Heartbroken: My Teen Boy Losing Hair! Maybe Due To Wen...

lilikoi

Well-Known Member
I am upset beyond words.

Short version:
My 14 year old used Wen for the FIRST AND ONLY time about 2 weeks ago and now he has huge bald spots and is still shedding hair! I am ashamed to confess I was skeptical about the Wen-caused hair loss claims (I know I posted on that thread) because I had used the product years ago and I was fine. I feel so guilty that I used this on my child's hair.

I'm humbly asking for moral support, and practical advice to help him recover.


P.S. I used it once last week too. I have'n noticed any ill effects for myself (yet).


My long rant (sorry, I need to vent, writing this to help myself make sense of this ):
My son has a nice fro (about 5 inches of a mix of 3b, 3c, and some silky 4a hair) that he's quite proud of (he calls it his "lion's mane"). It tangles/mats easily and I try to remind him to finger detangle frequently. I've been noticing a lot of shedding (hairs on sink and hairbrush) for the last couple of weeks but didn't think much of it because (1) he's not gentle with his hair and (2) he's growing a lot and dealing with typical hormonal changes for his age.

Then yesterday morning he said "mom, I've been having a lot of shed hairs" and I dismissed it and told him not to worry about it. Then, later last nigh I noticed a thin spot around his temple (kind of like male-baldness pattern) and upon inspection discovered the spot is almost bald, and the hair around the nape has bald spots too! And as I examined his head, his hair kept coming out in clumps! My heart sank!

I could then tell he's been worrying about if because he had noticed the missing hair and spots but didn't say anything about it directly (fear? denial?). I tried to reassure him before bedtime that we would deal with this and aggressively - seek medical assistance, home remedies, etc. , to figure out the cause and seek a solution and kissed him goodnight.

Once everyone went to bed I gave myself permission to cry. I wished this was happening to me and not to him, but that's not how things turned out. Then I prayed for healing, for wisdom dealing with this, and for acceptance. Went to bed and that's when I had my epiphany and remembered that only new thing in his routing was that he had used Wen for the first time and ONLY ONCE about 2 weeks ago. I had detangled his hair right after and it looked perfectly normal, no bald spots or thinness.

I got the Wen (lavender) from a thrift store. It was properly factory sealed. I had used Wen almond mint with no adverse effect. Stopped using it because of the cost, plus it was not doing anything noticeably positive for my hair. It was more of a "Meh" experience. So I was excited to find it cheap and bought 2 bottles because I remembered it had nice slip which would help my boy with detangling.
 

lilikoi

Well-Known Member
I'm truly sorry that your son is going through this. Since he is young, hopefully he will recover rather quickly. Have you tried detoxing his scalp?

Thank you for the kind words.

Haven't tried anything yet -- just noticed it last night and he's out with friends today. But here's what I'm planning on doing:
  1. Tonight:
    • Will start him on micro needling with vitamin C serum (I have a derma pen).
    • Will have him take multivitamins
  2. Tomorrow morning:
    • Call the clinic for a doctor's visit as soon as they can see him, to rule out any other causes (I'm pretty sure they'll order blood work).
  3. Use something topical every day (TBD, any suggestions here?)

Other than that, minimal manipulation to hang on to the remaining hair as long as possible. Oh, and lots of prayer!
 

Dposh167

Well-Known Member
some people have allergic reactions to lavender extracts. It also contains rosemary extracts which a dermatologist has said can cause skin irritation. Perhaps you'd want to take him to a derm or a doctor specializing in allergies to make sure he doesn't use anything else in his future that can cause this issue in his scalp.

Also, I never subscribed to the claim of using WEN on the actual scalp. Is this how he used it? Like others have mentioned on this board before, those thick conditioners on the scalp can cause damage if not properly rinsed off. They could've clogged his follicles over the two week period.
 

Theresamonet

Well-Known Member
Thank you for the kind words.

Haven't tried anything yet -- just noticed it last night and he's out with friends today. But here's what I'm planning on doing:
  1. Tonight:
    • Will start him on micro needling with vitamin C serum (I have a derma pen).
    • Will have him take multivitamins
  2. Tomorrow morning:
    • Call the clinic for a doctor's visit as soon as they can see him, to rule out any other causes (I'm pretty sure they'll order blood work).
  3. Use something topical every day (TBD, any suggestions here?)

Other than that, minimal manipulation to hang on to the remaining hair as long as possible. Oh, and lots of prayer!

I think he just needs to discontinue use of the product, and go back to doing what he was doing prior. His hair will grow back. I wouldn’t start doing too much. Micro needling with vitamin C seems like an aggressive course of action for this.

Take him to a derm and let them give his scalp a clean bill of health, if you insist on seeking professional help. Do some hot castor oil massages to stimulate the bald areas. Keep it simple and let those areas breath and recover from whatever it’s been through. Baby his hair/scalp back to health, dont attack and try to fight it back to health. lol
 

sunnieb

Well-Known Member
Oh no! I'm so sorry!

Here's wishing him a speedy recovery.

Please don't be too hard on yourself. I still use WEN weekly with no ill effects and wouldn't think twice about letting my son use it if he asked. You're a great mom and will get him through this.
 

IDareT'sHair

PJ Rehabilitation Center
@lilikoi

Glad you are taking immediate steps to resolve the problem.

I second the Castor Oil on the area preferably JBCO if you have it on hand.

Thank you for discontinuing product use and seeking suggestions to rectify it.

I thought WEN might have caused me a little SB as well last fall.

Unfortunately, I couldn't pinpoint it specifically to WEN, but I stopped using it (because it was the only thing that was different that was added to my Regi.
 

lilikoi

Well-Known Member
I think he just needs to discontinue use of the product, and go back to doing what he was doing prior. He's def not using it ever again. He only used it ONCE!

His hair will grow back. I wouldn’t start doing too much. Micro needling with vitamin C seems like an aggressive course of action for this. Maybe you're right. The patches are pretty big though

Take him to a derm and let them give his scalp a clean bill of health, if you insist on seeking professional help. I feel I need to do this. Do some hot castor oil massages to stimulate the bald areas. Great tip! thanks! Keep it simple and let those areas breath and recover from whatever it’s been through. Baby his hair/scalp back to health, dont attack and try to fight it back to health. Thank you @Theresamonet .
 

lilikoi

Well-Known Member
I'm truly sorry that your son is going through this. Since he is young, hopefully he will recover rather quickly. Have you tried detoxing his scalp?
Just found out about the bald spots last night. Detoxing sounds like a good starting point. Can you suggest any methods? I have some activated charcoal and also bentonite clay. Would any (or both) of these be useful?
 
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lilikoi

Well-Known Member
Hopefully he recovers soon.

I had a huge setback from WEN 613. My hair felt wonderful immediately after, but started breaking within a couple of days. My hair finally covered, but I was horribly disappointed in the mean time. May have to see a dermatologist to try to correct some of the damage.

Did you also have hair shedding or was it break damage exclusively?
 

michelle81

Well-Known Member
Did you also have hair shedding or was it break damage exclusively?

No bald spots or more than normal shedding. Just ate up my ends and left my hair damaged, like a very hard protein without any moisturizer. I could only correct it by going to my stylist to have her do a heavy moisturizing treatment. My deep conditioning at home was not enough.
 

lilikoi

Well-Known Member
No bald spots or more than normal shedding. Just ate up my ends and left my hair damaged, like a very hard protein without any moisturizer. I could only correct it by going to my stylist to have her do a heavy moisturizing treatment. My deep conditioning at home was not enough.

Hope your hair is fully recovered now.
 

PlanetCybertron

Well-Known Member
Hope you and your son are doing better each day. I can’t fully ever know what it’s like because I don’t have any kids of my own, but I can sympathize to the best of my ability. We (including myself) are all here for you. Nothing is your fault. That much I can say. Stay strong :bighug:
 

lilikoi

Well-Known Member
Hope you and your son are doing better each day. I can’t fully ever know what it’s like because I don’t have any kids of my own, but I can sympathize to the best of my ability. We (including myself) are all here for you. Nothing is your fault. That much I can say. Stay strong :bighug:

Awww :cry3:this is so hard. I really appreciate your support @PlanetCybertron . Baby's doing ok, not giving it much thought but his dad and I (and to some extent his big brother) are worried sick!

I know my LHCF sisters are here for me. Thank you so very much!!!
 

lilikoi

Well-Known Member
@lilikoi

Glad you are taking immediate steps to resolve the problem.

I second the Castor Oil on the area preferably JBCO if you have it on hand.

Thank you for discontinuing product use and seeking suggestions to rectify it.

I thought WEN might have caused me a little SB as well last fall.

Unfortunately, I couldn't pinpoint it specifically to WEN, but I stopped using it (because it was the only thing that was different that was added to my Regi.

Just ordered some JCBO from Amazon -- should arrive tomorrow. Thank you.
 

Tibbar

Well-Known Member
:bighug:
Don't beat yourself up over the Wen because you don't know for sure that is the cause. I think you need to get him to a dermatologist as soon as possible for a diagnosis. He could be reacting to something else that he's still being exposed to.
I went through a somewhat similar experience with my youngest son and it turned out to be alopecia which the doctor treated with steroid injections to his scalp over a period of several months. The bald spots went away and did not reappear.
Good luck to you and try not to panic.
 

MzSwift

Well-Known Member
Aww, :bighug: to you, mama! You’re doing right by being concernd and taking steps. I too agree that you should start with simpler solutions before trying more intensive treatments. Yup, detox and then have him go back to what was working for him before. I was also thinking that, at 14, it could be some hormonal change going on for him as well. My son is 14 and just flipped out about getting his first pimple. Lol.

DH experienced sudden hair loss when we got pregnant two years ago. He actually had round bald spots in his hair and his beard. The dermatologist said it was likely stress related alopecia, gave him steroid shots to his scalp and prescribed him to take Biotin, Fish oil and Vitamin D3. I’m not gonna lie, I was sitting there thinking shoot the LHCF ladies could’ve given me that solution! Lol.

GL to you guys! I’m sure that with your hair knowledge and these helpful ladies, you’ll get him back on track.
 

PinkDiamond

Well-Known Member
No bald spots or more than normal shedding. Just ate up my ends and left my hair damaged, like a very hard protein without any moisturizer. I could only correct it by going to my stylist to have her do a heavy moisturizing treatment. My deep conditioning at home was not enough.
Do you know the name of the product your stylist used to correct it or can you find out what product was used?
 

lilikoi

Well-Known Member
Is it still in the market? I lost hair too but i didn't realize till it was too late. Have him stop using the products amd try supplements and it will grow back. So sorry.

I'm sorry to hear you had to deal with this hair loss too.

It's been a stressful and challenging week for me --Anxiety, insomnia-- because I fear the unknown. All the evidence suggests this is a reaction to using Wen, but I feel it's also possible that he was predisposed to alopecia aerata and the Wen was just a "trigger". I don't know, and not knowing is part of what's driving me crazy! I'm also concerned about the impact on his self esteem if he goes completely bald. Too much of a burden for a 14 year old boy.

Anyway, we did a derma pen plus vitamin C serum last week (he was a trooper) and I've been applying jamaican black castor oil to the affected areas. We're waiting on an appointment with the dermatologist and his primary care physician for blood work, etc.

I just finally gathered the courage to deal with his fro (it was getting matted because I told him not to comb) so I detangled and gave him a haircut tonight (think Stephen Curry bald sides fade). Sooo relieved not to find additional bald spots! He has to do a bit of a comb over for one of the spots in from but overall looks fine. Whew!

I pray that I get to report on progress and positive results soon.
 

lilikoi

Well-Known Member
Aww, :bighug: to you, mama! You’re doing right by being concernd and taking steps. I too agree that you should start with simpler solutions before trying more intensive treatments. Yup, detox and then have him go back to what was working for him before. I was also thinking that, at 14, it could be some hormonal change going on for him as well. My son is 14 and just flipped out about getting his first pimple. Lol.

DH experienced sudden hair loss when we got pregnant two years ago. He actually had round bald spots in his hair and his beard. The dermatologist said it was likely stress related alopecia, gave him steroid shots to his scalp and prescribed him to take Biotin, Fish oil and Vitamin D3. I’m not gonna lie, I was sitting there thinking shoot the LHCF ladies could’ve given me that solution! Lol.

GL to you guys! I’m sure that with your hair knowledge and these helpful ladies, you’ll get him back on track.

Thank you so much for that e-hug!

I'm glad your hubby recovered from his alopecia experience. I had thought about the vitamin D but I thick the fish oil is something he could benefit from, not just for his hair but also his skin (it's very dry and he has some spot prone to atopic dermatitis). I appreciate your advice and positive outlook. Thanks again!
 

lilikoi

Well-Known Member
:bighug:
Don't beat yourself up over the Wen because you don't know for sure that is the cause. I think you need to get him to a dermatologist as soon as possible for a diagnosis. He could be reacting to something else that he's still being exposed to.
I went through a somewhat similar experience with my youngest son and it turned out to be alopecia which the doctor treated with steroid injections to his scalp over a period of several months. The bald spots went away and did not reappear.
Good luck to you and try not to panic.

You are right. I don't know for sure what triggered this. I'm glad to hear your son fully recovered! Very encouraging--thank you for sharing your experience.
 
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