If you’re still with me after reading my first post on
beauty through hair loss, I both
appreciate your time and share the pain of where we both stand.
When medical results turn up little
help, and you’re diagnosed with telogen effluvium, as I was, it’s a very mixed
blessing.
It’s of course nice to
hear the hair loss is temporary and not permanent or hereditary, but it’s a
rather confusing path to navigate from this point on.
You’ll hear, as I did, that stress is the main cause of “TE”
and that the problem should alleviate itself in 6-8 months after the stressors
occurred.
I waited 2 years.
Granted, I suffered some stressful setbacks in 2009 through
mid-2010, but – ahem – it’s 2013, and
I’ve heard the whole time “It will get better.” Thanks, Docs, but it
didn’t.
I tackled my TE in several ways, some successful and many
less so. In this Part 2, I’ll
cover the three health-related areas I covered to stall my hair loss and
hopefully begin to reverse it.
Step 2 – Diet
In addition to my stressful periods of 2009-late 2010, I’d
also been a vegetarian for about 5 years prior, and I almost never consumed
dairy.
I don’t know the specific
name for this, but I call it “nearly vegan” (Sure, real vegans, dispute me.
I get it.).
While I thought I felt healthier while eating this way,
looking back at pictures of 2006-11 reveal a different story.
I was pale, skeletal, and fragile.
I’ve been accused of not doing
vegetarianism “right,” and while I understand that while there’s probably more
supplements I could have taken, or protein-filled legumes I could have
consumed, my body eventually shut down to the point where it was painfully
clear I had to change my eating.
This
essay
a coworker sent me was so simply and convincingly
written, I all but teared up when I read it – it expressed my feelings and
thoughts perfectly, I was convinced it was written for me.
I’m not suggesting in way to radically change your
diet. Rather, take a look at your
diet the past, say, 2 years. What changed? Crash dieting? New meal plan like
Paleo, or low-carb? Went vegan or
vegetarian? If there’s anything in
there, particularly a change about 6 months ago, chances are the effects are
hitting your hair now, on a delay.
I can’t tell you to change your diet again or go back to the
way you once ate, but I implore women suffering from hair loss to look closely
at their diets. There’s a certain
amount of fats, oils, proteins, vitamins and minerals we all need, and those
are best received through whole food sources versus supplements and
powders.
In addition, in light of the current gluten-free craze, for
lack of better words, I will share with you that I decided to go gluten-free
for up to 3-plus months a few times over the last 2.5 years. While I didn’t notice a change in my
hair loss (and please note no one will for a minimum of 2 months, if wheat is
in fact part of the problem), I did notice I felt like I had more energy, less
bloat, and better digestion. After
learning my lesson the hard way from having to ditch my “nearly vegan” diet, I
have settled on what I call “gluten light.” I avoid it when possible, but if it’s a special treat (like cupcake I’ve been dying to eat), I don’t deny myself. Above all, I learned that it’s not wise for me to eliminate
something from my diet altogether, as all whole foods have varieties of
vitamins and minerals I now know I need to feel and look healthy.
Step 3 – Vitamins
When my doctor ran initial
blood work for my hair loss, the results indicated I was one “point”
away from being anemic.
So, let’s say the range for healthy, non-anemic blood is 30-45 with
ideal results being around 37 or higher to be in the mid-range.
I was a 30.1.
While my doctor insisted that counted as not being “truly”
anemic, since it’s technically in the safe range, I felt uncomfortably
close.
Those blood results
combined with my nearly vegan diet caused me to not only revisit my diet, but also
look at the vitamins I was and wasn’t taking.
To both build my health back and hopefully help my hair loss
at the same time, I researched vitamins and consulted with an acupuncturist who
specialized in nutrition.
Whether you’re anemic or not, there are key vitamins that
women can take to help their overall health, and thus improve their hair by
proxy.
I’m no salesperson, nor am I invested in any particular
company. I like the “Dr. Oz”
approach of not listing brand names, but if you’re totally lost on where to
start, check out my recommendations.
But! Please do yourself a huge favor
and be leery of companies and people promoting expensive vitamins. In my case, so many people I spoke to
recommended their vitamin and tried to convince me it was “the” solution. Bull. A good-quality vitamin will suit you just fine – don’t break
the bank on these.
Multi-vitamin
– This is going to cover all your bases, particularly if something’s missing
from your diet like meat or an abundance of fresh veggies.
Easy, helpful, and inexpensive, I like
this brand.
Iron – Your
multi-vitamin may contain iron already, but ensure you’re getting the daily
recommended percentage, particularly if you’re vegetarian or vegan. Iron is a key building block in
promoting strong, healthy hair.
B-Vitamins
-
Biotin – This may also be in your multi-vitamin, but
for helping with hair loss, some extra biotin doesn’t hurt, as they body
naturally eliminates excess, unused B vitamins.
While biotin liquid drops have a pretty awful flavor, the
pill form is small and easy to take.
B12 – This vitamin keeps your nerve and blood cells
healthy, and it helps prevent anemia.
It’s often a key vitamin missing from vegetarians, as the strongest
forms of B12 are from animal proteins.
Step 4 – Supplements
I’ve called these out separately from vitamins because
there’s no recommended daily dose – they’re “add ons” for those particularly
desperate (like me!) and willing to try whatever may help.
Collagen –
I wrote about collagen in a blog about two weeks ago – check it out
here.
In short, collagen is an
easy way to booth your hair, skin, and nails - - that’s a win-win in my book.
Viviscal - I feel like this was one of my first
“snake oil” purchases out of desperation, but I ended up really liking the
results of healthier, shinier hair.
While I was nervous about it being one of those seemingly cheesy
products on the “advertisement” page of magazines, I also noticed it popping up
in reputable places like Vogue magazine in an interview with a
hairstylist, as well as Reese Witherspoon being quoted as using it after her
hair was damaged from over-styling. Most online reviews also supported that it
was effective, and I felt confident it was something I could commit to for at
least three months. The results
took more like 3-6 months, but they were noticeable enough that I feel
confident recommending this product.
In addition, as many hair-growth supplements are oils, lotions, and
creams, the idea of popping pills was undeniable convenient, particularly
because I am often out of town and on the go.
Shou Wu Chih
– Never heard of it? Neither had I, and I fully expect you to roll your eyes
right about now.
The second of the
two acupuncturists I saw for my problem was a more traditional practitioner
than the acupuncturist/nutritionist I first saw.
He started me on
Shou Wu Chih, a liquid supplement common in
China for overall health, but particularly hair loss.
As studies I read confirmed no damage from long-term use, the
price was modest, and I both trusted the acupuncturist recommending the
product, I tried this for over a few months.
I know that it helped hair a bit, but I can’t say how much,
as I’d been on many other supplements & vitamins for 1-2 years at this
point, and Shou Wu Chih was the last “add” to my daily regimen.
However, I really liked that it helped
my overall energy levels and immunity, and it also helped with a bout of
insomnia I suffer intermittently.
While I wish I could say more about how much it did or didn’t do for my
hair, this product has my vote.
Thank you so much for sticking with me. I hope this info was useful, and please
submit any comments or questions – I’d love to hear your thoughts.
I have one more related post coming – Part 3. In it, I’ll cover the “beauty” part of
hair loss – what you can do (and what not to do) to look your best during this
frustrating time.
Beautifully Simple Through Loss,
Nicole @ Vanity Cosmetics
