Bad thinning Problem :o(

[Nymfora]

So here is the section of my hair that is thinning :wail:
I have had this for almost 3 - 4 years now, it has only started to fill in a bit since I moved to my new place in dec 2011. That section used to be way thinner before the move which I am pretty sure was caused from the major stress I was dealing with. I did get blood done and it looks like my progesterone is low but my doc is sending me in on July 5 for another blood test just to make sure.

The really hard part for me with this thinning area is the way I have to wear my hair :( I have to always comb it over to the right and braid it so it covers up my thinning spot :'( I really am very self concious about it and it is very hard for me to even post this pic. But I really want to help get the hair growing in that spot so I can do normal hairstyles again.

So far I've got essential oils of peppermint, lavender and rosemary also have carrier oils of coconut, jojoba and sweet almond. Anyone know of any tips that I could try that might help stimulate the thinning area to get the growth back?? I'd really like to get this fixed as it really is upsetting to see it especially the odd times I went to a hairdressers O.o I guess it being in the very front really doesn't help matters lol :o

Well thanks in advance for any help and for reading my long-ish story/rant hehe.

http://i1267.photobucket.com/albums/jj553/Nymfora/IMAG0182.jpg

[Wildcat Diva]

I am so sorry you are going through this. Would Rogaine or Monistat help? I do not know if it would, but I bring it up so you can consider this.

[Nymfora]

I thought about the rogaine one, but I can only get the men's rogaine in shampoo form here so I wasn't sure it would work for me, then I started to look towards natural remedies which in turn sent me here :D Which I'm loving it here!! I've never heard of monistat for hair growth, hmmm I will have to look into that, Thanks Wildcat Diva.

[Silverbrumby]

The monistat is a 3 or 4 times a week after shampooing. I squeeze 1/2 out then dip my fingertips in and rub on scalp. It helps withale pattern balding. Im thinking that you need to do more google research then go back to the dr with detailed questions and requests. But stress might have caused this and now it will fix itself.

[Nymfora]

Omg I can't believe that there may be a chance for me to fix my thinning area after all the years of thinking it would never be fixable. I just finished reading alot of info about it on here and watching the video, and I almost had to cry because I just can't believe that it might actually work for me :happydance:

I will have to wait until this weekend to pick up to start this but I am excited. I will also let my doc know to. I'm trying not to get to excited but after all the reading and pictures and seeing other peoples results I can't help it. My doctor never really gave me any hope of my thinning area ever growing but this well I can finally see alittle glimmer of hope after over 4 years of trying to hide my thinning spot from everyone and feeling very self concious about anyone possibly seeing it.

Thank you ladies so very much, you could not imagine just how happy this info has made me and yes I do know that there is a chance it may not work for me and I'm at least going to try this and see where it may take me because atleast that way I know what my options are.

:pray:Now to wait and buy it, then pray lol.

[Tigermama]

I'm sorry this happened! I completely understand, because i went through this. I had the exact same problem for 3-4 years. I tried monistat and then Neelibrighadi oil. I am not sure what helped but it has really gotten better. It is hard to tell if it just ran its course or something helped. I used the Neeli every other day and the monistat 2x per week, although not at the same time. If you do try Neeli oil, be sure to get the organic because the other kinds may have some questionable ingredients...

[letibear]

Hi Nymfora,
First let me say that I'm sorry you're going through this. It is great that you are seeing a doctor as he/she'll be able to give you the best advice.

I had a similar problem over the last year or two, and it is JUST now completely filled back in, I guess you could say. It will definitely get better. I fixed it by:

1. Not touching it. Being even extra gentle with my hair- no heat, no chemicals or dyes of any kind, all natural shampoos and conditioners.

2. Stress reduction. I began regular exercise, scalp massages (just a few mins each day) a much healthier diet with lots of fruits and veggies, drinking plenty of water, and getting at least 7-8 hours of sleep each night.

3. Herbal/vitamin supplements. I'm iffy about these- I don't know if my hair growth returning to its thickness had anything to do with the vitamins, or if it was more to everything else I was doing. But I suppose they didn't hurt. I only took them for about 6 months, I used one called Hair Revive 5 which was designed specifically for women's hair loss, costs about $20-$25 for one month supply from Amazon.

Here is a link to info about the said supplement: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vGIo4cB4Z4

*Edit I forgot to mention that, I am not sure which oils are good for stimulating hair growth - but be very careful with that, I have heard that some can actually hinder growth by blocking up follicles :confused:

I hope this helps a little, just please remember, don't stress about it too much, your hair will come back! :flower:

[Madora]

Nymfora, the hairs around the front hairline are more delicate than the other hairs. Be sure you avoid anything that pulls back the hair as it puts too much stress on the affected area.

Gentle massage might help too (with your fingerpads).

Good luck!

[catamonica]

I use mane & tail horse shampoo. My hair wouldn't grow . And it helped.

[PolarCathy]

On that spot I'd try Mega-Tek Rebuilder. But only for like 3-4 months till new hair grows. I think. Othala, if you're reading this, would you?

:grouphug: :grouphug:

[Othala]

Please wait until you get a confirmed result from your blood test. Those EOs may simply irritate your scalp and do you no good.

If your problem is due to hormonal imbalances I would recommend you start using a very small amount of Neelibhringadi oil on the thinning area nightly and washing it off in the morning. Neelibhringadi contains strongly estrogenic herbs. I warn you though that you might notice increase shedding the first few days and then, if this oil works for you, your growth should increase.

Minoxodil is also likely to work but is more expensive and if you stop using it the hair that it has caused to grow falls out.

PolarCathy, the reason I would not recommend MegaTek is because of that huge shed after a few weeks/months which for me at least was traumatic. I would not want the OP to go through that even if she has a good short term result. I may be wrong though. It may be worth a try if nothing else works but only once the likely negatives are understood.

I strongly recommend that once you have had all the necessary tests confirming exactly what is wrong and ruling out iron deficiency, thyroid problems and all the usual suspects, that you see a trichologist or dermatologist to get an informed diagnosis and appropriate treatment.

[hototogisu]

You have exactly the kind of alopecia that is very, very treatable with Minoxidil, aka Rogaine. Don't be put off by 'men's rogaine and women's rogaine', it's all the same medicine in different concentrations and forms.

You can get minoxidil either as a liquid, that you apply with a dropper, or as a foam. It's worthwhile looking online for the generic version, as the Rogaine brand is super expensive.

I'd also steer clear of haircare routines that have you skipping shampoo. For thinning hair like ours, it's super important to keep the scalp CLEAN and healthy and happy, and that means regular shampooing. I use - and like, and recommend - Nioxin, but I can't rule out the possibility that the good effects I'm seeing are just a placebo effect!

Be sure to patch test any essential oils you use. Essential oils are very, very strong chemicals and can cause severe reactions in some people. I once had to take a course of prescription steroids to clear up a skin reaction caused by essential oils, so I now avoid them as zealously as some people avoid silicones and parabens.

Good luck!!

[TessieAnn]

When I tried Rogaine it gave me a chemical taste in my mouth. Freaked me out that applying a chemical to my scalp absorbed into my mouth and taste buds. Just didn't feel right or healthy at all.

Problem is, as mentioned above, once you get results from Rogaine you must continue the treatment. If you stop, the new hair falls out.

Not something I, personally, was willing to continue.

Just one person's experience. Yours might differ. Maybe.

[PolarCathy]

Othala you also mentioned me AVG (I don't remember the context though) that one of your friends uses it for helping hair regrowth after chemo.

[Alva]

I strongly recommend that once you have had all the necessary tests confirming exactly what is wrong and ruling out iron deficiency, thyroid problems and all the usual suspects, that you see a trichologist or dermatologist to get an informed diagnosis and appropriate treatment.

This would be my advice too. It is of main importance to get to the root cause of the problem and there can be many things causing this. Often that is treatable too. Seen the spot it is in I wouldnt directly think of alopecia androgenetica/male pattern baldness, because that would not start at the front hairline but more to the back, if I remember correctly. I did read that thyroid dysfuncion does have a symptom like you have. It is worth looking into for sure.

[Miya]

Try Viviscal twice a day & Blackcurrant capsules 500mg once a day, & a little scalp massage in circles with your fingertips in a circular motion, eo's in a lite carrier oil applied daily

[Mesmerise]

I understand how you feel as my hair is thinning in the same area as well!! It freaked me out enough that I cut bangs to sort of hide it... because it looks worse pulled back. I also figured the bangs would mean that when I wear an updo I wouldn't be pulling the hairs that are there back and thus less likely to pull them out (so avoiding traction alopecia).

I have been interested in trying the Neelibhringadi oil... and I'm thinking of picking some up. Ahh... stuff it... I'll order some now :D.

I don't want to use Minoxidil except as a last resort (as from what I've read you have to keep using it forever or the hair just falls out again!!). I'd rather see if I can fix the problem naturally myself before doing that. BUT if all else fails, I'll certainly use Minoxidil. I don't really like bangs on myself unfortunately :rolleyes:. I just don't really look like me that way! At the moment my bangs are longer, and I sort of wear them to the side, but over the top, so it covers the thinning part... but I have a habit of running my hands back through my hair which pushes them back, and I think exposes the thinning bit. ARGH. I think anywhere BUT at the crown of the head I could handle...

I have also used Monistat on and off... but maybe I should be more rigorous in using it regularly?!

[Nymfora]

Thank you for all the really helpful advice :) For my blood work everything checked out fine except my progesterone but my doc wants to make sure the test is right before we continue for diagnosis. I've been using these oils for almost a month and my hair really likes them, it feels softer and I don't have nearly as many split ends, I can't really find them anymore. I did start the monistat 7 yesterday as well. This is the first time my blood test has shown low progesterone so for now I'm going to stick with what I'm doing and will try what others here have suggested for me as well and give each thing a decent amount of time for me to test them :D

The hairstyles I've learnt here are also helping as I am now doing almost a differ style each instead of the usual one I would every single day. I did look into the rogaine here and they only sell the name brand expensive one. That neeli oil does sound interesting and I may be looking into it today.

[Nymfora]

Does anyone know where I can get some Neelibhringadi oil?? Ebay. ca only has one and it's mixed with cocnut oil and I'm not sure about it. here hopefully is the link to it.

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/KPN-Original-Neelibhringadi-Pre-Bath-Hair-Oil-Made-Coconut-oil-100-ML-/120923328908?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c2797918c