Sad about major shed - lost so much hair

[Lilli]

I have been shedding for two months, and I know that many people shed in the fall, but I have lost so much hair. I went from 2.5" ponytail circumference to less than 2". That means I lost 25% of my hair. It is so thin now.

I am frustrated that my hair is finally APL, which was my goal since coming here with a chin-length bob two years ago, and yet is so thin. Now, even if it decides to grow in thicker, it will take 3 years for the new hairs to get to APL. Three years of thin hair, and if I keep growing the rest of it, I will have some very sparse ends.

Just feeling really defeated today.

[Amber_Maiden]

aw! *hugs*

Hang in there. It can only get better right? So you have to grow for a couple more years, those years will be gone like *snap*. You'll get through this. Be strong.

[Kiwiwi]

I'm sorry! :(
If it's that much in just two months I'd go to my doctor! Maybe something's wrong!

[Amiblue]

I understand. I am also going through a major shed and have lost about 3/4 now!!! I went to the doctor and the stylist to figure it out. We may have, but my hair is still terribly thin!

So, together, we will make it though. No worries, after all, it will grow back. And the more you think about it, the worse you feel. So love what you have and before you know it, it will be back again.

[Madora]

Not to sound like a worrywart, but I'd go to a doctor too. Hair loss can be caused by many things, including anemia. I speak from experience. Also, you might want to have your thyroid checked as it plays an important part in your hair's general health.

Good luck!

[Juneii]

Don't worry, you aren't alone I've been shedding like crazy for the past couple of weeks. Every single time I run my fingers through my hair there will be at least 2-3 loose strands. Don't look at it. Don't think about it. Measuring isn't always accurate and doing that will only stress you out more. :)

[ange1ito]

I had a shed for about 9 months!!! Lost a good 2 thirds of my circumference.
What I am grateful for is it has only become sparse and throughout the whole period, no bald spots. It is depressing when you are right in the middle of it, but it will grow back.
Mine ended up being health related so even you think you are healthy I would still recommend a visit to the doctors. I have all sorts of odd lengths in my growth but all I keep smiling about is the fact they grew back.

[AspenSong]

I feel your pain. I'm in the same boat....I've lost nearly 1/2 an inch of my diameter as well. I'm fine physically and have been told it's probably stress as well as the fact I've been losing weight for the last year and sometimes someones body will just "do this".
Nonetheless, it doesn't make me happy either... :( I try to remember, at least I HAVE hair...but I know how it is when you just feel down about it. I have days where I *almost* feel like if it keeps doing this I may as well hack it off since I don't figure it's going to look nice with less than there already is!

[Lilli]

Not to sound like a worrywart, but I'd go to a doctor too. Hair loss can be caused by many things, including anemia. I speak from experience. Also, you might want to have your thyroid checked as it plays an important part in your hair's general health.

Good luck!

I did have a blood test and had low iron, despite me taking a pregnancy multivitamin with iron and eating a lot of meat. Not sure how I could possibly get more iron in my diet.

Plus, I have had four children, and have lost 60 lbs over the past year. So many hair health challenges!

[MicheleClaire]

Lilli, I am going through the same thing right now and I *SO* empathize with you! I was taking some medications for a month or two, but experienced no hair loss while taking them. After I stopped the medications last month, my hair is just falling out everywhere! I get especially sad when I see my braids, at least a third of the thickness is gone.

I'm only three inches away from my goal of tailbone, it's so frustrating to know that when I finally get there, my hair will be thin and sad looking. I've been debating cutting my hair to shoulder and starting over, but I've become so attached to it long. I'm also looking into caster oil scalp massages to keep the rest of my hair from falling out. We'll see how it goes!

Good luck and happy hair!

[Annalouise]

Hey Lilli, I had the same thing happen. I went from a ii to a i. And then, I cut off my hair to shoulder length.

I'm growing mine to bsl and getting regular trims to try and keep a maximum thickness at the ends, and to avoid split ends.

[Audrey Horne]

You're not alone. I've lost about 1/2 inch this fall :shudder: Good news: shedding seems to be within norm again. I know your feelings: it is just thin and frustrating :( there isn't much we can do, I suppose.

[amantha]

Hi Lilli! I see you're also a fellow Pittsburgher! :)

I just wanted to say that I totally know what you're going through. I've been going through a major shed since April. I got some blood work done in September and it turns out I was pretty badly iron deficient....despite taking a daily multivitamin with 100% the daily allowance of iron in it. So I've been taking iron supplements, and just got another iron infusion this morning, but my hair is still shedding like crazy. Someone on here (I forget who, I'm sorry!) told me that it takes roughly 3 months for any changes in your body to show up in your hair. So it might take a while but don't give up hope! Plus, your hair will always grow back. :)

[Cowgirl16]

I am sorry to hear of this, loosing your hair to a shed can be very stressful. :grouphug: I can totally sympathize with you, I went through a huge shed 3 mos ago and lost about 1/2 my hair. My hair is noticeably thinner now; but it is GROWING! I have tons of new sprouts from 1-6 inches long :D Your health is most important, when you get healthy your hair will follow.

I don't think thinning means you have to cut your hair. Just take care of it and the new hairs will catch up :D
Good luck :flower:

[Lilli]

I'm not going to cut. It's only APL anyway, and the thickness is the same from root to end, so it doesn't look bad, just a lot thinner than it was this summer. I sent dh to the health food store for some Floradix so we'll try the extra extra iron and see what that does.

[Lilli]

Just thought of something: three months ago, I quit being vegetarian - maybe this is how I got low iron levels (combined with four pregnancies) and now it is showing up three months later.

[amantha]

Just thought of something: three months ago, I quit being vegetarian - maybe this is how I got low iron levels (combined with four pregnancies) and now it is showing up three months later.


Do you mean you think being vegetarian might have caused you to be iron deficient or NOT being vegetarian caused you to be iron deficient?

A lot of vegetarians are iron deficient, but I'm not vegetarian and still managed to be iron deficient anyway. I guess I don't eat enough leafy greens and red meat. :confused:

[Lilli]

Do you mean you think being vegetarian might have caused you to be iron deficient or NOT being vegetarian caused you to be iron deficient?

A lot of vegetarians are iron deficient, but I'm not vegetarian and still managed to be iron deficient anyway. I guess I don't eat enough leafy greens and red meat. :confused:

I meant, being vegetarian caused many deficiencies. The reason why I quit being veg was that by the end, my throat was covered in canker sores and I couldn't even swallow. Started eating meat, all better!!!

[Gypsygirl]

Hi Lilli, I second what some of the others have said- you should talk to your doctor about your hair. It could be stress, allergies, diet or you may need to take certain supplements. Start with those things and see if it helps at all. One step at a time...

[GeoJ]

I meant, being vegetarian caused many deficiencies. The reason why I quit being veg was that by the end, my throat was covered in canker sores and I couldn't even swallow. Started eating meat, all better!!!

Sorry about your shedding, and a throat covered in canker sores is awful!!! I'm glad you got better.

I had a lot of shedding, going from an almost iii to an almost i (within the ii range). My hair was reasonably thick all the way to classic length, then somewhere when I was in mid-thigh range the shedding started. Eventually I also started getting sick all the time. Even making a lot of good healthy changes to my diet didn't help, until I stopped being a vegetarian. I think my body just isn't meant to be vegetarian, even though I wanted to be. So now I've got my health back and my hair stopped shedding.

I think your hair at APL will still look beautiful. Mine is another story- it became see-through from my waist to my knees (it kept growing even while shedding). I know I should cut it back, but haven't got the guts to do it yet.

[Dolly]

I can relate! I am coming off of a major shed that was determined to be hormonal (menopause related). I had gotten my hair back to waist, but the ends were so thin that today, I went and had my stylist cut 5 inches.So I am now in the area between APL and BSL.....

Just wanted to let you know you're not alone! Right here with you!

[xoxophelia]

Sorry about your shedding, and a throat covered in canker sores is awful!!! I'm glad you got better.

I had a lot of shedding, going from an almost iii to an almost i (within the ii range). My hair was reasonably thick all the way to classic length, then somewhere when I was in mid-thigh range the shedding started. Eventually I also started getting sick all the time. Even making a lot of good healthy changes to my diet didn't help, until I stopped being a vegetarian. I think my body just isn't meant to be vegetarian, even though I wanted to be. So now I've got my health back and my hair stopped shedding.

I think your hair at APL will still look beautiful. Mine is another story- it became see-through from my waist to my knees (it kept growing even while shedding). I know I should cut it back, but haven't got the guts to do it yet.

This was my experience also. I gave been veg an honest try and even went out of my way counting how many grams of protein I was getting and taking supplements. My body just couldn't take it. My nails were literally clear instead of white, my hair got thinner, I got sick and wouldn't get better, even my mood seemed worse.