Need help - NewBie

[Jyot]

HI All

It all began in my teens when i went to hostel for studies and also decided to get my hair permed for my sister's wedding.Ever since then i have been losing hair and number of gray hair has been increasing . Now it is almost 25 % at 29 yrs age.
Please help me with all your suggestions how to go about solving these problems. I have read so much stuff and lots of different solutions but i could not pick up one

Hair Type - Medium thick, wavy, limp hair of BS length

Products in use
Shampoo - Jasons organic shampoo for hair growth,Avalon Organic volumising shampoo
conditioner - no
Rinse - ACV rinse
Oil - caraway oil,cocunut oil, almond + rosemary EO+ tea tree EO. twice a week , leave the oil overnight and wash next morning
Henna + indigo - twice in a month
Frequency of hair wash - 2-3 times a week.
gray hair - Yes 20%

Please help me solve my hair issues. I really lose heart when i lose hair when i comb after oiling my hair.

Thanks in advance.

[Deb!]

HI All

It all began in my teens when i went to hostel for studies and also decided to get my hair permed for my sister's wedding.Ever since then i have been losing hair and number of gray hair has been increasing . Now it is almost 25 % at 29 yrs age.
Please help me with all your suggestions how to go about solving these problems. I have read so much stuff and lots of different solutions but i could not pick up one

Hair Type - Medium thick, wavy, limp hair of BS length

Products in use
Shampoo - Jasons organic shampoo for hair growth,Avalon Organic volumising shampoo
conditioner - no
Rinse - ACV rinse
Oil - caraway oil,cocunut oil, almond + rosemary EO+ tea tree EO. twice a week , leave the oil overnight and wash next morning
Henna + indigo - twice in a month
Frequency of hair wash - 2-3 times a week.
gray hair - Yes 20%

Please help me solve my hair issues. I really lose heart when i lose hair when i comb after oiling my hair.

Thanks in advance.

You may have a hormone imbalance.

[plainjanegirl]

oiling is not for everybody.
And is there a reason why you don't use conditioner?

[Anje]

It sounds like what you're using is pretty good, and I'm guessing the shampoos are pretty mild (though I'm not having much luck with ingredients lists).

Are you still perming your hair, or was it just this one time in your teens?

I'm going to tell you not to worry too much about the graying. Yes, you have quite a lot of gray hair for your age, but I don't think there's much you can do to change the rate that your hair is changing. Have you had family members go gray young? (It could be worse -- my husband tells me about some family friends where all the kids got gray in high school and were totally silver by the time they began college.) You can dye it or embrace it, as you wish. If it appeals to you and your original color is dark, you might be able to use something like like Manic Panic to color just the grays to a wild color like blue.

Concerning the hair loss -- can you tell whether the hairs are breaking off short, or if they're shedding out by the roots? If they're breaking, you may need to use conditioner more, at least on the length if not near the scalp. If they're shedding, there could be multiple causes, most of them internal. How many hairs do you estimate you lose per day? What kind of thickness (circumference) do you estimate you had, and what do you have now?

You might want to go to a doctor and get your thyroid hormones checked, and make sure you don't have any nutritional deficiencies. Zinc deficiency, for example, has caused some of our members to lose thickness.

Finally, how does your scalp react to the oil? Mine often doesn't like having oils applied to it and sheds more, but water-only washing (which allows the sebum to build up a bit) reduced my shedding. Other people need to keep their scalps really clean to reduce shedding.

[jera]

Your present routine sounds like a healthy one. :D Sometimes graying is a precurser to hair loss, but not always. Is your hair drying out and becoming coarse and curly as well as going gray? Are you under a lot of stress? Do you still have your hair permed? What is your diet like? Foods and fluids? There could be so many reasons, I'd hate to try to pinpoint one based on what you've told us.

Maybe another member more knowledgable than I am can be of more help. :)

[Jyot]

Yes... It makes me hair look even more thin and flat.

[Jyot]

Thank u all for ur replies. I really appreciate ur taking time to read and reply to my post.
Here are some of answers to your questions :

Is your hair drying out and becoming coarse and curly as well as going gray?
No, My hair are not becoming coarse and curly along with going gray.

Are you under a lot of stress?
I was under stress cos of my studies and last year cos of health issues of my daughter. But i would not say i am under stress now.

Do you still have your hair permed?
My hair is not permed any more.That was just one time.

What is your diet like? Foods and fluids?
My diet is vegetarian. No eggs n meat. I try t make sure that i take atleast 5-8 glasses of water. For the last couple of months i have started taking blackstrap mollases n Vitamin B complex too.

Have you had family members go gray young?
Not my mom or other siblings but my dad started graying young.I have tried coloring hair (twice in the jan and feb this year). But donot want to put too much chemicals and mistreat my hair which are already in bad shape.


Finally, how does your scalp react to the oil?
If i comb my hair right after oiling , i lose lot of hair.So i avoid it.
am i massaging my hair in wrong way.

Concerning the hair loss -- can you tell whether the hairs are breaking off short, or if they're shedding out by the roots?
My hair are falling by the roots. I see few hair which are breaking.

I donot use conditioner as they make my hair look very thin.(in terms of volume)

Please advise.

[Bonny619]

You definitely could be iron deficient. RN here. I need to take iron supplements because I'm iron deficient as well. You need to get some blood work done.

[s_tresses]

You are NOT supposed to comb/brush hair after you have oiled your scalp. How do you oil your hair? Try laying off the excessive "rubbing" and move the scalp with your fingers.

Besides that, I don't think the white hair is of concern because it seems hereditary and you are doing what can be done to take care of the problem.

Hair loss is hard to deal with. Just offering you some support. Easier said than done but don't stress.

[feralnature]

You may need protein as you say you are a vegetarian and do not eat meat and eggs. What is your protein source and how many grams a day of protein are you consuming?

Here is a tool to help you figure how much protein you needs based on their weight:

http://www.changingshape.com/resources/calculators/dailyproteinrequirements.asp

[florenonite]

What is your diet like? Foods and fluids?
My diet is vegetarian. No eggs n meat. I try t make sure that i take atleast 5-8 glasses of water. For the last couple of months i have started taking blackstrap mollases n Vitamin B complex too.


You might be lacking protein, which is one of the main components of hair. It's possible to have a healthy vegetarian diet and get all the necessary vitamins/minerals, but it is harder. Do you consume dairy? Milk and its byproducts is an excellent source of protein and, being animal-derived, is the easiest for our bodies to synthesise.

If you don't consume dairy, then nuts (and nut butters like peanut butter) are another good way to get protein.

This ("http://www.livestrong.com/thedailyplate) is an excellent website for tracking your food consumption. At first glance it appears to be a weight loss tracker, but it will also assess your protein intake, so you can use it to make sure you're getting enough protein.

A PP also said you might have an iron deficiency. You'll need bloodwork to ascertain whether or not this is the case, and if it is your best bet for getting iron is a supplement, as humans cannot easily absorb the iron from spinach, etc.

[Jyot]

Thanks a lot for all ur replies.
So, starting today ... no more combing after oiling.I have few more questions.
1) what should be my hair care routine look like... i know it is very general question and depends on hair type. How abt a general answer to help me make a routine which i can later customize.
2) I will keep track of my protein content.
3) for the blood work, what all i should get tested along with Iron?
4) which oil is the best bet for hair growth?
5) Where to find Extra virgin cocunut oil in toronto and which brand?
6) which shampoo and conditioner should use?
Thanks

[florenonite]

You might want to get your thyroid tested when you get your blood done, especially if you've gained weight, as shedding and weight gain are symptoms of hypothyroidism.

You can probably find coconut oil at a health food store, or an Asian supermarket.

[Anje]

Different oils work for different people. I've heard that some people have good luck with oil+essential oil blends like "Moonchaser's Sweet Success Oil" and "Night Blooming Triple Moon Hair Anointing Oil" (both are online), others have luck with blends with castor oil in them. Some people put Monistat (miconazole nitrate) cream on their scalps, which may encourage hair to grow, and to grow faster.

Regarding bloodwork... In addition to checking iron, I would suggest that you get your thyroid hormone levels looked at, zinc, and vitamin B12 (which is necessary, aides iron absorption, and is really only available by supplementation or from animal sources).

If you like your current shampoo, stick with it. I would suggest that you find a lightweight conditioner without proteins or ingredients ending in -icone, -iconol, or -oxane because these have potential to build up or weigh your hair down more. (They're not necessarily bad, but I chose to avoid them.) It doesn't need to be expensive -- White Rain Extra Body, Alberto VO5, and Suave Naturals are all great and liked by a lot of people here, and are generally lightweight. I suspect at least one of those is available in Canada. You can just apply this to the lower parts of your hair if you wish, which will keep it from looking weighed down on the top.

[florenonite]

Different oils work for different people. I've heard that some people have good luck with oil+essential oil blends like "Moonchaser's Sweet Success Oil" and "Night Blooming Triple Moon Hair Anointing Oil" (both are online), others have luck with blends with castor oil in them. Some people put Monistat (miconazole nitrate) cream on their scalps, which may encourage hair to grow, and to grow faster.

Regarding bloodwork... In addition to checking iron, I would suggest that you get your thyroid hormone levels looked at, zinc, and vitamin B12 (which is necessary, aides iron absorption, and is really only available by supplementation or from animal sources).

If you like your current shampoo, stick with it. I would suggest that you find a lightweight conditioner without proteins or ingredients ending in -icone, -iconol, or -oxane because these have potential to build up or weigh your hair down more. (They're not necessarily bad, but I chose to avoid them.) It doesn't need to be expensive -- White Rain Extra Body, Alberto VO5, and Suave Naturals are all great and liked by a lot of people here, and are generally lightweight. I suspect at least one of those is available in Canada. You can just apply this to the lower parts of your hair if you wish, which will keep it from looking weighed down on the top.

I got the White Rain Extra Body at Zellers in Southern Ontario for less than a dollar, so you can definitely get it in TO. It's quite good, too, lightweight and with little scent.

The VO5 I saw recently in a Shoppers' Drug Mart had silicones in it, though which, as Anje said, can weigh your hair down.

[GlassEyes]

As far as the coconut oil, you should be able to find it in any one of the many Asian Supermarkets I hear are lurking in Toronto. xD;

[Alexus1325]

My cousin is a long-haired vegan (she allows herself fish because we're Ukrainian), and her trick is to eat LOTS of tofu, a bazillion different ways. She fries it, she puts it in her salad, she drinks tofu "milk," she makes flavoured paste out of it, on and on! Eating fish helps, too. The oils in salmon, for example, help keep your hair nice, and she gets proteins out of fish that you can't get out of tofu.

[Pierre]

I suspect you're deficient in one or more of the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K. D in particular is linked to hair growth, I don't remember how, but it does grow faster in the summer. A, D, and K are all found in summer milk and meat from animals eating their natural diet outdoors.

[florenonite]

My cousin is a long-haired vegan (she allows herself fish because we're Ukrainian), and her trick is to eat LOTS of tofu, a bazillion different ways. She fries it, she puts it in her salad, she drinks tofu "milk," she makes flavoured paste out of it, on and on! Eating fish helps, too. The oils in salmon, for example, help keep your hair nice, and she gets proteins out of fish that you can't get out of tofu.

Ah, how could I forget tofu?! Yes, if you're not eating tofu already, do so.


I suspect you're deficient in one or more of the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K. D in particular is linked to hair growth, I don't remember how, but it does grow faster in the summer. A, D, and K are all found in summer milk and meat from animals eating their natural diet outdoors.

In Canada milk's also fortified with vitamin D. I also wouldn't be surprised if you're deficient in it, living in Toronto.