Long time lurker from rainy UK :)

[guns1969]

Hi everyone!

I've been a lurker for a long time and finally decided to register so I can get valuable advice from you lovely ladies :)

I have always had soft, fine, straight hair but in the last 2 years I've had chemo drugs and 5 miscarriages. I've also been on medication. My hair started falling and it hasn't stopped for the last 2 years. I have a third of my hair left! :( .. not only that, the condition of my hair has deteriorated so badly that I'm seriously worried now. Despite co-washing for around a year, my hair has now become rough, dull, lifeless, dry, brittle and no longer shines.

No matter which product I use, be it deep conditioning masks or sls free mild shampoos, my hair just wont react to anything. Please help!!!!

[Alvrodul]

Ouch! Many of your problems are probably a side effect of the medicines and general health. That is something you should discuss with your doctor!
What you can do about that, is to make sure that you get all the nutrients that you need, take supplements and eat healthy. And discuss this as well with your doctor!
As for the condition of your hair - you CO wash - but do you clarify? I have tried CO-washing, but I decided it wasn't for me. I got bad buildup, and was not happy with my hair. Currently I use CV poo bars, which my hair loves! ;)

I would suggest you try to clarify to see if the dry, dull and generally lifeless condition of your hair is due to buildup - and then follow up with a SMT (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=128), since it also sounds as if your hair needs moisture. And take a look at the conditioners you use - do they contain protein? If so, you definitely need to give your hair moisture to balance that!

Welcome to LHC, I hope you will find help here!

[guns1969]

Hi Alvrodul!

Thanks for your reply. I've been taking multi-vitamins, vit c, vit d3, biotin, biosil, omega 3, iron, folic acid and garlic capsules for the last 2 years. I've used coconut, olive or castor oil overnight tons of times.. again none helped, in fact my hair fell out much more despite very careful gentle massaging. I SMT'd doe over 8 months and finally gave up as it made no difference to my hair and I ended up with tons of split ends. I've been using MN to grow my hair longer, which luckily it has, but the condition still feels dreadful. I can use the richest conditioner, mayo, shea butter, oils but NOTHING is making my hair softer!

I do clarify at least once a month and then deep condition using a shower cap in the bath. I've used quite a few Kerastase at home treatments (including today) but those have made no difference whatsoever either. I eat fairly well, fruits, veggies, meat, eggs. The GPs here don't even bother with falling hair, let alone hair that's no longer in "good" condition.

[Alvrodul]

It could be that your scalp doesn't like oils - I have found that when I oil my scalp for a deep treatment - or when I henna - hairs fall out. I think that for me, the hair that fall out are the ones that were ready to detach anyway. :rolleyes:
Have you noticed a difference in results related to your conditioners? My hair dislikes certain conditioners, so I stay away from them, and also avoid putting conditioner on my scalp.
One thing I would suggest that you try, is catnip treatments (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=118), perhaps that will help with the split ends and general condition of your hair.
Cassia also has a conditioning effect, but I am a bit hesitant in suggesting you try it. I use henna myself, and get lovely results, but it does dry out the scalp, and cassia has a similar effect.

[guns1969]

ah, I did forget to mention that I've also been henna-ing(?) my hair for over a year and have noticed that my hair strands are a bit thicker than they used to be. Now, I don't know if that is due to the fact that my hair is coarser now or whether it's due to the henna. I have been adding cassia to my henna as well. Sine the henna does dry my hair out so much, it makes it look much fuller than it really is. When my hair was thicker, it looked like a curtain of silk so it didn't look as full.. but I do miss my silky hair now.

As my hair has been rough and dry no matter what I've used, I haven't really noticed which conditioners dont suit my hair. Luckily the splits are under control as I did a serious S&D and also bought a split-ender (which stopped working after the first 10 minutes!) and another self hair trimmer.

The one thing that I haven't been brave enough to try yet is raw eggs .. I'm so worried about the smell!

[Alvrodul]

ah, I did forget to mention that I've also been henna-ing(?) my hair for over a year and have noticed that my hair strands are a bit thicker than they used to be. Now, I don't know if that is due to the fact that my hair is coarser now or whether it's due to the henna. I have been adding cassia to my henna as well. Sine the henna does dry my hair out so much, it makes it look much fuller than it really is. When my hair was thicker, it looked like a curtain of silk so it didn't look as full.. but I do miss my silky hair now.

As my hair has been rough and dry no matter what I've used, I haven't really noticed which conditioners dont suit my hair. Luckily the splits are under control as I did a serious S&D and also bought a split-ender (which stopped working after the first 10 minutes!) and another self hair trimmer.

The one thing that I haven't been brave enough to try yet is raw eggs .. I'm so worried about the smell!
I stongly recommend that you pitch that split-ender in the trash!!!! There is a thread somewhere on the forum about it, short story is that it has caused disastrous damage and tons of split ends for those who have used it! :eek: I'd recommend that for S&D and trimming you go with the tried and true sharp trimming shears!
I still have a sneaking suspicion that your hair lacks moisture or suffers from protein overdose - that is at least what i get from your description of your hair's condition. And since your hair doesn't like SMTs, I think you should find a good, moisturizing deep treatment and a similar conditioner for your hair!

[Alvrodul]

I had a thought about SMTs.Some people's hair don't react well to honey or aloe. Have you tried to mix molasses with your conditioner instead of honey for your SMT?

[guns1969]

No worries, I gave up on the split-ender since it wouldn't work anyway. Luckily I bought it off ebay so didn't waste too much money. I did buy a brand spanking new pair of shears so will be trying those out over the next couple of days.

I've been using moisture conditioners, but they haven't made any difference. Ones like Tresemme and Herbal Essences, Reed & Percy. I must admit I haven't tried molasses in my SMT although I drink a tablespoonful every morning in my glass of milk.

Maybe I need to do a bit more reasearch to try and eliminate protein for my haircare routine and see if that helps. There are different words for protein, aren't there?

When I look back and think about it, its ironic that I started colouring my hair to "make it rough" so it would have more body!

PS - your hair is gorgeous!! .. quite similar in colour to mine I think.

[guns1969]

oh I just wanted to add that even the Matrix Biolage deep conditioning balm hasn't worked. That is supposed to help with moisture.

[Alvrodul]

Thing to look for in the ingredient list when you are searching for protein: soy, silk, keratin, and anything hydrolyzed. And there are certainly others I don't recall at the moment! :p
And thank you for your lovely compliment! I have been hennaing for almost 3 years now. :D

[Tabitha]

:waving: Welcome! it has been spectacularly rainy, hasn't it. I blame Wimbledon.

Your body has been under an immense amount of physical and emotional stress. The very last priority for our bodies, is the hair and nails. They are the first to suffer, too. As you recover, things should get better but of course the hair on your head now is from that period, which grew during the bad times.

You seem to be doing a lot to your hair, I'd suggest giving it a rest and sticking to the same thing for a few weeks. My hair hated SMT, by the way. I wouldn't bother with the eggs if I were you, hard to wash out without getting scrambled egg in your hair. Eat them instead - they're really nutritious!

I'm about to investigate Aveda's Invati range (http://www.aveda.co.uk/products/8419/Collections/InvatiTM/index.tmpl), after reading that an LHC friend is using it. There is also a very expensive new hair care range that's had rave reviews but I'm always sceptical of that sort of hype: Phylia de M (http://www.beautybibleloves.com/hair/phylia-de-m-3-step-kit/).

[guns1969]

ok, thanks. I'll keep an eye out for those.

Henna gives such a gorgeous colour to the hair. How do you manage to condition yours after hennaing?

[Iolanthe13]

First, I hope you can find a doctor who does care about your hair troubles. It sounds like you've had a rough enough time without hair fall :(

You mentioned that you miss the silkiness you used to have. Have you considered mixing EVOO or coconut oil into your henna mixes? If your scalp doesn't like oils, you might also try honey or aloe - like a SMT crossed with a henna mix. And henna definitely makes F hair coarser; maybe avoid doing whole head treatments and just do the roots. Henna/cassia also supposedly have similar effects to protein treatments, so I'd also suggest you try to cut out protein.

Also, I'll say catnip has really made my damaged hair softer and less prone to splits, though it does nothing for frizz if that's a concern for you. It can be an inconvenient method, but it seems to speed up growth for some people too.

Where do you stand on the cone vs. cone-free issue? If your products have cones, it might be worth trying those without cones, and vice versa.

It takes such a long time for hair to regain volume after a major shed - hopefully it's a matter of waiting for the new hairs to get long enough again! Good luck, and I'm sorry your hair is causing frustration.

[guns1969]

Thanks Tabitha! Ha ha I agree about the Wimbledon! Such a shame for poor Murray!

What you've said makes sense. The growth I have now is from the tough times but sadly even the new growth doesn't seem as soft and silky as my natural hair. You're also right that I seem to be doing a lot to my hair. Its so hard to just let it be. I buy every new thing I read about and just end up being disappointed with everything. Unfortunately, I'm no longer in a position to be able to try out yet another expensive brand so I'll have to wait for your review on the aveda.

Oh, I do eat eggs .. just not regularly, as I don't have breakfast. I keep forgetting :(

[guns1969]

Hi Iolanthe!

I've tried honey and aloe in SMTs, which didn't work either. Tried tons of different oils but none have made any difference whatsoever. In anything, they made things worse. Why does my hair have to be so difficult?! I had 13 perms when I was younger, swam 6 hours a day and my hair was like silk. Just look at it now.

I'll have a look again at the catnip threads to get a bit more info. It'd be a shame to stop my henna as I love the colour. I've tried cones and non-cones, and once again not much of a difference, although I do think that my hair prefer cones.

Thank you all so much for your kind and helpful words. I've been so frustrated and keep hoping things will improve :)

[guns1969]

ok, this sounds so silly but does catnip look very similar to stinging nettle? I've just googled for images and I can't tell them apart! I have plenty of nettles in my garden and back yard but how do I know if that's actually catnip instead??

[guns1969]

ok, thanks. I'll keep an eye out for those.

Henna gives such a gorgeous colour to the hair. How do you manage to condition yours after hennaing?



Sorry, this was meant for Alvrodul.

[Alvrodul]

ok, thanks. I'll keep an eye out for those.

Henna gives such a gorgeous colour to the hair. How do you manage to condition yours after hennaing?
These days I do full-strength henna on the roots only. for the length, I do a henna gloss - I mix the mud with conditioner.
Also the last two times I hennaed, I did so over heavily oiled hair. I got excellent results from this.
To finish off my hennaing, I usually do a SMT after rinsing the mud out. Fortunately, my hair loves this! :D

[guns1969]

Do you manage to get enough colour with just the gloss or over heavily oiled hair? I always thought the oil would block the colour?

I might try a gloss again as I have henna sitting in the fridge!

[Alvrodul]

My hair loves the combination! And as I said, I get excellent results! Definitely not a lighter color.
The effect it has had, is to leave my hair with a very heavy and "rich" feeling.
I used a quite thick and sticky mix, too - neem, castor oil, almond oil, coconut oil, and some EOs, as the neem oil has a very strong smell. Not something I would ordinarily recommend, and a mix that might be hard to wash out ordinarily. It worked wonderfully well with the henna, though! :D

[guns1969]

wow, that sounds pretty tempting. I have all those oils, and more, other than neem oil. I usually add a bit of rosemary and lavender essential oils to my henna mix anyway. I'll definitely try your method next time!

Just been re-reading the catnip article. Fingers crossed!

[Alvrodul]

Try the henna over oiled hair, and if you like it, get hold of that neem! I used less of it this time, and the "rich" effect was not as strong this time. But it's a very thick oil!!

[guns1969]

Oh I remember the neem oil smell as I used it on my dogs when we had a tick infestation a few years back! Wish I had saved it but it should be easy enough to get hold of at Holland & Barrett. Thank you so much for your advice :)

[furnival]

ok, this sounds so silly but does catnip look very similar to stinging nettle? I've just googled for images and I can't tell them apart! I have plenty of nettles in my garden and back yard but how do I know if that's actually catnip instead??

If it stings you, it ain't catnip ;)

Seriously though, you can buy dried catnip over the net, or seeds if you want to grow it, or buy a plant from the herb section of a good garden centre- its Latin name is Nepeta Cataria. Good luck with the hair and yes, it's a proper manky summer, innit?

[guns1969]

If it stings you, it ain't catnip ;)

Seriously though, you can buy dried catnip over the net, or seeds if you want to grow it, or buy a plant from the herb section of a good garden centre- its Latin name is Nepeta Cataria. Good luck with the hair and yes, it's a proper manky summer, innit?

ha ha .. I'm not taking the chance to test right now :D I think the easiest thing would be to buy the dried stuff on the net. Oh dear, more parcels!

I'm hoping we at least have an Indian summer for a week in September like the last few years!! :cool:

[Tisiloves]

It does look a bit like a nettle. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nepeta_cataria)

Easiest way to find it is wait a week or two for it to flower and watch for a bunch of cats going mental. They also sell little packets of it for a pound in Wilko's pet section if you want to try it before you bulk buy.

[guns1969]

Hi Tisiloves! Thanks for that. I'll have a look next time I'm out shopping. I have 3 cats but its hard to keep track of where they are as I live on a farm. Maybe once I know what it looks like I can just get it from the garden for free!!

[guns1969]

I think I may have finally found something that works for my hair. I've only used it once but its made a huge difference to my hair already. I'm really hoping its not a fluke so I can't wait to try it again. The product that I used was Nexxus Emergencee Strengthening Polymeric Reconstructor .. don't know Why I waited so long to try it. I suppose I was worried that it would be like all other products that didn't work and hence be a complete waste of money .. again! But boy, am I glad I tried this. I'm now going to buy the 500ml bottle from Amazon. Fingers crossed that it keeps on working its magic on me!!!

If anyone else has had the same hair troubles as me, please try this product first! I've already seen a 75% improvement in my hair .. with just one use!!! I can't stop touching my hair as I had nearly forgotten what my soft hair feels like :)