A hairy situation
Ok guys. Let's chat about hair.
I've always been pretty vain about my hair. Because it seems no matter what I do to it, it's good to me (except for the dreaded cut of 2006... but we're learning to trust each other again). And I'm very fortunate to have a lot of hair.
Except for the last month or so I'm having less hair everyday. I mean, it's really falling out. When I brush my hair, handfulls end up in the sink. This is at least twice a day. Throughout the day as I run my fingers through it 10-12 strands come with. My floor looks like a fuzzy sweater. It's not ok. It's really upsetting. I'm trying to be cool but I have a really bumpy head and I don't think that I can pull off bald (although I guess I could try a bunch of really vibrant eyeshadows and mad wigs).
I do have a doctor's appointment today. I'm looking forward to it / totally dreading it. I was hoping this would just sort itself out. I'm trying to think about what's different. My diet is healthier, if anything. I've been dyeing my hair for years and this started about a month after I last dyed my hair. I'm not overly stressed (I mean, I'm concerned about not having a car and really coveting an awesome apartment for the Gentleman Caller and myself). I'm not on any medications that I haven't been on for ages...
What in the world is up? Has anyone had this experience? I'm trying not to worry too much but at the same time I'm FREAKING OUT!
Today I'm thankful for the mantra "it's only hair" even though I'm not sure it's helping...
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| This photo was originally taken to discuss makeup... but I have bigger issues now... |
I've always been pretty vain about my hair. Because it seems no matter what I do to it, it's good to me (except for the dreaded cut of 2006... but we're learning to trust each other again). And I'm very fortunate to have a lot of hair.
Except for the last month or so I'm having less hair everyday. I mean, it's really falling out. When I brush my hair, handfulls end up in the sink. This is at least twice a day. Throughout the day as I run my fingers through it 10-12 strands come with. My floor looks like a fuzzy sweater. It's not ok. It's really upsetting. I'm trying to be cool but I have a really bumpy head and I don't think that I can pull off bald (although I guess I could try a bunch of really vibrant eyeshadows and mad wigs).
I do have a doctor's appointment today. I'm looking forward to it / totally dreading it. I was hoping this would just sort itself out. I'm trying to think about what's different. My diet is healthier, if anything. I've been dyeing my hair for years and this started about a month after I last dyed my hair. I'm not overly stressed (I mean, I'm concerned about not having a car and really coveting an awesome apartment for the Gentleman Caller and myself). I'm not on any medications that I haven't been on for ages...
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| I know that's a lot of photos of my face. It's my blog. And these are the photos I have. Yup. |
What in the world is up? Has anyone had this experience? I'm trying not to worry too much but at the same time I'm FREAKING OUT!
Today I'm thankful for the mantra "it's only hair" even though I'm not sure it's helping...
Comments
Apparently, at least according to my hairdresser, it takes 6 months for your body to register stress. Whether or not its true or it was just a coincidence for me, but I found last August and September my hair was falling out like crazy. Six months before? I was trying to get the hell out of a terrifyingly bad job. I didn't want to wait the month or two until it caught up with a less-stressed life, so that's when I went chin length. Much less hair in the sink... mostly because the strands were shorter!
But since you had a poor short hair experience, hopefully just a bit of time, and maybe a good old home deep conditioning treatment helps!
I had a crazy amount of hair loss back in 2010, and it was the first sign that I had Hashimoto's Disease (autoimmune hypothyroid disease - very common in women).
Whenever there's hair loss, it's always worth having a thyroid test. Push to have a full thyroid panel done, instead of just the TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone) test, because it tells you what's actually happening in your body, not just what your brain is telling your body to do. And I'm not sure if Canadian reference ranges are different (German ones are, so I've learned), but in the US there's a revised healthy TSH range that not all doctors know about, so it's good information to have: http://thyroid.about.com/cs/testsforthyroid/a/labs2003.htm
Taking meds has helped me A TON, as has taking evening primrose oil every day. More on that here: http://thyroid.about.com/cs/hairloss/a/hairloss.htm
Cutting out gluten also appears to be helping.
And it's not the solution for everyone, but the other way I coped was to cut all my hair off. My body needed time to rebalance with the new meds, but I was obsessed with how much hair I was losing. Seriously - I counted every strand. As soon as I cut off my hair, I stopped caring about how much was falling out. It did wonders for me pyscologically and gave my brain a break while my body kept healing. Plus, it looked really cute at our wedding: http://interrobangsanon.wordpress.com/2012/10/29/katie-and-the-rocket-scientist-get-married-part-4/
Suddenly having your hair begin falling out sucks - I know. But don't let thinking about it consume you. You still look gorgeous, darlin'.