My hair is thinning 😢

[Tania]

I'm a 32 year old mom of 3. I've always had beautiful strong semi thick hair. I'm letting it grow back out so I decided to cut bangs after not having them since I was a kid. Everyone thinks I'm crazy but the top part of my scalp where we usually part our hair looks like I've lost some hair. It burns and itches slightly. Ive stopped blow drying my hair. Ive always thought i had oily hair but my moms saying it could be dry scalp. I'm terrified. I have no insurance and can't afford a doctors bill. My scalp looks perfectly fine. The burning sensation is more aggravating than painful. Can someone help. I'm terrified. You can also email me with any advice at fcsinc.2010@yahoo.com.

[Allychan]

Be careful putting your email 'out there' you will get spammed by every spammer in the internet universe.

Firstly, I am not a DR I speak merely from my own experiences and from stuff I have learnt. My hair grew over 16cm this year and my 'thickness' has just crept past BSL. So this is what worked for me.

There could be heaps of reasons why you are thinning and the associated. The fact you can't see a DR doesn't help, but all is not lost. By process of elimination you could probably narrow down the reasons behind it.

I use castor oil mixed with lavendar and grapeseed oil on my daughters scalp as she has dandruff and a sensitive to touch scalp. Castor oil is a natural antiseptic and antifungal. So it could clear up any fungal bacterial culprits. By massaging it in you are stimulating circulation and this helps to promote growth. I use it on my own hair and it has helped tremendously with thickening my hair up.

Stress is another factor, you mention you have 3kids and anyone who is a mum knows how stressfull that can be. Stress increases corisol levels and can lead to thinner hair as can lack of sleep.

Nutrition, I went vego when I was 15 and did not realise I needed to improve my protein intake to keep my nails and hair healthy. Are you getting enough iron, zinc and B vitamins in your diet? (I try and eat dark green veges and an egg everyday.)

[Tania]

Thank you for the warning. Goes to show you how desperate I am. Ok so how do I use the castor oil and where do I buy it.

[Allychan]

Thank you for the warning. Goes to show you how desperate I am. Ok so how do I use the castor oil and where do I buy it.

Most chemists or health food stores will have it, some people use it as a laxitive (just incase you get any strange looks, and keep out of reach of young children)but it is the same stuff you can put on your hair. Some Indian grocery stores stock it as well.

Here's my routine, many members swear by the stuff and may use it differently, but this is what works for me.

Castor oil is quite viscous so you need to mix it with another (carrier) oil. Coconut, grapeseed, camelia, olive or avocado are the top oils of choice. Warning: If your hair matts too much you need to add less castor oil and more of the 'carrier' oil.

My mix is half castor half grapeseed oil with a dash of lavendar. If you canget a hold of pure essential rosemary oil it is worth adding too. But to start things off just use the castor oil and your choice of carrier oil.

Mix oil in a bottle and tip bottle onto your finger tips, don't pool it in your palm and plop it on your head. Use only your fingertips and massage oils all through your roots and onto your scalp surface, be gentle! You don't want to accidently pull hairs out. Try not to get the oil onto your ends, they will stick together. Once your scalp is oiled add a thick conditioner or just a carrier oil to your ends. This will help in stopping hair from matting and knotting. Leave in for atleast an hour (I braid my hair then sleep with it in overnight and wash out in the morning).

For the 1st couple of times just leave it in for the hour, you'll need to toggle with the measurements until you find what works for you.

When you are done rinse it out with conditioner, shampoo and then more conditioner. I do this two-three times a week

Some folks experience shedding after castor oiling their hair, but I believe this is because they used too much castor oil in the mix, were too rough in applying or didn't condition their ends to stop it from knotting.

Castor oil has been used by millions of Indian men and women for hair loss for centuries, and most Indian women I know have VERY enviable hair

[DancingQueen]

Well, My hair have been thinning as well, and I am currently taking priorin. It have reduced my shedding remarkably, and it already feels thicker at the crown. I have only been using it for a few weeks though.

If you are interested, you can check out my thread about it, but please don't use it if you are already taking supplements or other medication, or at least check with a doctor first. Hope you find something that works for you :)

[Luminaria]

Be careful putting your email 'out there' you will get spammed by every spammer in the internet universe.

Firstly, I am not a DR I speak merely from my own experiences and from stuff I have learnt. My hair grew over 16cm this year and my 'thickness' has just crept past BSL. So this is what worked for me.

There could be heaps of reasons why you are thinning and the associated. The fact you can't see a DR doesn't help, but all is not lost. By process of elimination you could probably narrow down the reasons behind it.

I use castor oil mixed with lavendar and grapeseed oil on my daughters scalp as she has dandruff and a sensitive to touch scalp. Castor oil is a natural antiseptic and antifungal. So it could clear up any fungal bacterial culprits. By massaging it in you are stimulating circulation and this helps to promote growth. I use it on my own hair and it has helped tremendously with thickening my hair up.

Stress is another factor, you mention you have 3kids and anyone who is a mum knows how stressfull that can be. Stress increases corisol levels and can lead to thinner hair as can lack of sleep.

Nutrition, I went vego when I was 15 and did not realise I needed to improve my protein intake to keep my nails and hair healthy. Are you getting enough iron, zinc and B vitamins in your diet? (I try and eat dark green veges and an egg everyday.)

Hey!! I've read your bokk! It's really good! I never thought you were on LHC, but then again why wouldn't you be. Thanks for the tips!

[bekstamonkey]

The description of an aggravating, burning sort of sensation would make me immediately suspect a fungal issue. Vinegar and Lavender oil are both antifungal and should fix the problem is it's fungal (worth a shot!)...I know I've read on here that there are folk who swear by Monistat (Daktarin, here in Australia) for less shedding...and that's simply an antifungal cream - Vinegar and Lavender EO are natural (no potential side effects as is reported by some with the cream). I actually use a diluted ACV rinse with a little Lavender EO in it regularly after my shampoo bar. It's worth a try...if it's fungal, then the ACV should start showing results (i.e. the burning sensation) pretty quick...good luck :)

[Sarahlabyrinth]

My husband had a fungal problem on his scalp (he has lost the hair on top of his head) and he stopped the burning and itching by applying several drops of white vinegar daily. No more itching/burning! His balding is genetic, but he caught the fungus at a barbers' shop.

Hijack here, can apply twice daily to fungussy toenails as well and it clears up beautifully after several months. Much cheaper than buying Stuff from the chemist/drugstore.

Hope you find a solution Tania.

[Tania]

Wow I got a lot of great tips from everyone thanks. But can you explain what lavender eo is. Sorry I'm new to all this and don't no all the terms. Also how do I use the acv

[Tania]

Ok so I just looked it up and saw nothing but great reviews but it's also saying its not available in the united states so where could I get it at.

[Tania]

Ya like I said everyone says I'm going crazy but I can't be. I notice my hair is slightly thinner and obviously the slight burning feeling lets me no something's wrong.

[bekstamonkey]

Ok so I just looked it up and saw nothing but great reviews but it's also saying its not available in the united states so where could I get it at.

Lavender eo is Lavender essential oil.

What can you not get in the US? The Lavender essential oil, or ACV? Both are surely available in the USA...perhaps someone in the US can give some advice as to where to look for both products, as I'm in Australia. Here, I can get both Lavender EO and Apple Cider Vinegar in the supermarket :)

[Vercelli]

I am so sorry to hear about your hair loss.

I lost a good amount of hair too during the last two years or so which was really annoying and I still am 'recovering' so to speak.

My hairloss was partly due to the fact that I had some kind of dermatitis or even a fungus. Even though I have (and also back then had) health insurance I must admit I did not see a doctor because I don't always trust doctors very much when it comes to their suggestions related to hair loss. (In most cases they do not really understand how people feel who are losing hair, and don't always give the best piece of advice.)

I must also admit I did experiment a little bit as to how to get everything back to normal again, and in the end I found out what helped ME.

However, I would be reluctant in trying (essential) oils because that might backfire especially when you have a fungus. It can also irritate your scalp even more. At least, that's what happened in my case but it might well be that your scalp will get better with oils.

If you do have a fungus then you might try out that stuff which is called 'Selsun'. It is fairly strong and it has some nasty incis but it does work! Well, at least it worked in my case, so I do not have an inch of itchy scalp nor ugly flakes anymore.

What I also found out was that I have an iron deficiency. So since I have been taking iron supplements my hair loss stopped.

Having said that, I would not take iron just like that as your hairloss might be related to something else. Have you thought about the possible influence of stress? You mentioned you have three kids. I can imagine it's not always easy to be a mum!:p

Anyway, I just wanted to tell you about my hairloss and how it worked out for me in the end.

Wishing you the very best! Take care. Hopefully everything sorts itself out soon.

[EndlessSunshine]

Acv or white vinegar is great for itchy scalps, I try and do a rinse once a week. Gentle scalp massages with oil is a great idea because it is a stress reducing activity as well. Hair loss can be a sign of a more serious problem, like auto immune disorders. When my type one diabetes was first diagnosed I lost a lot of my thickness. I hope to get it back by doing what many have already posted here. Good luck!