Hi Sweet Friends,
This post is a bit of an emotional one for me but I wanted to share because I know hair loss can happen for a multitude of reasons and it can be hard to figure out what to do when it starts happening to you. If this is triggering for you please refrain from reading but I hope the tips I am going to share are helpful. Also, I want to say that when I say hair loss I am talking about is increased shedding that is not at a normal rate but please reach out to a doctor if you are experiencing drastic hair loss as these tips most likely won’t help that.
Before I share my tips as I am not an expert, I thought I’d share some background. I started losing hair when I went through my breakup last year so for me losing my hair was emotional and stress-based. Losing my hair was extremely upsetting for me and as vain as that might sound my hair has always been a part of my identity. As you can see from the photos I have always been lucky to have quite thick/healthy hair and it was shocking for me to feel it so thin and to continue to lose it in the shower and when I brushed my hair etc. The photos I feel don’t show the loss accurately as I didn’t take many photos during this time but you can see in the photo of me in the burgundy dress how much thinner it looks than the photo before it started. I know this is also subjective, what might seem really thin to me you might not feel is thin at all so let’s give each other grace through this and although I have grown much of my hair back I am still combatting this issue, so know it takes time to deal with hair loss.
When I started noticing I was losing my hair, I didn’t know where to start. Do I take supplements? Change shampoos? Use growth serums? It felt so overwhelming as there is a lot of products/information out there on regrowing your hair. It’s been a lot of trial and error for me but one of the biggest things that helped me was upping my protein levels. I have never been someone that loves meat or eats a ton of protein but your hair is actually made of protein so adding more into my diet has been the biggest thing that has helped. So my first tip is don’t think just topically (or what you can put on the outside of your hair) but think internally as well. I did include more meat but since I still don’t love it, I found protein shakes that I like and drink those each day. They not only helped my hair and nails but also my muscle recovery.
Besides making some changes to my diet and going to a good hairdresser, I also had to really work on lowering my anxiety and stress. I did this through exercise, seeking therapy, and medication. Which is a little hard for me to admit. I have always been someone that wants to conquer my burdens and anxieties on my own but I knew I needed external help and that is 1000% okay. Doing this was also really helpful for me as a whole because I found once I lowered my cortisol levels ( cortisol is your adrenaline or fight/flight mode) my hair started to grow again. I still work on this every day not just for my hair but also for my entire body wellness. Again, I think it’s important to look at your whole body and getting that to a healthy place and usually, things like your hair or nails or eyebrows will come back too.
I did a lot of research about supplements and hair gummies etc and ended up not taking any. I know many do go this route and there are amazing ones out there like Nutrafol but because I have a severe chronic illness and take a lot of medications/ supplements already I didn’t want any interactions or to add another “pill” to my regimen. I don’t want to deter you from trying this as it is an additional great way to go from within to help the external issue going on. But again I do recommend consulting your doctor if you want to try some supplements. What I did instead was also add collagen alongside consuming my protein. You can do this in a variety of ways but I mostly did this through bone broth. So I’d have a cup or two each night before bed and not only was it soothing but also helped my hair strength so less breakage and helped other parts of my body like my joints.
I know you are probably like girl just get to the products you use, I hear you! But I wanted to discuss the other things I did first because I really do believe those have been more impactful than just topical solutions. With that said, I did introduce new products and regimens. This is specific to me but I changed to more nourishing hair products from shampoos to hair masks etc. Let’s start with shampoo since this is actually a really crucial step in regrowth, I used to be someone that could get away with washing my hair once a week with an intense clarifying shampoo and was good to go. When my hair started to fall out I realized that those clarifying shampoos were WAY too stripping and intense so I needed something else. I started with bondiboost because so many people rave about it on social media well I don’t like to bad-mouth a product but stay AWAY from this shampoo. It made my hair fall out even worse. From there, I switched to another popular social media product Vegamour. At this point, I was doing so much research to figure out what ingredients I should and should not put on my hair and Vegamour held up. The ingredients/research behind their products is the gold standard for regrowth IMO. Since trying it, it is the only growth type of shampoo I use. I think if there is one product to “try” it is this shampoo. Also, I want to say be really gentle with your hair when you are washing it, brush it beforehand, and don’t scratch or be aggressive with your scalp. Next, I bought an at-home hair glaze/ gloss product. You can read about glazes but basically, it adds moisture, shine, and hydration to your hair and lasts about 10 washes. I have found switching between doing a glaze and doing hair masks to be essential for the growth of my hair. Again this is subjective, it is clear to me that my hair needs and soaks up hydration but this might be too heavy for you. In terms of masks, I am not super picky but do want them to have natural and good ingredients. So I have loving the Function of Beauty “wavy mask” from Target, it is DIVINE and under $10, and the Amika The Kure mask for something a bit lighter. Lastly, on a product front, I also added a heat protectant spray and leave-in conditioners that I’d put on before any kind of heat. I tried to style my hair less, but I also have bangs and like my hair to be a part of my “look” so I didn’t cut down on heat as much as people recommended.
To wrap up this lengthy post, know that hair loss and drastic (to you) shedding is really upsetting and I am here for you. It also is something specific to you as an individual and because of that it takes time to find the right things that will work for you. I know people will say hair is just hair but I always found that really invalidating and hurtful so don’t let someone make you feel bad about it okay? If you want to discuss it more you can shoot me an email or dm me on IG (@spoonfulsofcozy).
Whimsy & Willow 