How to get thicker hair again after eating disorder

[Loveletters]

Dear Community,
I am a 16 year old who's been dealing with an eating disorder for a few years now. Currently, I'm trying my best to recover, although it's kind of hard. Still, I think I'm doing a good job and I have the right to be proud of how far I've come up till now. I used to have really thick hair when I was 12/13, I used to get lots of compliments on it. The strands itself aren't really thick, they're super fine. It was just really dense. It was healthy and shiny and it was obviously one of the only things about my body I didn't straight up hate. Now, a few years later, my braid is only half as thick as it used to be. It's breaking off, falling out and has lost it's shine too. It's hip length now, and I don't wanna cut it shorter in order to make it look full and dense again. I just wanna know if people might have some tips on what kind of foods to eat or what kind of remedies to use if you wanna make your hair thicker again after years of malnutrition. I'm afraid it will never repair itself again, that's why...
Thanks in advance,
With kind regards.

[gossamer]

:grouphug:

Much of this sounds really familiar to me, so I want to reply and say, yes, your hair will recover as you recover, and that thinking about eating for hair health may even help. It did for me.

I notice you're new so you can't see albums, so if you're ok with instagram, here's a link to a photo of me and my hair taken last month: https://www.instagram.com/p/BtjpXBYFT8z/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

And if instagram isn't a good place for you right now, here's something I posted on imgur a few years ago:
https://i.imgur.com/UoxNTzVh.jpg?1

My disordered eating lasted into my early 20s and would then flare up again in periods of stress occasionally after that. But once I'd really committed myself to learning about hair health, and learning how things like periods of serious illness (like an eating disorder is) can lead to shedding and major stalls, it contributed to my changing mindset. I'd find myself thinking negative thoughts about my body and food sometimes and then I'd think, "no, I really don't want to risk a major shed" and go eat something simple, like a cup of yogurt and granola or pita chips and hummus. Having simple foods easily accessible that were good mixes of some protein and whole grains helped me make it easier to continue better habits of nourishing myself and becoming more comfortable with my appetites and needs.

Your hair is a timeline of your health.

My ends down at floor length and past are very, very old ends, which is part of why they're thin. But they're also hair that was in the process of growing out of my head when I was not nourishing my body. It really makes me wonder how many snapped and broke along the way because they were fragile, because I was fragile then too. The way that my thickness has grown on down shows me that the dramatic change in my taper is partially due to LHC care tips, but almost certainly also due to learning how to eat again.

Look back up in the pic posted above from 2015 and you can clearly see how that last foot of hair is very different from what grew out above it. Those hairs will always be thin, I can't change that. But I really have changed my health and the health of what hair I've grown out since.

Be gentle with yourself, as much as you can, as you are gentle with your hair. It will take time, hair grows at an average of .5inches per month. It can feel like our bodies change so fast, and focusing on hair health becomes almost meditative in how slow it is, and how interconnected it is with the overall health of our bodies.

Sending you all kinds of warm wishes as you work with yourself and this difficult disease. You definitely should be proud of yourself.

[eresh]

Hi and welcome!

I had an eating disorder too, when I was 17, it lasted years, and I had a lot of psychotherapy and such.
I lost half of my hair volume. It was really thin and brittle. But I did keep on growing my hair.
You will see that once you've been eating well for a while, your hair will slowly recover too!
You can take vitamin B supplements maybe to help it along, or special "hair, skin and nails" supplements.
I don't know if that actually will speed up the process, but they are available.
But, the most important thing is, take good care of yourself, love yourself, be gentle with your hair and have lots of patience :o


Here's an old picture of me which shows how thin my hair had gotten.
This is ALL my hair, no hair hanging on my back.
https://i.imgur.com/jTV8zUcl.jpg

Here's a picture of me from a few years back, my hair thickness was normal again here.
https://i.imgur.com/zG4PO4ol.jpg


I wish you well!
It will be alright :o

[lapushka]

Your eating disorder has to be fully *over* and then after a couple months, normal strands will start to grow in. Then it might still take you one to two years to regain full density.

It's not about eating the right foods, it's about eating *enough* of whatever food, preferably lots of vegetables, a meat or meat replacement (very important) and potatoes, pasta or rice. Healthy. And enough!

It can be very difficult.

I was borderline in my teens, and had 6 months of issues, and lost 1/3 of my hair density already, so it can happen fast. The moment you deprive your body of anything, it will show, and if it's not fully out of your system, it's not gonna get better.

Best of luck.

And welcome! :)

[spidergoat]

I've also had some periods of disordered eating in my life, which I still struggle with sometimes, and up until now it never clicked that my eating habits would impact my hair health. I will take gossamer's advice, and thank you, Loveletters for being brave enough to post this. I wish you all the best in your recovery.

[tekla]

Welcome! I haven't had eating disorder but I've had other problems with my mental and physical health in the past that have also affected my hair. I wouldn't focus too much on hair specifically. Take care of your body and mind and the rest will follow. I guess I don't have anything new or groundbreaking to add to the posts above but I just wanted to say hi and wish you all the best.

[vpatt]

I think you are awesome to be able to overcome your eating disorder! It is difficult to change our behavior and you are doing great! My suggestion is to eat real food and not much junk. Protein is important, veggies and fresh fruit. also healthy oils like olive, coconut and avocado. And as lapushka said eat plenty of those good foods. It does take a while to see the change in hair, but sounds like you are well on your way. I would suggest checking out the microtrimming thread. Small trims that make a big difference and don't look like you have cut your hair. I hope you have the best of luck and good health. You will find lots of help and encouragement here.:flower::grouphug:

[spidermom]

The only other thing I want to add to the excellent feedback above is that a lot of hormonal changes happen between the ages of 12/13 and 16. Don't think about getting back the hair that you had at 12/13, as that may not be possible. Think about bringing out your personal best now. Best wishes in your continuing recovery.

[lapushka]

The only other thing I want to add to the excellent feedback above is that a lot of hormonal changes happen between the ages of 12/13 and 16. Don't think about getting the back the hair that you had at 12/13, as that may be impossible. Think about bringing out your personal best now. Best wishes in your continuing recovery.

Good point.

I'm sure everyone here is sick of me recanting it but I had a major hormonal shed age 12/13, up to bald patches because puberty hit (my eating issues were age 17). That was rough, after that my hair grew in wavy instead of straightish. So yes, spidermom is spot on when she says puberty and hormones can do a number on you. That all to say, just try and be healthy. And most of all be well. Wishing you the best on your continued journey towards recovery. :flower:

[ExpectoPatronum]

You're so strong for tackling an eating disorder! I wish you the best of luck in recovery. As other people have said, your hair health will improve as your health improves. I struggled/still struggle with disordered eating and it really took a toll on my hair. Once I was healthy, my hair began growing back. If you can, I recommend getting your blood tested to see if you have any nutritional deficiencies and get those treated. I ended up being low on vitamin D, iron, and B12 and taking supplements for those has really helped my hair growth; however they won't help you unless you're deficient in those vitamins. I would caution against taking supplements unless you know it's something you're deficient in.

[Lizabeth94]

Hey there! I had an eating disorder in my early teens too. Unfortunately I ended up having some other health problems in my teens that affected my GI tract, and I lost my ability to eat entirely and wound up on a feeding tube for about 5 years until we could get my GI tract functioning again. It quickly taught me the value of food, and completely changed my perspective about my body and its needs, not that I don't still struggle with my body image or emotions sometimes.... my work uniform involves a swimsuit! Yikes!

Anyway, I was lucky that I didn't loose any hair due to malnutrition, the feeding tube formula I was on was high in protein, and when I could take liquids by mouth I drank mostly protein shakes with the occasional soup or smoothie. All the protein made my hair grow extremely fast. I also took hair supplements most of the time. The only episode of hairloss I experienced was due to a medication called Topamax for my migraines, and it quickly grew back.
The most important thing is to try and eat a good well rounded diet. Get enough calories, eat at least 50g of protein a day (more is better since hair is made mostly of protein), eat healthy carbs and fat too. A good multivitamin will help if you aren't taking one already, or you could even start a hair and nails supplement too if you want. I highly recommend drinking at least one high protein shake a day to help your hair recover, preferably the kind with added vitamins and minerals, it can double as your vitamin supplement and you can kill two birds with one stone so-to-speak. :o

Its totally true that hair growth goals can help with eating disorders, I like to aim for 100g of protein a day when I'm actively growing my hair, and 100g involves eating a fair amount of food. Its impossible for me to restrict or diet too much and still maintain that goal, and ultimately I would rather grow my hair than be thin, so I opt to eat.

[MadelineMomo]

First of all, congraduations on your recovery thus far. I know that's hard as all hell.


I just wanna know if people might have some tips on what kind of foods to eat or what kind of remedies to use if you wanna make your hair thicker again after years of malnutrition.

Hair is a non-essential; on the list of your body's priorities, it's near the bottom. Hair is mostly made out of protein, and your body only sends protein to your hair after everything else is taken care of. This is where the idea of hair as a marker of health comes from.

Getting a little extra protein might help, but many things go into hair growth, and having good nutrition across the board is really the best thing you can do for it.


I'm afraid it will never repair itself again, that's why...

Because hair is non-essential and so dependant on your current nutrition, that means that it can react relatively quickly. The hair that grew during that time period was damaged perminately, yes—you can't really do that much to make your already-grown hair thick now. But your hair foicals weren't damged. New hair will grow, and your hair will not always be like this.

Lastly, I can't help but wonder if your hair might become useful to you as part of your recovery? In my experience, I am far more easily motivated to do things for the sake of others than to do them for myself. It's this protective, perhaps parental, instinct. We all get a little anthropomorphic about our hair sometimes, and I wonder if, when things are hard, if it might be easier for you to do what you need to to take care of yourself if your remind yourself you're doing it for your hair's sake, or conceputalized it as a pet or plant something that you're taking care of. (That's no werider than tamagotchis, surely.)

While it was never full-blown and I can't claim to fully understand, I did dabble in disordered eating during puberty. For me it was about trying to control my body. And because hair is one facet of our physical selves which is under our control to a large extent, switching my focus to that helped me.

When I was 15, I cut most of my hair off, and had a pixie cut. Over the past 5 years, I've grown it back. Nowadays I'm 20, and my hair is to my waist, and it's healthy. (My hair is also made up of fine but dense strands, like your.) It is—both literally and symbolically—my growth of the past 5 years, and that's a great comfort to me. Hair growth can be slow, but once your new hair starts coming in, look at it and remind yourself that you did that, and good job.