Its getting thinner and thinner :(

[09robiha]

Everytime I detangle, usually socking wet smothered in conditioner, more and more hair comes out...and its starting to worry me. I grew up with really thick hair, and lost half the thickness due to illness a few years back. It never came back. Now my hair is just getting thinner and thinner and I am starting to worry...help!!

[Purdy Bear]

It may just be the way you detangle. Theres a lot of information on the forum and You Tube about the proper way to treat hair during washing.

From reading some threads, shedding can be caused by use of certain products, so I would look at those.

I would also go see the Dr to make sure its not something like hormonal imbalances or iron deficiencies, which can be easily fixed.

We loose between 50-100 hairs a day naturally.

I have about 80-90 total hair loss due to Alopecia, so I know exactly how you feel. The sooner you get it checked the better you feel, also, if its something that needs treatment you will start sooner.

Kingsley in his book The Hair Bible, says it takes 2 to 6 months to notice any real change in the hair either way. One thing I have noticed is that when I go through something really stressful, my hair reacts (or I notice it) 6 months after the fact, so there maybe some truth in what Kingsley says.

There is an awful lot you can do which is discussed on the forum, from good nutrition, supplements (Biotin etc) or other things like food grade Diatomaceous Earth and MSM, as well as Monistat (Daktarin) Vaginal Cream and Vaselin. Its well worth having a good search for them all.

My paws are crossed for you.

Purdy

[Dreams_in_Pink]

I suggest you see a doctor in case there's a problem with your health.

I also suggest you DON'T detangle your hair wet, even with conditioner. It's best to detangle dry because hair's the strongest when dry. Start from the ends and work your way up. I found that paddle brushes are the gentlest option for detangling because the bristles are flexible so it doesn't yank at tangles, but finger combing is a must beforehand. Check your shed hairs to see if they have roots or not. If they don't have roots then it might be breakage from wet detangling.

ETA: By the way, i also had very thick hair before, but it's getting thinner. Don't panic, hair stuff are %90 related to genes.

[AgnesONutter]

If it worries you I would go to the doctor to get it checked, but to begin with try to detangle and brush with a boar bristle brush before taking a shower, that will get rid of any loose hairs you have tangled in your mane and make the hair less of a mess after the shower. Air dry. Detangle again, and see if you shed as much hair in the first and second detangling session together as you do when you detangle wet.

I find, the longer my hair gets, the more sensitive it is to wet detangling. When I had shorter hair, newly cut, it wasn't really a problem.

[09robiha]

thanks guys...my only problem is I have pretty curly hair. I cant detangle it dry without hearing things snap or getting tangled.

[Honey39]

Yeah, I have thick hair now, but it was REALLY thick when I was a teenager - I think hair does tend to get thinner as you get older, so maybe it's that? It's hard to keep track of hair, isn't it? I tend to take comparison pics and keep them in a folder specifically for that purpose (I'm so sad!) so that I don't worry about it all the time.

[09robiha]

Yeah, I have thick hair now, but it was REALLY thick when I was a teenager - I think hair does tend to get thinner as you get older, so maybe it's that? It's hard to keep track of hair, isn't it? I tend to take comparison pics and keep them in a folder specifically for that purpose (I'm so sad!) so that I don't worry about it all the time.

The concering factor is a) my hair thickness never really got any better after regaining full health after 3 years of illness and losing half my hair and b)..Im only 17!!!

[manderly]

I lose GOBS of hair when I comb in the shower. BUT, I wash every 2-3 days and as a curly, my hair is not messed with in between. So those gobs of hair are the equivalent to 2-3 days of shed hair that's been stuck in my curls.

I've often joked that I should be bald already with how much I lose. It looks like a rat stuck in my denman full of conditioner. But I've still got plenty of hair. :shrug:

If you're concerned you should speak to your doctor.

[skarab]

I have curly hair and dry detangling absolutely does NOT work for me. I hear tons of snaps and becomes surrounded by 2-3" pieces of broken hair. Not to mention that it retangles the moment the brush/comb leaves my hair :p
I only detangle when my hair is sopping wet and directly under a strong stream of water. I actually find that detangling with conditioner in makes me lose far far more hair than if it's just wet. No idea why, but you could try it just in case you have the same thing.
Other than that, like the others said, get you your iron levels checked, and your vit D levels as well.

[GeoJ]

My hair has been getting thinner- I lost 0.5 inches of my ponytail circumference this month, so I am going to be going to the doctor for bloodwork.

If you have measurements that give a numerical idea of the amount of hair you have lost, maybe you can bring that up with a doctor.

[jera]

The concering factor is a) my hair thickness never really got any better after regaining full health after 3 years of illness and losing half my hair and b)..Im only 17!!!

Have you discussed this with a dermatologist? If you've fully recovered your health as you say, but not your hair, perhaps they can suggest something to help you. :)

[GlassEyes]

I'd go see a doctor.

Also, I don't know if a BBB would help even if you had straight hair. Maybe if you brushed the scalp, but you don't use one to detangle...ever. They don't penetrate the surface, usually.

[Anje]

As others have said, go to the doctor. It's possible you're deficient in something (iron, B12, zinc, Vit D are some known culprits, and you don't want to OD on some of those), or that the thinning is indicative of an underlying condition. Hair is a good indicator of when your overall health goes awry.

With curly hair, you probably will do best to detangle your hair when it's loaded with conditioner, and touch it as little as possible otherwise, unless you want it poofy. If you start snapping hairs, slow down and work on a smaller section closer to the ends. The advice to detangle only when hair is completely dry is based on the fact that hair is weaker when it's wet; however, curlies need the slip from wet conditioner. It's OK. Check out the Curly Girl Method (http://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/curl-products/all-about-the-no-poo-routine-2) and Tightly Curly Method (http://www.tightlycurly.com/welcome/) for ideas, then modify to fit your own needs.

[09robiha]

Thanks for all the advice guys, I am trying to work myself up to going to a doctor (I have a life long fear of them and I would have to be pratically dying to go to a doctor of hospital, I even broke my finger once and let it heal itself!)
I am hoping its just the season change and the slight stress of exams latley.

I tried detangling under the actual stream of water this morning and it helped a little, I also tried detangling dry last night very carefull....it took over half and hour!!! and was jsut frustrating.

[kristymarie87]

i would recommend the tangle teaser, its an odd shaped brush with varying length bristles, no balls at the end of them, flexible and gentle on the hair. I find it massages my scalp well and i have minimal hair loss when brushing.

[o0sarah0o]

For me it depends on how I wash my hair. When I use to much shampoo or conditioner and it touches my scalp to much, this in combination with to hot water, then I loose a lot of hair. Now I wash my hair bent forwards, only with a little bit shampoo and not too much on the scalp, but as much as possible only the hair at the roots. So with the fingers very carefully between the hairs. And I use only cold water. This really helped. I only tried it once, but I lost hardly any hair and still it was clean. I also had half as much as dandruff as I normally have just after washing. Now a couple of days later my scalp it very calm and not much hairloss.

[Amraann]

Thanks for all the advice guys, I am trying to work myself up to going to a doctor (I have a life long fear of them and I would have to be pratically dying to go to a doctor of hospital, I even broke my finger once and let it heal itself!)
I am hoping its just the season change and the slight stress of exams latley.

I tried detangling under the actual stream of water this morning and it helped a little, I also tried detangling dry last night very carefull....it took over half and hour!!! and was jsut frustrating.

I was going to ask if it could be the season.
You sound like me. I once waited 2 weeks before I got my broken foot x rayed.
And only did it then because my friend who is a nurse and my husband would not shut up.