PDA

View Full Version : hair loss due to great stress? anyone?



arielágua
August 23rd, 2011, 12:52 PM
Hello everyone!

Has a second post, I'm curious about knowing if anyone has gone through severe hair loss due to stress! I had the worst year of my life, diseases, surgery, parents fighting, college going all wrong, friends who left me and so on...my brain was so dead.
I started losing hair February 2011 and I'm still losing, unfortunately. This month I went to the doctor and she prescribed me some products to help me out. I've only start using them this week, so I can't see the effects yet. Hope I can recover.
But those who have been or are going through the same, how was your recover? Did your hair recovered at all to the state it was before the loss?

:)
Di
:cheese: fight hair loss with happiness! :cheese:

ilovelonghair
August 23rd, 2011, 01:35 PM
There are many threads about hair loss, use the search function to find them. Good luck :) hope your hair will get better, I have had hairloss every now and then and it's awful.

faithsdaisy421
August 23rd, 2011, 01:45 PM
When I was losing hair, quite rapidly, my doctor told me that this is what was going on...
TELOGEN EFFLUVIUM
He said that it can be brought on by a lot of different things, stress being one of them. He told me that that hair cycles reset each year (something about the follicle setting itself up to grow takes 3 months, the growing process takes 3 months, its on your head and healthy for 3 months, and then can be naturally shed within 3 months), and that with Telogen Effluvium the whole process speeds. Anyway, within about a year my hair was back to normal, like he said it would be.

I have no idea if he was correct about the process, and I did not ever question it because things did improve.

My hair recovered quite well. It regained its thickness, and still grows at the speed it always did. I understand just how scarey it can be to lose hair. For me, it was especially hard in the shower... there were times it seemed like I was pulling handfuls out.

Know that you are not alone.

irisheyes
August 23rd, 2011, 09:20 PM
I went through a period of hair loss several years ago. At the time I had alot of stress due to my mother's long illness and death, money problems, and poor eating habits/weight loss. I usually lose only a couple hairs per day or none at all. Now I notice gobs of hair coming out since this past Friday evening. Could it be due to the fact I have quit my job, moved to a new town, and left my children, grandchildren, and pets behind? This all happened last weekend. I'm hoping things will get better when I adjust to my new situation, as it did the last time this happened. Good luck to you.

gthlvrmx
August 23rd, 2011, 09:26 PM
Poor thing, *hugs* it will get better. Just try to take care of yourself and make yourself feel better, do whatever makes you feel good. Stress over time can really take a toll on your body and hair.

FireKat
August 23rd, 2011, 09:55 PM
I've been through 3 Alopecia Aureata episodes. The first two were at times of great stress, the third one as a reaction to a medication. This last one my Dr gave me a shot of somethin or other under the scalp in the bald area. Yeeeeeeeah.... hurt like crazy. But I have new growth, so it was worth it. Recovery time varied, but once I started to get new baby hairs, honestly, I just refused to let myself fuss over it. Nobody ever noticed but me anyway.

Treat yourself well, know that this too shall pass. Be kind to your body and mind. If you treat them well, you will see results. You are not alone.

vamq
August 24th, 2011, 04:00 AM
I'm suffering from the same thing.
Had a lot of stress since march of this year, and I'm seeing the consequences of it right now. It's so bad that I'm seriously considdering cutting my almost tailbone length hair back to waistlength :(

I'll be watching this thread.

Vercelli
August 24th, 2011, 04:15 AM
So sorry to hear about that.:(

Yeah I am losing my hair right now due to stress. But I know it has been going on for a while, so it's just that I lose some more hair right now.

So far I have lost 1 cm in circumference in the last year.

Yes, my life has been quite stressful for the last two years and I have been suffering from depression too.

Wishing all of us who are suffering (from hair loss and stress) all the best!
:grouphug:

arielágua
August 24th, 2011, 04:53 AM
Oh thank you so much for the support! You are all great! And yes we are all going to recover! I lost about 2 cm in circumference in my ponytail. I used to have about 4 cm without bangs. I'm even trying to grow my bangs because the hair looks so weak and thin, that the bangs only make it look worse. xD

My doctor didn't gave a very specific name for my problem. I just told her my story and she immediately replied: stress, honey. I'm treating myself good, and specially, I'm dealing with this in a happy way, there are worse things for sure. Is just that, in the beginning it was quite scary, every time I would wash my hair, my hair would come out like heavy rain falling from the sky, I thought I was going bald. xD The shower was the worst moment...and the combing.

Please keep sharing your stories, for me is important to share, it makes me feel better about the all situation, kinda releases the stress. :)

Di
:)


* fighting hair loss *

kouran
August 24th, 2011, 05:06 AM
As a stressful person, I have always lost many hairs a day, since I was a child...This year my hair loss decreased greatly, thanks to biotin and avoiding foods with gluten (now it's easier to digest food properly, which also contributes for hair loss decrease). Also, avoiding stress was good for my hair as well (I didn't lost much when I left school).

I hope you get better. :flower:

EDIT: I forgot to add that yoga is a good way to deal with stress, besides helping you to relax, it also improves circulation, some people say this is good for hair too.

Jing
August 24th, 2011, 05:09 AM
It happened to my fiancé before we met. The first time I saw him, he had a bald spot from a short period of major stress. It all grew back within a year.

MonaLisa
August 24th, 2011, 05:19 AM
Yes - here!
I lost my companion...it was a painful and stressful process...
started having major shed 2 months since it all started. it lasted for around 3-4 months and my hair lost all its glory...
then i started using nettle tea, shampoo, drops, castor oil, vitamins...joined LHC.
it's now longer than ever probably and really shiny, and im regaining thickness, maybe even going thicker than ever, except for the ends. can no longer see skull like at that time, and its got so much volume and life.

so don't stress about it, just love it and care for it properly. you will see results!
good luck!
hugs

HeatherJenae
August 24th, 2011, 06:12 AM
I haven't ever experienced this myself but I've seen variations in other people. When my mom and dad got divorced, my mom was so stressed it turned her pubic hair white. No joke. It has since regained it's color but the doctor said it was just shock and stress. I had no idea that stress could manipulate hair in that way. Another friend of mine was going through a divorce and he has shoulder length hair. He was very concerned because his hair was coming out in clumps in the shower. It was clearly stress and not regular hair loss. Luckily, they both have recovered once their personal situation calmed down, their hair returned to it's previous state. I'll be thinking of you Arielagua, know that you have friends here. We all want you to get better. :)

Mymagicfairy
August 24th, 2011, 06:20 AM
I went through it years ago....kept my hair super short...Pixie cut
For me I guess I thought I had everything under control...but after years of stress ...that I kept under control...it all came out ...
I got sick
Had an ulcer....candida...
Dr prescribed pills that actually made me worse
I slowly turned toasted homeopath medicines
Changed what I ate...even though I was already eating healthy
And key
Learned how to deal with stress
You have to realize.....everyone will have stress in their life...some worse than others
Tragedy....illness...etc
It's how u deal with it
For me ...I turned to running and working out
It is now a big part of my life...many days I don't feel like doing it
But I force myself
I do weight training and cardio....daily...anywhere from an hour to 90min
Natural endorphins are great!!!

arielágua
August 24th, 2011, 07:42 AM
Thank you! just noticed you are from Portugal too! xD My sister suffers from the same problem and so my aunts, they have fine weak hair, and have always suffered from hair loss due to stressful jobs and life. I have always been a "always in the clouds", relaxed and calm person, I wouldn't fuss over anything at all and I used to laugh a lot. I was the member of the family which had a lion head, full of hair, and now since I went college my life is going down the drain, and so my hair.

I never did yoga cause I can't afford do pay it :/ but I would really love to do it. What works for me is dancing and singing. I love dancing and it helps my body also keeping fit. :D

I'm also taking vitamin and mineral pills which contain biotin. :) They make me feel good. xD

Thank you!!

kouran
August 24th, 2011, 08:21 AM
Thank you! just noticed you are from Portugal too! xD My sister suffers from the same problem and so my aunts, they have fine weak hair, and have always suffered from hair loss due to stressful jobs and life. I have always been a "always in the clouds", relaxed and calm person, I wouldn't fuss over anything at all and I used to laugh a lot. I was the member of the family which had a lion head, full of hair, and now since I went college my life is going down the drain, and so my hair.

I never did yoga cause I can't afford do pay it :/ but I would really love to do it. What works for me is dancing and singing. I love dancing and it helps my body also keeping fit. :D

I'm also taking vitamin and mineral pills which contain biotin. :) They make me feel good. xD

Thank you!!

I can't afford to pay yoga classes too (my family, which currently consists of younger sister and grandmother only, is getting poorer and poorer...so I don't have much food to eat, I'm not that hungry either, but it's not enough for my long hair :() but you can do it at home too, I do the sun salutation everyday, I use this youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/yogatic#p/u/5/n2VSdskq73g

Make sure you eat very well! Things like granola, 3-5 fruits a day, soup, veggies and protein (eggs, yogurt, beans) are really good for hair, when I used to eat them I lost very little hair. Sleeping well is also very good...if you have trouble sleeping, just ask a family member to do you a simple massage (this one is good for hair too (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxbqd2pC9ps&feature=fvst)), or go for walks at sunset.:)

Krentje
August 24th, 2011, 08:32 AM
First of all: Flowers to all who deal with too much stress (and hair loss).

I have been through a lot of stress the last 2 years as well.. Especially mourning could be, i think, directly linked to a LOT of hairloss in my case. Because i also tended to scratch my head too much.

I decided today to get my hair cut from BSL to shoulder (7 inches for me!) because it just looked miserable.
The new cut makes me feel a lot lighter and opens up my whole look.

Not to encourage cutting though, because i still love long hair and updo's!! But my hair is already just a ii thickness when it is healthy and has been a i from shoulder on for over a year..

Good luck and take care. I second the importance of good nutrition!!

Purdy Bear
August 24th, 2011, 09:42 AM
Iv always been a pretty anxious and stressed out person, and consquently have had Alopecia Areata since 13. Just before my mother died in 2003 of Ovarian Cancer, my hair started to fall out in clumps and I eventually shaved it off. This turned into total body hair loss called Alopecia Univarlis.

I am currently working on having Liver three times a week (I just boil it in water), eatting better, but also relaxation, back to meditation and so on.

I have eyelashes for the first time in about 8 years - yehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, and my scalp hair is growing well in places if still sparce.

Im still under a very stressful situation with relatives, and going through the new assessment for incapcity benefit/job seekers allowance which is a complete nightmare, but I hope I wont loose my hair in 6 months - it normally takes that long to be noticed.

Im keeping my positive mental attitude and not focusing to much on my hair, and cross my paws a lot.

Emerald88
August 24th, 2011, 09:52 AM
Yes, definatley! I had about given up after a year (which was 5 months ago) and it just stopped one day after a horrible year of stress. I hope it improves for you becasue I know how awful it is to have everything going wrong and watch your hair shed & thin out on top of it. Hugs to you!

MissAlida
August 24th, 2011, 12:56 PM
For me, it was especially hard in the shower... there were times it seemed like I was pulling handfuls out.
I AM pulling handfuls out...I have been pulling them out for nearly three years now...Exams, over exams, over exams... I can get really stressed out, and my shed seems to last forever. I did have a somewhat calm summer, and I do see alot of growth, small, tiny hairs sticking out all over my head:). So it seems I need to find a way to reduce stress in order to combat shed...And next week I have another exam...How happy can I get?:justy:

MariZita
August 24th, 2011, 01:17 PM
Hi, sorry to hear about the hair loss... I have also gone thru this last year. Is getting better, not to say I am getting thicker, because last year I was 54kl and this one I am 58kl. So my stress has gone down a bit, and appetite together with hair, have gone up a bit... ;)
Try eating fish, beans, miso, algae, crab, black beans. Hope it helps!
Take care,
M

ilovelonghair
August 29th, 2011, 12:45 PM
Actually, since I posted in this thread I have noticed new hair growth! I had already given up on that and kind of thought that was just the way my hair is now and not paying attention on it anymore. I never noticed any extra hair loss like other people in this thread, just noticed some sort of scalp shimmering though *yuk*. Now if I run my fingers through my hair very close to the scalp it feels very dense! Yay! A couple of weeks ago my hair had stopped growing, I henna, so I noticed it very easily. But it started growing again :) I am not sure what caused the hair loss in the first place and it growing back might be due to many factors, it's hard to say. But it is possible to reverse hair loss.

candlesandfish
August 30th, 2011, 01:18 AM
I'm currently losing hair due to stress - I had a major stressful episode in April that completely messed up my system, and I'm sick with a chronic illness (that was in remission beforehand) again let alone all the hair that keeps falling out... oh well.

I'm hoping that with time and peace it will settle down :)

Ardenlyn
August 30th, 2011, 02:11 AM
I had it a couple of times too.
Scared me a bit every time.

Audrey Horne
August 30th, 2011, 02:35 AM
I had it and it was really bad. I think I'm still recovering. As soon as you calm down and take care of situation everything's fine again.

Nymph
August 30th, 2011, 03:52 AM
Personally I experience that it's not immediate, but it gets in gear a few weeks / months after the major stressful event. In my case a triad of losing a loved one, exams and breaking up, and I'm seeing the major shed. However hair is mutable and hey, it keeps on growing, so, I'm sure it will get better eventually.

I did experience a lot less shed when using the oil shampoo method, but right now I'm rather short on time so it's CWC. I'll switch back to it soon, and then my next plan is to leave out gluten for a while, last time I felt a lot better without gluten so it won't hurt my hair.

I will definitely check out the yoga channel though!

Chetanlaiho
August 30th, 2011, 05:34 AM
I've been losing a lot more hair than before for the past three months and every time I feel like it's getting better it's basically about to get worse. I'm trying to be good again about taking my vitamins daily (hairloss start sort of coincided with getting sloppy and trying to cut my dosage of biotin) but it's only helping a little bit.

Since I had quit shampoo and gone CO I hardly even had to pull any hairs out of the shower drain but now it's almost as bad as before (which I now realize was pretty bad). For me showering and post showering combing is the worst, so much hair =( My hair isn't thin but sometimes I feel like it is, and losing at least 1cm of circumference so far is definitely not helping. However, worrying about might just create stress and make it worse so I try to be positive but it's hard >_<

Ardenlyn
August 30th, 2011, 05:42 AM
I also have that it is not at the same time when the stress is there.
Most of the time it starts a few weeks or months after.

cheshire90
August 30th, 2011, 07:36 AM
Yes, due to studies. After my exams ended, my hai loss decreased dramatically.

arielágua
August 30th, 2011, 12:03 PM
That's exactly what happened to me. I started to become stressed because of the hair loss too, and not only because of what happened to me.
And you know what? The treatment made it worse! My scalp became itchy and very dry, and I was always scratching, till started to hurt. So I stopped and decided that I should do something more natural, since I'm an apologist for natural things.
I'm oiling it every time before I wash it, like the night before washing. Makes the scalp feel softer, and wash with mild/cold water, not only activates the blood in the scalp, but makes the hair softer and less prone to tangles. Now comes the good part, i have lots of new growth! My hair is still weak, and some parts are thin, but that is because it's long and the new hair hasn't grow enough to reach the old hair. :)
I'm positive, more and more positive. :)
I used to have a medium, ii/iii wavy, now I have like straight/wavy, thin, and i in circumference hair.
I lost to much hair, really. I thought for a while I was going bald.
Mother Nature proved me wrong. And now I'm working for the healthiest hair as possible as I can get.

arielágua
August 30th, 2011, 12:05 PM
Yes I think it's possible too. I have new hair growth as well.
I'm very positive about this.

Don't stress people. It is bad not only for hair, but for everything.
Stress is the modern day destroyer.

vamq
September 6th, 2011, 05:45 AM
I'm currently still suffering from stress, it's making me lose 70+ hairs per time I comb or brush, and it's still not getting any better. Not to mention the amounts of hair I lose besides combing it, or just by taking a shower.

I'm really worried that I'll have to cut my hair back again to make it look at least a bit nice again. That would make me go from almost tailbone to BSL in less than 3 months, and thus a very sad camper :(
I recently cut back to waist, but my hair is still falling out like crazy. I lost more than 2 cm in circumference in less than 2 months.

I made another appointment to get a body check. They said they're going to check my thyroid. I'm quite curious what the outcome will be, also because I lost more than 9 kg in less than 2 months, and I really want to gain weight again, since I already was underweight before I lost 9 kg.

I did notice that one of my biggest worries currently IS my hair falling out, and not all the other things. I really think that worrying about my hair is making things worse, but I can't help it; my hair is the only thing about myself that I think is pretty, and losing it like this just makes me depressed.
Any advice from others how to deal with this? How to put these thoughts about my hair aside?

MsBubbles
September 6th, 2011, 06:45 AM
:grouphug: Vamq, and anybody else scared of all the hair falling right now.

You are doing the right thing by going to get bloodwork done. When is your appointment?

I don't have any ways to instantly stop you from being alarmed when you comb your hair - except maybe to take comfort in the fact that so many other people the world over are also worrying about their own hair falling out right now! I'm going through a huge shed right now myself and it's just flat demoralizing. It throws me into a frantic search in my mind as to what might be causing it. I go through the same thought process every time I comb my hair, wash it, or just try to put it up. I am also losing shorter hairs too. I think I know what caused mine but it doesn't make it any less alarming. Knowing it'll eventually quit falling out so much and will grow back in again is a slight comfort, but not much! I have fine & thin hair to start with and can't bear to lose any more than I normally do. I'm shedding about 150/day right now. Yes, I counted them.

I'm probably going to have to cut my length back too when this whole thing is over with. :(.

As far as mind-games go, I tend to think when I'm staring at a sink full of shed hair, that I'm a loser with already-thin hair going through this and nobody else is having this problem, which is just not true. That is slightly comforting.

What are the reasons, in your opinion Vamq, that you lost all that weight so quickly?

Just try to bide your time the best you can without worrying about your hair shedding, right now. Hopefully your doctor can help you figure out perhaps what you're lacking (thyroid? Iron?) and you will soon be on the road to recovery.

vamq
September 6th, 2011, 01:36 PM
@ MsBubbles, thanks for your response :)

I'm quite aware of the things that probably caused my major shedding.
I've been trough a lot of stress (broke up with BF after 4 years, had to move back in with my parents, got half a year of study delay, and had one of my best friendships crushed for life), which caused my irritable bowel syndrome to make my life a living hell for two weeks. Most of the time it's not a problem, as long as I avoid caffeine, alcohol, and other heavy food. But stress makes it worse, and at one point I haven't been able to eat properly for two weeks. I did, however, make sure to take vitamins and drink a lot of fruit juice. (I couldn't bear anything else, because it would just make me sicker, and I still had to go to work). This was in July.
That made me lose some weight, I think 3 kg.
I've been eating quite well again in August, with one week of sickness from stress again, and currently recovering from that week. I'm eating quite normal again, and make sure to take a multivitamin everyday.

The other weightloss I cannot explain directly, actually. But I can immagine that it's just a symptom of the stress I experienced before, just like the shedding starts several weeks after the stress, and mostly not at the moment itself.

I told the doctor about the weight and hairloss, and a bunch of other things too and he immediatly said it could be my thyroid. I'm curious, but I don't really believe it's this. I've been misdiagnosed several times, which only made things worse. I'm just assuming that this will be another try.

I'm already getting a lot of help, my hair is important, but to be honest, I just want to be healthy again:)

MsBubbles
September 6th, 2011, 02:15 PM
Oh dear, Vamq! That sounds like my reaction when I went through a divorce and custody battle within 2 years. I couldn't eat either. I believe my missing vitamin was iron, and I also had intestinal issues (stress-triggered) too.

So my completely unprofessional opinion would be you need iron :). Anyway, here's to not noticing our stupid hair shedding any more, and to getting healthy!

Maktub
September 6th, 2011, 02:29 PM
I had such problems too, including recently ! I try to do listen to some guided meditations everynight before falling asleep.

Sometimes it helps me beat insomnia and really calm my mind and body. Other times it's not such a miracle strategy, but in any case, it does help me manage the stress I am going through and I'm sure my whole body - including hair - thanks me for it !

arielágua
September 9th, 2011, 10:46 AM
@ MsBubbles, thanks for your response :)

I'm quite aware of the things that probably caused my major shedding.
I've been trough a lot of stress (broke up with BF after 4 years, had to move back in with my parents, got half a year of study delay, and had one of my best friendships crushed for life), which caused my irritable bowel syndrome to make my life a living hell for two weeks. Most of the time it's not a problem, as long as I avoid caffeine, alcohol, and other heavy food. But stress makes it worse, and at one point I haven't been able to eat properly for two weeks. I did, however, make sure to take vitamins and drink a lot of fruit juice. (I couldn't bear anything else, because it would just make me sicker, and I still had to go to work). This was in July.
That made me lose some weight, I think 3 kg.
I've been eating quite well again in August, with one week of sickness from stress again, and currently recovering from that week. I'm eating quite normal again, and make sure to take a multivitamin everyday.

The other weightloss I cannot explain directly, actually. But I can immagine that it's just a symptom of the stress I experienced before, just like the shedding starts several weeks after the stress, and mostly not at the moment itself.

I told the doctor about the weight and hairloss, and a bunch of other things too and he immediatly said it could be my thyroid. I'm curious, but I don't really believe it's this. I've been misdiagnosed several times, which only made things worse. I'm just assuming that this will be another try.

I'm already getting a lot of help, my hair is important, but to be honest, I just want to be healthy again:)

You should try eating protein, since hair is made of it, it's very important you eat it as well, along with fruits and veggies (vitamins and minerals).
Look, I was also very worried and freak out because I was so obsessed that I would count every day the number of hairs I would lose. I used to lose about 100 to 200 hair a day. I lost about 2 cm of hair volume. My hair is at a very weak condition. But I realized fussing over it only makes it worse! Believe me, I used to cry at night because I would pass my hand over my head and it would be full with hair. I was on holiday and I asked: "Why? I'm not stressed anymore, stop it". Like you said, the shedding happens after the incidents, and I've been through a lot really, I noticed that my shedding is slowing down a lot more! I've been losing almost for a year, I really thought I was going bald. Truth is that I see new hairs in my head, little one, and it feels more thicker on top of the head and extremely thin on the tips, which in my opinion is good.

Let your body take its time. I don't panic over it, it only makes it worse. My hair is the thing I love the most about me too and I totally know what you're feeling! Just rest, laugh, smile, try to take the best of this life. It will heal itself. :)

Don't be like me, I went to the doctor to treat my hair loss, and she prescribed me a product that didn't react well with my scalp, and accelerated the shedding. Only made me worse. Try to treat yourself and your hair as naturally as you possibly can. :)

Good luck for both of us. And keep sending news about your shedding! Let's help each other people!

:cool:

irishlady
September 9th, 2011, 11:04 AM
I have. My hair had been at BSL, but starting shedding so much, and my scalp was always sensitive and sore as well. I didn't like the areas of short hair as a result, no bald patches thankfully, just much thinner and scraggly.

I decided to cut mine back to shoulder/neck length. It at least looks a bit thicker now, and I can wear it down to give my scalp a break.

I am thinking of maintaining it a bit shorter than this, at around chin length for a while, until my stress levels/life improves. Stress not only causes shedding for me, but also illness, I haven't been feeling well for a long time now, and I also suffer from insomnia.

Once things improve it's onwards to Hip Length for me!

cindy58
September 9th, 2011, 12:00 PM
For several months following a divorce I shed a lot more hair than usual. It seemed like I would have a lap full of hair every time I combed it. I tried to not get more upset by the loss and assumed it would recover. I didn't change my routine and the excess shedding stopped. After that I had a bunch of new growth.

vamq
September 9th, 2011, 12:01 PM
I had my bloodresults back, and everything is fine. I have no lack of iron, nor other vitamins and minerals. My thyroid works fast, but not too fast. So at least my body is fine, it's all in my head. That's one thing less to worry about, I guess :)

arielágua, I also think my hairloss has a lot to do with my weightloss, which is caused by stress. gaining weight is difficult for me (I had this before, but didn't lose that much weight as now at that time. It took me 1.5 years to gain back the 4 kg I lost back then)
I asked the doctor for advice to gain weight steadily but healthy, and he told me about a protein powder thingy (awesome terminology, I'm aware) that you can mix with milk. It's full of calories, nutricients, and also vitamins and minerals, and the best of it all: it doesn't stop the regular appetite. I'm having an appointment with a psychologist next thursday, so at least I'm back on track to fixing myself :)
Now just stop worrying about my hair (I'm not afraid of a losing more hair than usual. It's unpleasant, but I'm not afraid of it. I'm afraid of turning bald, but I'm quite sure that that won't happen.....I hope)

Deliciosa
September 10th, 2011, 04:56 AM
@ALL I totally feel what you are feeling. And to give you a bit of hope I share my story with you.

6 Weeks ago I started my new job in London. That means 1-1,5hour journey in the morning and nearly 2h in the afternoon. That means an average day of 14 h.

My office is 17 men and me. So coming from a very PC agency into a bunch of not very well brought up mid 20s boys, finding a new home, because our landlady decided that she needs her flat for herself now, training AND on top Ramadan was just too much. And so I shed like crazy. Up front I didnt really realize it as I was literally just sleeping and working. Honestly I dont even remember the tedious journeys to work.

One day my better half was corressing my head and fingercombed my hair. He had so much hair between his fingers it was surreal. First I thought its a one time thing, but I kept shedding for a week. I was allert and on my toes. I imeadiately checked my diet. When I worked in my town I was able to cook pretty much every day fresh from scratch. Now I didnt. I was also not supplementing or anything AND on top of this fasting?! I must have been out of my mind to think that my body could cope.
So I implemented a very heavy supplement-regime. I also skipped my breakfast during Ramadan as that would had mean that I dont have enough sleep (sleep is important for me. I need at least 8 hours to get by). I also wasnt following my hair regime as properly as i did back when I worked in my town. No head massages with oil. No herbal treatments. Nothing. I was literally beating myself up to do everything at once. To ramp up in the new job, finding a new home, keeping everything in order at home, cleaning, groceries....

NOW that I am, think 2 weeks into my regime again, I feel so much better. The shedding has completely stopped and even decreased so much that I maybe loose only 20 hairs a day or so. I feel so much more allert and allive (not through my hair though, but overall), which means I must do something right. I have so much more energy and motivation.

I know its hard, ladies and gents, but stick to good living and treat yourself. After all you only have one life. There is no need of beating yourself up.
Also personally I need praying and meditation in order to keep negativity out and stay positive. WHATEVER helps you to stay healthy and positive and loving - DO IT. I believe that attitute is a great catalyst for staying and becoming healthy.

SORRY a bit long - I hope it helped you...

arielágua
September 10th, 2011, 05:24 AM
Thank you, Deliciosa!

That was some story! Thank God, everything has worked alright for you! We need some positivity for sure in here ehehe! I felt some decrease too in the shedding, but it's still abnormal for what I had.

I usually write down in a piece of paper, my frustrations and secrets and when over I put it in the garbage so no one in the family reads it. I find it works very well for me. I feel much better after spitting out every thought, it's like talking to someone, but there are things that I just can't say, their mine, personal. So writing makes me feel a bit more lucid and less stressed or frustrated. I guess my main problem is frustration with the life is happening to me.

Dancing is also excellent, but I have always done that.

What I also find extremely healthy to fight against stress was laughing and smile. The ones I love, support me, and are always around me. They know I care too much for my hair, so they're helping me out, always ready to make me feel in a good mood. :)

The truth is the shedding is slowing down and I'm starting to feel more power and control over my mind and body. I've been feeling so dizzy and fragile lately, and every time I had an ache, I thought it was some major disease, I was lunatic! xD

It will be over soon, I feel it...

Deliciosa
September 10th, 2011, 07:05 AM
while you are mentioning dancing - I just thought, that when I was in school and even after graduating I was in a choir and "screaming" my puberty pain to the world (if you know what i mean ;)) helped a great deal. I guess dancing means the same thing to you. Its something you can express yourself with that makes you feel good and gives you strength.

I think with everything in life its to keep control over yourself. Dont loose out because you are scared. Stick up for yourself. My mommy used to say whenever I was bullied (pretty much a Glee-club situation for me in school :P): What doesnt kill us makes us stronger. NOW those bullies live still in this teeny tiny town of ours. And look, I recently thought, where I am...LONDON! with an ueber nice hubby to be, a good home a stable job. I am healthy and awake!!!

I love this video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsxSxF3JKeU&feature=related) alot and it always gives me strength if someone wants to break me down...

SISTER SHOW YOUR TEETH and always remember god makes NO mistakes.

If you ever wanna talk give me a PM, tc babe!!!

ilovelonghair
September 10th, 2011, 01:01 PM
Just wondering:

my hair has been growing back nicely, feels dense at the scalp, but it still looks thinnish at the front middle of the hairline. I was thinking, my hair is quite light on that spot, I henna, but the outgrow is even lighter, so maybe that enhances the 'baldish' look. When I feel my my hair on that spot, it feels normal, not thin. When I flatten my hair in a parting there it looks perfectly normal. So I am going to dye it temporarily in a darker color so see if that helps. I seriously think it's the hair color that makes it look like this.
If that doesn't work, there is always make-up to hide it with. Works perfect for me.

Btw, I think I have mentioned this before: it suddenly happened out of the blue without any indications to what could have caused it. But my body has been weird this year. Lets blame it for the hair problems!

dragonchickx
September 11th, 2011, 07:16 PM
I got that this summer when my husband came home with a 40,000 dollar truck... :/ but its over now 3 months later the hairloss is finally slowing and ive lost 1/3 my thickness!! but we worked things out.

Mesmerise
September 11th, 2011, 08:34 PM
I lost a TON of hair last year due to stress or SOMETHING... it took 3 months for the shedding to stop, but stop it did.

I know it's regrowing as it feels thicker at the roots. When I do a high ponytail now, it feels normal (if that makes sense)...a low ponytail still feels "thin" in a hairband.

BUT I don't think the hair at the front of my head, near the hairline, is coming back properly!! It looks thinner, and when I sort of lift it, I can see too much scalp (it's not like it's bald...it's hard to describe...just you can see more scalp through the hair than you should be able to). I am REALLY, REALLY hoping that this resolves in time!! I am very self conscious because it's right at the front (I mean...if you're gonna have thinning areas, it'd be nice if they were underneath somewhere).

I don't want to stress myself over that though either... I know I have had some regrowth at the front, due to short hairs...but just not enough. However, I'm really not sure how my hairline looked before. I mean... maybe it was always like this, but I only noticed because of my hair thinning?! I wonder if I gradually damaged it by years of hair dyes and stuff... or even traction alopecia from pulling my hair back.

ARGH... but on the upside... I'm nearly able to graduate from a i/ii to a full ii I think! Once the hair thickness moves down a bit further and my low ponytail gets a similar thickness to my high ponytail I'll be a definite ii!!

ilovelonghair
September 12th, 2011, 04:02 PM
It looks thinner, and when I sort of lift it, I can see too much scalp (it's not like it's bald...it's hard to describe...just you can see more scalp through the hair than you should be able to).

That's exactly what I have! My hair naturally stands up a bit at the roots so more visible.

arielágua
September 14th, 2011, 06:43 AM
I have that too! At front of the hairline I can see some of my scalp, I have also a light hair color (light weird brown) and sometimes when the light of my lamp or the sun hit it, it seems like there's no hair, but if I approach the mirror there's hair. Not to much but enough to cover the scalp.
I have small hairs coming out from everywhere, but the shedding continues.
I've been having it for 4 months, it has slow down a bit, but not enough, I lose like 100 hairs a day. I used to lose 200. Yes I count. I'm trying not to, because I don't want to think much about this.
Is not that I'm afraid of losing all my hair and be bald. I'm stronger than that.
Is just that since childhood, my hair has been something I've dedicated myself too, and there's too much affection to it. So it's being hard to say goodbye to it.
I don't think I'll be bald, though, but I think it won't be as thick as it used to be. :)

sarahbrownie
September 14th, 2011, 08:19 AM
I lost a lot of hair last year due to stress. I like to worry about every little thing, I got it from my mother. Unfortunately it seemed to get worse. I found going back to sulfates and cones helped, I know, weird right? Everything I used an organic poo and condish my hair fell out in clumps. I then began to use monistat, which helped retention and growth. I also upped my intake of vitamins and tried to cut caffeine and replaced with tea. I know that's difficult but it helped, especially with stress.

My friend was experiencing some really bad stress and feeling horrible all the time though her doctor said she was in good health. She decided to go to a Chinese herbalist. Whatever he gave her helped a bunch because she didn't feel so sick all the time and her hair started to grow again.

ilovelonghair
September 14th, 2011, 01:53 PM
Is it bad for hair to cover it up, with a hair band for example, when you have a problem like this (the hair being thin at the front)?

arielágua
September 19th, 2011, 11:11 AM
Is it bad for hair to cover it up, with a hair band for example, when you have a problem like this (the hair being thin at the front)?

I'm not sure, but maybe isn't it causing some pulling? Maybe the band is too tight or something? Maybe if it's used very frequently can cause some thinning, but I'm not sure, I'm just supposing. :)

Kricket
September 19th, 2011, 02:32 PM
I shed hair at a ridiculous rate to begin with, so I know it's time to do some yoga or slow down a little when I can pull clumps of my hair out. It's happened to me a few times in the past couple years, but it's the cost of being a student sometimes.

Good luck and hope everything works out! (And hang in there!)

arielágua
October 14th, 2011, 02:43 PM
Hey just wanted to update something new!

First of all, thank you everyone who's been supporting this thread! You're all so nice! Really hugs and kisses!

I finally feel better! My shedding rate has finally calm down. I feel it's finally coming to an end, soon.
What I wanted to add to this is that, apart from changing all my routine (eating very well, sleeping, moderate exercise, vitamins supplements etc etc) I realized every time I would stretch my washing days, for example: only washing twice or once a week, my hair would shed a lot more (when i say a lot more, it's really a substantial amount!!) than when I wash it every other day. I realized my scalp and hair texture do love to be washed more often. Not to mentioned the more grease and oiled my scalp was, the more itching it would became! I guess I need clean scalp.

I've tried this for months! So I know it's not something fake. I'm sure grease hair was making my scalp and hair loss much worse. But this might be something working only for me, my scalp and hair type and it's not an universal solution!

I noticed 5 months ago that every time I would massage my scalp with an essential oil (coconut oil, olive oil) my hair would fall much more than if I did not massage it with any oils. So I stopped oiling it at all. Then I tried natural oils (my scalp natural oil xD) and started to wash less often (once a week). Wrong! My hair started to fell again.

I don't know what you guys have to say to this!
But any comments and advices are much appreciated. :)

Have a nice growing hair day. :D

curlytiff27
October 14th, 2011, 04:42 PM
Yes, I'm going through a major shed right now as well as a result of emotional stress. Many things have happened, the worst is finding out my dad, whos only 56 has leukemia. It devestated our whole family. As a result, ivr done a ton of crying, can't sleep, constant worry and no appetite. I hope we all recover soon. Although I don't know if I will ever not stress about this....and the awful shedding doesn't help.

shanenchar
October 30th, 2011, 09:30 AM
Hello. I was so glad to find this thread. I have been suffering from a major hair shed since about June of this year. I just recently went to see a dermatologist and he said I'm suffering from telogen effluvium caused by some major stressors (had a baby last december, thyroid/adrenal fatigue issues, and then had an appendectomy in September). He said I will not go bald, but I will thin out. He couldn't tell me when the shedding will stop, but it has been about 4 months now and I keep looking in the mirror wondering if I'm going bald. He told me not to worry about it, but how can I do that? I have very thin hair to begin with. He did tell me to start taking 5mg of biotin and Biosil. It was encouraging to see that someone went through this and is coming out of it! How are you doing now? What was the product that you used that made your hair shedding worse? Also, I tried castor oil a couple of times and it seemed like my hair shedding was way worse after I used it.

Amber_Maiden
October 30th, 2011, 09:41 AM
I got really stressed out when I was in college 3-4 years ago and had massive hair loss. It eventually grew back, without me noticing. I also had a poor diet at the time, and didn't eat much. That could have contributed to the hair loss.

vamq
December 5th, 2011, 12:25 PM
I'm bumping this thread to update on my situation.

I had another blood test last month because I was tired all day, and hungry all the time, but they didn't find anything (they thought it would be an overactive thyroid). The doctor said my thyroid does works quite fast, apparantly, but not too fast, and that this could be the result of stress. (That, and it is for a part genetically determined as well)

Anyway, the biggest shedding has stopped now, I am still losing more hairs daily than I did before, but not more than 150 a day, I suppose :)
I also think that has something to do with the terrible, cold, rainy summer we had here in Holland this year. (no sunlight = less hairgrowth but more shedding, at least for me). When wearing my hair down, I still notice yucky hairs all over my shirt. So I just wear it up, that´s probably healthier for my hair as well, lol.

I measured the circumference of my ponytail today, and with my bangs included it measures almost 10 cm (9.6 to be exact) again. I went from 10.6 to 8.4 cm when I first wrote in this thread, so for me, this is a sign that my hair is getting better again. At the same time, I'm also trying to gain some weight, but that is still an issue. I eat a lot, but still only weight plusminus 42 kilos (I used to be plusminus 55..)
I do notice there is more growth: I henna my hair, and the roots are turning up faster than before. I'm really happy with this, and hope this progress will continue untill I have my old, almost TBlength hair back.

Just wanted to share some good things too:)

jacqueline101
December 5th, 2011, 02:31 PM
I'm always stressed as its my job. Its life for me my hair sheds but never fell out to the point of bald. Its sad to have your pride and joy fall out I'm sorry for your loss.

Anje
December 5th, 2011, 03:10 PM
I've been shedding drain-clogging quantities of hair since Octoberish, starting right around 3 months after DH was relocated away from me for work. It's starting to get ridiculous, and while I thought my hair was feeling a bit thicker than it had been before the shed started (and had huge amounts of baby hairs), it now feels a bit thinner.

I've finally decided to start fighting it. I'm not a big fan of megadosing on supplements, but have heard enough of people stopping shed with biotin that I may attempt a shorter-term run of higher doses of the stuff. I really wish I had a control to see if it actually makes a difference....