Update on Hair Loss, Alopecia, Omegas, Candida, Mega X

So many of you have emailed me and commented continuing to ask what I’m experiencing and doing in relation to my hair loss issue (an issue I’ve had to deal with since I was 19).

In particular, many have asked about minoxidil. Minoxidil was absolutely effective for me. You can read the blog post here. But I didn’t like the side effects. (More here). Weight gain and facial hair were the mildest. It was the depression (and anger) that got to me.

My extremely premature hair loss bothered me a lot! I even wore wigs sometimes, which was sometimes fun and sometimes weird. (see some of my favorite wigs here). I’ve tried many supplements. Hair Repair (the best at the time that I had tried), straight saw palmetto, and everything I could read about that seemed to have promising reviews. After taking something for 6-8 weeks, I would see mildly encouraging results, but then nothing. Revivogen was one of the most frustrating products, building up a supply of new growth only to lose it all (due to the synchronized growing and shedding cycles it encourages – completely pointless to me).

I’ve been trying something lately I wanted to share with you. I’ve been on this product for about 3 weeks. I went on it after dreaded post partum shed made me feel just terrible and always self conscious.

Here is the before and after:

The before was from about 8 weeks ago, but it is what my hair looked like when I started on Mega X (made by Plexus). (Besides a few hairs I could see that had started to sprouted from taking Hair Repair for two weeks). I stopped taking Hair Repair when I started taking Mega X.

What encourages me is the way the new hairs line my hair line, and the way that stray piece of hair no longer falls down the center of my face because it has other hair to “cling” to. (Yes, hair sticks to each other – it’s one of the trademarks of healthy hair).

This is just the beginning, so we’ll see what happens.

Also after:

(I’m wearing Sonia Kashuk Tinted Moisturizer in Linen in this picture – I love it!)

And just another photo I like:

I should say that besides being on Mega X, for a month previously I was on the Triplex system from Plexus, which balances hormones and blood sugar, something I knew I was in need of. I would like to talk about this issue in a future post. I do not know how much this contributes, but I know hormones which are out of whack can be at the root of many unlikely issues.

Ingredients of Mega X:

Ahiflower seed oil, raspberry seed oil, broccoli seed oil, SDA (from Ahiflower seed oil), sea buckthorn berry oil, pomegranate seed oil, avocado oil.

Reese by Noriko – Wearing Hair

Hello new hair style. Perfect cut and color. The hair I’ve always wanted. Don’t mind if I do this do from now on.

Reese Wig by Noriko

Does it take long to do my hair? No, not really. Who does my hair? A lady named Patti…she lives a ways from here.

Reese Wig by Noriko

Little effort, lots of confidence.

Doesn’t break the bank.

Because this is Reese by Noriko. From Patti’s Pearls in California.

Reese Wig by Noriko

reese by noriko

More on Hair Health, Alopecia, Minoxidil, Saw Palmetto

It’s such a relief to stop using minoxidil (Rogaine, Lipogaine, etc).

After the initial wow I had using 5%, the side effects influenced me to switch 2%. Much better. However, the side effects of minoxidil are cumulative. I’m getting personal here, but tweezing your face twice a week, than once a day, than twice a day, will get to a girl after awhile. Then there was the side effect of depression. Not really strong, but a constant feeling of uneasiness that seemed to lessen considerably whenever I forgot to use minoxidil for a few days. Nate noticed it, too. Of course I also lost an alarming amount of hair and would start using it again.

I won’t comment on the side effect of weight gain except to say that it made an ordinary battle to stay fit harder. Nobody wants that.

So I’m done. And I already am experiencing the benefits of quitting. In one week I’ve gone from having to use the tweezer twice a day to twice a week. And what’s there is much finer in texture.

To counteract the withdrawal I knew I would experience quitting minoxidil (you lose all your hair gain in a matter of weeks if you quit minoxidil – no such thing as using it for awhile and then quitting if you want good results), I’m using megadoses of topical and internal saw palmetto – an herb. The only herb I know of with a reputation for stopping hair shed.

I told myself if I experienced the hair shed, I would mix minoxidil with it and go off of it more slowly. But in the end, I went cold turkey. It’s been a week so far. I know from experience that I would have lost a lot of hair already going cold turkey, but I’m not. In fact, I experience less hair shed than I did on Lipogaine.

Every day:

I take one dose of Hair Repair from Whole Body Research (includes over 300mg of saw palmetto) and

I absolutely douse the crown of my head in Surface Awaken Therapeutic Treatment, the second ingredient of which is Saw Palmetto. You can’t skimp with this stuff – I pour it on thick.

And that’s all I’m doing right now. Both products contain all the B vitamins and the Saw Palmetto also has all the amino acids which make up hair, as well as many other minerals, herbs and vitamins which help to maintain hair health. Between the two you are doing the essential things I’ve learned you must do to even have a chance against hair loss:

Block DHT.

Cause new growth.

Nourish hair.

They are 3 separate things which require 3 separate types of ingredients. Rogaine or minoxidil, for example, is a drug that artificially causes new growth but it doesn’t block DHT, so if you use it all by itself you could get new hair that gets attacked by DHT. If you block DHT only, you may not get new hair growth in places you have lost hair. And if you don’t nourish hair, the combination of the above might result in weak hair that is easily damaged or breaks off. This is not to say that effectively doing all 3 is easy. We are still in a stage of a lot of research when it comes to restoring lost hair from stress, genetics, medical conditions or trauma.

Here’s the picture from a few months back after using minoxidil-based products for about 4 months. Read more about my experience before and after minoxidil here.

Here is a picture of my hair after 1 year and 5 months of minoxidil use and the week after I stopped using minoxidil based products respectively:

minoxidil and saw palmetto hair loss

WP_20140621_09_03_53_Pro

(The first picture is product free and the second two were both after having done my hair). The only thing that’s really clear in my mind is that the Surface Awaken and Hair Repair have kept me from losing any progress I made with Lipogaine (Minoxidil) so far, though it’s only been a week. This is unexpected and of course, makes me hopeful that I will not have to go back on the stuff ever. The 2% was not quite as amazingly effective as the 5% anyway (though it was effective) but I just don’t think I can live with the increasing side effects for the rest of my life, which is, of course, what you have to be prepared to do if you use minoxidil-based products.

I’ll try to keep you all posted.

Interesting fact about Saw Palmetto: even though it is claimed by many (note the word claimed) to promote new hair growth, it also is prescribed by alternative medicine doctors and used by patients to reduce unwanted body hair. If it works, it brings many interesting questions to mind about drugs versus herbs, and the healing code many believe to be in herbs. The only way I can imagine saw palmetto to do this simultaneously is that by working with the female hormonal system, instead of just blindly causing hair growth (anyway and everywhere), like minoxidil tends to.

The best hair straightener – Chi Nano

Obviously it was time

To get a Chi Nano.

This is why you’ll love the Chi Nano.

As opposed to other Chi Straighteners, it has temperature control.

And it heats up lightening quickly.

And it still heats all the way up to 395 if you want it to. I don’t think I need that. Even at 290 the Chi still does a better safer job than cheap straighteners (I’ve tried. I know.)

I only had to straighten a few pieces to get my hair to behave. I maintained its wave and texture by focusing on the most unruly defectors (see top picture to see what I mean!).

Don’t forget your thermal protectants and volumizers.

The Sexyhair Straightening Balm is a must have. My hair was very manageable and smooth using just a pea-sized amount of this gem. Also it seems almost unscented. You know I hate chemically overpowering fragrances.

Aveda Brilliant Damage control is a must-use as well. I’ve used it for 7 years. Longer than any product.

BB Thickening Hairspray is the best hairspray I’ve ever used, including Kenra, Pureology, Sebastian, all kinds. And it smells delicious.

For straightening, the Aveda is too wet. I have to use another thermal protectant. I used DermOrganic this time because the Chi Iron Guard I have smells so strong and I got a rash on my arm where it rubbed off. I don’t know if that’s the best though. I’m still on the hunt for a natural argan oil type hair protectant. Suggestions anyone?

This retails between $160-$210. I got it at @marshalls for $69.00. #fabfound

Length Update – Shaping a Growing Pixie

Joni at Franklyn has my back. Months after cutting my pixie it’s still an unmanageable mop of hair. It’s been almost 8 weeks since Tech Hair linking in Philadelphia, and I was excited to get my first haircut of my new hair.

I explained the knots to Joni and mentioned that a wide tooth comb and brush were best, as was no straighteners. She was almost as psyched about the tiny links as I was and was amazed that there was something like that out there for hair-challenged people. So much healthier than extensions. I recommend! If you can afford it that is. But as Dolly Parton says, whether it’s real or not, your hair should cost a lot.

My highly unsymmetrical hair has me seriously considering an asymetrical bob.

I love it that the back was not too stacked or short at the neck. Not knowing what I will end up with, I’d rather do minimal cutting and shaping as it grows.

When I got home I added some Bumble and Bumble (my favorite hair brand) texture cream (a little goes a long way), to make the left side wing out a little bit the way the right side naturally does. After not being brave enough for asymetrical bobs, I settled for texturing this, which I think looks better anyway.

Juice Organics Brightening Shampoo and Conditioner Review

More on Alopecia Solutions: Tech Hair or Micro Point Linking

I was going to wait a long time (until I could better afford it) before I did this. But I cancelled my last hair appointment (pixies seem to be my only option right now) because I was so under-excited about it. In fact I felt like crying. I didn’t want to go.

So I decided I couldn’t wait any longer to do something more substantial and immediate about my hair.