First, let me start off by saying I'm a bit behind on catching up on comments. I hope to reply to you all tonight. :) I do not like to be one of those bloggers who doesn't respond to the comments, because I like it when I get answers too!
This post is taking a lot of courage for me to write, because the problem I'm talking about affects me physically, mentally, and emotionally. I started losing my hair in the crown area last year. I had thin hair to start with, but I was still able to wear my hair down with no problem. Because I had thin hair already, it took me a little longer to notice what was happening.
I have grown very self-conscious of it with my self-esteem taking a huge tumble. I only wear my hair in two ways now for the most part- half up/half down or ponytail. I went to my dermatologist who was able to do bloodwork and rule out quite a few things it could be (PCOS, thyroids, etc.). She gave me a lotion to try called Betaderm Valerate. While I don't notice much of a difference, she says it is working. It could be months before I actually see hair growth, which is completely devastating.
On top of that, she has recommended I start taking a daily multi-vitamin and use tea tree oil shampoo (which I ordered from Kiehl's). I suffer from Psoriasis on the scalp, which is what she thinks mainly affected my hair growth or lack of. Why am I telling you this? Well, I want you to know that if any of you are going through this...you're not alone. Many girls will suffer from thinning hair and it can be a battle to determine what is causing it, what will help, etc. I'm not sure that I have found a winning formula yet and it could take months, but it is all trial and error.
If you have lost your hair or it has thinned out, please know I'm available to talk. My email is wendy@fashionableheart.com. I have been my own support system through this, partly because it can be embarrassing to talk about and partly because I don't know anyone personally who has gone through this. I know this post is off-topic to my normal posts, but I feel like we girls should be able to talk openly about things like this.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Something Serious
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6 comments
Awwww you're amazing! It was so brave of you to write this. I don't have any personal experience with this or words of wisdom, but my mom has always suffered from extremely, extremely thin hair that's been getting thinner with age but I still think she's beautiful =) I'm sure thats the case for you as well!
first of all, i must say, I LOVE your new layout. im jealous that i cant do fancy things like that! :)
seconds of all, you are such a wonderful person for sharing your issue with all of us. my mom has thin hair and so do i. im scared that its gonna get thinner as i get older, but we will see. we have not gone to the doctor, but we prob should.
thank you once again, for talking about this with all of us. youre amazing and if YOU ever need to talk, we're here for ya!
-MissAntonia.
This is incredibly sweet of you to put yourself out there like this.
I have lost a lot of hair on my backside... and a lot of people can see the bald spot... I am very self conscious about it, but I don't cover it because there's nothing I could do that would make it look right.
good luck with this, darling. Can you pull off wearing bandannas or hats>
@Anna- Thank you so much for your kind words! I'm sure the world doesn't pay nearly as much attention to it as I do, but it definitely has a toll on self-esteem.
@Antonia- I waited for quite awhile to go to the doctor. Hair loss can be so many things- genetics, B12 deficiency, a skin condition, etc. I really think it is a good idea to get set up with a doctor so that you can take the right steps in preventing further loss. And thank you!
@Linh- I hear ya! It's hard to cover it up sometimes. There is only so much thickening spray and teasing that can be done. I hate that you're going through that, because I know how it is. Do you know what is causing your loss? Feel free to email me. <3
@Wendy- Thank you! I wish! The only hat I can pull off is berets, but with spring coming...I fear that it might look silly to wear those as warmer weather rolls in. I'd love to be able to pull off cute hats like fedoras, but it's a sad tale of defeat!
I had been losing a lot of hair last year - not sure if it was stress, or aging/changing, etc...but I stopped using shampoo and started washing my hair with baking soda and I instantly saw a difference in the amount of hair that came out in the shower and in the brush...much less.
Now sometimes I use baking soda and sometimes organic shampoo, but NEVER any shampoos or cleansers with any sulfates in them, I think that was the key (for me, anyway).
Best of luck, Wendy. You are beautiful!
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