Excessive Hair Loss-How To Reverse It?

jenniferadouglas

I recommend that you go to a dermatologist or a doctor. It SUCKS being a woman and losing your hair... so if there is something that they can do to help you with hair loss, the sooner the better.

Yet... some women lose hair and it is just genetics. stupid genetics.

janemem

Wow, thanks for everyone's help, I never expected such a huge response and I'm sorry for everyone else that is suffering or has suffered from hair loss but it is comforting to know I'm not alone and there is maybe a way of treating this.
I will open my food diary so maybe you can point out where I'm going wrong. Please be gentle with me, lol!
Biotin definitely seems to be the most frequently recommended suggestion so I will certainly be trying to find that in the supermarket today or a pharmacy tomorrow.
Thanks again all you lovely people.

mymission92

Morrocian oil works so good.
I would add oil to your food (olive, coconut) as the good fats really help also nuts, fish etc.
Mine has took months to start growing back, a high (in good fats) diet will help and lots of protein. It is MAINLY diet that affects it.

YoYo1951

bump

lawkat

First thing you should do is go see a doctor. Either your GP or a dermatologist. It could be an indication of something lacking in your diet. by the time you try everything everyone on here has suggested, you could be out a couple hundred dollars.

VMarkV

What is oxeylite pro? I have never heard of it. If I were you I would look into the ingredients and check if there is any evidence linking this with hair loss.
I'm the same as you though, every time I brush or stroke my hair I get a fist full. When I am washing my hair my hands are just covered in loose hairs, it's disgusting and really frightening.
I'm almost tempted to collect the stray hairs for a day, well the ones I can anyway, from washing (what gets trapped in the plug hole), blow drying, brushing (I've even thought of collecting the hairs from my clothes on some Sellotape!) and showing it to my doctor byt I wouldn't want to gross him out.

If you so obsessed as to start quantifying your hairloss, I think stress is your biggest problem.
Other things: get lots of protein (up to 1g/lb bodyweight daily), avoid eating egg whites (biotin binding)- eat the yolks with the whites (oddly enough, provides biotin) and supplement with biotin, avoid surfactants commonly used in shampoo (sodium lauryl suflate, etc.), get adequate amounts of dietary fat as well as fat soluble vitamins (ADEK), sleep long enough/destress, and patience (time).

Meggles63

EAT!!! You a way under even the 1200 minimum cals. No wonder you're losing hair.

FitForLife81

Yup you are not eating enough calories which will cause hair loss. You net is around 800-900 consistently....

tabinmaine

You are not eating enough and that is causing your hair loss, you are only netting like 900 calories each day..... way way too low.

amandammmq

You are not eating enough and that is causing your hair loss, you are only netting like 900 calories each day..... way way too low.

Not only that, but a large percentage of your total daily calories is alcoholic beverages. Nothing wrong with having a drink, of course, but it means that a big percentage of your daily caloric intake is non nutritive in value.

I have a feeling that if you bump up your FOOD calorie intake and make sure to get more protein, you'll see that the hair loss will stop. :flowerforyou:

Meaganandcheese

You are losing hair because you are not eating nearly enough. Not only are the calories too low, but you waste them in alcohol instead of healthy, nutritionally dense foods.

You need more protein. You need more fat. You need more FOOD.

TONYAGOOCH

Oh goodness! I would def say your problem is diet related based on your diary. 1 meal a day and alcohol every day is not gonna cut it. Your protien intake is too low as well. I think once you up your calorie intake on more nutritious food items you will see an improvement in your hair and I bet you will feel better as well.

i_miss_donuts

What she said.

I did the same thing a few years ago when I ran and circuit trained daily, ate next to nothing( and zero meat), and drank daily. I was depressed and these are my coping mechanisms taken to the extreme but it REALLY took a toll on my body. When you are not adequately feeding your body it de-prioritizes all non-essential functions so your skin starts looking dry and awful & your hair starts falling out. I also felt dizzy often and was always cold (me in the middle of a summer evening with a sweatshirt on and goosebumps). You need to eat WAY more and drink less. As far as food you should shoot for 1 gram of protein per lb of lean body mass to maintain as much lean body mass as possible while still losing weight. Please take care of yourself - the hair is just one of the more obvious signs of the damage that a very low calorie diet can do.

You are not eating enough and that is causing your hair loss, you are only netting like 900 calories each day..... way way too low.

Not only that, but a large percentage of your total daily calories is alcoholic beverages. Nothing wrong with having a drink, of course, but it means that a big percentage of your daily caloric intake is non nutritive in value.

I have a feeling that if you bump up your FOOD calorie intake and make sure to get more protein, you'll see that the hair loss will stop. :flowerforyou:

LoraF83

I am sorry, but I am 99% positive that in the majority of these cases, you are losing your hair because you are undereating and starving yourself. I've been there, and had people tell me it was my thyroid, vitamins,etc. etc. Interestingly enough, when I started properly fueling my body my hair loss stopped.

Check out the Eat More to Weigh Less Board on MFP. Do your homework on why you should never eat under your BMR. There is a ton of good information out there, but unfortunately, a lot of horrible advice gets handed out on these boards. We need to fuel our bodies properly if we are going to get them to work hard for us. Seriously it was the best decision I've ever made for my health, fitness, and life.

Yes.....had this happen to me. I was eating at 1500-1700 (BMR is 1710) and my hair started falling out. Now, I'm up to 2100 and it's finally starting to grow back in/fall out less. And I thought I was eating enough because I was at a much higher level than a lot of others. But it wasn't enough for me. Learned my lesson the hard way.

Aemely

Yep, Biotin as well as a great daily vitamin. Of course, eat all your calories including exercise calories... I'm also a fan of Tresemme Split Remedy (http://www.tresemme.com/Products/Split-Remedy/ ) and Garnier Fructis Length & Strength Conditioner (less tangled hair = less ripping out hair; http://www.amazon.com/Garnier-Fructis-Length-Strength-Conditioner/dp/B004ZWH31I/ ). Good luck! You can do it! :bigsmile:

Spanaval

Joining the chorus. You are severely undereating. Do that for long enough, and your body prioritizes things like organ function over unnecessary stuff like hair. Hence the hair loss. To fix that, eat more. A LOT more. Drink less alcohol. You tend to be way, way, way low on protein, and that's not good either. Go for about 1gram of protein/lb. of lean body mass.

janemem

Joining the chorus. You are severely undereating. Do that for long enough, and your body prioritizes things like organ function over unnecessary stuff like hair. Hence the hair loss. To fix that, eat more. A LOT more. Drink less alcohol. You tend to be way, way, way low on protein, and that's not good either. Go for about 1gram of protein/lb. of lean body mass.

I only just noticed how low on protein my diet is so I'm trying to find out what foods are high in protein but low in fat. I added a pickled egg to my diet yesterday and again for tonight so that's something.
How do I calculate what my 'lean body mass' is? I have previously been advised about the 1g/lb but I don't know how to do it.
I am 5ft 4inches, weigh 114lb, age 44 (if that matters?), how do I find how much protein I should eat?

janemem

Does anyone in the UK know what dose of Biotin will be enough? I looked in Tesco's earlier today but there were a few differing amounts so I didn't know what to buy.

Spanaval

Joining the chorus. You are severely undereating. Do that for long enough, and your body prioritizes things like organ function over unnecessary stuff like hair. Hence the hair loss. To fix that, eat more. A LOT more. Drink less alcohol. You tend to be way, way, way low on protein, and that's not good either. Go for about 1gram of protein/lb. of lean body mass.

I only just noticed how low on protein my diet is so I'm trying to find out what foods are high in protein but low in fat. I added a pickled egg to my diet yesterday and again for tonight so that's something.
How do I calculate what my 'lean body mass' is? I have previously been advised about the 1g/lb but I don't know how to do it.
I am 5ft 4inches, weigh 114lb, age 44 (if that matters?), how do I find how much protein I should eat?

Your LBM is your body weight - body fat. Figure out your body fat %, then figure out how much of your weight is due to fat. For instance, let's say that your body fat % is 20. At your weight, 22.8 lbs. of your 114 pounds would be the fat in your body (don't freak out; your body needs some fat). Your LBM would be 114 - 22.8 = 91.2 lbs. So, your goal should be to eat about that many grams of protein daily. Going over is fine as well.

Are you sure you need to lose weight? At 5 4", 114 lbs, you're already pretty skinny.

Also, I would hold off on spending money on supplements, and focus on food for now. It doesn't look like there is anything going on here that good nutrition cannot fix. If you do want to do some supplementation, just get a good multivitamin. Chances are extremely high that you've got deficiencies going on.

Meaganandcheese

But you need fat! Healthy fat - almonds, avocado, salmon - those are GOOD for you. Not only for your hair and nails, but also for brain function and digestion. Fat triggers fullness, if nothing else.

How are your macros set? A split of 40% carb, 30% fat, 30% protein is a really good start.

dited to add: While biotin would be a good supplement for you (or an omega-3), you should also focus on getting that nutrition from your food first and foremost. A supplement may not necessecary.

DreaFitX

How many calories are you eating a day? If you have been on a real low calorie diet, that can also cause hair loss.

I also have noticed the same thing. I have short hair and the loss/thinning is getting more noticeable. I have been told that it could be related to my gluten intolerance, I have had all my blood work checked and all normal. I too try oxyelite pro but my hair issues started long before I tried that (and did get some results with it) But it's interesting low calorie diet could be a cause. MFP put me at a goal of 1200. Other members have informed me that this is too low, and that could be the reason I haven't been losing.....interesting to think it could also be the cause of my hair loss.....unless it is genetics. When I was younger I had lng hair and used to wear it in a pony tail every day.....maybe that contributed to it too? idk I just hope it stops grows back and i dont go bald....i even bought that ovation hair therapy you hear about all over the radio....hair still all over my hands when i wash it so i dont know......

jdploki70

If anyone can give me tips on thinning out my hair, that'd be awesome. I got a haircut early on and dropped a pound or two just from that...

Honestly, if it's caused by not eating enough/eating right, when you alter your diet to proper levels it should resolve itself.

lauralizzy829

#1 Check out Thyroid
#2 Go to a dermatologist. I had excessive shedding and my PCP checked my thyroid levels and got results that they were in a safe range. Went to my dermatologist and he immediately knew what was wrong. At the time I was also having breakouts on my chin and around my lips. The acne and the shedding was a sign of a hormone imbalance. I went on a hormone blocker (Spirinolact) and a topical treatment (can't remember the name). My hair was in a state of shedding at a rate of 40%. Normal people are at about 10-15%.

Jessamine

The first thing you should do is to ask your doctor to order a blood panel for you. That might point you in the right direction. Is it your thyroid? Are you low on iron or any other vitamins and minerals? It might be very unpleasant or dangerous if you start loading up on vitamins and minerals that your body doesn't need. Blood work will help you with that.

mollykat73

You need to eat more healthy fats! I was just reading your other post about fats and you said you only eat 2 grams a day of fat. You will continue to have problems with hair loss if you don't start eating more healthy.

secretlobster

I looked at your diary. Not only are you eating too little most of the time, WAY too little, your nutrition is really bad. You get almost no protein. Protein, vitamins A & E, and fat are essential for maintaining healthy skin and hair.

If you're not eating enough calories, you're not getting enough nutrition. I hope you will consider talking to a nutritionist.

hpsnickers1

Removing grains and sugars from my diet stopped my hair loss. And also increasing my meat/fat intake. I had hair stylists asking me if I had a thyroid problem while they showed me the ball of my hair sitting in their hand.

When I went Primal a lot of positive things happened and a lot of negative things stopped or went away.

Hair loss stopped. I was getting a thinness on my crown and my temples (receding hairline like my dad). It's all growing back in now. It could be from high blood sugars (you don't have to be diabetic to have high blood sugar problems and if you are overweight/obese then you have some insulin resistance regardless of whether you are predisposed to diabetes or not).

My macros: Fat (only saturated and MUFAs) - 65%-70%; carbs (only veggies with the occasional berry or starchy veggie/tuber) - depends; protein - roughly 1g per lb of LBM (lots of beef/salmon/seafood/eggs).

thelaurameister

I'm going to have to agree that it could be from not eating enough, so you're not getting proper nutrition. Hair is construction of about 90% protein, is there a chance that you are vegetarian or vegan? One thing that will help is hair and nail vitamins, I have always had very thin/shedding hair and when I was taking those vitamins, it made a big difference. I've also heard awesome things about Ovation hair therapy, if you could afford it. I would recommend going to the doctor though...Because the hair and nail vitamins should help, but there may be a different cause for the hair loss that the vitamins won't help with.

michellelhartwig

curious!

19kat55

I have had this problem in the past dieting. I have not this time and am eating a lot more protein than I did before. I don't know how much protein you eat but you might want to eat more of it.