lerenard Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 So... I always had a head full of hair, quite thick and dark. I did some great damage to my hair over the years, but I never had problems with it till about a year or so ago, when I moved back to my home country my hair slowly started to get dry, thin, frizzy and I experience some hair loss too. I was told that it has something to do with all the stress I was going through + my anxiety + the change in my diet, water and climate here (its a lot colder then where I used to live, air is more polluted, more wind and so on). I recently stopped using most of my old drugstore hair products, stopped coloring my hair, and I try to do home made masks and hot oil treatments with natural ingredients at least once a week. I also chopped all the dry, colored ends off, now I have a long bob kind of, and am on my way to grow my hair again. Healthy and uncolored. Now, my question is - what else can I do products wise. Can you recommend some shampoos/conditioners/masks/serums for thinning hair and hair growth that worked for you? I am thinking about buying BC Hair Growth regime, or something similar to it. If you can suggest some supplements that gave results - that will be appreciated too! Thanks! Link to comment
happpybear Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 dry, thin, frizzy and I experience some hair loss too. I would suggest getting your thyroid checked. Low thyroid function can cause this ^^. Also get your iron levels checked, low iron can cause hair loss too. Other than that, scalp massages with oil (sweet almond or olive or cococut) will stimulate blood flow, and hence should increase hair growth and health. Link to comment
lerenard Posted February 20, 2014 Author Share Posted February 20, 2014 Thanks happpybear! My thyroid is fine, and my iron levels are, too. One hairdresser told me that my hair texture became so bad because I used henna before and after coloring my hair with chemical hair dye. And that is a big big no-no for hair. Instead of healing it, like it does if you apply it to your natural hair it actually causes hair to break off and its texture to become very uneven if you use it on top/below chemical dye. Exactly what I had... Link to comment
happpybear Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 Huh, I didn't know henna could do that. I have never used chemical dye, but I do henna from time to time, and I do find it can be quite drying on my hair, so I could see how it might negatively affect chemically treated hair, which is probably already dried out from the chemicals anyway. Link to comment
Capricorn3 Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 and I try to do home made masks and hot oil treatments with natural ingredients at least once a week.! OP: Can you tell me how you use the hot oil treatment? A friend of mine has almost the identical problem to what you describe and she recently heard about "Jojoba" oil and was told it's really good as a hot oil treatment for hair, but she has no idea how to go about it. I have heard a LOT of negative feedback about henna and many hairdressers strongly advise not to use henna. Also apparently some hair dyes even mention it in their instruction form enclosed with the product, that it is NOT advisable to use the hair dye if you have previously used henna before. I had no idea until my friend starting going through all what you describe. Link to comment
lerenard Posted February 21, 2014 Author Share Posted February 21, 2014 happpybear Oh well, I knew about it but never wanted to believe that.)) And for sure you cant see the damage right after. Capricorn3 You take your base oils of choice, and you can also mix some drops of essential oils like lavender, rosemary, bay or peppermint - there are many options depending on your hair condition, then you make a water bath to warm it up, then you massage it into the roots for some time then you distribute the rest till your whole hair is covered, put on a shower cap or a food wrap, so it keeps warmth for some time, then put on a towel or a scarf and chill for an hour or two. Some leave it overnight for deep conditioning. Great base oils jojoba coconut olive almond burdock Great to mix some castor oil with them. But its too thick to be a base oil on itself. Essential oils can be added to fight scalp problems, to add shine, to promote hair growth and so on. Link to comment
Capricorn3 Posted February 22, 2014 Share Posted February 22, 2014 Thanks for the info, lerenard. I'll be sure to pass it on to her. I am assuming after the oil treatment you would simply wash it out with regular shampoo/conditioner? Link to comment
lerenard Posted February 25, 2014 Author Share Posted February 25, 2014 Yes! You are welcome! Link to comment
sharky988 Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 Some things that worked for me: - Taking one of those Hair, Skin & Nails multivitamin supplements. A friend told me about this and I started a few years ago, saw a remarkable change and never stopped. It made a huge difference, but takes a month or two before you really notice the change. - Taking MSM capsules every day. This radically speeds up the growth of new hair. Google it! - Using coconut oil as a do-it-all hair product in place of everything else. It's great for smoothing, softening, adding shine, conditioning, damage-repair, styling.... just go easy, a tiny bit goes a long way. - I stopped using shampoo and conditioner. Now I use baking soda + water to clean my hair and apple cider vinegar + water to rinse for condition and shine. There's hardly any hair loss in the shower now and my hair looks and feels amazing. I use henna to color my hair and don't have a problem with that causing dryness or breakage -- quite the opposite, it really conditions it! I also deep condition every month or so with mayonnaise of all things. Link to comment
lerenard Posted February 25, 2014 Author Share Posted February 25, 2014 Thanks, sharky! I will try MSM! But isn't it possibly damaging to your liver? Link to comment
sharky988 Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 Thanks, sharky! I will try MSM! But isn't it possibly damaging to your liver? I've never heard of that. I take 1,000 mgs once or twice a day. It's good for hair, nails, for collagen in the skin, and is excellent for your joints as well. People also take it as a pain reliever -- are you thinking of acetaminophen? Link to comment
lavenderdove Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 I think your problem may have been combining henna with other hair coloring. Henna alone may be OK, or hair coloring alone, but if you henna then color over top of that hair, it can lead to excessive dryness and breakage. There can also be problems if you use a permanent hair color over top of a semi permanent color that hasn't fully washed out. You've basically combined chemicals together that shouldn't be combined without destroying your hair. Thinning hair is more a function of your body's health and hormones and can be an allergic reaction as well. If you are using too many chemicals on your head, you might want to just stop for a while. Only condition the ends of your hair rather than your scalp itself to give your scalp a rest. And do take vitamins and eat healthily and your hair should eventually return to normal if you don't have a biomedical problem of some kind. Also try to not overdry your hair with too much blow drying and curling irons etc. until the broken/damaged hair has grown out. Switch to hot rollers and an ionic dryer to help prevent heat damage, and don't use a curling iron. Use a blow drying serum on the ends (not the scalp) to help protect against heat damage when your dry your hair. and when possible, try letting your hair air dry rather than using a blow dryer. Link to comment
lavenderdove Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 btw, i'd suggest you be careful with MSM which is a sulfur based product. Many people have allergies to sulfur and sulfites, and that could backfire on you if you are sensitive to it. Many food establishments have banned any food with sulfites in them (used formerly as a preservative on salad bars and packaged foods) because they cause trouble for so many people. Link to comment
sharky988 Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 Sulfur is different from sulfites, though. MSM is a natural compound found in plant foods and is unrelated to sulfites. I think it's smart to research any supplement thoroughly before adding it to your dailyl regimen, though! Link to comment
lerenard Posted February 25, 2014 Author Share Posted February 25, 2014 lavenderdove Thanks! I had a VERY bad life style about two years ago, including drinking, smoking, stress, poor diet and this deadly combination of henna+chemical dye, blow-drying and over-processing. + I moved countries, and as I said water and air are just bad over here. Then I changed, started eating good food, taking vitamins, I only air-dry my hair since that time, and I used my flat iron for like 3 times for the last year. I use minimal products, and even changed my pillow cases to satin. I heard that hair take longer to show damage, so its basically my karma now for all the sh*tty life choices I took back then, and they show results just now. My skin had its bad time too, but is back to being great, and my over-all health is good too, but my hair decided that its time now to kick me) About MSM I also saw mixed review. 10 people are ecstatic about it and then one says it did nothing and damaged their liver. Some also say they grew hair on their body but not on the head. I don't need that) Link to comment
lavenderdove Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 Most people who are sulfa sensitive are sensitive to all sulfur compounds. The sulfites were just an example to let her know that if you are sulfa sensitive, this could be dangerous as sulfa compounds are responsible for a lot of asthma attacks and breathing difficulty (and hives) and it is a common enough problem that they are prohibited on salad bars and in many foods/supplements with warning labels on many products that contain sulfa compounds. The body mounts an immune system response to sulfa in sensitive people, and that can lead to inflammation and various problem up to and including more hair loss, so if she has any doubts, she shouldn't take that particular supplement. It is common to lose hair in an immune system response/overactivity as inflammation of the hair follicles causes hair to fall out. Link to comment
lavenderdove Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 Oh yes, drinking, smoking, and poor diet can really damage hair! What happens is that while the hair is growing at the root, 'weak' hair is produced, so the quality of the hair as it is growing suffers. Then when it grows out long enough, you can see the damage and weakness in the hair for as long as the 'abuse' on your body continued. So even if you stop drinking/smoking/eating badly, it will take quite a while to grow that damaged hair out from the roots to the ends where it it can finally be cut out. So it is a longer term 'renovation' project on your hair! But if you keep at it, it will improve. And make sure you get plenty of protein, since the keratin in hair is made of protein! Many people on vegetarian diets who don't get enough protein have trouble with their hair if they don't make sure to get enough protein in their diet. There are also protein supplements (gelatin) you can buy and drink to strengthen your nails and hair which are protein, but eating sufficient protein of any kind will really help. If you have noticed that both your hair and fingernails suffered (weak, splitting, breaking, dry, or ridged nails), most likely the culprit is not enough protein in your diet. Link to comment
lerenard Posted February 25, 2014 Author Share Posted February 25, 2014 Surprisingly my nails are doing great! They never split, and they break only if I am not careful when they are too long (like one nail out of ten will crack a bit). I had bridges in my nails for as long as I can remember (thumbs and index fingers mostly), but since one year or so they are absolutely smooth. I don't eat meat, but I eat fish, eggs, cheese and yogurt/kefir. Thank lavender! Link to comment
happpybear Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 If you don't want to use MSM, try silica gel--not the pills, but the gel. Silica helps hair/nails/skin and improves thickness of hair and growth. You mix it in water/juice and drink a spoonfull everyday. It's a bit weird though..gritty in texture. Link to comment
happpybear Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 Most people who are sulfa sensitive are sensitive to all sulfur compounds. The sulfites were just an example to let her know that if you are sulfa sensitive, this could be dangerous as sulfa compounds are responsible for a lot of asthma attacks and breathing difficulty (and hives) and it is a common enough problem that they are prohibited on salad bars and in many foods/supplements with warning labels on many products that contain sulfa compounds. The body mounts an immune system response to sulfa in sensitive people, and that can lead to inflammation and various problem up to and including more hair loss, so if she has any doubts, she shouldn't take that particular supplement. It is common to lose hair in an immune system response/overactivity as inflammation of the hair follicles causes hair to fall out. I didn't know this about MSM, I have a strong sulfite sensitivity. I don't use MSM, but I will be sure to avoid it. Thanks! Link to comment
tiredofvampires Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 I have sulfa drug allergy and sulfite sensitivity, and have no problems with dietary sulfur, like MSM. Sulfur is an essential mineral in the human body. A good fact sheet. See #10: link removed And another: link removed You could take a little to start -- just a pinch -- and see how you do. If you're fine, titrate up with caution. I've taken large doses with no ill effects. Link to comment
tiredofvampires Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 For more in-depth biochemistry differentiating these: link removed link removed Link to comment
sharky988 Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 Yes, sulfa and sulphites have nothing to do with MSM. It's a really common misconception though -- sulfa, sulphur, sulfites -- yow!! Actually MSM is also helpful in coping with allergies -- airborne and food allergies. Check it out! Link to comment
tiredofvampires Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 Also, a responsible hair stylist will tell you that yes, henna and regular, chemical hair dyes are not compatible. However, henna itself is deeply conditioning, and nutritive to hair. Provided you're not allergic (so you should do a patch test.) So beware of stylists who don't use henna, and don't know how to apply it properly, cautioning against henna altogether -- they want to sell their own services and products! I went to a stylist who EXCLUSIVELY uses non-toxic hair coloring procedures, involving henna (and indigo, another coloring plant, imparting dark shades for brunettes), and while it was a messy operation that required a lot more time for the color to "set" (she sent me home with a plastic cap and I had to leave it on for a few hours), my hair never felt more silky and soft after all that mud was washed out. The color job looked very natural too, like my own natural brown but a slightly darker shade. I had no other hair dyes in my hair at the time. She suggested my returning every 6 weeks for repeat treatments, and I'm sure it would have kept my hair in better condition, but I didn't have the money as that was expensive. I'm looking for home kits that would achieve similar results. I would swear by those professional results, though. I just would have to wait for the henna'd hair to grow out before any other chemical color treatment (which is toxic and so not good for your hair, scalp, or body.) Link to comment
happpybear Posted February 26, 2014 Share Posted February 26, 2014 I am gonna PM you about home henna kits Link to comment
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