can any hairdressers PLEASE help...? Think i'm losing my hair!

[Tickled Pink!]

not a nail subject i know, but i think there are some hairdressers on this site who might be able to help me....

i have very long hair (waist length) and it has always been SO thick and in good condition. it was my 'crowning glory'...but not any more :cry:

when it was plaited in a pigtail the thickness was a good 8"/20cm circumfrance. when it needed trimming, the end of the pigtail always got a bit thinner but a good trim always 'blunted' the end but i just don't know what has happened to my hair. now when it's plaited in a pigtail i rekon the thickest part is at most about 5" round (13cm). i initially thought i was imagining it but now a good few people have said what has happened to my thick hair and it is definitely half the thickness it was.

i'm not pregnant, not taking any medication, eat a healthy diet and nothing has changed in my haircare routine or my life in general! there aren't any alopecea (?) patches but it's just much much thinner all over. I don't think i'm unduly stressed, certainly no more than most mums of young children trying to juggle a busy life...

I'm actually starting to panic about it, conjuring up all sorts of horrible ideas about some awful underlying health issue. someone suggested getting some blood tests done to rule out anything nasty....

any suggestions? I know i'm probably past the age for 'long' hair so am bracing myself for a restyle but i don't want thin wispy hair!

 

[Cathie!]

How old are your children?

I started to loose my hair when I stopped breast feeding and it's only just started to grow back properly around my hairline...I felt bald for years....my youngest is 3 in December.

 

[scattyfox]

My own hair did the same thing and was advised that hair comes in growth spurts so we notice it more when it falls out than when growing. if you look carefully you may notice some small tufty bits near the hairline. My doctor checked me for thyroid and hormone defeciency but the trich guy advised I had perfectly normal hair and it will fall out, this is more the case if stressed (kids mums and jobs is stress hun) So dont worry Im sure it will be okay again soon

 

[AngieLHN]

Hi, try not to worry, hair does go though stages where more comes out, but it should be growing back as it comes out.
This happened to a friend of mine hers came out about a year after she gave birth, she was beside herself, she has been taking mulit vitamins and sea kelp, she said the vitamins were better but they must contain zinc her hair is ok now.
also you can go to the doc's, you might just need some extra vitamins, its hard to say as l can't see your hair, but please don't worry, your hair will be fine! xx

 

[Tickled Pink!]

thanks guys! My children and 10 and 3 but i never breast fed the little one...i know what you are all saying about growth spurts and how you sometimes lose fewer hairs so when it goes back to normal it appears you are losing loads but never before has it ever been so thin and weedy in the 20 years it has been long...feel a drastic hair cut coming on...

 

[Sarah Lou]

HUGS to you Dianne, you poor thing. I'm obsessed with my hair, I had a bad experience with a hairdresser about a year ago now she basically wrecked my hair, she put highlights in and my hair felt like straw afterward. She left it on way too long. Took me a huge haircut and up until now to get my hair back into ship shape.

Do you have any chemical treatment to your hair, colours etc, as this can affect the thickness, my hair has lost an awful lot of its thickness due to coloring. I also believe its an age thing as well, if you say your hair is very long then obviously the hair at your waist is much older than at your roots, all the blowdrying, climate changes and moisture, the tips of your hair has had the most of it compared to your roots as its older hair. I hope you don't have to have a drastic haircut Hun, maybe visit your hairdresser for some advice though

 

[Tickled Pink!]

thanks sarah...feel a bit better about it! no colour or chemical treatments have ever ventured near my hair and i have always prided myself on its great condition! perhaps its my age - 36...maybe too old for long hair anyway despite not feeling (or looking 36!)

 

[*JOANNE*]

no dont cut your hair
your not to old to have long hair either
i got married at 20 and had waist length hair then 6 months after i got married i had it chopped really short until i hit 30, had major confidence crisis i am now 32 and have been growing my hair for 2 years it is now shoulder lenght and i want it longer.
so if you are to old for long hair then there is no hope for me either.

 

[Tickled Pink!]

LOL!
but supposing i end up looking like Liz Macdonald from corrie or worse! i always vowed i'd not go past 30 with long hair - and that was 6 years ago! there's an 'old' lady in our village who regularly walks her dog - she must be 70 and has this long long grey straggly hair which, on a good day, is plaited and coiled round her head - and on a bad day, well....!

 

[Little Angel]

Hi Dianne :biggrin:

What are you and joanne on? OLD dont be silly!

I am a hairdresser give me more info and i may be able to help.

AGE:
Medication (inc herbal and contraceptive pill)
Home hair care routine and products
Regular menstal (sp? :Scared: ) cycle

PM me if you like help if i can.

 

[Tickled Pink!]

thanks tracey - had detailed you the finer points of my life!

 

[Shaza]

Hi Di

Please dont get it all chopped off - you will regret it. When I met up with you for coffee last week your hair looked fine. And 36 is definitely NOT too old for long hair. I'm nearly 41 and like Joanne had a major crisis and got mine all cut off (and mine was long enough to sit on!!). That was nearly 5 years ago but last year I decided that 40 was the new 30 and thats def not too old for long hair so I started growing it again lol. As you saw its now shoulder length but I'm aiming for longer (thought about hair extensions coz I'm not good at waiting). I have to say that like your hair mine is no where near as thick as it used to be which I think (dare I say it?) is probably an age thing but at least its easier to wash

Keep your chin up girl and we must get together again soon.

Shaza

 

[Tickled Pink!]

thanks shaza! forgot you are the only geek on here to see it! it's not so thin as it looks odd, just extraordinarily thin for me! lovely this getting old lark!

hows the salon going? speak soon

 

[The Beauty Shed]

Hello, I am a qualified Hairdresser so may be able to help or not! LOL!!! Just like nails there are hundreds of reasons why things go wrong!

BUT LET ME STRESS HERE: EVERY SINGLE PERSON IN THE WORLD GETS THINNER HAIR AS THEY AGE!!!! So unless it is really dramatic and keeps on going don't worry about it and CHILL!!!!

As you implied in your post, it could be down to pregnancy (some people just don't regain their full volume again after this - this may be you), stress (worrying about your hair will make it worse! Hows that for one of life's injustices!!!) and loads of other things.

Cutting all your hair off will not resolve the problem, but having regular trims will help to keep it looking its best, and ask your hairdressers advice about a different style which might make it look thicker.

There is one more thing that I have to suggest and I can't for the life of me remember what its called! LOL! Basically very few salons do it, so you'll have to shop around. It is a course of appointments and you use this machine with electric currents in it to stimulate the hair follicles to get some regrowth. It is used mainly for people with alopecia and such problems. It doesn't work for everybody, and those it does work for can have very limited effect or a great effect, so it's rather hit and miss I'm afraid.

Anyway, sorry for the long post, I love to waffle on.....LOL!
PM me if you want more info. AND DON'T WORRY!!

 

[x suzi x]

:sad: please advise me about my hair. I had an all over tint on my short blonde bob hairstyle it turned ginger so hairdresser put on a toner a week later i was back at the salon with ginger hair again another tint was put on but a week later yes ginger. Another tint was put on i was told it was pure ash to tone it down after drying my hair the hairdresser decided to put a cap on & put on bleach. my hair was very white in streaks but ginger everywhere else, horrid. When i got home i was horrified to see how much hair i had lost its so fine everywhere but on the right im nearly bald i have no hair at all. What can i do i feel like crying every time i feel my hair, or lack of it. Can i sue the hairdresser or at least get my money back so i can put it towards going to another salon. I even got charged £7.50 the 2 times i went back after it went ginger so in total paid £75 for a total nightmare cut and color & also nearly bald. pleeeeeeeese help any advise welcome. :cry:

 

[Peter Pan]

aww bless ya hunny - i know what you mean about being obsessive with your hair tho - my own hair is only to the top of my shoulders, then got hair extensions where i work, they trashed my own hair, hacked into it with a blunt razor, i then decided to have them took out and done by a more proficient hair extensionist, once the first set was took out, my hair at the back was sooooo thin, i burst into tears. didnt think id ever do that, but my own hair is thick, very well looked after. it doesnt move when in bed either, i can get up in the morning, and dont even have to brush it (but i do....eventually) angie (bagpuss used to comment about this lol). i know its not the same as naturally losing your own hair but the effect is still the same. and at 36 you arnt too old for long hair, im nearly 48 and my extensions are to my bra strap, might even go longer when i renew them.....

 

[Tazzie]

not a nail subject i know, but i think there are some hairdressers on this site who might be able to help me....

i have very long hair (waist length) and it has always been SO thick and in good condition. it was my 'crowning glory'...but not any more :cry:

when it was plaited in a pigtail the thickness was a good 8"/20cm circumfrance. when it needed trimming, the end of the pigtail always got a bit thinner but a good trim always 'blunted' the end but i just don't know what has happened to my hair. now when it's plaited in a pigtail i rekon the thickest part is at most about 5" round (13cm). i initially thought i was imagining it but now a good few people have said what has happened to my thick hair and it is definitely half the thickness it was.

i'm not pregnant, not taking any medication, eat a healthy diet and nothing has changed in my haircare routine or my life in general! there aren't any alopecea (?) patches but it's just much much thinner all over. I don't think i'm unduly stressed, certainly no more than most mums of young children trying to juggle a busy life...

I'm actually starting to panic about it, conjuring up all sorts of horrible ideas about some awful underlying health issue. someone suggested getting some blood tests done to rule out anything nasty....

any suggestions? I know i'm probably past the age for 'long' hair so am bracing myself for a restyle but i don't want thin wispy hair!

Hay, like the others said there could be tonnes of reasons for your hair thinning, many of them are nothing to worry about but i suggest that if it carries on you go and see your GP. There is a shampoo and conditioner range from NIOXIN (there are three parts) It is specifically designed to help reduce hair loss and swell the cortex of the hair (it is also safe for coloured hair) It has a peppermint smell that is gorgeous too. HTH ;-)

 

[minky]

Howdy ,
you can lose quite a lot in the natural shedding process especially if if your hair is quite thick it will seem like a lot ,
if you think it is an excessive amount (seems more than normal )

I would be inclined to go to see your GP as it could be an underlying health problem ,
which could be as simple as a vitamin or mineral deficiency.

My own hair fell out in handfuls and I had lots of headaches this was due to an Iron deficiency,
I had this confirmed with a blood test , I took my prescribed iron tablets and my headaches went away and my hair grew back as normal.

A lot of ladies get this type of thing,
and it can be due to the loss within the menstrual cycle,
Iron can be very good in these circumstances.
but once again don't self medicate do go to the Doctors for a blood test
first,

Also a word of warning to all mums with children
Iron tablets are most terribly dangerous to children even in the multivitamin form so always store away in a very safe place .

If you are concerned ask Your GP for A blood test ,
but please don't self medicate though as it can be dangerous , :hug:

.

 

[marioned]

Totally agree that you should not self-medicate. However, if the doc has prescibed iron tablets, make sure you are having enough vitamin c. Docs usually forget to mention this, but the body needs vitamin c in order to absorb iron. So, make sure you take some citrus fruit, or a glass of orange juice, etc if you are on iron tablets.
Marion xx

 

[becki x]

This thread is allmost four years old !!!!!