Shedding?

[Violet886]

hi there!
Newbie here with a question, i have been growing my hair since january and in the last few days it has started shedding, i havent done anything different to it in the last few weeks, ive been b/s wash and acv rinse since Nov and havent had any issues until last week, i did change b/s brands but i dont think tht wud ahve any effect?? anyway this is quite odd my scalp has gotten quite itchy and my hair has thinned significantly and everytime i comb it or run my fingers through about 10-20 hairs will just dislodge and wen i comb it albeit very gently i can here the crackling as my hair breaks! ive always had very healthy hair and its been even better since Nov.
What could be causing this? i cant use shampoo or conditioner because i have very sensitve skin and it inflames me scalp till it cracks and bleeds so im not sure what else i can do at this point, also being in australia im wondering if this could be seasonal? as we have just come into autumn.

thank you for any light you could put on this situation :)

[louisemg82]

Don't want to alarm you here but have your Dr. check for ringworm or any fungal infections just to rule them out. They're easily treatable.
Also don't comb when your hair is wet and try oiling the ends to protect them against breakage. Hope you get it sorted soon :)

[Firefox7275]

Welcome! :) What is b/s? Have you been under any stress the last few months or has your diet changed? Have you been to a doctor to rule out any underlying health issue? Itchy to me would suggest an allergy or irritation, either to a product you have used for a while or, as Louisemg82 alludes to, overgrowth of fungus/ yeast on your scalp.

[WaitingSoLong]

I think b/s is baking soda.

The advice already given is great. I would add that hair regularly goes through large sheds, often seasonal. It could be just that. Since you are prone to scalp/skin issues anyway, I would at least have someone examine your scalp. Thyroid issues can cause hairloss. There are lots of medical reasons for hairloss.

I have seen on LHC that some people start into a big shed when they begin oiling their hair. It seems like oiling encourages hair that is at the end of its life cycle to go ahead and shed and then new hairs grow in quickly. Of course it would take a couple months to see new growth int he form of little fuzzy short hairs all over your scalp.

You said your hair has "thinned significantly". That is a huge red flag to see a doctor.

[Milui Elenath]

I am not certain but the different brand of bicarb could be the culprit. It may be slightly more alkaline than your last brand and be drying your hair out more than usual.

Does your hair feel dry? What about your scalp does it feel dry, taut?

It may also be prolonged use of the bicarb. I know others have had that issue, started out fine but ended up with dry hair and scalp.

I personally have used bicarb on my (very dry) hair only on a short term basis - to clarify.

But I'm also in Australia and am experiencing noticable shedding - something I've never had before. I hope it is seasonal - but I also just finished with oil shampoo.

If you are looking for shampoo free solutions you could check out the Water Only thread or the Sebum Only thread.

I was WO for 10 months last year and I never had shedding and all my scalp issues fixed themselves in that time. I have returned to it just last fortnight. Here are the links if you are interested, otherwise there are also other herbs and options you might consider.

Water Only
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=3412

Sebum Only
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=144

and Welcome! :)

[Violet886]

Thank you guys very much i will definately be taking a lot of your advice on board, after reading around on the forums i might go water only washing only for awhile see if that makes a difference and have a check up with my doc while im at it.
Hopefully its just a seasonal/diet/stress thing :)