to coat as much of it in conditioner (with a little added oil) and am leaving it to dry as I figured the conditioner might loosen it a little and that it would be best to deal with this once the hair is dry to avoid damaging it further. I expect this will take a few hours as its really matted and I don't want to stick a hairdryer on it.

Does anyone have any suggestions as to anything else that might help?

I've been henna-ing for about a decade and have always found I'm more prone to tangles for a day or few after doing it - it also feels somewhat drier. My hair is tangle-prone and fine to boot, so over the years I've developed several strategies for minimizing the tangles as much as possible.

1- I've eliminated using any kind of acid (I was using lemon juice) in my henna mix. I found it didn't make any difference to the dye release and only ended up drying my hair more, which encouraged tangles.

2- I use conditioner to help rinse out my henna - lots of conditioner, rinse and repeat a second time. Didn't use to, and this has made a big difference in how thoroughly the powder rinses out - any henna left in I find creates some friction, which increases the tangle potential. I just use really cheap conditioner - it's really just to provide the slip needed in the moment of rinsing to get the henna out. I follow up with an application of my usual conditioner.

3- No matter how thoroughly I rinse my henna, I always seem to find that it doesn't completely come out until I wash my hair again the next day (I'm a daily washer). Seems that there's always a tiny bit of residue left and it just takes a couple rinses with a full dry time in between to get it all gone. So in that first 24 hours I'm particularly careful when I detangle, and go very slowly.

4- Final vinegar rinses after every wash have been a Godsend for me! Not sure whether it's because it's closing the cuticle, adjusting the ph, helping remove residue, or counteracting hard water... but whatever it is, it's working for me and I'm not questioning it, haha! My concentration is VERY diluted, and yet makes an enormous difference to the reduction of tangles throughout the day.

5- This one took me a long time to realize: henna can be very drying, which can contribute to tangles. Some people experience this immediately, some after repeated applications, some never. It took me years to notice my hair got very dried out on the length, it was extremely gradual and incremental - others may notice it right away. I now counteract those dryness tangles with more moisturizing care practices - modified CO washing and weekly moisture treatments. My hair severely dislikes oiling, but TONS of people here wouldn't live without it - experimentation will reveal what may work best for you :)

Above all, we're all unique with individual hair needs, so it may take some time to figure out the right combination of elements that will address your specific tangle issue/s. I've outlined what works for me, drawing from the massive wealth of knowledge found throughout this board over the years. I hope some of my suggestions are helpful - use what rings true for your hair and ignore what doesn't apply. Good luck! :D

[turtlelover]

Try liquid glycerin -- the stuff used in enemas (gross, I know!!!) I've gotten some of the WORST tangles out of horse manes and tails using that stuff. And, it is easier to remove than oil.

[Nique1202]

Henna powder still left in hair tends to make my tangles feel larger and worse than they really are. Maybe rinsing more would help? Getting henna out of long hair takes a lot of water and time.

I would also like to warn you that after hennaing I always feel like I have lost a lot of hair even though I have not been shedding more than usually. I think that the strands seem to want to be closer to each other so the hair compresses more. It might feel scary if you have been shedding a lot lately, but that feeling can be temporary and go away in a few days.

This, all of this. Crumbs and bits of henna left in the hair (especially within the matted sections) make the tangles feel so much worse than they really are. This is why a heavy conditioner soaking with your absolute slipperiest conditioner (even, maybe especially if it has silicones) followed by a very thorough rinsing should help immensely, even if it takes two or three rounds of it. You really have to work the conditioner into it to help loosen the henna, and it takes a long time to rinse it all out.

Henna also often coats strands and makes them thicker, so that what you do shed will look like a LOT more than it really is, and what you're left with should feel better than you expect right now.

[MsPharaohMoan]

I try to think of big tangles as a test of patience and positive thinking.

Just wanted to say this is a really awesome quote!

[littlestarface]

Ha-ha, that sounds like my hair, too! :hifive: I try to think of big tangles as a test of patience and positive thinking. Tangles just come with the territory... the long hair territory. :lol:

:hifive: i love wat u said! lol so so true

[Quenhilde]

I am sure that all of the henna is out of the hair although it may still be lurking in the matted section as its way too dense too tell. I washed the henna out with conditioner only, and a huge amount of it. I continued rinsing for most of an hour until water was running totally clear and then did a CO wash once more to be as sure as I could. That was before I came here about the tangles. Since then it has had another 45 minutes of slow work with a smothering of conditioner and more rinsing while I was trying to sort the tangles.
My usual hair routine is to CO wash (still cone free currently but have been considering trying cones again) with an acid rinse and an SMT once every two weeks. Since I worked out how badly my meds were affecting my hair, I have stopped taking them, but they will still be working through my system for a while. The hair shedding is really bad because of those. I've gone from quite thick and heavy hair to hair that barely covers my scalp in a couple of weeks so its incredibly noticeable and definitely isn't just an annual shed or panicking. I'll grab a good coney conditioner tomorrow to see if I have better luck there and work on it this evening with some Jojoba and a needle.

[Arctic]

Sorry about the hair loss, let's hope you will have a 100% regrowth very soon!!!

[school of fish]

I am sure that all of the henna is out of the hair although it may still be lurking in the matted section as its way too dense too tell. I washed the henna out with conditioner only, and a huge amount of it. I continued rinsing for most of an hour until water was running totally clear and then did a CO wash once more to be as sure as I could. That was before I came here about the tangles. Since then it has had another 45 minutes of slow work with a smothering of conditioner and more rinsing while I was trying to sort the tangles.
My usual hair routine is to CO wash (still cone free currently but have been considering trying cones again) with an acid rinse and an SMT once every two weeks. Since I worked out how badly my meds were affecting my hair, I have stopped taking them, but they will still be working through my system for a while. The hair shedding is really bad because of those. I've gone from quite thick and heavy hair to hair that barely covers my scalp in a couple of weeks so its incredibly noticeable and definitely isn't just an annual shed or panicking. I'll grab a good coney conditioner tomorrow to see if I have better luck there and work on it this evening with some Jojoba and a needle.

I'm so sorry, in rereading your OP and your post above I realize I responded in a more generalized way regarding henna/tangles instead of speaking to this specific situation you were asking about!

Your strategy sounds good to me, and you've been given loads of great suggestions here :) I think you'll be able to get these tangles out with care and patience :)

The only thing I can think to add is to tell you about the time I created an epic snarl after rag-rolling my MBL hair into spiral curls and then performing in a 2-hour strenuous, sweat-filled dance production... I ended up with my length from nape down tangled in a single dreadlock - I was terrified I'd never get it out! As I recall it took 4 hours with my wide-tooth comb and the kind of patience you can only dig deep to find when you realize you have no other option... I went super slowly, dealt with miniscule sections at a time, and worked as gently as humanly possible. I did lose sn alarming amount of hair to breakage and from tugging repeatedly at the root, there was no getting around that. However it DID detangle, and after a wash and a couple good conditionings my hair did settle back down to a texture I recognized. And it grew back :)

You'll get past this, you can do it! We're all pulling for you for super speedy regrowth! :D

[lapushka]

I always rinsed out the henna in a bucket, got as many of the "grit" out as possible, then I'd use TONS of conditioner on it, carefully coating the strands with fingers to get the remainder out. The conditioner will give it the slip it needs, but you need *tons* of the stuff! That and patience.

[sumidha]

Personally I would detangle dry hair that has been soaked in a slippery oil. Like, dripping with oil.

Good luck, we're rooting for you. :)

[Alastríona]

Oh, wow. I'm so sorry you're going through this! I'll just add that I have soaked my hair in conditioner before - ie half a bottle and left it overnight - which returned a lot of slip.
I hennaed a week ago and my hair felt matted the next morning but patient finger combing over the next several days eventually did the trick. It was up in a low loose ponytail (dreadlock style) until it was better.
I also add coconut milk to my mix - one can to ?100g of henna powder? Might have helped.
Also, I have NEVER been able to detangle my hair in water. Fingers, brush, wide tooth comb, nope. It just gets worse. By now you'd know if your hair loves running water or hates it like mine!
Good luck.... keep breathing.... :-)

[mindwiped]

Another thing I've done in the last to rinse henna is to run a tub full of water, and submerge my head. Usually I end up lying on my back in the tub. I need tons is water to get it out without having it snarl my hair. This may not be the best method for you, but it really helps me.

And yes, a deep conditioner afterwards is needed for my hair

[Quenhilde]

Slowly getting there with the bottle of conditioner, oil and water and a needle. I think that there's some breakage, but I'll see what I can salvage from that at the end. The comments about dreadlocks helped as it really is that matted. I'll let you all know how it goes!

@Alastriona - yes, that sounds like my hair. Running water just always makes it worse. I think that's why it got so bad int he first place!

[Arctic]

Sorry if the tip about detangling under running water didn't help (and possibly made it worse) :( It always helps my own hair, the tangles just glide off.

Good to hear you are making progress!

Now for the future, I wonder why you hair reacted like this to henna? If you are brave enough to henna again, I wonder what you should do differently? Did you let the mud dry in your hair? You might want to make strand test the next time before doing your whole hair.

[lapushka]

Now for the future, I wonder why you hair reacted like this to henna? If you are brave enough to henna again, I wonder what you should do differently? Did you let the mud dry in your hair? You might want to make strand test the next time before doing your whole hair.

As a newbie I once didn't cling-wrap my hair after henna and it all dried in my hair. O M G! That was a hard lesson to learn. You need to keep the henna as warm as possible, by wrapping it with cling-wrap after application. That's why after that I never let it sit for more than half an hour. It didn't need much to dye release in my case anyway!

[KittyBird]

Much good advice here! I hope you'll get the tangles out without too much damage. I accidentally got a huge, matted tangle after trying heatless curls, so I can relate. That experience really freaked me out, and it took a ton of conditioner and several hours to get it out. I broke so many hairs during that session. :(

I used to get awful tangles after hennaing, until I started putting a lot of conditioner in my henna mix. It also helps to henna on oily, greasy hair, and it doesn't affect the colour at all for me. As for rinsing out, I shampoo twice with sulfate free shampoo and then condition three times. I also comb through my hair under running water to remove any tangles (with conditioner on my hair, of course). I don't skimp on the leave-ins either, my hair seriously needs all the moisturizing stuff it can get. My hair is usually nice and soft after hennaing nowadays, compared to the dry, tangly straw I used to get in the beginning.

[renia22]

Quenhilde- is it possible that the tangling issue might be from the type of henna you are using? If it's sandy & gritty, you might want to try Body Art Quality Henna (BAQ) next time. It's much smoother and rinses out easier than a lot of the hennas that are out there. Making it a gloss with a squirt of conditioner helps even more. I've been using BAQ henna since about 2007 & find that a shampoo or two, and some conditioner afterwards, is all it takes.

[littlestarface]

yes im also wondering how you applied your henna and what kind as well. i use red raj henna and i never had any bad tangling afterwards with any of my henna applications actually.

did you comb your hair before henna and then smooth it in?


As a newbie I once didn't cling-wrap my hair after henna and it all dried in my hair. O M G! That was a hard lesson to learn. You need to keep the henna as warm as possible, by wrapping it with cling-wrap after application. That's why after that I never let it sit for more than half an hour. It didn't need much to dye release in my case anyway!
i cling wrap put a plastic bag, then do a beanie on top of all that then do a heat cap for about an hour then i just fall asleep and wash it out in the morning.

[Quenhilde]

Body art quality henna and hair was oiled and brushed well before henna application. It was cling film wrapped after application and kept nice and warm. It didn't dry on the hair.

To be honest, I am 99% certain that the reason it all tangled was nothing to do with the henna. I'm certain its the ridiculous amount of hair I'm shedding just tangling up with the rest of the hair while trying to wash it out. My hair has been tangling a lot just with a normal CO wash because of the shedding, so once you add in the length of time needed to wash henna out of your hair, it would make sense that that was the cause. I think its just conincidental that it was also my first henna application. Spent all day on trying to untangle it today, and I'm about a third of the way through so another couple of full days like this might finish it.

[renia22]

Body art quality henna and hair was oiled and brushed well before henna application. It was cling film wrapped after application and kept nice and warm. It didn't dry on the hair.

To be honest, I am 99% certain that the reason it all tangled was nothing to do with the henna. I'm certain its the ridiculous amount of hair I'm shedding just tangling up with the rest of the hair while trying to wash it out. My hair has been tangling a lot just with a normal CO wash because of the shedding, so once you add in the length of time needed to wash henna out of your hair, it would make sense that that was the cause. I think its just conincidental that it was also my first henna application. Spent all day on trying to untangle it today, and I'm about a third of the way through so another couple of full days like this might finish it.

Perhaps a build up issue on your hair that the henna made worse? Have you clarified recently?

[Quenhilde]

Yeah, clarified this week as I wanted the henna to be going on to clean hair.

[littlestarface]

Yeah, clarified this week as I wanted the henna to be going on to clean hair.

i do too tho i have to do chelating cuz i got some serious hard water and my hairs always tangled. maybe your just like me with just tangly hair??

[Quenhilde]

heh I have to chelate too as we've got horrid hard water here too :)
I agree, I just have tangly hair. It has always tangled. Mine can find a way to tangle whilst in braids. Its usually nowhere near this bad, but usually I'm not shedding 10% of my hair volume in one wash ;)

[school of fish]

Body art quality henna and hair was oiled and brushed well before henna application. It was cling film wrapped after application and kept nice and warm. It didn't dry on the hair.

To be honest, I am 99% certain that the reason it all tangled was nothing to do with the henna. I'm certain its the ridiculous amount of hair I'm shedding just tangling up with the rest of the hair while trying to wash it out. My hair has been tangling a lot just with a normal CO wash because of the shedding, so once you add in the length of time needed to wash henna out of your hair, it would make sense that that was the cause. I think its just conincidental that it was also my first henna application. Spent all day on trying to untangle it today, and I'm about a third of the way through so another couple of full days like this might finish it.

Sounds like you really know your hair, have pinpointed the likely cause, and are working your way through. Just want to offer sympathy and support. Full days of detangling is a hell of a rough go, but you're well in now and you'll get to the other side :)

[Quenhilde]

Thank you.
You've all been so helpful with ideas and all the support. When I came here to post yesterday I was panicking and heartbroken and you have all helped so much to calm me down. Its why I love it here. We all have the same nightmares ;)

[MsPharaohMoan]

We definitely do! I'm glad to hear you're feeling calmer and that our support has been helpful. I know it can be overwhelming facing a head full of tangles but it sounds like you're on your way to getting things under control. Keep going, we're still rooting for you!

[Quenhilde]

Finally the last tangle has been removed! :happydance:
I can see the colour in my hair now too and its nice, although not as red as I'd have liked. I'm hoping it will deepen in colour after future applications but I think I'll wait until my hair has stopped shedding to avoid this happening again. Took a photo to show you but even with a daylight bulb shining on it, its difficult to catch the colour on camera.
http://i740.photobucket.com/albums/xx42/DwarfWench/Misc/th_20151014_1130531_zps69qq0tai.jpg (http://s740.photobucket.com/user/DwarfWench/media/Misc/20151014_1130531_zps69qq0tai.jpg.html)
My hair has now definitely gone from being type ii/iii to type i though in less than 2 weeks thanks to the meds. I'll be trying out Jessica's Essential Oil treatment to see if I can get it back to its original volume once the meds are totally out of my system.
I think I'm going to have to give myself a large trim to try to fix things now though as I can see so many breaks and splits which with my tangly hair are only going to make things worse. A good S&D might do it, but I'll leave it a few days first as my shoulders and back are so sore from all the detangling.

http://i740.photobucket.com/albums/xx42/DwarfWench/Misc/th_20151012_0031462_zpsewl5lbbj.jpg (http://s740.photobucket.com/user/DwarfWench/media/Misc/20151012_0031462_zpsewl5lbbj.jpg.html)

Once again, thank you for all the help :)

[missrandie]

Yay! I'm glad you got it all detangled! Also, I'm sorry you are going through such a nasty med shed.. I hope it grows back soon!

[Arctic]

Hurray :cheer: great job on detangling! The colour is beautifl, but you are right, not much typical henna red/orange can be seen.

My heart goes out to you, it must be very depressing to have this kind of hair loss - so quickly and so massively. I don't know if it would help at all, but some people find caffeine rinses reduce shedding, and might encourage re-growth. But it might be good idea to leave your scalp alone as much as you can. I hope your hair will stop shedding very soon and will start to re-grow right away, and that you will fully recover your hair.

[lapushka]

My hair has now definitely gone from being type ii/iii to type i though in less than 2 weeks thanks to the meds. I'll be trying out Jessica's Essential Oil treatment to see if I can get it back to its original volume once the meds are totally out of my system.

I don't mean to pry, and it's okay if you don't want to mention it, but what medication is causing this?

[Quenhilde]

Oh, its nothing embarassing or anything, just a contraceptive pill (brand name Cerelle). Doctor forced me to switch to a different type due to having had migraines in my youth but this one really disagreed with me. I suffer with ME/CFS and part of my current treatment involves a lot of omega oils and other things that many people report to really help hair growth (that's not why I am taking them but I'll happily accept any good results!) so I wonder if the shedding would have been worse if I didn't have all this helpful stuff too.

[littlestarface]

im sorry you have to go through this, losing hair is so devastating and then to have to deal with tangles too! id be crying all the time. but dont worry hopefully itll grow back, just have to get rid of that medication then with some time and care itll be back to normal.

[lapushka]

Oh, its nothing embarassing or anything, just a contraceptive pill (brand name Cerelle). Doctor forced me to switch to a different type due to having had migraines in my youth but this one really disagreed with me. I suffer with ME/CFS and part of my current treatment involves a lot of omega oils and other things that many people report to really help hair growth (that's not why I am taking them but I'll happily accept any good results!) so I wonder if the shedding would have been worse if I didn't have all this helpful stuff too.

OMG. Can you switch off of that or onto something else?

[Quenhilde]

Currently the doc won't let me switch back to the brand I used before. I don't have many other options that I can use, but I stopped taking the tablets as soon as I realised they were causing the hair loss and would rather abstain altogether if she doesn't have a solution I am happy with. My lovely hubby took one look at how upset I was over my hair and said that if they can't find a solution I'm happy with he'll volunteer to have the snip so that I don't have to go through this again. He's a keeper ;)

[littlestarface]

Currently the doc won't let me switch back to the brand I used before. I don't have many other options that I can use, but I stopped taking the tablets as soon as I realised they were causing the hair loss and would rather abstain altogether if she doesn't have a solution I am happy with. My lovely hubby took one look at how upset I was over my hair and said that if they can't find a solution I'm happy with he'll volunteer to have the snip so that I don't have to go through this again. He's a keeper ;)

wow what a sweetheart u have there!

[mindwiped]

Currently the doc won't let me switch back to the brand I used before. I don't have many other options that I can use, but I stopped taking the tablets as soon as I realised they were causing the hair loss and would rather abstain altogether if she doesn't have a solution I am happy with. My lovely hubby took one look at how upset I was over my hair and said that if they can't find a solution I'm happy with he'll volunteer to have the snip so that I don't have to go through this again. He's a keeper ;)

Hug him from all of us here.

You've got my sympathies and a willing ear on the sudden loss. Between hypothyroidism, bcp, and having been on topamax for the migraines, my volume is 30-40% of what it used to be. I'm off the topamax, but haven't managed any real regrowth