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Hi,
I am a 29 year old male. I have black hair and growing hair for more than a year(around 13 months). Now I have hair around 7-8 inches in length. A serious issue now i experience is a heavy hairfall which I am seeing it for past few months, say, 3-4 months. Thought I would seek help from this forum.
To give a background, my hair type is very frizzy and unmanageable. So I treated my hair with a Brazilian keratin treatment twice (first one before 8 months and the next one before 4 months). That really smoothened my hair and made it more easy to manage.I don't want to put the whole blame on keratin treatment because I didn't see that heavy hairfall after the first treatment.
I didn't have very very thick denser hair most of my life but it wasnt thin at all. Still a very good density. And never experienced this level of hairfall as I see currently. Earlier I used to wash my hair everyday due to dandruff issue. After the alarming hairfall, stopped washing everyday, nowadays ( for past 4 months) washing it once in 2 days. But the issue being during the non-wash day i see my scalp filling with dandruff and getting the itching sensation. That is really frustrating and not sure how to manage dandruff. Don't know if this also one cause of hairfall. (I use Head and Shoulders dandruff shampoo. Was using Nizoral also for a while, but stopped later).
My hair stylist recommended to use a non-sulfate shampoo and conditioner to avoid harmful effects of sulfate shampoo. For past 4 months using a non-sulfate shampoo (using my dandruff shampoo occasionally once a week along with non-sulfate shampoo).
Also i used to rub hair rigorously with towel after shower. Nowadays (for past 3 months) I am pat drying with towel and just let the hair air dry. (one other thing to note, I never in my life blow dried or used heat on hair. So blow drying can be ruled out. But i do take shower in hot water, not sure if this is one issue to look at). And I don't tie my hair back for a pony tail to avoid stress on hair strands.
And before and after shower, I do use a wide tooth comb to detangle hair and make it knot-free for a smooth wash. But still I see coarse of hair coming off during the time of wash and while I comb the hair.
And finally I am a vegetarian (eat egg though, so ideally eggetarian). I do take vitamin/mineral supplements to balance my diet. Not to fall short of protein, i do keep my protein intake very good. I don't have smoking or drinking habits.
Despite all these measures, hairfall doesnt seem to be reduced. You should be knowing how frustrating this is. I am going to consult a dermatologist, but want to run by you guys before that. My family doesn't have early baldness, so hoping genes doesn't play that big (even if it finally going to be a gene problem, I don't want to stop trying any measure before giving up). Do anyone experience similar issue? (Some of my friends say that growing long hair brings hairfall. Is that true??) Any suggestions or help is really really appreciated. Sorry for the long mail, but didn't want to miss any info that you may want to give a better solution. Thanks for your reading.
It is not unusual to shed approximately 100 hairs per day, so it's possible that the hairs you are shedding are just more noticeable, now that they are longer. I strongly recommend that you add 5,000 mcg (micrograms) of biotin--also known as vitamin B7--to your daily supplement regimen. This is an important nutrient regarding the growth and maintenance of healthy hair, nails, and skin. Also worth noting is that eating raw eggs interferes with the absorption of this nutrient. Good luck, and keep us posted!
--Val
Thanks Validus for the reponse. I will check my supplement for biotin and it's amount (I take OptiMen multivitamin two tablets a day). And regarding egg, I don't take it raw (I can't stand the smell of it!!), always completely cooked. Thanks again for the time.
Guys.. appreciate more ideas...
It's unlikely that your multivitamin will contain this amount of biotin. However, it is commonly available at many pharmacies and department stores, usually in the form of 1000mcg or 5000mcg tablets or capsules, and is fairly inexpensive. I buy mine at Walmart in the 5000mcg capsule dosage, and pay approximately $7 to $10 USD for a two- or three-month supply. Note that this is a water soluble B-vitamin, and that taking high doses is not associated with any known side effects... if you take more than your body can use, you will simply excrete the excess in your urine.
--Val
Thank you, Validus. I am definitely going to follow your advice. I will include a 5000mcg biotin in my supplements for few months, going to see how that helps.
Thanks again!!
Hey Yedhuk,
I can see this is a very concerning issue for you, and why wouldn't it be lol!
Well, first off, don't panic! It's perfectly normal to go through shedding phases in your life. It could be triggered by some event happening in your life, traumatic experience, too much stress etc... There are many causes to triggering hair loss.
If you don't think it's because of that, check where you feel your hair is thinning and check your hairline. With 3-4 months of shedding I doubt there will be a significant difference as to how your hair was before. But it is important to notice in case it's male pattern baldness, especially in the crown region or temples of your forehead
Also when you lather your hair with shampoo and you run your hands through your hair, how many hairs are left on your hands? If it's only a few I wouldn't be too concerned. I also went through a shedding phase in my life and I used to find up to 10 hairs on my hands by just running them through my hair!
I also decided to do what you did: Wash hair less frequently, no rough drying with towel, I got in better shape, started going to the gym 4 days a week, started taking vitamins and I improved my diet. Within a month or two my shedding stopped almost all together.
I would also recommend buying a shampoo and conditioner "Nioxin", it helps making the root of the hair stronger and thicker.
I don't believe long hair makes you lose hair faster, it's simply genetics that makes you lose hair.
I personally believe that being in shape and in good health have a direct relationship with your hairs well-being and quality.
It could be nothing, and probably is nothing because you have no genetic history of baldness in either side of the family! Just monitor it for now.
Best of luck,
B
Hi Bry,
Thank you very much for your detailed response. Sorry couldn't respond immediately.
Yes, I am monitoring my hair fall closely. Good I don't have any shedding in the crown or temple areas. But I do see more scalp in the forehead, still I have hair in there but a feel not as much as before. And during hair wash, i do see more hair falling out, i feel like definitely much more than 10. I will keep a close watch over it. I agree being in good health and living stress-free have a positive effect. I am trying to achieve both.
Appreciate your true concern and valuable suggestions. Thanks, Bry.
--Yedhuk.
Hey man,
If you feel as though you're "losing" your hair, try propecia. I'm a "longhair", but wouldn't have it without the stuff. It really works.
FW