Help me figure out what happened?

[Millermom1110]

I was running my hands through my hair this morning, and a huge chunk fell into my hand. Not like a hairball that you get when cleaning out your brush. I mean it looked like someone took scissors and snipped about 30-50 hairs. They all fell out together in a sort of teeny tiny ponytail.:agape: They were broken hairs as they didn't have bulbs on the end. I've never really dealt with breakage, though. And this was obviously an extreme case. I did discover where the clump came from...I found a bunch of 3 inch blunt ended hairs at the crown of my head.

I used a straightener on the hair at my crown to try and fix a wonky cowlick yesterday because it was making me look like I had a bald spot. BUT I put it on the lowest heat setting!!! Is it possible that this small amount of heat caused my hair to break off 24+ hours later??

I use CV shampoo bars and alternate between ACV rinse or VO5 conditioner. I comb with a wide tooth comb and use a wooden bristle brush for styling. I do shed (thyroid and low ferritin) a lot, but I also have a lot of new growth and the circumference of my ponytail hasn't changed. I've had a full blood work-up recently, so I have no reason to suspect medical reasons aside from the thyroid and ferritin. As of a couple of weeks ago, my thyroid levels were normal (I'm on meds) and my ferritin was "improving." Also, I do blow dry it, but I allow my hair to mostly air dry and then finish it off with the blow dryer on cool. So, I don't really feel like I do anything that would be considered horribly damaging to my hair...am I wrong?

Are the shampoo bars causing my hair to be more fragile for some reason? I used to straighten my hair DAILY when I was a teen (so 10+ years ago) and I never had problems like this. What can I do to strengthen my hair? Since I'm using shampoo bars, am I limited on what kind of conditioners and moisture treatments I can use?

Sorry this post is sort of disjointed and rambly. But I wanted to cry seeing that big ol' clump fall out of my head this morning. My mom was here and she was about to get me one of her Xanax pills lol!shudder:

[lapushka]

I used a straightener on the hair at my crown to try and fix a wonky cowlick yesterday because it was making me look like I had a bald spot. BUT I put it on the lowest heat setting!!! Is it possible that this small amount of heat caused my hair to break off 24+ hours later??


In short? Yes. If it's heat that you used there, and it is now clumping out... yes. That's your cause right there. Heat is *so* unpredictable, even on the lowest setting. I'm not talking a simple blowdryer here, but HOT straightening tools.

Honestly? The thyroid & ferritin issues probably aren't in your favor either.

I'd stop using heat (HOT tools). The blowdryer is okay. If you can hold your hand in the airstream without it burning, then the temperature on that is okay. If it burns, put the settings to a lower heat setting!!!

[Mimha]

Hello Millermom.

This is definitely a bad story, and I imagine your reaction when you saw the hairs !... :(

One thing seems clear : theses hair have not shed by themselves due to some illness or health issue, otherwise they would have shed from the root. At least this is a good point ! But as you have found out the place where they got "cut" (the 3 inches remaining), it means that some mechanical action took them off. I'm afraid it may indeed be due to the straightening iron... :(

[Agnieszka]

I'm sorry this has happened to you... I think i would blame the hair straightener. I once saw a youtube video of a girl using one of those hot hair curlers and a big chunk of her hair just fell off after few seconds of using the device. You said you were using it on low setting, would it be possible that your hair straightener is broken and overheating?

Answering your question if it would be possible for your hair to break off after 24h I think yes. It has never happened to me but had similar experience after hair bleaching. It was fine on the day but chunks fell out few days after...

[Sarahlabyrinth]

I would bet it was the straightening iron... Unfriend that beast if you can..... your hair will thank you.

[meteor]

Oh, I'm so sorry this happened, Millermom1110! :( :grouphug:

I agree with others. It could be very serious heat damage... either you used too much heat or your hair simply cannot take that kind of heat damage anyway. I'd get rid of the straightener if this is what it can do in such a short period of time, to be perfectly honest. :flower:
It's just that thermal damage from direct heat is very serious: you can check out these studies (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=136845&p=3191167&viewfull=1#post3191167) or these pictures (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=136845&p=3189844&viewfull=1#post3189844) of how exactly heat influences hair, if you need further details.

But if the roots (little bulbs that you can feel with your fingers) are present, then it's shedding and I would definitely mention this to a family doctor. Maybe it's some dietary deficiency, some health condition or maybe some medication or a combination of these factors that could be responsible for this. Also, health conditions over the long run can make hair more brittle or fragile, finer in diameter in some cases, which could contribute to lower resistance to things like direct heat. Just something to keep in mind.


I've had a full blood work-up recently, so I have no reason to suspect medical reasons aside from the thyroid and ferritin. As of a couple of weeks ago, my thyroid levels were normal (I'm on meds) and my ferritin was "improving."

I'd watch these issues like a hawk. :flower: These problems are notorious for increased shedding risk, unfortunately.

And please make sure your diet and treatments are on point. :flower:

I really hope this was just a one-off, Millermom1110, and your hair will grow strong! :pray:
Best of luck! And happy growing! :cheer:

[KittyBird]

It could be the straightener, but I thought that I'd mention that I experienced breakage after using shampoo bars. My hair felt great at first, or maybe I just convinced myself that it felt great because I wanted to use "natural" washing methods. After about a year I realized that my hair had become incredibly fragile and it broke off if I just looked at it wrong. I know there are many people who use shampoo bars with great success, but for me it was a disaster. It completely wrecked my hair.

[may1em]

Since it was one clump that came out, more likely it was the straightener. Unless you had a hair tie or sharp barrette in the area, then it could be that.

[Wusel]

I'm sure it was the straightener. Straighteners should be forbidden. You never know if the temperature shown on the display is correct, so, it's Russian Roulette to use them.

[Millermom1110]

Thanks for the replies. I'm THANKFUL if the cause was the straightener (as opposed to some underlying health concern or something) . I never use the darn thing anyway. It's been over a year, and only occasionally before that. I only pulled it out because of that silly cowlick. I was just so shocked at that amount of damage after just one use. I suppose it's possible that it malfunctioned and overheated, though idk how to tell if it is.

I am a bit concerned that maybe the shampoo bars are contributing to my hair being so brittle. Which is discouraging because shampoo bars have really helped me to stretch washes (I have fine, thin, oily hair). With conventional shampoo, I have to wash every other day. With the bars, I can stretch that to 3-4 days.

[LongCurlyTress]

Yep! The hair straightener did this. Back in the day, I had bangs and highlighted hair and the darn straightener actually burned off a chunk of my bangs-- the part that was highlighted. Well, that was one way to "cut out" the highlighted section... ugh.... Also if any oils were on there, hon you literally fried off your hair. Good luck!! Just say No to hair straighteners... It helps to hold the hair in your hand and pull it taunt and then dry it with a hairdryer that is not too hot.. when u can still put your hand in front of it. :cool:

[pailin]

I agree that the primary cause is the straightener, but I also think it's possible something else could be involved to cause your hair to be weakened, so I would try to pay attention to the general condition of your hair, and as Meteor said, watch your ferritin and thyroid.

[lapushka]

Thanks for the replies. I'm THANKFUL if the cause was the straightener (as opposed to some underlying health concern or something) . I never use the darn thing anyway. It's been over a year, and only occasionally before that. I only pulled it out because of that silly cowlick. I was just so shocked at that amount of damage after just one use. I suppose it's possible that it malfunctioned and overheated, though idk how to tell if it is.

I am a bit concerned that maybe the shampoo bars are contributing to my hair being so brittle. Which is discouraging because shampoo bars have really helped me to stretch washes (I have fine, thin, oily hair). With conventional shampoo, I have to wash every other day. With the bars, I can stretch that to 3-4 days.

The brittleness honestly can be a consequence of the low ferritin / thyroid issues. It definitely can be! So I would try to get on top of the health issues first and foremost.

[Millermom1110]

Since it was one clump that came out, more likely it was the straightener. Unless you had a hair tie or sharp barrette in the area, then it could be that.

This gave me another idea. Yesterday I did try to hold up a french twist with a metal domed barrette that was too small. I tried to jam it closed a few times, and the hair that broke is exactly where the clasp was. And then as soon as I took my hair back down, that's when the hair fell out. SO...maybe those hairs got caught in there are cut off? Or it could be the straightener. I've resolved to NOT try and jam my hair into barrettes anymore (duh) and the straightener went into the trash can this morning.

I am still taking iron supplements, so hopefully my ferritin levels come up soon. I'm not anemic...it's just the ferritin. And my thyroid levels are in a good place right now, but 6 months ago I was severely hypothyroid (TSH was at 23, if you're familiar with that sort of condition). SO it would make sense if my hair was still brittle from then. I suppose my hair won't be repaired in just a few months just because my levels are normal now. ::sigh::

If you guys were in my shoes...would you continue on with the shampoo bars? Or should I try something else? Or maybe stick with the shampoo bars but add in some moisture treatments? Basically...if you were in my shoes, what would your course of action be regarding your hair care routing?

[meteor]

^ Oh yes, could be the barrette then. :agree: Definitely avoid jamming hair there... and frankly, not all barrettes are hair-friendly (I think it can be easy to snap hairs with some hair-toy designs), so I'd be super-careful on application and take-down. To avoid problems like this in the future, I'd use a smaller mirror in the back to see exactly what's going on on application and removal of a hair toy that can snap hairs.


If you guys were in my shoes...would you continue on with the shampoo bars? Or should I try something else? Or maybe stick with the shampoo bars but add in some moisture treatments? Basically...if you were in my shoes, what would your course of action be regarding your hair care routing?

Honestly, I'd use whatever makes the scalp and hair happy. :flower: If you can't tell (i.e. no reaction, no difference in hair and scalp), I'd just use the gentlest products that still get the job done and don't require more frequent washes. For me, that's SLES shampoos that I dilute with water in a separate applicator bottle, but it's very different for different people, so YMMV. I'd just use whatever cleanses effectively, doesn't overstrip, doesn't create build-up, and keeps your scalp and hair happy! :D