Fine highlighted hair loss and re growth HELP please?

[SummerSkye]

Hi everybody, Im looking for any advice about where to start with hair recovery really. Ive had a look on the newbie threads and they are great but was wondering if anyboy has or is in the same hair situation i am in. I have fine 1b/1c ii type hair I think, it is currently highlighted blonde. my natural hair colour is dark blonde light brown ( i think anyway its been such a long time since Ive seen it). I had an injury 3 years ago which caused my body to go into shock and lose a lot of hair about 6 months after which was horrible, my hair looked so fine and greasy all the time. Over the last 3 years my hair has re grown, then fallen out repeatedly. Ive had tests done at the doctors any nothing is showing up medically and has being diagnosed as stress related. I saw a herblist about 3 months ago, she diagnosed adrenal fatigue and started me on a herbal remedy which does seem to be helping as I don't seem to have lost any more hair and have more regrowth starting. Ive only been shampooing, no conitioning due to the greasy effect it had on my hair, about once a week. Im hoping to now start a programme of recovery which includes growing out my highlights and getting back to my natural colour apart from directly around my face ( I need the brightness, Im forty!). I think I need to put some moisture back into my hair as it is also breaking off as well, such fun! Ive posted a pick in my profile and would be really greatful if anyboy would have a wee look and give me any tips on where to start. I was looking at photos of me taken 18 months ago today and my hair is actually a couple of inches shorter and Ive only had trims since then. My hair used to be down past my waist so Im finding this all quite disheartning. Ive been browsing round this lovely site and there seems to be amazing imformation and most of you all seem to have the most beautiful hair!! X

[Rocket22]

Well you certainly are in the right direction!!! welcome! I'm pretty new as well but have learned tons form this board.. first you need to figure out what your hair needs. what are you doing to it to "damage" it? are you willing to figure out other options to better the quality of your hair? what are you willing to give up? what are you not. it's really a tricky process everyones hair is different and it's really a trial and error thing, what work for one may not work for another. Since I've joined Ive givin up heat styling, bleaching, hot blowdryer and hairdressers (for now) I use coconut oil treatment every other day and I try just about anything that someone is excited about :)

[gizelle]

Hello and welcome. I'm so sorry to hear that you've had health problems and that they caused hair loss. I've got fine hair also and keep trying new methods for finding the balance of moisturized, yet not weighed down.

I'm newish around here also, so I'm sure that others will give better advise, but what I do is I find something that sounds like fun, that seems special. After all, this should be fun right? Then I try it and see if I like it. My hair does like coconut oil, so recently I've tried oil shampooing (this may be good if you want to avoid conditioner). Also perhaps the conditioners you have used in the past contained either proteins or cones (silicons) that your hair didn't like. So I guess my advise it to experiment until you find something. Also when reading people's posts on a particular method, look and see what people with hair like yours reported.

Again welcome,
Gizelle

[Kat Girl]

I was in a similar situation about 2 years ago. I have baby fine dark blonde hair, and I went to get it highlighted twice. The first time the stylist was gentle on my hair but left my highlights a yellow color I did not like. The second time they stylist got the color right, (blonder and more highlights) but she overprocessed my hair and left it fried beyond belief! A lot of my hair fell out and what was left was so horrible that first of all I had to flat iron it daily just to leave the house (even if I wore it up) and it was just a dreadful mess. Also the bad part was since growing it out the dyed part is super dry while the natural part is oily and must be washed every day. For the next 2 years I have been on a journey to regrow my natural hair (free of dyes, etc.) So far the best thing I have found for my hair was wen (you can google it). It's a hair product line by Chaz Dean and the main product is the cleansing conditioner. It doesn't contain the harsh ingredients like shampoo, and it's like conditioner washing but also does clean the hair. Anyway I can't say enough how that has saved my hair. After a short time of using the product I got to where I was able to air dry my hair without it being a total mess. I then gave up heat altogether and I hardly brush or comb my hair as I am able to finger comb it and it is soft, managale and tangle free. It also is growing back and has become much more full and thick that ever before (I still have fine hair but I went from balding to baby fine, to fine/medium and still growing). Now I just use the wen products and I have begun using coconut oil on my ends and sometimes more before washing, (but that's mainly because I still have my dye damaged ends). Anyway I cannot speak highly enough about wen. The only bad part is it is kind of pricy, and you do use a lot of it. As I used it the amount I needed nearly tripled over the past 2 years, but that's because the fullness of my hair tripled. I can't exactly get mad using so much because I have more and healthier hair. Plus it is still cheaper than the cost of getting and maintaining color at a salon, and the extra products I no longer have to use. Anyway, hope that helps and I hope I didn't ramble too long. :p

[rose.grace]

Scalp massages couldn't hurt. They are very relaxing and stimulate the scalp to hopefully produce more hair faster and thicker. I'm so sorry to hear that happened to you. I'm glad to hear you're planning on letting your hair grow out it's natural color. You could try vitamin B12. That has helped a lot of people I know of who have wanted thicker hair.

Best of luck to you!

[ScarlettAdelle]

You're in good hands :) a great many of the ladies in these parts, as well as men have really done their research. I'm actually a stylist, myself. Are you ready? I'm going to give you a LOT of information really quick :)

First: conditioner
I know your hair is oily, and it sounds counterintuitive, but start using conditioner again.
Reason: your scalp is overproducing its oils because you're not providing what it needs. You may want to look into what's called CWC washing (condition, wash, condition). There are threads dedicated to it, but a breif overview is when you're washing your hair, condition everything except about 2 - 4 inches from your scalp, apply shampoo ONLY to your scalp, masssage, rinse and reapply a small amount of conditioner to your ends if they require it.
Clarifying is also recommended.
Your hair will feel oily for a while until your scalp realizes you're not starving it of the oils it needs, so it doesn't need to overproduce them. Until this happens, you may need to cwc more often to remove excess oils and then ween back to once a week.

Scalp massage / relaxation. If your hair loss is due to stress, it's probably time to destress. In my former line of work I was so stressed my hair thinned out almost one third. Ebery time I brushed, hair would just fall like mad. When I figured out it was my job causing it I started looking for a new one. I also started giving myself scalp massages every time I washed my hair and started doing things for myself that I enjoyed.

My third and final suggestion is to look into diatomaceous earth. There's a wealth of information in the "1/2 inch growth in 1 week" (I think that's what it's called) thread.

Best of luck and WELCOME TO LHC!!! Happy growing!

[Alvrodul]

Welcome to LHC! :flower:
How sad that you have such hair troubles that are causing your hair to fall out!
I can't really help with that, except recommending a healthy lifestyle, making sure that you get the vitamins and minerals you need, drink enough water, get exercise and such. And also ensuring that you son't overdose on vitamins and minerals - too much of some of them could actually be bad for you. And otherwise just hope that your doctor is able to help you.
I also have fine hair, and my hair does not tolerate bleach at all. It accepts chemical colors with more grace, but I have not used any kind of chemical colorants on my hair for some years now, and my hair is definitely the better for it.
My hair also definitely needs conditioners - in fact, I am doing CO washing most of the time - it is usually about 2 or 3 weeks between the times I use shampoo.
I also use oils on my hair - mostly coconut oil, but also others, and that is one thing I urge others to try. You will probably need to experiment a bit to find out how much and what oils that suits your hair.

I am also a hennahead. That is not for everybody, but I love being a redhead, and I love how the henna makes my head feel. It is possible to get the same kind of conditioning effect from cassia, but be aware that it has a golden color molecule, so it will stain your hair - there is more about cassia in the Recipes, Henna and Herbal Haircare section.

[SummerSkye]

Thanks everybody for all your great advice! Ive got loads of ideas to look into and Im going to experiment with CWC or CO, think Ive been so scared to use conditioner because of the greasies but I know I need to.Was at the hairdressers today and had a trim and only the very front of my hair around my face highlighted and haven't touched the rest, will leave that to grow out and that will hopefully make a big difference. The hairdresser says that she actually can see a big difference in my hair and it is starten to thicken up again, just need to be patient and try and grow down the layers that are now there due to the hair falling out. Im also going to look closely at my diet, Im a very long term vegetarian and actually dropped to quite a low weight for my height last year which I don think has contributed to the hair loss. Also Im going to give the scapl massages a go as its something that sounds nice that I haven't tried :) Again thanks so much I as really touched and pleased that you all took the time and patience to answer my thread XX

[Nymph]

Sorry to hear about your hair and health troubles.
I'm also a F ii and while I was hesitant about CO at first, if you find the right conditioner you hair will be nice and shiny without greasing up. It takes a while to find it though, so don't get discouraged - but one you're there your hair will love it. :)
Also, considering the diet, did you have your blood tested regularly? B12 and iron deficiencies tend to happen with vegetarians (and non vegetarians too) but low iron can be directly related to hair loss.

[SummerSkye]

Sorry to hear about your hair and health troubles.
I'm also a F ii and while I was hesitant about CO at first, if you find the right conditioner you hair will be nice and shiny without greasing up. It takes a while to find it though, so don't get discouraged - but one you're there your hair will love it. :)
Also, considering the diet, did you have your blood tested regularly? B12 and iron deficiencies tend to happen with vegetarians (and non vegetarians too) but low iron can be directly related to hair loss.


Thanks Nymph, yes I was just thinking I could maybe take an iron supplement, when I hd my blood tests done I wasn't anaemic but I know things can change quite quickly!

[SummerSkye]

Just thought I would do a little update after measuring in today. Well my hair HAS improved ( a bit) it has grown half an inch and the condition is improving, the texture seems to be changing to and I think Im definately a 1c when not combed now. I think this is due to not highlighting and using leave in treatments which have been:
1)Nightbloomings Vegan Panacea (love love love it!)
2) Nightbloomings Triple anointing oil (using this sparsly just on my very ends. Adore the smell and am considering using this as a perfume oil too!)
3) Chi Keratin Leave In Mist/Spray ( I spray this on a few times a day and my hair really likes this too!)
Ive also added silica and iron to my supplement regime.
Been wearing my hair up a lot more, tangle teezer and satin pillowcases .
All pretty standard stuff really but it has been great to see an improvement in the condition of my hair and to see average hair growth after all the problems I have had with it. The natural colour coming through though is just yeuky a lovely pale mousy sludgy mouse mmmmmmm hot! Am persevering though and resisting the siren song of full head of platinum highlights! :lala:

[LotusFIre]

Just thought I would do a little update after measuring in today. Well my hair HAS improved ( a bit) it has grown half an inch and the condition is improving, the texture seems to be changing to and I think Im definately a 1c when not combed now. I think this is due to not highlighting and using leave in treatments which have been:
1)Nightbloomings Vegan Panacea (love love love it!)
2) Nightbloomings Triple anointing oil (using this sparsly just on my very ends. Adore the smell and am considering using this as a perfume oil too!)
3) Chi Keratin Leave In Mist/Spray ( I spray this on a few times a day and my hair really likes this too!)
Ive also added silica and iron to my supplement regime.
Been wearing my hair up a lot more, tangle teezer and satin pillowcases .
All pretty standard stuff really but it has been great to see an improvement in the condition of my hair and to see average hair growth after all the problems I have had with it. The natural colour coming through though is just yeuky a lovely pale mousy sludgy mouse mmmmmmm hot! Am persevering though and resisting the siren song of full head of platinum highlights! :lala:

That's great that your hair has improved! Don't be so hard on your natural color, every natural color is beautiful. If you get out in the sun a little, you will get some natural highlights, which I love.

[Tigermama]

Hi there! I can really relate to your situation. Some things that helped me were to just be at peace with my hair day to day as it grows out. Vitamin D has been the best supplement for me so far. As soon as I started on it, new hairs started popping out all over the place. I am not sure what helped most but I am having luck now. Still, if I become very stressed, handfuls of hair just fall out. I think it has to do woth blood pressure. When my hair started thinning, my reaction was to cut and dye it. Hence, it was then thin, short, and breaking off like crazy. I used the redkin anti snap to hang on to damaged hair until it became long enough to cut at the rate of one inch every other month for a year. Only six inches left of my old waist lenght hair form before the thinning and dying. Eating well and enough calories has helped. Anything that increases digestion is excellent, such as acidophilus. Diatomaceous earth is the bomb! Highly recommend it. Biotin seemed to help too. Mostly, time is the most important factor in the mix, and being at peace, and treating the hair carefully. I know how you feel. For me it was like a part of me was missing and I needed it back right away, but no amount of obsession was going to speed growth for me. Chatting here helps so much, enjoy your journey!