Chronic hair shedding

[DarkBeauty]

Hey all, to give you a breif history last year was an awful time of my life. My great grandma died and i was stressed about exams, i didn't get a place in university also. 3 months after my grandma died, i started to notice shedding that was quite worse than normal. It's been a year since this started to happen, and i've recovered from stress. But my hair isn't as thick as it used to be, and it just looks flat on my head (no volume) i've also noticed the front side of my hair is starting to go bald, and even 1/2 gray hairs (at the age of 19 :S). Its depressing (and it doesn't help that i have perfectionism as a personality trait) i don't know whether to just leave it, or stress myself out trying to get it back to normal. I've been to the doctors and got all types of tests and everything is normal. Secondly, it cannot be genetic, my mother has really thick hair, and so does my dad.

[morrigan*]

Maybe you could start taking vitamins ?

[amanda_the_tall]

ditto on the vitamins, however my hair did the same thing, only i was around 12. i've had gray hairs since i was 15. make sure you're eating healthy, plenty of protein, and lots of water. if you stress over it it'll make it worse. i think if you take care of yourself (and not make the stress worse) your body will heal itself. it just takes time. :)

[Madora]

See your physician and ask for a complete blood panel plus thyroid check. Anemia can really do a number on hair loss (I learned from personal experience).

Also, be sure to stay away from anything that would damage your hair further..i.e. curling irons, straighteners, blow fryers, bleach.

Good luck!

[rock007junkie]

I would look into this thread. This oil was a life saver for me. I was shedding a lot and this decreased it significantly almost immediately (saw it's effects after the second time)

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=34344&highlight=neelibhringadi

I wish you luck with this. I know how frustrating it could be.

[Theobroma]

If everything is normal as far as your health is concerned, it might just be that your hair needs a bit more time to start growing back. I went through a horrible shed almost four years ago, and I didn't start noticing significant regrowth until almost two years later. If your tests came back OK and your stress situation has improved, I'd just sit tight, eat right, and be patient a little longer.

[swearnsue]

Shedding can be caused by so many things but since you have been going through so much stress, it is probably caused by the stress. Stress can also lead to things that increase shedding, like skipping too many meals, eating too much comfort food with sugar, drinking alcohol, not drinking enough pure water, brushing wet hair roughly...well you get the idea. Try to take care of yourself and the hair will grow and remember, every shed hair is a space for a new little baby hair to grow in. Madora's suggestion should be taken serously too, she knows alot about hair!

[Lamb]

Never underestimate the power of stress. If your tests have come back normal, it's probably "only" stress - and I can't use big enough quotation marks here, because stress can wreak havoc on one's entire body, causing things a lot worse than hair loss.

I've been shedding like a cat in the spring for a couple of months now. I had a full lab test scheduled for last Friday, and guess what? I overslept, now I'll have to book another appointment. :doh: BUT I know it's probably stress, I take enough supplements for a horse, and I've been through a number of difficult things this year. Not to mention the ones yet to come (I'm finishing my PhD. :rolleyes:)

In the past (TMI!), simple stress caused me to lose my period for an entire year once. No other reasons. "Just" stress.

Until I have that test and get the results, I'll be working on de-stressing, I suggest you try to do the same. If there is nothing physical going on, your hair will grow again. I can feel those little bristle-like new hairs sticking out from my scalp every time I run my fingers through my (thinned out) hair, and it's a good feeling. :)