shedding after going no-poo

[Vuvuzela]

I have BSL hair and it's naturally thin, but I've noticed that after going no-poo about two months ago my ponytail has become even thinner and the hair line near my temples has receded, and my hair just kind of lays flat against my head and looks kind of blah and stringy instead of soft and shiny (although it's still soft to touch and my roots aren't greasy). I've been having a lot more hair come out in the shower and in my brush/comb (which I can only use once my hair is dry, and my hair gets super tangled, matted, and annoying). I've washed my hair twice with bc/acv which seems to make the shedding worse. The thinner my hair gets, the uglier I feel. I'm starting to get worried that I'll start to look diseased or something.

What should I do to slow the shedding and hopefully get my hair to start growing back? I'm considering going back to shampoo and conditioner but I'm worried that will cause even more shedding (but at least I'll be able to properly detangle my hair again).

[tinywife]

You may want to consider getting tested for hypothyroidism, especially if you have other symptoms.

[rosieex3]

Once I started conditioner only washing last summer, I was losing SO much hair in the shower. That has never been an issue before I started co-washing. I continued on with co-washing all summer, because I had the idea in my mind that shampoo was EVIL. I just tried to ignore the shedding. I got my mom into co-washing as well, and she complained to me about the crazy shedding also. I stopped co-washing and started using organic shampoo and conditioner around October. Didn't help at all. Now I'm back to using Aussie shampoo and cone filled conditioner. Yes shampoo dries out my scalp, but its what works for me and its much better then dealing with the mess that co-washing did to my scalp (it was very greasy, never clean feeling, my hair was brittle, etc). I'm still dealing with shedding, but MUCH less then I was dealing with when I co-washed.

My conclusion: Do what your hair likes. I've always used whatever shampoo and conditioner that my parents had in the shower, and it works fine for me. Once I mess with what I'm used to, the crazy shedding starts. I need to not fix what isn't broken. :D Good luck!

[DoubleCrowned]

Try posting your dilemma on the Thin/Fine Hair Thread. They may have some ideas. It seems to me that there is something about sebum causing thin hair, so one of them may have experience with certain rinses or other treatments that might help.

[HintOfMint]

RUN, don't walk, back to shampoo and conditioner. Some scalps need some sort of detergent to really be clean and healthy.

[gattina]

are you just doing water only? or condition only washing? my husband has short, thick, shiny hair, but he just does water only. maybe water only would be good for you too...

[gattina]

also have you looked into aubrey organics shampoos and conditioners. they have a henna one for fine oily limp hair i think its great or there GBP one is really good as well, i use the rose honeysuckle conditioner. great moisturizing.

how are your vitamins? sometimes i get more shedding in the shower, but its because i have to realize that i haven't washed my hair sometimes in a week, so you are getting a weeks worth of shedding not just two days...

[x0h_bother]

Agreeing with HintOfMint, save yourself now what you will discover in a few months after losing more hair!

[Noula]

Keeping your scalp clean is important no matter whether you use shampoo or not. If you are already doing a good job of that it could possibly be that the shedding is unrelated or that you're too rough while grooming, whatever your method.

[Annalouise]

I had the same thing happen to me doing water only. Please, go and wash your hair well as soon as possible to stop the shedding. I lost so much hair doing that experiment. Please, if your hair starts falling out a lot, then STOP.
My hair went from a ii to a i and now I don't even feel like having long hair anymore because its so thin now.
I think there should be a warning about water only methods because they seriously can lead to hair loss for some people.

I think what happens is the oil can clog the hair follicles leading to hair loss. Do you have an oily scalp?

[Firefox7275]

I agree with Tinywife, get checked out by your doctor just in case - it may be a coincidence that the shedding coincided with the no-poo. It never harms to reassess at your stress levels and your eating habits either. Having said that if no-poo is not giving you the hair you want, try another product or technique: perhaps low-poo, the oil shampoo method or a simple clarify?

[Anje]

Honestly, I'm skeptical that washing with baking soda is good for most people's hair and scalps. A few folks like the results, but it seems like I read a lot of unsuccessful accounts. It can be extremely harsh and messes with the pH on the scalp a lot.

Clearly, if you can't detangle your hair, there's a problem. It's not going to change if you don't change something.

Go back to the last thing that worked. If you continue to shed heavily after a couple weeks of that, head to the doctor and make sure there isn't something medically wrong.

[Noula]

Clearly, if you can't detangle your hair, there's a problem. It's not going to change if you don't change something.

I missed that part of the original post but this is true.

[Scarlet_Heart]

Hmm, I had a lot less shedding once eliminating shampoo. But it's the LHC montra: "Everyone's hair is different." I agree that maybe get checked for hypothyroid, but also just think about what else might have changed recently. Have you been eating differently?

[spidermom]

I've come across some information that not using shampoo can cause buildup of sebum that smothers your hair follicles and causes shedding. Unfortunately, I can't remember where I read it.

I can recommend the CWC method using diluted shampoo. Most of the time my shedding is minimal, and my scalp gets nice and clean but never dried out.

[Vuvuzela]

i was doing water only with bc/acv rinse about once a month and using some conditioner on the ends because they always get massively tangled...i finally used shampoo and conditioner last night so i hope it helps...and i'm going to get some essential oils to help with regrowth too, since when i was using henna and eo's on my hair i had a lot of new growth.

also tinywife: now i feel like a hypochondriac bc i have some of the lesser symptoms hahaha

[MonaLisa]

I can recommend the CWC method using diluted shampoo. Most of the time my shedding is minimal, and my scalp gets nice and clean but never dried out.

:cheese: Woaaahhh!! I tried this last wash, and my hair never looked/felt better! I'm beginner so never say never, but this was really good recommendation!
Indeed, so clean and shiny and not dry at all!

[alliekat]

RUN, don't walk, back to shampoo and conditioner. Some scalps need some sort of detergent to really be clean and healthy.


I had the same thing happen to me doing water only. Please, go and wash your hair well as soon as possible to stop the shedding. I lost so much hair doing that experiment. Please, if your hair starts falling out a lot, then STOP.


Sorry to resurrect an old-ish thread but I found it doing a search because I was concerned... I just started CO washing a couple of weeks ago and I've been shedding like CRAZY! I mean, I always shed a couple of hairs when I combed or a few after CWCing, but when I started CO only it's been coming out... I don't want to exaggerate and say 'by the handful' but that's really what it seems like. I don't have any noticeable thinning, but I was really worried! I thought I was just paranoid so I thought I'd do a search and see if anyone else experienced this.

I think I'm going to take the above advice and go back to CWC washing tonight! Yikes!

I wonder what causes this? :shrug:

[EbonyCurls]

CWC is the secret to 90% of any hair success I may have. It's just the best of both worlds for me. My scalp gets its way (it likes to be clean) and my hair gets its way (it likes to be moisturized) and the 3 of us are happy.

[Raqdoll]

Sorry to resurrect an old-ish thread but I found it doing a search because I was concerned... I just started CO washing a couple of weeks ago and I've been shedding like CRAZY! I mean, I always shed a couple of hairs when I combed or a few after CWCing, but when I started CO only it's been coming out... I don't want to exaggerate and say 'by the handful' but that's really what it seems like. I don't have any noticeable thinning, but I was really worried! I thought I was just paranoid so I thought I'd do a search and see if anyone else experienced this.

I think I'm going to take the above advice and go back to CWC washing tonight! Yikes!

I wonder what causes this? :shrug:

Beats me, but I'm going back to CWC after experiencing the same thing after a few weeks of CO - the shedding is freaking me out. I know that 50-100 hairs per day is normal, and at my length it looks like a lot more than it is, but still...yikes! This is not normal shedding for me.

[alliekat]

Beats me, but I'm going back to CWC after experiencing the same thing after a few weeks of CO - the shedding is freaking me out. I know that 50-100 hairs per day is normal, and at my length it looks like a lot more than it is, but still...yikes! This is not normal shedding for me.

I know exactly what you mean! I'd run my fingers through my hair and come out with a clump!

Very scary to me... :blueeek:

[HintOfMint]

Sorry to resurrect an old-ish thread but I found it doing a search because I was concerned... I just started CO washing a couple of weeks ago and I've been shedding like CRAZY! I mean, I always shed a couple of hairs when I combed or a few after CWCing, but when I started CO only it's been coming out... I don't want to exaggerate and say 'by the handful' but that's really what it seems like. I don't have any noticeable thinning, but I was really worried! I thought I was just paranoid so I thought I'd do a search and see if anyone else experienced this.

I think I'm going to take the above advice and go back to CWC washing tonight! Yikes!

I wonder what causes this? :shrug:

I had the same issue when I started CO. I started to shed like crazy, so I stopped. Fortunately, some people had already posted on this forum that CO could result in increased shedding, so I was prepared to stop right away in case that happened. I still don't think the risk is as publicized as it should be on this forum. I can see quite a few people continuing to CO or WO thinking that something else is wrong rather than the method itself. After all, so we're bombarded with "sulfates are BAD" and yet, the "better, gentler" routines could actually be worse.

[Babyfine]

I think I'm one of those scalps that needs shampoo. I have wavy hair and wanted to go full CG, but went a modified CG by low pooing one day a week and COing the rest of the time. I noticed a sebum smell on day 4 so I'd low poo sometimes that day. I had some itching but not that bad. My hair loved it. i did this for a few months.
One day I went to get a trim and my stylist told me I had patches of cradle cap on my scalp! I hadn't had a big shed yet but I wonder if I would have had I kept that routine up.
I now CWC every other day alternating between a low poo and Nioxin.
On the days I use Nioxin I can sometimes eek out 3 days. The Low poo I must shampoo after the 2nd day.