Supplements?

[Lunarennui]

I'm positive someone's covered this elsewhere, probably several times, but I'm not seeing it... I have *very* fine hair, and a friend has observed that my hair is thinning dramatically. I've had my thyroid checked, no alopecia, nothing awry that anyone can find (believe me, I've got so many health issues that I've been checked for almost *everything* for one reason or another) and, in the end, since every single test has come back negative/normal, the official diagnosis for my pain is fibromyalgia; for the hair loss and seizures, the only thing my multitudes of doctors can come up with is a combination of IBS, extreme anxiety (I'm agoraphobic), debilitating depression and constant pain. For everything, the only prescription medication that I regularly take is for the anxiety/seizures. I don't take prescription pain medications (they don't work for me anyway) and I don't self-medicate illegally.

Please do keep in mind that I'm not asking for sympathy. I just want to establish the facts that I have to keep working with.

So, with all that ick considered, I've been trying new things. Obviously I care about my hair or I wouldn't be here. At the insistence of several hairstylists, I tried Nioxin, and several dozen 'cone-stuffed products; I tried panthenol, I tried biotin, I tried everything in general that society guaranteed to strengthen and nourish and replenish my hair. All I ended up with was greasy, ever-thinning, miserable hair. I took up another tack, since that clearly wasn't working--I went all organic, no 'cones, no laurel/laureth. I work coconut oil in, do very gentle scalp massages, use a BBB. Most recently, I became a hennahead (still loving it, btw!)

But what I want to know is this: what do you take for supplements/vitamins to help weak nails and hair? Right now I'm taking a full handful of pills every day; pre-natal vegan one-a-day vitamins, B-100 complex, fish oil, vitamin D, and a calcium/magnesium/zinc blend. The latter really seems to have made a positive impact. I used to take a *lot* of biotin, but can't say that I saw a significant skin/hair/nails improvement from it.

I want to have lovely, long hair like so very many pics I see here...even if it's fine, I'd like it to be strong and long! So many of you are obviously doing everything (or almost everything) right...so what do YOU have on your daily list o' pills? For the record, I do eat a healthy diet, but have absorption issues, so the supplements are necessary. Is there something I'm not taking that I should be taking? Any suggestions are welcome, please!

[Hotrox]

I take MSM, 4000mg a day in divided doses. I started measuring my hair at the same time as I started taking the supplement so I don't have 'proof' if it is growing faster but I think it may be. My nails are definitely stronger. I've taken it for about 3 months now.

Also, some people use if primarily for pain relief but from arthritis and conditions like that, but it might be worth doing a bit of google research on it

Hotrox

[Lunarennui]

Thanks Hotrox, I'll definitely look into it! (See? Again, someone with gorgeous hair! *is determined to keep trying*)

[Hotrox]

Ah, thanks Lauarennui - I'm trying learning to love it and LHC is definitely helping.

You'll get there, the long time members here are like hair magicians...... :-)

[Igor]

I for one am a big fan of supplements. When I started out growing my hair again after shaving it bald, I will estimate I gained about 20% thickness from a solid supplement routine and treating my hair “the LHC way”

The hair, skin and nails supplements never really made any difference for me either! (Well except one, a rather unrefined silica supplement by the brand Futura, but they have since changed the “formula” for it and it stopped worked its wonders. Doubt it was available outside Denmark/Scandinavia anyways)

The way I see it, you can use an old fashioned barrel holding water as a metaphor for vitamins/supplements and hair growth/health. The water level represents the quality of hair growth and each piece of wood represents a vitamin or mineral. You can’t grow great hair by overloading on one vitamin if you are still lacking in others and the vitamin or mineral you get the least of, will set the level of growth

My personal advice to you (Well, everyone reading this I guess) is to take your supplements for a healthy body. If your body is getting what it needs, great hair will follow. Don’t overload on a few vitamin B’s hoping to grow awesome hair. It only results in expensive pee

My article on supplements (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=74)

[julliams]

I'm taking Hair Food Plus which I'm finding good so far.

[Lunarennui]

The way I see it, you can use an old fashioned barrel holding water as a metaphor for vitamins/supplements and hair growth/health. The water level represents the quality of hair growth and each piece of wood represents a vitamin or mineral. You can’t grow great hair by overloading on one vitamin if you are still lacking in others and the vitamin or mineral you get the least of, will set the level of growth

My personal advice to you (Well, everyone reading this I guess) is to take your supplements for a healthy body. If your body is getting what it needs, great hair will follow. Don’t overload on a few vitamin B’s hoping to grow awesome hair. It only results in expensive pee

My article on supplements (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=74)

That's exactly what I mean...I can stuff myself stupid with biotin or thiamin, but it's not going to do anything unless I have the other puzzle pieces. I need the calcium, I need the magnesium and potassium...so forth. *heads off to read your article*

[Lunarennui]

I'm taking Hair Food Plus which I'm finding good so far.

Honestly, does *everyone* just naturally have this gorgeous glossy, curly/wavy hair, or are you all fiddling with your photo-editing software?!?

[dropinthebucket]

Another fine hair here (holds up hand!) - I take:

-protein powder (need 60 g /day)
-garlic capsule
-MSM
-biotin
-omega 3-6-9
-calcium, D, and magnesium capsule
-full-spectrum multi
-lutein
-co-Q10
-and recently, DE (diatomaceous earth)

Most of these I take for specific health issues - arthritis, weakening eyesight - but since i started the supplement routine, i've gone from being a slow-grower with less than 5 inches a year to a solid half/inch per month (yeah!!). I just started DE a week ago, and of everything, it seems to be making the biggest difference - I think I had a spurt of a half-inch in the first week! I dunno, I used to be very anti-vitamin - just eat well, don't put more money in the pharmaceutical company's pockets - and i like Susun Weed's books, and she is very anti-vitamin. But as I age, I think I don't get enough out of the food? and i think too our food is less nutritious now that it used to be through pesticides and GMOing. Anyway, I've definitely seen a difference with the supplements so I'm gonna keep taking them.

[Joliebaby]

Honestly, does *everyone* just naturally have this gorgeous glossy, curly/wavy hair, or are you all fiddling with your photo-editing software?!?
LOL @ this

Anyway, on to your original post.. I feel for you :/ (I myself have suffered with Crohn's disease, pituitary gland tumor and hyperprolactinemia, and bipolar disease (type 2, luckily!!) for years. ) I once lost a third of my hair volume from having to take cytostatic meds for Crohn's. It started growing back some months later. Otherwise my hair really is thick and healthy, alwasy has been (well except when I've trashed it with way too many chemical treatments...) despite the illnesses. So it's possible to have serious illnesses AND healthy long hair.
I have to say that currently I'm doing very well, my pregnancy was a miracle in many ways!
I have taken lots of supplements on and off for years.

Currently I'm taking
2 Twinlab dr. Greene pre/postnatals (just stopped breast feeding two weeks ago!)
2 Omega 3-6-9 caplets
1000 mcg D-vitamin
1200 mcg N-acetyl-cysteine
1000-2000 mg c -vitamin with Gingko biloba and other herbals
B-complex
Digestive enzyme to break things up for better digestion
Probiotic

I think there is something else too that I'm forgetting. I have also started drinking shakes mixed with raw eggs, wheat germ, and wheat germ oil recently, I read about this lurking at another long hair site :D AND taking 1 tbsp diatomaceous earth every night. I could add biotin to the mix, I've taken it before.

I try to eat healthy but don't obsess about it. My bowels used to be so bad that I was on a very strict, limited diet. My hair still managed to grow. I guess with all this, I was blessed with great hair genes!
Oh, and I started applying miconazole nitrate on my scalp - I did it before years ago, before it was ever talked about on this board, and it really made my hair grow much faster. I stopped when I decided I wanted some cute short hairstyle:rolleyes: But as I said, I've started using it again.

So how is all this working for me??? I must say that I have never noticed super duper fast growth from just vitamins, I think they are great for overall health and keep my growth rate probably a little above the average 0.5" per month.

In June I had a stall, in 3 weeks my hair grew only a few mm's -like 1/5 inch. Then I started the egg shakes and DE and my hair grew so much in one week that I got the 0,5" for the month anyway! And the pace has kept up, and since starting the miconazole nitrate I can FEEL my hair grow. Yes, really! I get a tingly, bristly feeling in my scalp. I had it before when my hair grew at an amazing pace. Yippee for that:cheese:

So for myself I can say that certain supplementation does really work..
I hope that you find something that works for you too. Well, this is the place for it certainly!!!!! Hugs!!!

[JamieRose]

I think the supplements your taking sound really good, actually: The only thing I can think to add is maybe a good probiotic.

[triumphator!]

I take a combined vitamin with collagen + biotin + and gelatin for hair skin & nails. I found it at Wal-Mart.

[Centaur]

I think Joliebaby and Jamierose make good suggestions regarding probiotics and digestive enzymes, especially for you since you mentioned having trouble absorbing nutrients. Probiotics and enzymes will help you with this.

I am another forum member with thinning hair. It sucks. I have thryoid disease, PCOS and insulin resistance. I have a hormonal imbalance. I am taking medication and working on all these issues. Plus, my dad has fine/thin hair (although he at least still has his hair), so I don't think I will ever have hair as thick as some of the other forum members here. But, I do think there is hope that I can regrow some of the hair that thinned around my hair line and temples.:agree:

I know you mentioned in your first post that your thyroid had been checked. Make sure your doctor did a full thyroid panel and not checked just the TSH. The reason being that the TSH can be within range but something is showing up with the T3 or T4. Plus the TSH range is a big one. You can be within range and still experience some symptoms of thyroid trouble. Check iron and ferritin. Check hormones. Check glucose, insulin, A1C. Check cholesterol, HDL, LDL. Check vitamin D and vitamin B 12.

Good luck in your hair journey.:cheer:

[Centaur]

I remembered one other thing. I have read that amino acid supplementation can help hair growth. I am taking A/G Pro, which is an amino acid supplement with some vitamins and minerals. It is not prescription, but you have to ask the pharmacist for it. If you are having a nutrient absorption problem, that would also be affecting your protein assimilation.

[Lunarennui]

I think Joliebaby and Jamierose make good suggestions regarding probiotics and digestive enzymes, especially for you since you mentioned having trouble absorbing nutrients. Probiotics and enzymes will help you with this.

I am another forum member with thinning hair. It sucks. I have thryoid disease, PCOS and insulin resistance. I have a hormonal imbalance. I am taking medication and working on all these issues. Plus, my dad has fine/thin hair (although he at least still has his hair), so I don't think I will ever have hair as thick as some of the other forum members here. But, I do think there is hope that I can regrow some of the hair that thinned around my hair line and temples.:agree:

I know you mentioned in your first post that your thyroid had been checked. Make sure your doctor did a full thyroid panel and not checked just the TSH. The reason being that the TSH can be within range but something is showing up with the T3 or T4. Plus the TSH range is a big one. You can be within range and still experience some symptoms of thyroid trouble. Check iron and ferritin. Check hormones. Check glucose, insulin, A1C. Check cholesterol, HDL, LDL. Check vitamin D and vitamin B 12.

Good luck in your hair journey.:cheer:

Unfortunately, I *have* had all of that checked. They checked for *everything* recently...tests even my mom hadn't heard of or thought of, and she's an RN. I was just a little low on iron--not surprising since I'd been bleeding heavily and had recently seen the doctor for that. I'm hypoglycemic, but I keep it under control pretty well. Everything else I try to manage with the list above.

I'll look into A/G Pro. And usually I am on probiotics, but since I have to take nine of them a day and they give me really unpleasant burps, I always end up trailing off when my guts seem to be happy... (Yes, I know how stupid that is. Hey, the medication works! Let's stop taking it!) *sigh* Back to the icky burps it is...

Thanks to everyone who's replied for their support and suggestions! I'll keep trying!

[Othala]

Maybe you just need plenty of high quality protein. I suggest you "supplement" your diet with a nice, juicy steak every other day.

[Naturel]

I like to take a multivitamin and biotin.

[chotee]

Just recently read that most of us take supplements but not all of us absorb it in the same way....guess its all because of our different digestive capabilities....also i guess most of us have food intolerance and we have to find them out so you stop eating them so that our digestion gets better....plus a good digestive enzyme before every food should be a good idea....especially a digestive enzyme protease or papain/bromelain which breaks down protein......i am reading a book called "Enzymes for health and healing " by Ellen W Cutler....really nice and informative...see if it works for you....all the best.....

[urara12]

have ever tried nioxin supplements?
I've tried lot of supplements and Nioxin is best result I ever had. I didn't like Nioxin shampoo and conditioner, so I didn'r pay much attention with it.but my freind is taking it and her hair got thick and long really dramaticaly.
so I decided to take it.after taking it
my hair grow almost 1inch a month . also I am taking
jarrow's acidophils.