a 17 year old girl with thinning hair and horrible scalp :(

[SophieSpector]

every so often I get dandruff, really bad dandruff. Its more flakes of skin than that white powder dandruff most people get.

head and sholders and medicated dandruff shampoos..they didn't work nor did my more expencive brand shampoo like kerestase ( which makes my hair look amazing but obviously my scalp dosn't like it )

I basicly gave up and washed my hair everyday with these shampoos to keep my dandruff at bay but if I skipped a day of washing it was back in full force. I felt like I was washing out the dandruff not treating it in anyway.

I decided to go natural with my haircare because my hair has been a shedding like mad and I heard SLS can cause hair thinning.

I switched to an aloevera natural organic shampoo I got from the healthfood store nearby and my dandruff has improved and have been using coconut oil which has also helped a bit with dandruff and hair thinning.

I'm trying to go all natural with my hair care and also treat my inside aswell as out to help the dandruff and thinning. I would really like your opinion on what ive started to try out and reccomendations for me.

I've started taking HIGH Ammounts GLA because I also have skin conditions where ive taken GLA in the passed and they have cleared up so i'm wondering if my levels are so low its now affecting my hair and scalp

I take high levels of fish oils

i'm going to start taking green tea extract ( apprently something to do with DHT and green tea can help you hair stop falling out )

Silica ( a few drops in my orange juice every morning )

vit b complex + biotin + zinc pencious anemia runs in my family (low vit b levels) which can affect hair, biotin helps hair growth and zinc apprently helps you stop breaking out if you are taking vit b ( ive taken a high dose of VIT B before and it made me break out )

I know i'm anemic so ive started taking iron daily with orange juice ( spatone ) which I heard can also cause hair loss

and a multivit

opinions?

[jera]

I think you should consult your physician about this. You're taking all the right supplements, but are still experiencing scalp issues and sheddies. :(

If you're severely anemic or deficient in vitamin B12 which can sometimes occur with anemia, your physician will know.

Neem oil can be beneficial for scalp issues, but it smells bad. :o Have you tried Nizoral shampoo yet? Most physicians will prescribe that for hair loss and scalp issues.

Good luck and keep us posted. :)

[SophieSpector]

i'm not taking all these supplements yet, i'm only taking the iron and fish oils, some calcium, i bought a bunch today and i'm going to buy some tomorrow.

You answered my question though, I was wondering if the research I did was right and this would help my shedding/scalp problems so I will probably update again about this in a few months once ive taken all the supplements ive listed above for a little while.

[spidermom]

Chewable or liquid vitamin and mineral supplements work best for some people because pills can pass right through the digestive tract unchanged and undigested. So if you haven't gotten your supplements yet, keep this in mind. Keep anything alkaline like soap and baking soda off your scalp. I've seen web sites describing how dangerous it can be to disrupt the natural acid mantle that protects your skin. Since you already have a problem with your scalp, you want to be extra special careful; know what I mean? Try a very diluted vinegar rinse after washing and conditioning.

[Fractalsofhair]

Keep on taking the iron and see if it clears up!

Other than that, it sounds like your dandruff might be caused by a dry scalp, with the oil helping it. Try doing a deep oil/hot oil treatment.

[akevita2002]

I had problems with excessive shedding and dandruff just like you described, as big flakes, due to hormonal imbalance and a lot of stress. How I got rid of the dandruff was by oiling my scalp twice a week with olive oil, it really cleaned my scalp (after a month or so) and also stopped the shedding and regenerated my lost hair.

THis is just my story, you should see a doctor to be sure of what's causing your problems! All my best wishes for you :)

[SophieSpector]

ive been to the doctor about it before and they said I had low iron but thought my saying I had lost my hair was me being a hypocondriac teenager but I know what I see, I take a shower and ive covered in my own hairwhich is why i'm trying to sort it out myself, naturally.

I will definately try the olive oil treatment, does good olive oil ( extra virgin organic ) work better than standard olive oil?

[getoffmyskittle]

Coconut oil is really good for killing off fungus (which is what dandruff is), since it has lauric acid. It is the only thing that makes my scalp bearable. Severe dandruff can absolutely cause excessive shedding. Treating the anemia might be the best thing you can do right now, though. Good luck!

[Olivia23]

Research tea tree oil. It helps with dandruff and I believe it's antifungal also. I bought a tiny bottle from my health food store. I put a few drops in my shampoo that I also buy from the health food store, and I put it in my facial cleansers because it's supposed to help with acne also.

Other people have reported that doing ACV (apple cider vinegar) rinses help with dandruff. You mix a little ACV with water and pour over your head after you shampoo and condition, then you rinse it out. I use both of these because I recently developed dry itchy scalp and it has really helped a lot, but the biggest thing I believe that helped was switching to more natural shampoos without sls in it.

[Darkhorse1]

You need to see your doctor asap. Your hair loss is due to your anemia. You need added supplimentation for that for your own health.

I had problems with dandruff and dandruff can cause thinning hair/shedding hair. At a very stressful time in my life, I was shedding fist fulls of hair daily. It was terrifying. My doctor gave me some drops to alleviate the dandruff, which was hard, crusted and painful when I scratched it. That helped and the shedding stopped (the massive kind).

When you have medical problems, make sure you speak to a GP about the root cause. Once that is addressed, your hair problems should be a bit easier to figure out.

Hugs and good luck!

[Lia_Vaumont]

I'm experiencing the exact same thing, the dandruff and the shedding and all. I've used coconut oil infused with rosemary, thyme, green-tea leaves, and crushed ginger. All you need to do is let those spices/herbs sit in the coconut oil for a week (I suggest extra virgin); you could also use olive oil as the base. Or better yet, try to purchase some essential oils of rosemary (which is an anti-fungal, and it helps in hair-growth). You could mix it with jojoba oil which should regulate your sebum production, since excess sebum is one of the causes for dandruff. Try an apple-cider vinegar rinse as well. You could also try a tea rinse with the herbs/spices I described above. Just place them all in a muslin tea-bag and let them steep in hot water for 10 minutes or until the water is cool, and use that to wash your hair and scalp. Also, try not to shampoo your hair everyday (if possible) since it might worsen the dandruff. The steps that I took with the oils and herbal rinses helped allay my dandruff quite well. I hope it might help you too. Oh, and a little side note on green-tea extract and green tea itself: please consume these with moderation, since excessive consumption can worsen your anemia. (I'm anemic as well) and I've read that there are components in the chemical structure of green tea which prevents the body from absorbing iron, so please don't go overboard with it. I would suggest you brew tea (in leaf form, not the tea-bag kind), rather than consume them via pills. Brewing the tea offers these two benefits: It reduces your stress levels (slowly sipping hot tea calms the mind), and the heat from the water somehow denatures some of the chemicals not-so-good chemicals in the tea that might still be intact in the pill form. But the benefit mostly would be the anti-stress factor of the brewing/steeping. Yes, you are right that green tea does reduce the amount of DHT which is converted by the body (DHT of course being one of the causes of hair loss). You could also accentuate fish into your diet if you don't mind the fishy taste or smell. Whole-grains (if you're not gluten-sensitive) mixed with legumes also provide protein to help in the repairing of your hair. I hope this helps, I wish you all the best. You're not alone on this, stay strong. We'll put through. :) :flower:

[SophieSpector]

thank you for the info on green tea. I'm wondering what I should do about that now, if drinking the tea is better but even if I found green tea in my area it would be hell trying to make it since all I have is an electric kettle and mugs at my disposal.

[GoddesJourney]

Have you considered you might have some kind of allergy to a common ingredient in hair products? This could end up causing you no end of trouble and you could go all over the place trying to fix it. Look into that.

[Kirry-Folk]

A friend of mine gets ENORMOUS flakes if she doesn't use the Head & Shoulder's Intensive Treatment, but it sounds like your scalp problem is likely due to a medical issue. :( Hope it gets better soon, though.

[Erin-86]

Are you sure it's dandruff? I have psoriasis on my scalp, and from time to time I also expierence the loss of flakes of skin. My hair isn't thinning, but I know someone who had the same, and she did lose hair (a lot!). I think you better see a doctor who can assure you it is dandruff, or something else.

[MinRice]

I don't really have any advice but I know what it's like to have hair/skin problems because of a medical condition and I really just wanted to pop in and tell you good luck and that I'm hoping you can get it all under control!

[Lia_Vaumont]

thank you for the info on green tea. I'm wondering what I should do about that now, if drinking the tea is better but even if I found green tea in my area it would be hell trying to make it since all I have is an electric kettle and mugs at my disposal.
Electric kettle eh? You could boil the water in the kettle, take a small amount of tea (a pinch or so) place it in the mug, and pour the water over it, and then cover the mug and let it steep for a while depending on how strong you like it. Or... you could find another container for the tea and water such as a used mayonnaise jar (which is what I use at the moment since my tea-pot broke :( ) Don't worry about the brewing time since you're not really making gourmet tea, which is an art-form in of itself. :D But if you want to try and make some, I can give you some tips. ^_^ Going back to the topic, please don't place the tea in the electric kettle, since if it is metal, the metal will adulterate the taste of the tea. Also, if you have a store there that sells household wares, look for affordable tea pots, but ask them first if they're glazed with lead or not (since if it is, it's a big no no, not because it might change the taste, but because it is poisonous). Oh, and please make sure that you cover the tea while you steep it, especially if it is an herbal infused tea. It does two things---first, it helps trap in (and circulate) heat; and second, it helps trap in the tea's aroma. :)

[Madame J]

If your doctor doesn't take you seriously, go to another doctor, or demand a referral to a dermatologist. Have you shown your parents the flakes of skin coming off your scalp that you describe? They can help you get your voice heard and get a referral to someone who might be able to help you with your scalp condition.

That said, it might be irritation from all the things you've tried. If oil helps, you might try oiling your scalp often and using a mild shampoo as rarely as you can handle for a couple of weeks to see if it was irritated from over-treatment. Extreme irritation of the scalp can cause shedding. Your hair may look a little greasy for a couple weeks, but once your scalp calms down, it will be easier to find a way to clean your hair without re-irritating it. Make sure you avoid common irritants like fragrance, parabens, and sulfates. The "Sulfate-Free Shampoo List" is linked in the "VIT- Very Important Threads" thread that is sticky to the top of this forum, and color-codes shampoos by those with gentle non-sulfate cleansers and those with harsher non-sulfate cleansers. "Natural" and "sulfate-free" do not necessarily mean gentle.

Good luck and I hope you feel better.

[nytquill]

Do you have a microwave? It's most definitely un-gourmet but I always heat my water for tea in the microwave instead of a kettle. That's how my mother taught me to do it when I first started making my own tea; I've never had a kettle in my life! I heat it for 2, 2 1/2 minutes and then steep for 3-5 minutes (or until I forget about it and remember it again, lol!) Of course the water isn't boiling at that point but it's hot enough to brew the tea and I like it better because I can drink it right away without burning my tongue.

With loose tea you can get one of those mesh infuser balls if you prefer; you still end up with some tea at the bottom of your cup but you can take most of it out when you lift out the infuser. As to finding tea, a lot of times there are specialty shops that sell lots of different varieties - a lot of times these places go hand in hand with gourmet chocolate or dessert shops. If you have friends that drink tea maybe ask them where they buy theirs or do an internet search for your town (or nearest town) and tea or tea shops. Might want to throw the word gourmet in there too. Or if you have a health-food type store where you're getting your supplements and hair products, they might have a section on teas or the staff there might be able to suggest a place to buy some :) In my experience you can usually find a tea shop eventually but it might take a little digging!

[Anje]

As others have said, I'd suggest you head to the doctor.

If you have pernicious anemia, taking B vitamin supplements and iron won't help. You need to have B12 injections occasionally, because your digestive tract won't absorb the stuff. That requires a doctor.

[Beloved]

Sophie, how does your stomach feel? When I hear stories like this, I suspect gluten intolerance, because that was my problem.

Other things to look at are having your ferretin levels and thyroid levels tested.

[Capybara]

I'm sorry to hear that you're having problems with your hair! :flowers:

Although you've gone natural, (so I don't know if you want to take this route-it's just a suggestion) I've had really good results with using Neutrogena TGel shampoo to control my flakey scalp. I have psoriasis, which causes severe itching and flaking, but the TGel really helps! I only use it once every week or two, and it keeps everything under control.

My scalp seems to be much drier during the winter than during the summer (I only use TGel about once a month in the summer :D) so maybe it's a seasonal thing for you as well. Don't worry, you'll get through!