Blu217
Well-Known Member
Hi, ya'll! FINALLY joined the family here after months of lurking. I've tried many of the tips and tricks here, and I've got plenty to share about the condition of my hair the results I've had using various methods. This is loooong as all get-out, but maybe someone will find something useful here.
First, about me and the hair:
I'm 33 years old, with fine, armpit-length hair and growing. I liked to call it thin hair, but I've been corrected repeatedly by stylists who insist my hair only appears to be thin because it's so fine. It's type might be 4a, --new growth comes in nappy, not curly. My hair has always grown quickly and until recently has been very healthy (more on that to come). When I want it long, I just grow it long. I wear it down sometimes, in ponytails when it's time for a wash. I didn't know anything about protective styles until I found this board. Oh--and my hair LOATHES grease. Anything oily, greasy or heavy is an absolute nightmare for me. My hair is full of natural body (can be very annoying, especially when my girlfriends tell me my hair can get a little "bouiffant" despite my best efforts), but because it's so fine it separates easily. I've always struggled with what to do with it and have to keep it in curls; I can't wear straight styles well.
What I do to my hair:
Not much. I have never colored because I like its natural dark brownish-dark auburnish kinda streaky color (years of relaxers lightened my hair). I relax every six weeks; any less often and it's an uncombable rat's nest. The only products I used to put in my hair before The Issues started recently were a good shampoo, leave-in and setting lotion, and MAYBE an occasional light glossing gel for a little shine. I roller-set and sit under a hair dryer, NEVER blowdry or use curling or straightening irons. For the last 25 years or so, my hair has thrived.
Until now.
So what's up with my hair now:
I started the Contract Job from Hell last year, and basically have been going bald ever since. Call it alopecia areata, telogen effluvium, whatever--I call it mortifying, horrifying, terrifying. The women on my mom's side tend to thin at the temples and recede over time, and as I've always had thin temples I knew to expect this. But over the last 8 months, I've thinned so copiously at the edges that I now style like a man--combing over the thinning edges, feeling limited by how I can wear my hair. I am also thinning quite a bit in the top, which is atypical for our family. I want to believe the stress I was under accelerated the hereditary thinning and caused a temporary thinning at the crown as well. That's... what I want to believe, desperately.
What I'm doing about it:
First, I found this site. Here's a breakdown of what I've tried and the results I've seen:
MSM - Took up to 6000mgs of Member's Mark (Sam's Club) for a few months. Noticed nothing, so stopped taking.
Vitamin E - took 400 units for months on end thinking it was good for my skin, until I read that this can cause hair loss. Stopped two months ago.
Biotin - took 3000mgs of Rexall for months with no results. Just switched to Freeda two weeks ago. Face broke out in protest, but I'm sticking with it. Nails growing like weeds, but can't comment on its hair effects yet.
Silica - just started Freeda's 25mgs two weeks ago, too soon to tell. Puritan's Pride offers a whopping 500mgs, and I'm wondering how much is required to see a result.
Flaxseed - taken Member's Mark for months and months. Couldn't tell you if it works.
Saw Palmetto - took for months on end. Hair continued shedding, so I quit these a few months ago.
Calcium - 1200mgs about every other day--can't combine with biotin. Good nail results. Hair? Not sure.
B6 - stopped my canker sores.
Niacin, zinc - shrug.
Obviously the vitamins haven't done much for the shedding. But I will say that I've been growing my hair out for about a year and since I started taking all these vitamins, the hair that is growing seems to be growing enthusiastically. But my hair tends to grow anyway, and I'm mostly focused on stopping the thinning.
Nioxin con and poo- great thickener and good for volume, shed less during wet comb-out, but hair still thinning. I use this about once a week and wonder if I should use more. Kinks up newly relaxed roots.
Surge - hair got veerrrrry kinky on this stuff during the month I tried it. I think that gives some people the illusion it works. For me, it just puffed up my new growth and caused breakage. Used on thinning spots and they stayed thin.
Nexxus Biotin - used for a month. Tingly. Thin spots stayed thin, but seemed to grow in an overplucked eyebrow rather nicely.
T-Gel - stinky, but some EOs cut the funk a bit. Much less shedding at comb-out, but read that over time this will stop working and hair will start shedding again. Don't use this much anymore.
Phyto relaxer - Index 1. Unimpressed. Did this once myself--shocking--and had my stylist apply. Both times I was left a kinky, unsatisfied mess. Made my hair feel a bit brittle as well.
Stretching relaxer - I thought this would give my scalp a break and my hair a fighting chance, so I laid off for about two months. This was the WORST POSSIBLE THING I could have done for my type of hair. For the first time in more that 20 years, I have breakage throughout my already thin hair and damage along the kitchen like you wouldn't believe. My stylist asked me what the hell I was doing and showed me with a mirror the error of my ways. Stretching is NOT for the kid. I just got a fresh, regular ole' whatever relaxer like the old days, and despite having to face the horror of seeing my hair for what it is now that it's all straightened, it's also nice to get a comb thru it. Chemicals aren't good for the hair, but neither is transitioning/stretching for some. Since I never had trouble with relaxers, I'm back on the wagon.
Essential oils: Thyme, Cedarwood, Rosemary, Tea tree, Lavendar. I used this combo for about 3 months on thinning spots with no result, but I still drop this into other products on the hope that it might work over time.
And finally - MTG:
I almost kinda dig the scent of bacon wafting from my head. I've been using this for about two weeks, and wearing a ponytail because it's made my hair an unholy kind of greasy even tho I apply sparingly with my fingertips. It's my last hope, and I've read here it can do some amazing things.
I have not seen major results from any products. I do have a lot of length and growth, but I don't know what, if anything, to attribute that to. I've seen a few dermatologists about my hair and they've been mostly pretty useless. But I continue to try. I've refined my vitamin regimin, figured out what does and doesn't work for me... and have considered last-ditch options like shaving my head if it continues to bald (seriously). I am growing long only because ponytails hide a lot; it's easier to see thinning when hair is short. I'm no longer at the Contract Job from Hell, so I'm hoping that over the next year my hair will begin to repair itself. My stylist told me my follicles are still there, which indicates my hair is most likely in a dormant phase but should grow again... someday, I guess.
Thanks to everyone here (did anyone make it this far?). Such a useful and informative resource! I'll update as things progress.
Blu
First, about me and the hair:
I'm 33 years old, with fine, armpit-length hair and growing. I liked to call it thin hair, but I've been corrected repeatedly by stylists who insist my hair only appears to be thin because it's so fine. It's type might be 4a, --new growth comes in nappy, not curly. My hair has always grown quickly and until recently has been very healthy (more on that to come). When I want it long, I just grow it long. I wear it down sometimes, in ponytails when it's time for a wash. I didn't know anything about protective styles until I found this board. Oh--and my hair LOATHES grease. Anything oily, greasy or heavy is an absolute nightmare for me. My hair is full of natural body (can be very annoying, especially when my girlfriends tell me my hair can get a little "bouiffant" despite my best efforts), but because it's so fine it separates easily. I've always struggled with what to do with it and have to keep it in curls; I can't wear straight styles well.
What I do to my hair:
Not much. I have never colored because I like its natural dark brownish-dark auburnish kinda streaky color (years of relaxers lightened my hair). I relax every six weeks; any less often and it's an uncombable rat's nest. The only products I used to put in my hair before The Issues started recently were a good shampoo, leave-in and setting lotion, and MAYBE an occasional light glossing gel for a little shine. I roller-set and sit under a hair dryer, NEVER blowdry or use curling or straightening irons. For the last 25 years or so, my hair has thrived.
Until now.
So what's up with my hair now:
I started the Contract Job from Hell last year, and basically have been going bald ever since. Call it alopecia areata, telogen effluvium, whatever--I call it mortifying, horrifying, terrifying. The women on my mom's side tend to thin at the temples and recede over time, and as I've always had thin temples I knew to expect this. But over the last 8 months, I've thinned so copiously at the edges that I now style like a man--combing over the thinning edges, feeling limited by how I can wear my hair. I am also thinning quite a bit in the top, which is atypical for our family. I want to believe the stress I was under accelerated the hereditary thinning and caused a temporary thinning at the crown as well. That's... what I want to believe, desperately.
What I'm doing about it:
First, I found this site. Here's a breakdown of what I've tried and the results I've seen:
MSM - Took up to 6000mgs of Member's Mark (Sam's Club) for a few months. Noticed nothing, so stopped taking.
Vitamin E - took 400 units for months on end thinking it was good for my skin, until I read that this can cause hair loss. Stopped two months ago.
Biotin - took 3000mgs of Rexall for months with no results. Just switched to Freeda two weeks ago. Face broke out in protest, but I'm sticking with it. Nails growing like weeds, but can't comment on its hair effects yet.
Silica - just started Freeda's 25mgs two weeks ago, too soon to tell. Puritan's Pride offers a whopping 500mgs, and I'm wondering how much is required to see a result.
Flaxseed - taken Member's Mark for months and months. Couldn't tell you if it works.
Saw Palmetto - took for months on end. Hair continued shedding, so I quit these a few months ago.
Calcium - 1200mgs about every other day--can't combine with biotin. Good nail results. Hair? Not sure.
B6 - stopped my canker sores.
Niacin, zinc - shrug.
Obviously the vitamins haven't done much for the shedding. But I will say that I've been growing my hair out for about a year and since I started taking all these vitamins, the hair that is growing seems to be growing enthusiastically. But my hair tends to grow anyway, and I'm mostly focused on stopping the thinning.
Nioxin con and poo- great thickener and good for volume, shed less during wet comb-out, but hair still thinning. I use this about once a week and wonder if I should use more. Kinks up newly relaxed roots.
Surge - hair got veerrrrry kinky on this stuff during the month I tried it. I think that gives some people the illusion it works. For me, it just puffed up my new growth and caused breakage. Used on thinning spots and they stayed thin.
Nexxus Biotin - used for a month. Tingly. Thin spots stayed thin, but seemed to grow in an overplucked eyebrow rather nicely.
T-Gel - stinky, but some EOs cut the funk a bit. Much less shedding at comb-out, but read that over time this will stop working and hair will start shedding again. Don't use this much anymore.
Phyto relaxer - Index 1. Unimpressed. Did this once myself--shocking--and had my stylist apply. Both times I was left a kinky, unsatisfied mess. Made my hair feel a bit brittle as well.
Stretching relaxer - I thought this would give my scalp a break and my hair a fighting chance, so I laid off for about two months. This was the WORST POSSIBLE THING I could have done for my type of hair. For the first time in more that 20 years, I have breakage throughout my already thin hair and damage along the kitchen like you wouldn't believe. My stylist asked me what the hell I was doing and showed me with a mirror the error of my ways. Stretching is NOT for the kid. I just got a fresh, regular ole' whatever relaxer like the old days, and despite having to face the horror of seeing my hair for what it is now that it's all straightened, it's also nice to get a comb thru it. Chemicals aren't good for the hair, but neither is transitioning/stretching for some. Since I never had trouble with relaxers, I'm back on the wagon.
Essential oils: Thyme, Cedarwood, Rosemary, Tea tree, Lavendar. I used this combo for about 3 months on thinning spots with no result, but I still drop this into other products on the hope that it might work over time.
And finally - MTG:
I almost kinda dig the scent of bacon wafting from my head. I've been using this for about two weeks, and wearing a ponytail because it's made my hair an unholy kind of greasy even tho I apply sparingly with my fingertips. It's my last hope, and I've read here it can do some amazing things.
I have not seen major results from any products. I do have a lot of length and growth, but I don't know what, if anything, to attribute that to. I've seen a few dermatologists about my hair and they've been mostly pretty useless. But I continue to try. I've refined my vitamin regimin, figured out what does and doesn't work for me... and have considered last-ditch options like shaving my head if it continues to bald (seriously). I am growing long only because ponytails hide a lot; it's easier to see thinning when hair is short. I'm no longer at the Contract Job from Hell, so I'm hoping that over the next year my hair will begin to repair itself. My stylist told me my follicles are still there, which indicates my hair is most likely in a dormant phase but should grow again... someday, I guess.
Thanks to everyone here (did anyone make it this far?). Such a useful and informative resource! I'll update as things progress.
Blu
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Nice informative read! You seem to be a very organized, proactive person
