The Great Shed -- The Thinning Hair Support Thread

[hennalonghair]

My dearest friend Neoma. I am so sorry you are going through this. Believe it or not I have something to add and will include my story also.
In the process of editing.

I know everyone thinks of me as Hennalonghair; the woman with the long thick wavy hennaed hair but over the last year I've lost about 25% of my hair. It first started while using Wen Cleansing Conditioner. When joining this site I'd read so much about co-washing and how it really helped dry, frizzy hair so I thought I'd give it a shot. I followed the directions to a 'T' but couldn't help noticing that I lost an unusual amount of hair but stubbornly I kept on using it. It was so expensive and smelled so good that I didn't want to just pack it in so lost more and more hair. Then I started using that henna from 'The Henna Guys" and the amount of hair I lost was scary. When I stopped using that my shed slowed down some but my part line was getting wider and wider. When I put my hair up in buns I could feel a breeze in places on the back of my neck/lower scalp that I have never felt before so knew without a doubt that I was losing so much hair that my hair line was actually receding the same as male pattern baldness.
Until I joined this site I had never measured my hair circumference before but in order to fill out my hair typing did so for the first time in my life and it was much more than it is now.
I started getting bald patches at the corners of my forehead and my hair started breaking off so easily. When I started growing in my greys the first time last year I stopped doing so mainly because the widening part looked even worse with my silver hair. The rich henna colour at least added the illusion of thickness but the heaviness of the henna wasn't actually helping the situation at all. I was too embarrassed to admit all this, especially on a hair forum that seemed to worship ultra thick hair.
It's devastating losing all your hair, especially being a woman. Hair for us is like our main accessory and one we usually associate with our femininity. ( no offence meant to our fellow long hair members) Its one of the main features that distinguishes us between the men and something we are often most proud of so I REALLY do understand that inner mental anguish. Hair toys I had became looser and looser to the point where I didn't even want to use them. It got depressing.
Years previously I'd been through episodes of seborrhoea dermatitis but over time learned how to treat it and I never had a problem since. There was no dandruff or any other fungal/ bacteria problems ( doctor verified) so I could rule that out but the problem persisted for over a year. Being a nutritionist I ruled out any possible food allergies and the only common denominator was my age and menopause. I'd heard that many women go through hair loss during menopause due to the decrease in estrogen which gets greatly depleted at this age. Looking back through my family history I remembered that my mom went through this exact same thing at my age and she too was devastated , even having short hair.
There , very well , might be something seriously wrong with me at the moment because my bones ache so badly that even rapping my knuckles feels like my bones are shattering. I've got a doctors appointment for this Thursday and will get thoroughly checked out. I'm praying I don't have cancer but I can't rule that out because , it is possible.

Anyway .... I'm doing my usual derail and I apologize.

Now you know me, I'm ALL for using natural products but in desperate measures I researched this and everything kept pointing to using Rogaine, which is exactly what Beborani suggested and guess what? It works!!!! I've been using it since I stopped using henna which has been about 10 weeks now and already my hairline has tiny curly silver hairs growing in. In fact when I feel my scalp now, it feels like a fuzzy porcupine. My part line isn't really wide any more and is returning back to normal. I've got new fuzzy hair at the back of my head that looks like a man's side burns but I am NOT complaining!
So here's the deal!
It's expensive but you can get it off amazon for much less. There's also a generic brand for less.
Please read the reviews because it does have some rather scary side effects ( ones that almost had me pass on it but I'm glad I didn't) but they are very short term. I don't use this every day but only about 3 or 4 a week but not suggesting you do. I just forget all the other times. My point being that it is working great even with me not using as directed.
You might want to check to make sure it doesn't interfere with any of your current meds, ESPECIALLY since you suffer from migraines.
This of course should be a HUGE consideration for you.

One REALLY important factor I would like to point out is that most women here are of THAT age where this is common. That's not to say that there are other contributing factors but just want to mention that diminishing estrogen plays a HUGE part in all of this.

I'm still scared of discovering some terminal illness but hey, at least my hair is growing back.
I'm not even sure why I feel the need to add humour because there isn't anything funny about this.

I sincerely wish you the best my dear friend. You are loved more than you'll ever realize
My thoughts and prayers are with you.
My friend.

[Neoma]

My dearest friend Neoma. I am so sorry you are going through this. Believe it or not I have something to add and will include my story also.
In the process of editing.

Thank you, dear hennalonghair.

I look forward to reading what you have to say, though I'm sorry to hear that you have had any experience with thinning.

[Jeni]

I have never had what would be considered thick hair, I've always had thin, very fine, very straight hair but a few years ago (about the time I stopped being active on here)I was in the bathroom at work and noticed when my hair was down you could see a lot of my scalp along my center part. I freaked out. I have no idea what caused it, never noticed increased shedding. I know that before I stopped coming here my circumference was around 2.75", when I started measuring again last year it was closer to 2.25". 1/2 an inch isn't a huge loss unless you already have thin hair. I've been using minoxidil for about 2 years. I started with the women's formula twice a day but I was horrible at remembering to do it twice a day so after Rogaine came out with their women's once a day foam which was the same strength as the men's formula I switched to using the men's liquid once a day. I did have issues with itchiness, made worse if I was outside in the sun but since I've switched over to shampoo bars that has gone away. I think it's helped, it's at least stopped the hair loss as it hasn't gotten worse since I began using it... My bf says it's not noticeable when my hair down but I think he is he's nuts, I notice it! If I wear my hair down I always do a side part to help cover the thinness which sucks, I prefer a center part.

I've begun to take biotin gummies with my daily vitamin and I'm a shampoo bar convert. I'm also back to doing cassia/henna (enough henna to add a sight reddish tone, so not much) Between everything I'm back up to 2.50". I've mentioned my hair loss to my pcp but only in passing, considering I haven't gone to the doctors for a check up in 10 ish years there are other issues higher on her list to address. I did have routine blood work done and my levels are all normal. I figure I'm already doing the thing they'd recommend (minoxidil) so why push it.

Besides biotin and a daily vitamin what else are people taking?

[Neoma]

Besides biotin and a daily vitamin what else are people taking?

Jeni, thank you for sharing your story with us.

Please see the first post in this thread for my current plan of attack.

[ravenheather]

I had a year long shed/stall. Not too the point of bald patches but bothersome. Essential oils helped some, but adding a vitamin d supplement cured mine. She'd rate is a quarter of what it was. Now I just need to grow out my thin ends. I have trimmed a few inches but refuse to go any shorter.

[LegoCaltrops]

Hi, I will join. I've got thick individual hairs but only a 1.75 inch ponytail circumference (just got to ponytail lenth). I've been on migraine meds for about 10 years and, like you, recently discovered it causes hair loss, plus a bunch of other symptoms. I'd had a cut to pixie in despair at my thinning hair, then 4 years at around 1-3 inches, so I didn't notice how thin it had got until I started growing it again.

I'm slowly coming off the meds & adding some natural migraine remedies to my pillbox. Today I got Nizoral shampoo & am contemplating getting a dermal roller or stamp for my scalp - Silverbrumby has apparently had some success with this. I'll stick with the Nizoral for now & see how that goes.

Also taking a bunch of supplements & getting bloodwork checked (again). Hope something works. Some of it is dual purpose - hair and migraine, so I can at least justify the expense!

The demal roller scares & intrigues me, equally. With the prescription I've been on, the hair loss is apparently fairly permanent. However the dermal roller looks like it could force healing & skin regeneration, including follicles. I can see the shape of my scalp through my hair at the top, I really don't have much left. I really can't afford Rogaine.

I've also stopped CO-washing as advised on another thread. There's every chance it was increasing the shedding. Basically, my hair was doomed with what I was doing until a couple of weeks ago.

I'm scared of the migraines coming back. They're pretty disabling. The pain is awful, it looks exactly like I've had a stroke & I can get one every couple of days.

to everyone dealing with shedding issues.

[Neoma]

I had a year long shed/stall. Not too the point of bald patches but bothersome. Essential oils helped some, but adding a vitamin d supplement cured mine. She'd rate is a quarter of what it was. Now I just need to grow out my thin ends. I have trimmed a few inches but refuse to go any shorter.

ravenheather, I'm glad to hear that vitamin D slowed your hair loss so dramatically.

I do have extremely low vitamin D levels, which could definitely be a factor. (I'm on a prescription dose.) I also have a low iron level and am taking iron supplements.

[Neoma]

Hi, I will join. I've got thick individual hairs but only a 1.75 inch ponytail circumference (just got to ponytail lenth). I've been on migraine meds for about 10 years and, like you, recently discovered it causes hair loss, plus a bunch of other symptoms. I'd had a cut to pixie in despair at my thinning hair, then 4 years at around 1-3 inches, so I didn't notice how thin it had got until I started growing it again.

I'm slowly coming off the meds & adding some natural migraine remedies to my pillbox. Today I got Nizoral shampoo & am contemplating getting a dermal roller or stamp for my scalp - Silverbrumby has apparently had some success with this. I'll stick with the Nizoral for now & see how that goes.

Also taking a bunch of supplements & getting bloodwork checked (again). Hope something works. Some of it is dual purpose - hair and migraine, so I can at least justify the expense!

The demal roller scares & intrigues me, equally. With the prescription I've been on, the hair loss is apparently fairly permanent. However the dermal roller looks like it could force healing & skin regeneration, including follicles. I can see the shape of my scalp through my hair at the top, I really don't have much left. I really can't afford Rogaine.

I've also stopped CO-washing as advised on another thread. There's every chance it was increasing the shedding. Basically, my hair was doomed with what I was doing until a couple of weeks ago.

I'm scared of the migraines coming back. They're pretty disabling. The pain is awful, it looks exactly like I've had a stroke & I can get one every couple of days.

to everyone dealing with shedding issues.

LegoCaltrops, I'm so sorry to hear that you suffer so badly from migraines, too. I hope that the natural approach keeps them at bay.

The dermal roller looks pretty scary to me! I've had a lot of needles stuck in my face, scalp, neck and shoulders over the years (migraine treatments), so I'm really not afraid of needles. But that thing looks like something from the Inquisition!

[rags]

for everyone on this thread!

As far as supplements, I am taking Vitamin D, Zinc, and I give myself shots of B12. I am clinically very low in all of these, and in the winter often have to go on prescription strength Vit D anyway. I also have just had infusions of iron (that is what actually began to slow down the shed). My ferritin was THREE. Then reducing the medication dosage helped slow/stop it. I still have high shed days where I panic a bit, but not nearly as badly as before, or nearly as often!

[hennalonghair]

Decreased estrogen levels are a significant factor in all of this which is why calcium and vitamin D play an important role in general health especially for premenopausal or menopausal women. If you research in this general area you will find startling connections that will make a lot of sense.
Good luck my friend. I added my story also and hope that ALL women read this thread because it's extremely important.