Having thinning hair was something I never thought I would have to experience at 26 years old. I was blessed with a very full head of hair. It was that in between curl, where it wasn't straight on it's own, but wasn't ringlet either. It took heat well, dye well, grew long and I loved it.
Then things started to change.
I ditched birth control pills at 24 and made a stressful move. I immediately noticed a change in my hair. It
became oily just stepping out of the shower and it was thinning by the days. Suddenly, my shower was constantly clogged. It took a few months, but the stress diminished and my body sorted itself out; the hair loss slowed and I felt better.Then a few months went by and it started again. This time I hit up the doctors for tests, but everything came back normal. Eventually the hair loss started to happen in moments of stress and when I was perfectly fine. By the time I reached 26, I had lost half of my original hair and I absolutely hated it.
This time I saw a dermatologist, they said it could be Telogen Effluvium, essentially PTSD for your hair, where it falls out 3-4 months after a traumatic experience, but I hadn't one of those. Or they said it was stress and my diet, despite the fact that I was Paleo at the time. Never the less, I learned that I had to deal with my thinning hair on my own--I never got a real answer or solution. At times its depressing, sometimes it looks good and sometimes I'm indifferent. Either way, I understand your struggle if you, too, are dealing with it. If you've noticed this change recently, try incorporating some of these changes and steps to figure it out and deal with it.
1. First visit your hair stylist or a trusted salon like Rush.co.uk and have them look at your hair (while you're getting cut/styled of course). They'll be able to see if you truly are losing hair and if your scalp looks healthy. They might have a simple fix for you: maybe you're wearing your hair too tightly in a hair band, perhaps its you're hair dye or shampoo.
2. If your stylist affirms that you're losing hair, your next stop should be to see a dermatologist. I avoided this for along time, but they can quickly rule out major issues. You may have to get your hormones tested or perhaps they'll notice that you have female (or male) pattern baldness. While it's super frustrating, I hope they give you a similar answer to what I got.
3. If so, analyze your stress and figure out how to manage it. Hair is a good insight to what is happening on the inside of our body, so if stress is wreaking havoc on the outside, its certainly do it on the inside. Try taking up yoga or making more time for yourself.
4. You also want to look at what your eating. Are you eating enough foods that are rich in Iron and Zinc? If not, start adding in foods that contain these minerals or start taking a multi-vitamin that contains them. Also just improving your diet overall can be helpful, not only to your hair growth but your waistline!
5. Nix the heated styling tools, hair dye, tight pony tails and hats. All four of these things can damage healthy hair, let alone thinning hair. Try to wear your hair natural as much as you can until you can get the hair loss under control.
6. Try washing your hair with cold water, as it can help close off your hair cuticle and keep your hair intact.
7. Don't be afraid to try medicated shampoos and serums like Rogaine and Nioxin.
8. Finally, just try accepting it. The more you stress over it, the more will fall out! Embrace your thinning hair and get a hairstyle that will work well with thinning hair like these.
I know it's frustrating and can destroy your self-esteem at times, but try your best to calm down and work with it the best you can. And take solace that it's happening to women of every age, every where.
Tiffany Stalh is a beauty blogger, dealing with her thinning hair in London.If you'd like to write a guest post for Barefoot Girl, then you can check out more details here.
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