Looking at the photos from one year to another I could see my hair...gone.
I went from big, fluffy, wavy hair that any glam 80s rock star would envy...to...soft, frizzly, shitty hair. And to top it all, last year I started getting grey hairs.
My hair started falling at 25 and that's when it also started being less wavy and more shitty. I obviously investigated the issue and it looks like women hair fall is a major problem with 1 gazillion solutions and treatments that don't necessarily work....trust me I tried most of them.
1. went to the dermatologist to get a follicle analysis which implies the doctor looking through your hair with a magnifying glass to see if roots are weakening and maybe suffer from alopecia - nope...not that...still I was prescribed this expensive pill treatment (Anacaps) for three months, topped with a hair solution (Alopexy 2%)...yeah...nothing happened.
2. checked my thyroid cause it could be a hormone imbalance...nothing there either...the doctor was even kind enough to tell me how she calculated all the results of my blood analysis to prove that I am fine...must have had a desperate look on my face.
3. obviously ran all my blood tests for anemia, or lack of certain vitamins and minerals...I am as healthy as they get...
4. even gave up on birth control pills for almost a year and took estrogen (under a doctor's recommendation) because I thought that might be the problem...but no.
5. the most interesting one was when a GP prescribed me Xanax cause she was sure it was stress..I enjoyed the good night sleep, but the hair was still on my pillow in the morning.
When I ran out of medical options (maybe I should have also tried a psychiatrist) I turned to cosmetics and tried special shampoos with caffeine, with honey...with whatever natural things you can imagine. I tried professional shampoos, I also tried hair masks and conditioners. Spent a fortune there...
I moved to natural stuff and this was the painful part. I tried home made soap like my great-grandma used...and following the same path I also tried gas....like the one you put in your car. I smelled like an engine for a week. I tried egg mask...and rinsed it off with hot water and ended up with a boiled egg in my hair...I tried honey and olive oil and lost half of my hair in that greasy thing...I tried castor oil...coconut oil...argan oil...I tried rinsing with vinegar and smelled like a salad for a week.
I tried cutting my hair to have it regenerate. I donated my hair to cancer survivors to make wigs hoping that karma would help me...joking :) I tried coloring my hair with ammonia free color to make it stronger (seems to work for some of my fiends), I tried not to blow dry it for a while and looked like a mop.
My most extreme experiments was "no poo"- no shampoo or any hair products diet for your precious. It was planned for 6 weeks, but it ended abruptly in week 3 when I just couldn't stand looking like a bum anymore.
My latest experiment was henna. I never used henna and heard wonders about it, so I had to do it. My friend recommended the best henna brand....got it! Henna is a hair treatment more than a hair color, so it sounded like a win-win for my hairloss problem and my greys.
Before going on this adventure I should have read the instructions...but who does that?! Well, putting on henna means that you need 2 days without any interaction with society. You need to keep the color - which looks like cow shit by the way - in your hair for 8 hours with your head wrapped in cling foil. This is a mixture of the henna powder with hot water, olive oil, coffee to make it darker and I added some castor oil. I must say that I was very generous with the oil, but that was before reading that after these 8 hours you're only allowed to rinse it and not wash with shampoo. You can only use shampoo after 48 hours.
I didn't resist 3 days without social interaction, smelly hair and looking like a bum so I washed with shampoo after around 20 hours....and what a relief that was! I felt like I lost half of he little hair I had left while washing, and kept telling myself "never again, never again" But then when all the pain ended and I had my hair washed and dried I changed my mind to "maybe...twice a year?!"
My hair does have a vibrant very natural color, and my greys have been covered. It also feels nice and to my surprise although it fell a lot when I was washing, it wasn't that bad when I combed it. So...let's see how this goes.
Oh yeah...forgot to mention that I use a wooden comb and a boar bristles brush....
My quest has not ended...so in case anyone has any suggestions...help! As you can see I'm willing to try anything.