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Blondieee
April 27th, 2018, 10:57 PM
Hey everyone! I need some help with my EXTREMELY dry hair. Nothing helps. Literally nothing. I can't use sulfate free shampoo or do cowashing. All of that makes my hair fall out and my scalp itch bad. My hair has to have sulfates. I have used sulfates my whole life and have NEVER had hair like this. Ever. Hair stylists see my hair and ask what's causing it. They ask if I'm dying it, if I'm a swimmer which I'm not. I have not dyed my hair in 6 years. All of that hair has grown out. I do not use heat on my hair. Not even a blowdryer. I always let it air dry. I only shampoo 1-2 times a week. I tried Olaplex 3 once and it made my hair ten times worse. I mean why?!!!!! I keep going to consultations with hair stylists because I want to go blonde and they look at my hair and are hesistant because of the extreme dryness. Any suggestions? I take vitamins. When I did get my hair bleached 6 years ago, it was in way better quality than my hair now. I have no idea what the problem is. I have Hashimoto's. Is that causing this?

I tried gluten free for 3 weeks to help with the Hashimoto's and my severe bloating and swelling was so much better. I wasn't getting brain fog anymore and could actually think. My postnasal drip was a lot better. My headaches were better. And no I don't have Celiac. Just gluten sensitivity. And a gluten free diet has been shown to help Hashimoto's and lower antibodies. I couldn't take it anymore and had a couple cheat days but I'm getting ready to start the diet again. Is it thyroid related hair dryness? Or nutritional deficiencies? I take supplements but my gut health is so bad, it's hard for me to absorb my nutrients. What vitamin deficiencies cause dry hair? Isn't it just Biotin and fatty acids?

A picture of my hair is in an album titled "Dry Hair" on my profile. Thanks everyone!

pailin
April 27th, 2018, 11:58 PM
I'm sorry to hear you're dealing with this. That sounds frustrating. Thyroid problems are notorious for affecting your hair, so it could be that- getting that under control may be the most important thing. Also, if you have some kind of absorption problems, going on, there could easily be vitamin deficiencies involved. I don't know which are most likely though. It sounds like you really should talk to a doctor about that, rather than just trying to deal with vitamin deficiencies on your own.
Also have you had iron levels checked recently? I think I've heard that low iron could affect your hair too.
If the gluten free diet seems helpful for your symptoms, it sounds like it's worth another try. There's a lot of information out there these days to take advantage of to make it easier, although I know it's still hard.
In the meantime, have you tried smt's to get some more moisture into your hair?

Kellylee
April 27th, 2018, 11:58 PM
Try getting a good hair mask I really like it’s a 10 and use a heating pad wrapped around a shower cap to keep it warm and let it sit for a few hours. That’s what I do when my hair is super dry and conditioner won’t work.

Sarez
April 28th, 2018, 12:06 AM
I'm so sorry you're going through this :blossom:

How often do you deep condition your hair? Do you oil the ends of your hair often? Are you taking prescription medication for the Hashimoto's? Are you drinking plenty of water every day?

Joules
April 28th, 2018, 12:10 AM
You never mentioned what you do besides shampooing. Masks? Oil treatments? DIYs? Sulfates can be super drying on your hair, most people can't get away with not conditioning their hair after sulfate shampoos. Maybe you're using too much protein treatments? Protein overload makes hair super dry. Olaplex isn't a moisturizer.

Yes, thyroid can make hair dry and brittle. Vitamin deficiencies, too, for instance low levels of vitamin A cause hair dryness. From all the health issues you described I would suggest a blood test to determine what nutrienst you're deficient in, and then to talk to a doctor to figure out how to help your body absorb those nutrients better (vitamins come in different forms, there must be something for you). Just to tackle this part of the story. And the diet to improve your thyroid is definitely worth continuing, maybe talk to your doctor about what else can be done to improve your condition.

TheForestFae
April 28th, 2018, 12:12 AM
As I person who just going through bleaching process, I understand your feeling with dry hair. Have you considered to try the baggy method, I did that twice a week and use the cơashing method to help to moisturize my hair. Eventhough it did help a lot with my hair, my scalp still get itchy and dryness, but it's not a big problem to me, I still think that I can mangage it at the end :) Another solution I would suggest to you is leave in conditioner for overnight? Anyway, hope that this will help you and soon your hair can feel better.

Margarita
April 28th, 2018, 03:10 AM
Im sorry to hear that :/ I recommend you to use oils and rich moisturizers almost every day. Did you go to a doctor to diagnose whats causing xtremely dry hair? Post your updates please =)

Obsidian
April 28th, 2018, 05:00 AM
Any chance you have hard water? First thing I thought of was mineral build up.

Wendyp
April 28th, 2018, 06:03 AM
outside of health issues like hypo thyroid, have you tested your water? my super hard water was killing my hair.

Wendyp
April 28th, 2018, 06:04 AM
Any chance you have hard water? First thing I thought of was mineral build up.

exactly my first thought too. that stuff just was breaking my hair and i had no idea.

lapushka
April 28th, 2018, 06:43 AM
Weren't you the one with the complex health issues? How are they going? Are those fixed or under control, because if they're not that is the first place you have to look. On top of damaged hair you are trying to go blonder... I mean, yeah, of course it is going to get dry. :flower: That's the way it goes, I'm afraid.

How about the thick conditioners and masks for dry & damaged hair?

What I see on the picture looks like brushed out curls. :?: I mean, of course that is going to "look" dry.

hennalove
April 28th, 2018, 07:11 AM
Health problems can certainly cause dry hair. I would definitely discuss the problem with your doctor before adding any new supplements. Externally, aloe vera on your hair might help as will using oils. Your hair may respond favourably to regular deep oil treatments too. What is your water like? Many report having dry hair problems from hard water. If your water is hard maybe that is causing some of the problems. What is your indoor air like? Many have dry hair due to seasonal heating and cooling. Internally, are you taking Vitamin E or eating Vitamin E rich foods? That can help improve your hair. Also, while it sounds unappealing, a teaspoon of coconut oil daily can help too. Hydration is key as well. Pump the water to ensure you are getting moisture throughout your body.

lapushka
April 28th, 2018, 07:15 AM
I have to add, from your profile picture... I think your hair looks just fine, pretty amazing actually.

nycelle
April 28th, 2018, 07:32 AM
Based on everything you said, it sounds like a medical condition could be causing this. When you wrote "it's hard for me to absorb any nutrients", have you actually been diagnosed with malabsorption? That's a serious condition and would definitely cause many of the issues you're having.

Joules
April 28th, 2018, 08:00 AM
Health problems can certainly cause dry hair. I would definitely discuss the problem with your doctor before adding any new supplements. Externally, aloe vera on your hair might help as will using oils. Your hair may respond favourably to regular deep oil treatments too. What is your water like? Many report having dry hair problems from hard water. If your water is hard maybe that is causing some of the problems. What is your indoor air like? Many have dry hair due to seasonal heating and cooling. Internally, are you taking Vitamin E or eating Vitamin E rich foods? That can help improve your hair. Also, while it sounds unappealing, a teaspoon of coconut oil daily can help too. Hydration is key as well. Pump the water to ensure you are getting moisture throughout your body.

This!

And flax seed oil, too. Only I prefer a tablespoon.

lapushka
April 28th, 2018, 08:37 AM
Based on everything you said, it sounds like a medical condition could be causing this. When you wrote "it's hard for me to absorb any nutrients", have you actually been diagnosed with malabsorption? That's a serious condition and would definitely cause many of the issues you're having.

nycelle, I encourage you to look up previous posts by the OP. :) It will all become clear to you then how complicated this is. Based on all of that, it is not easy to give advice.

nycelle
April 28th, 2018, 08:55 AM
Oh I'm sorry, I shouldn't say anything based on her initial post that lists a slew of health issues? OK.

cjk
April 28th, 2018, 10:02 AM
A question. Saying your hair is dry doesn't mean that your hair is dry. Other things can mimic the appearance.

For instance protein overload can make hair stiff and brittle, and even break off. But so can protein deficiency.

Start by asking yourself if your hair is dry.

Describe it. What are the symptoms? Given your health issues are you on a special diet? Identify your desired result. And list anything you've tried so far.

Blondieee
April 28th, 2018, 05:07 PM
Great news everyone! I got lab results. They were posted on the portal this morning. My TPO antibodies are 638 after just 3 weeks gluten free and that includes a cheat day filled with chicken nuggets and pizza. After seeing these results, there will be no more cheat days. My TPO antibodies have constantly been around 1000-1100. When I was first diagnosed years ago, they were 663 and now they're lower than when I was first diagnosed!!! And that's only 3 weeks and including a cheat day. My antibodies literally went down 100 a week! Imagine what they'll be after 3 months gluten free! I'm so happy about this! My biggest regret is that I didn't go gluten free a lot sooner. I started gluten free again today and can't wait til all the gluten is out of my system again and this severe bloating, headaches, and brain fog goes away.

The bad news...if you've been reading my posts you know that for a long time I've been struggling with an iron deficiency with no explanation as to why. My ferritin levels went down again :( For the longest my levels have been in the single digits but then I started supplementing and it went up to 26 but then down to 24 and now it's 19. I take the iron with Vitamin C. Here's the weird part though. My B12 was 380. It wouldn't go up no matter what I did. I take a multi with B12 and iron. My B12 is now 672 after a gluten free diet for 3 weeks and the multi. But the multi wasn't working at first, even after several months. My B12 was still the same. It wasn't until I went gluten free and started having milk every day that my B12 increased a lot. Anything that causes iron malabsorption (low stomach acid, food sensitivities, gut infections) is also going to cause B12 malabsorption so this makes no sense to me. Those things that cause iron malabsorption affect absorption of everything. So why did my B12 go up significantly but not my iron? My periods are not heavy. I wouldn't call them super light, but they're definitely not heavy either. Ever since I've had this iron problem (it's been going on for years), I had 2 stool tests done which showed no gut infections. Any advice? I do have gluten sensitivity and a leaky gut. Does the gut just need time to heal to start absorbing the iron again?

But to answer your questions, yes I drink plenty of water. We do have hard water but we put salt in it to make the water soft so other than when we're low on salt, the water isn't hard. Vitamin E is in my multivitamin that I take. I take 2 multivitamins a day so double the Vitamin E. What oils, rich moisturizers, and leave in conditioners would you guys recommend? I was actually thinking about eating coconut oil every day and putting it in smoothies and stuff. What happens if you put coconut oil directly on your hair?

And yes they have said I have malabsorption. But now I'm finally absorbing B12 which I wasn't before so it looks like the malabsorption is getting better. Just have to figure out what's going on with the iron and what's causing it to be so low.

Lapushka - Yes that was me. My health issues are getting much better. The gluten free diet has helped me tremendously! My TSH is still a little elevated at 3.8 (doctor said should be around 1.0, definitely no higher than 2.0) but my antibodies are dropping rapidly so I want to see what my TSH looks like in a couple months of no gluten. Are there any thick conditioners and masks you would recommend? I use Moroccan Oil deep treatment to deep condition and it always helps a lot but since using the Olaplex, it's not helping much. That picture is not brushed out curls. No brush was used on my hair. That's how my hair looks every day. My hair has never looked like this. But yes I want to go blonder but as of right now, I haven't put any color on my hair in 6 years. It shouldn't look like this considering I'm only shampooing 1-2 times a week. Even hair stylists are looking at it and asking what's going on with my health. The profile picture is the one time I had heat used on it by a stylist. The reason it looks like that is because heat seals in the frizz and makes it look healthier. That's what a flat/curling iron does. Not to mention, the products she put on it with silicones to help. My hair does not look like that. You have to compare natural hair to natural hair because I always have it natural. You can't compare natural hair to hair that has been smoothed out by a blow dryer, layered with silicones, and then styled with a curling iron.

Also, I know you guys have advised against Biotin but is it ok to just have 1 gummy a day (1,500 mcg). I do have an actual deficiency. I've been tested and my levels were on the VERY low end of the range. 2 gummies at 3,000 mcg made me break out but is just 1 ok?

lapushka
April 28th, 2018, 05:22 PM
That's great news, and gluten is something you have yourself control over. :)

Iron levels = not so good news, no. Maybe ask your doctor about why the iron is lagging? I thought you couldn't take the supplements and were only taking kid's doses, or am I wrong in assuming this? :flower:

I think any advice needs to come from your doctor. These are pretty hefty issues, Blondieee. What did they say?


Lapushka - Yes that was me. My health issues are getting much better. The gluten free diet has helped me tremendously! My TSH is still a little elevated at 3.8 (doctor said should be around 1.0, definitely no higher than 2.0) but my antibodies are dropping rapidly so I want to see what my TSH looks like in a couple months of no gluten. Are there any thick conditioners and masks you would recommend? I use Moroccan Oil deep treatment to deep condition and it always helps a lot but since using the Olaplex, it's not helping much. That picture is not brushed out curls. No brush was used on my hair. That's how my hair looks every day. My hair has never looked like this. But yes I want to go blonder but as of right now, I haven't put any color on my hair in 6 years. It shouldn't look like this considering I'm only shampooing 1-2 times a week. Even hair stylists are looking at it and asking what's going on with my health. The profile picture is the one time I had heat used on it by a stylist. The reason it looks like that is because heat seals in the frizz and makes it look healthier. That's what a flat/curling iron does. Not to mention, the products she put on it with silicones to help. My hair does not look like that. You have to compare natural hair to natural hair because I always have it natural. You can't compare natural hair to hair that has been smoothed out by a blow dryer, layered with silicones, and then styled with a curling iron.

Try the olive, the honey or the avocado mask by Garnier Whole Blends. If you are silicone free, someone on here said the olive conditioner by them is silicone free. But they are awesome masks. :flower:

I hope you get all these issues resolved. It's about time, right? :o

Wendyp
April 28th, 2018, 07:49 PM
Great news everyone! I got lab results. They were posted on the portal this morning. My TPO antibodies are 638 after just 3 weeks gluten free and that includes a cheat day filled with chicken nuggets and pizza. After seeing these results, there will be no more cheat days. My TPO antibodies have constantly been around 1000-1100. When I was first diagnosed years ago, they were 663 and now they're lower than when I was first diagnosed!!! And that's only 3 weeks and including a cheat day. My antibodies literally went down 100 a week! Imagine what they'll be after 3 months gluten free! I'm so happy about this! My biggest regret is that I didn't go gluten free a lot sooner. I started gluten free again today and can't wait til all the gluten is out of my system again and this severe bloating, headaches, and brain fog goes away.

The bad news...if you've been reading my posts you know that for a long time I've been struggling with an iron deficiency with no explanation as to why. My ferritin levels went down again :( For the longest my levels have been in the single digits but then I started supplementing and it went up to 26 but then down to 24 and now it's 19. I take the iron with Vitamin C. Here's the weird part though. My B12 was 380. It wouldn't go up no matter what I did. I take a multi with B12 and iron. My B12 is now 672 after a gluten free diet for 3 weeks and the multi. But the multi wasn't working at first, even after several months. My B12 was still the same. It wasn't until I went gluten free and started having milk every day that my B12 increased a lot. Anything that causes iron malabsorption (low stomach acid, food sensitivities, gut infections) is also going to cause B12 malabsorption so this makes no sense to me. Those things that cause iron malabsorption affect absorption of everything. So why did my B12 go up significantly but not my iron? My periods are not heavy. I wouldn't call them super light, but they're definitely not heavy either. Ever since I've had this iron problem (it's been going on for years), I had 2 stool tests done which showed no gut infections. Any advice? I do have gluten sensitivity and a leaky gut. Does the gut just need time to heal to start absorbing the iron again?

But to answer your questions, yes I drink plenty of water. We do have hard water but we put salt in it to make the water soft so other than when we're low on salt, the water isn't hard. Vitamin E is in my multivitamin that I take. I take 2 multivitamins a day so double the Vitamin E. What oils, rich moisturizers, and leave in conditioners would you guys recommend? I was actually thinking about eating coconut oil every day and putting it in smoothies and stuff. What happens if you put coconut oil directly on your hair?

And yes they have said I have malabsorption. But now I'm finally absorbing B12 which I wasn't before so it looks like the malabsorption is getting better. Just have to figure out what's going on with the iron and what's causing it to be so low.

Lapushka - Yes that was me. My health issues are getting much better. The gluten free diet has helped me tremendously! My TSH is still a little elevated at 3.8 (doctor said should be around 1.0, definitely no higher than 2.0) but my antibodies are dropping rapidly so I want to see what my TSH looks like in a couple months of no gluten. Are there any thick conditioners and masks you would recommend? I use Moroccan Oil deep treatment to deep condition and it always helps a lot but since using the Olaplex, it's not helping much. That picture is not brushed out curls. No brush was used on my hair. That's how my hair looks every day. My hair has never looked like this. But yes I want to go blonder but as of right now, I haven't put any color on my hair in 6 years. It shouldn't look like this considering I'm only shampooing 1-2 times a week. Even hair stylists are looking at it and asking what's going on with my health. The profile picture is the one time I had heat used on it by a stylist. The reason it looks like that is because heat seals in the frizz and makes it look healthier. That's what a flat/curling iron does. Not to mention, the products she put on it with silicones to help. My hair does not look like that. You have to compare natural hair to natural hair because I always have it natural. You can't compare natural hair to hair that has been smoothed out by a blow dryer, layered with silicones, and then styled with a curling iron.

Also, I know you guys have advised against Biotin but is it ok to just have 1 gummy a day (1,500 mcg). I do have an actual deficiency. I've been tested and my levels were on the VERY low end of the range. 2 gummies at 3,000 mcg made me break out but is just 1 ok?

Ohhh tsh of 3.8 is too high! I’m hypo thyroid .. that affects your hair significantly. Hormones too, young people can have low progesterone etc.

Blondieee
April 28th, 2018, 08:55 PM
That's great news, and gluten is something you have yourself control over. :)

Iron levels = not so good news, no. Maybe ask your doctor about why the iron is lagging? I thought you couldn't take the supplements and were only taking kid's doses, or am I wrong in assuming this? :flower:

I think any advice needs to come from your doctor. These are pretty hefty issues, Blondieee. What did they say?



Try the olive, the honey or the avocado mask by Garnier Whole Blends. If you are silicone free, someone on here said the olive conditioner by them is silicone free. But they are awesome masks. :flower:

I hope you get all these issues resolved. It's about time, right? :o

My doctor has been unsure for a while about why my iron is so low. She has no idea :( No I'm not taking kid's doses. I'm taking what my doctor has advised. I'm taking an adult dose, 36mg. I'm actually taking 9mg more than pregnant women take. I could try bumping it up till 54mg, but it should already be coming up with what I'm taking. I'm absorbing the B12 but the iron isn't coming up.

Thank you for the mask suggestions. I will definitely go buy one of them :) And yes it is about time! These issues have been going on way too long! I'm mad at myself for not trying the gluten free diet sooner. I had no idea it was going to make a tremendous difference. I'm gluten free now though and that's what matters.

Blondieee
April 28th, 2018, 08:57 PM
Ohhh tsh of 3.8 is too high! I’m hypo thyroid .. that affects your hair significantly. Hormones too, young people can have low progesterone etc.

Yes it is too high. It could be the reason why my hair is so extremely dry. But when you make a diet change like go gluten free, your antibodies come down significantly and then as long as there's not too much damage to your thyroid, your TSH normalizes. That's why I'm going to wait and see how my TSH looks in a couple months.

Joules
April 29th, 2018, 12:51 AM
Coconut oil can be great for your hair, but it can cause dryness if your hair doesn't need excess protein. I find coconut milk really moisturising: try mixing coconut milk with any conditioner, and then applying it on your hair for at least 30 min. Pre-shampoo oil treatments for me are a must: I love olive, castor, hemp seed and grape seed oils, lanolin, shea and cocoa butters. My favorite leave-in is R&B from Lush, but if you're ok with silicones, I'm sure you can find something great and less expensive. LCO-method after washing helps lock in the moisture.

My hair is naturally really really dry, to the point where my hair just won't grow past BSL without a ton of extra treatments and going sulfate-free (I'm currently going to doctors and having tests done to check my health, thyroid included), and all of this helps me a lot.

lapushka
April 29th, 2018, 03:28 AM
My doctor has been unsure for a while about why my iron is so low. She has no idea :( No I'm not taking kid's doses. I'm taking what my doctor has advised. I'm taking an adult dose, 36mg. I'm actually taking 9mg more than pregnant women take. I could try bumping it up till 54mg, but it should already be coming up with what I'm taking. I'm absorbing the B12 but the iron isn't coming up.

Thank you for the mask suggestions. I will definitely go buy one of them :) And yes it is about time! These issues have been going on way too long! I'm mad at myself for not trying the gluten free diet sooner. I had no idea it was going to make a tremendous difference. I'm gluten free now though and that's what matters.

Oh OK. Because you mentioned a while back (if I remember this correctly) that you had issues swallowing or keeping the iron down? Which is why you got "Flintstones"?

That is odd though. Can they look into it further. Maybe the endo? Maybe it is all linked to the thyroid issue?

Well the gluten is one thing at least you can change big time! Aldi (about the only store we shop at) in my country do gluten-free pasta's. I'm sure they have a lot more available in the US. Over here stores aren't as big as yours are (smaller spaces) and so the shelves are more for the "regular" stuff, so we get a tiny gluten-free section. It is so hard to come by over here.

Flowerness
April 29th, 2018, 12:51 PM
When my Mom was having thyroid issues, her hair got crazy dry. Crispy ends, almost. Once her body was doing better her hair stopped doing that. Paying attention to doctors orders, sleep, water, medication and supplements really does help. She no longer has to cut off several inches of seriously dry hair anymore.

My hair gets dry, too. I wasn't posting for a while (due to computer issues- yuk!) and during that time, I only did minimal care for my hair. I just wanted to be done fast. No oiling, and I used shampoo and conditioner once. My hair looked crazy dry. Like, top to bottom dry crispy frizzy hair. Now, I'm back to preshampoo oiling (or I use a leave in conditioner by Cantu, which is working awesome), and I condition twice. Then, I use a little conditioner mixed with a dab of Aloe Vera for moisture. Some ladies like LOC or LOCG method for moisture, and any time I've got dryness or static I do all of it: clarifying shampoo after a long, deep oiling overnight, with lots of leave in. Conditioner twice, with either deep condtioner or SMT. ACV rinse, and leave in with Aloe Vera. Doing a SMT for an hour or two, followed by a little hair oil helps a ton whenever I notice some dryness creeping in.

Good luck, and I hope you feel much better soon!

Wendyp
April 29th, 2018, 02:38 PM
Yes it is too high. It could be the reason why my hair is so extremely dry. But when you make a diet change like go gluten free, your antibodies come down significantly and then as long as there's not too much damage to your thyroid, your TSH normalizes. That's why I'm going to wait and see how my TSH looks in a couple months.

Yes that’s tech hypo even with the ridiculously stupid “normal” range here in the us it’s like .05 -3.5 used to be 5.0. I think it makes ur hair and skin not only dry but brittle too. And mine wouldn’t grow past my bsl.

Dark40
April 29th, 2018, 03:56 PM
Yeah, I agree with Joules. You might be going through a protein overload. Too much protein can make your hair feel dry too.

Kalamazoo
September 30th, 2018, 01:22 AM
If you're gluten-sensitive dietary-wise, then do you need to avoid gluten ingredients in your hair care products? I mean, maybe you really don't want to put wheat germ oil on your hair?

I'm very impressed by William Davis' Book, "Wheat Belly".

enting
October 2nd, 2018, 04:41 PM
Absolutely all these health issues can affect hair.

I agree with some of the above commenters that it sounds like you might need oils or humectants rather than protein. Be kind to your hair, be gentle with it, keep it protected when you can, and try out different oils. Some oils make my hair worse but others are just right for me. Play around with a few options and see how your hair responds. That's pretty much all the immediate advice I know of to suggest that could make anything better in the short term. Getting some of the health issues under control should also help, but that's help for the long term. The issues won't be fixed in a day, and even once they're controlled, the effects won't be visible on your hair right away. It'll take time for your hair and body to respond to being healthier.

Kalamazoo
October 15th, 2018, 07:18 AM
Battling the MSG Myth, by Debby Anglesey has a detailed list of names that MSG hides under on ingredient labels on food, cosmetics, ntrition supplements, etc.

I know, you said you're gluten-sensitive, not MSG-sensitive. But one of my friends with Celiac pointed out that my MSG-avoid-list contained almost all of what was on his gluten-avoid-list, & MSG seems to trigger gluten reactions.

Mrs. Anglesey points out that MSG is present in many shampoos, conditioners, & other hair products. It's often lurking under terms like "fillers" or "binders". I mean, even table salt is suspicious, because MSG gets used as a "binder" to glue the artificial iodide (which replaces the natural iodine, which was bleached out in the "refinement" process) to the "salt". (According to Dr. Mercola, so-called table salt is 1/3 salt, 1/3 sand, & 1/3 ground glass.) Honestly, we NEED salt, but it needs to be UNrefined seasalt -- which naturally contains iodine, so there's no need to add iodide...

And then there are the vitamin pills. They often contain gelatin (which is MSG) &/or fillers & binders (more MSG).

Do you need biotin? Instead of taking a pill, I prefer to eat egg yolks and throw away the egg whites. If making a hair mask, I use the yolk & throw out the white ... because the yolk contains biotin, but the albumin contains avidin, which inhibits the body's uptake of biotin. Yes, cooking the albumin reduces the avidin's activity from 40 to 60%, but just not using the albumin in the first place seems like a better idea to me.

lapushka
October 15th, 2018, 11:24 AM
(According to Dr. Mercola, so-called table salt is 1/3 salt, 1/3 sand, & 1/3 ground glass.)

How could that even past tests to get onto the market; this makes no sense. Is there actual proof for such a claim? Did he provide it?

Joules
October 15th, 2018, 12:05 PM
Battling the MSG Myth, by Debby Anglesey has a detailed list of names that MSG hides under on ingredient labels on food, cosmetics, ntrition supplements, etc.

I know, you said you're gluten-sensitive, not MSG-sensitive. But one of my friends with Celiac pointed out that my MSG-avoid-list contained almost all of what was on his gluten-avoid-list, & MSG seems to trigger gluten reactions.

Mrs. Anglesey points out that MSG is present in many shampoos, conditioners, & other hair products. It's often lurking under terms like "fillers" or "binders". I mean, even table salt is suspicious, because MSG gets used as a "binder" to glue the artificial iodide (which replaces the natural iodine, which was bleached out in the "refinement" process) to the "salt". (According to Dr. Mercola, so-called table salt is 1/3 salt, 1/3 sand, & 1/3 ground glass.) Honestly, we NEED salt, but it needs to be UNrefined seasalt -- which naturally contains iodine, so there's no need to add iodide...

And then there are the vitamin pills. They often contain gelatin (which is MSG) &/or fillers & binders (more MSG).

Do you need biotin? Instead of taking a pill, I prefer to eat egg yolks and throw away the egg whites. If making a hair mask, I use the yolk & throw out the white ... because the yolk contains biotin, but the albumin contains avidin, which inhibits the body's uptake of biotin. Yes, cooking the albumin reduces the avidin's activity from 40 to 60%, but just not using the albumin in the first place seems like a better idea to me.

Dr. Mercola has made a looooot of bullsh** claims throughout his career, I wouldn't believe anything he says

Kalamazoo
October 31st, 2018, 03:39 AM
:shrug: I'm not a scientist; I'm a musician :violin: who likes reading health food books & webpages. :toast: My opinions are NOT guaranteed to be correct. :run::run:Some books I've read (example: "The Fluoride Deception" by Christopher Bryson) claim that governmental regulatory agencies sometimes have (unethical) financial ties to the industries which they "regulate for the public good", so sometimes the facts get skewed a bit. One has to choose whom to believe. :magic:

What I think is significant here is that OP is gluten-sensitive, and that there are many items, among both food & hair care products, that contain ingredients (gluten, MSG, or 1 of 3,000 synthetic additives permitted by the USA's FDA at the time that Dr. Will Clower wrote "Fat Fallacy", which he contrasted with France only permitting 8 additives) that might be causing her problems.

I find that things that cause me trouble don't affect other people the same way at all. YMMV.

Kalamazoo
October 31st, 2018, 01:48 PM
Blondieee, about the iron absorption: I think I've read (not sure where. Maybe in Balch & Balch: "Prescription for Nutritional Healing"?) that although Vitamin C is necessary for uptake of iron, if they're taken at the same time, the Vitamin C actually blocks the iron's absorption. You may need to figure out how to take them at different times. This problem only seems to happen when supplements are used. Real food acts differently in our bodies than the pills do.

I've also read that too much peppermint may cause iron deficiency. I'm currently using peppermint EO because it a) helps speed up hair growth & b) clears the sinuses by inhibiting the iron. I tend to have sinusitus, so peppermint seems like a good solution for me; but everybody's chemistry is different.

If I start sensing myself low on iron, I eat things like red meat, liver, or eggs (well, these days, it's the yolks only) scrambled in butter, in an iron skillet.

leayellena
November 1st, 2018, 02:29 AM
I also saw an album on your profile called bleached hair. could the bleach be the problem?

Kalamazoo
November 16th, 2018, 12:14 AM
How could that even past tests to get onto the market; this makes no sense. Is there actual proof for such a claim? Did he provide it?

Here's an interesting article about what Joe Blow Consumer is up against, here in the U.S., when trying to find a safe shampoo:

<https://www.google.com/amp/s/qz.com/1015989/will-your-shampoo-make-your-hair-fall-out-the-us-fda-doesnt-know-either/amp/>

OK, that link doesn't work. Try googling:

Will Your Shampoo Make Your Hair Fall Out? The US FDA Doesn't Know Either

Kalamazoo
November 16th, 2018, 02:41 AM
Hi Blondieee! It just dawned on me to look for the ingredients in Olaplex 3, since you said, "I tried Olaplex 3 once and it made my hair ten times worse. I mean why?!!!!!"

While I haven't found out what its single ingredient is yet, I read the reviews on walmart.com & found a couple customers who felt that they had received either fake or heavily diluted Olaplex 3, instead of the real McCoy.

<https://www.walmart.com/ip/Olaplex-Hair-Perfector-No-3-3-3-Oz/54878460?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&adid=22222222228052910057&wmlspartner=wmtlabs&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=m&wl3=152469976471&wl4=pla-263984676691&wl5=1026481&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=8175035&wl11=online&wl12=54878460&wl13=&veh=sem&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI-fnw6cvY3gIVQrbACh3zCA5LEAQYAyABEgL3WPD_BwE>

So one good question is, did you buy it straight from the manufacturer, or from a source that you KNOW is reliable?

I'm still trying to find out what it's made of.

ETA:

OK, that link didn't work, so go to walmart.com & search for Olaplex 3. The 1st item that came up is the one I looked at.

At the beginning of the ad, it says, "Olaplex is a single ingredient that is added before and after hair color treatments and other chemical services."

I feel that that statement is deceptive, because when I found the Ingredients list, farther down the page, I counted 31 ingredients in their recipe. It is NOT a single ingredient!

Being a health food, anti-chemical fanatic, I consider only 7 of those ingredients to be safe. But you must decide for yourself. What I do when I'm not sure about a product is to google every ingredient on the list & read what's online about it. I get talked out of a lot of things that way! :knitfrog:

But there are good reasons why you might choose to use a product that I wouldn't. Here's an article on how to use Olaplex:

Google: What Is the Olaplex Treatment, and Should You Be Using It on Your Hair? by Marci Robin

It's the first article, down after the advertisements. That author comes to the conclusion that it works if you get Steps 1 & 2 done in the beauty salon before doing Step #3 at home.

Me? Personally? I'm sticking to as close to health food as possible.

lapushka
November 16th, 2018, 04:52 AM
Kalamazoo, just a quick hint - your links don't work. :( :flower:

Kalamazoo
November 16th, 2018, 09:02 AM
Kalamazoo, just a quick hint - your links don't work. :( :flower:

Thanks, Lapushka.