beauty through (hair) loss - part 2

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

beauty through (hair) loss - part 1

I could never commit a crime.  I fully comprehend some of the logistics of cime-committing via Hollywood teaching me in various movies and shows like Dexter, but I truly could never commit a crime.  Am I just that holy of a person, you ask? No - not at all.  I shed too much flipping hair to ever flee a crime scene without a trace.  My hair leaves behind a trail Hansel and Gretel would be envious of.

Attempt at humor aside, my issue is more than shedding - it's hair loss, and it's one seriously depressing problem a lot of women suffer from but few have the want to discuss or knowledge to tackle.

With no attempt at diagnosing or taking the role of a doctor, I figured I can at least do my part in sharing what happened to me, what I learned, and what I did in this 2+-year struggle with hair loss.

The starting point and the point I noticed the loss were probably a few months apart, but things like this tend to creep up on us.  I'm pretty sure we develop wrinkles slowly, but BAM! one day they're horribly visible in the mirror.  Such was the case with my hair loss - probably happened slowly for a while without my noticing, but BAM! one day I was in tears over the shock.

Knowing in the back of my brain it was a horrible idea, I was compelled to Google hair loss. DAMN.  BIG mistake. BIG.  I'll spare you the gibberish that comes in search results up online (since you've probably already Googled it yourself, anyways) - the miracle products, the hair transplant centers, the blog rants.   Tons of chatter with little useful info, and a lot of fuel for panic.  While I see the sweet irony that I hope my own blog post comes up in a search and is able to help readers, I have to say - if you can avoid over-Googling hair loss, do yourself a favor.

There's a particularly helpful order in which a practical person could navigate their hair loss self-journey and recovery, and then there's the path I took - more of a frantic zig-zag mess of sharp turns, backtracking, sprinting, and stalling.  If you'll lend me your eyes and a little time, I'll walk you through my path in hopes of saving you the same angst I suffered - and saving you some money, too.

Step 1 - Dr/Dermatologist 

The Dr. was my first step, and it should be yours, too. However, in my case, a crappy HMO plan plus a young, misinformed Dr. misled me a tad astray.  Don't let that discourage you; just be prepared when you go the the Dr. what you're looking for and asking for. Have your general practitioner/family Dr. run blood work for "Hair Loss 101" (note that's my title for it - actual test names linked below).  If your Dr., like mine, tries to send you packing with an "I'm sure you're fine, sweetie," get the hell outta there and find a new doctor.  The basic tests you want are listed on this website under Diagnostic Blood Tests for Women's Hair Loss.  Hopefully, the results of these give you a clear path as to why this is happening, and you can identify and address the issue right away (thyroid issues, hormonal imbalances, vitamin deficiencies,  etc.).  If something does show in your blood work, you're rather lucky, in away.  Of course it's horrible to have this loss occur, but getting back a test result showing an issue means you have something specific to target.  That alone will save you time, angst, and money on useless tonics and potions.  

Step "1.5" is an additional visit to your dermatologist.  I waited too long for this key step in part because I needed the aforementioned crappy HMO to refer me and in part because I didn't really know what a derm could do for hair loss.  Turns out, they can do a few quick, helpful tests that are really informative.  Note that I had to fight tooth and nail to have these tests done/approved.  The derm, like my Dr., was under the impression of "you're fine, and this is all in your head, so just go home."  When I finally got my way, we ran a few tests in the dermatologist's office.  First, he examined my scalp and noticed there was a bit of dandruff (yes, a blog on hair loss is bound to have TMI at some point).  The presence of dandruff means the hair follicles could be choked off at the scalp causing breakage and loss.  In addition, the dermatologist finally agreed to a scalp biopsy, and that's by far the most helpful medical test you'll get in the "Dr. visit" phase of tacking the problem.  

I heard about a scalp biopsy after reading this helpful article in the New York Times. It was such a relief to find a medical test for what I'd been scrambling to solve, I was thrilled to get this done.  It doesn't hurt, and it's fast.  Well, it "doesn't hurt" in the way that a cavity filling doesn't hurt - there's a numbing shot that's more pressure and slight pain than the actual shot & procedure.  I'd have liked someone to tell me in advance that a) my hair will have a blob of petroleum jelly over the stitches for at least 48 hours; b) I may be a bit woozy after the procedure; c) petroleum jelly won't really wash out for a few shampoos, so be prepared for an oily scalp and some pillowcase ruining.  The small stitches come out about two weeks later, right around the time you'll get results.  

Results from this biopsy come in two forms - a cause such as androgenetic alopecia (hereditary hair loss) that you can start to tackle via products like Rogaine, or a "cause" like telogen effluvium (temporary hair loss that will allegedly resolve itself when the trigger and initial cause goes away).  In my case, I got telogen effluvium, and I felt very mixed results to that outcome.  In a sense, it was a relief it wasn't permanent hair loss, but in another sense, it left me more lost.  What did I do to cause this? What changed? And what to do now?

Wherever you're at in the process of addressing this issue - not gone to Dr. yet, waiting for results, or unsure what to do with the results you already got - check back for Part 2.  I'll be sharing what I spent my money on - both good and bad - to help take control of this problem.  

Beautifully Simple Through Loss,

Nicole @Vanity Cosmetics

Before & After 

swallow your beauty

While drafting up a post about hair, it struck me that I take a lot of supplements.  A LOT.  I'll explain the why that is in the pending hair post, but in the meantime, I wanted to encourage everyone to consider the benefits of worrying a touch less about all the products we put on our faces and rather focus on what we can do internally to improve our skin.  

While such a request seemingly prompts a post on diet and overall health, my post today is much more simple - consider collagen.  It's an accessible, simple, and helpful way to boost your skin, hair and nails' growth, health, and strength simply by swallowing a few capsules or drinking some powder each day.  Considering how long some of our nighttime beauty routines are, 5 seconds to pop some collagen is hardly taxing on one's day. 

On the recommendation of my acupuncturist, I started taking some pretty fancy-schmancy collagen about a year back.  Within a few weeks, it was clear that 3 key changes were taking place: a) my hair was growing like a weed; b) fine lines on my face were filling in; c) my nails could hold their own in a fight with Wolverine.  I was taking this collagen by Collagen M.D.  It's a wonderful product that sadly tastes like stale cheese left in the sun.  No matter - I've endured worse in the name of beauty.  But price and lack of convenience ($65 & hard to travel with baggies of white powder, ahem) forced me to wean myself off the product.  

Thanks to Costco.com, I next found Youtheory collagen, and I switched over to this pill formula for a fraction of the cost of the previous powder formula.  (And, thanks to Costco's return policy, if it sucked, I'd return it for a full refund!).  While truly horse-pills, these tablets are very effective in promoting healthy skin, hair, and nails, and their price and portability are right on the money. 

There's other options out there, like those offered on iHerb, at a good price. 

Give 'em a spin - I'm pretty sure as beauty junkies we've all spent some money on products a lot less effective than collagen, and it feels pretty good to be beautiful on the inside, too. 

Beautifully Simple,

Nicole @ Vanity Cosmetics

Take your vitamins! 

beauty in 2013 - lashing out

I was painfully slow to joining the world false lashes.  I don't think I applied my first false strip lash until probably 2011 or early 2012 at the ripe 'ol age of 31-ish.  This isn't to say that I didn't love falsies - whenever I had Christine at Vanity Cosmetics do my makeup, I regularly asked her to apply lashes, and I was obsessed with the final product - I'd sleep in my makeup that night to preserve the look (big no-no!).  

Yet, I never took the plunge into doing my own lashes at home, save for a few individual lashes on very special occasions. 

I was a fool.  

Tired? False lashes.  No time or skill at liquid liner? False lashes.  Running around all day and need to update your look to evening? False lashes.  Crappy day? False lashes. 

Now, I've always been into lashes - I was a regular Latisse user, I had my lashes tinted at Vanity, and I'm a mascara junkie.  I even wrote an article about all the ways in which to beautify your lashes for Vanity's website - read it here.  But, I just didn't make the final leap until I got a) overly curious and b) a bit more confident after some helpful videos.  

For those also scared to take the plunge, I strongly suggest you make a quickie, additional New Year's resolution for 2013 (it's not too late!) - - try false lashes.  You won't be sorry.  Watch the videos I suggest below, come to Vanity Cosmetics for help with a professional makeup artist, and practice on early Sunday mornings when you won't be seen by anyone other than your doggie and maybe the morning crew at Starbucks.  

Here's to a beautiful you in the New Year! 

Videos:

Full Strip Fake Lashes

Individual Fake Lashes

False Lashes

To Buy:

Other than any beauty supply store, I love the variety and super-fash shipping at Madame Madeline. Their prices are low, their variety is great, and their customer service is on-point! 

Personal Stash 

udoing beauty

Tomorrow's nail appointment is bittersweet - I get my gels removed, and I go back to "regular" nails after consistently wearing gels for the recent holiday season.  This is neither particularly life-changing nor important in any way, but it makes me think about what women go through for their appearance only to undo it at a later point. 

The tedious scraping off of gels reminds me of myself, friends, and my mother-in-law who were all enamored with their gelicure at first sight, only to regret it later after seeing the damage caused to their nail beds when the gels were removed.  

Similarly, when Latisse first came out, I was meticulous in my nightly application - no matter how tired, every night ended with Latisse.  Months later, I was getting tons of compliments on my long lashes - and inquiries as to why my eyelids were stained a coppery red, an unfortunate side-effect of the product.  When my last bottle ran out, I'd become less enchanted with the product, and I've not returned to it since.  All my long lashes have since fallen out, but my eyelids are thankfully a normal color.  

A while back, a good friend had lash extensions applied.  They were stunning - imagine looking like you're wearing false lashes all the time - until she couldn't do the upkeep and lost many of her natural lashes in the process of getting the extensions removed.  

And most recently, an acquaintance had her extensions removed after realizing that, while gorgeous, they were murdering her natural hair, leaving her real ends frayed and damaged.  Meanwhile, I personally tried to use specific products to UNdo my Brazilian Blowout (yeah! for wasting money).  I loved the softness, but on my fine, thin hair, the final look was just too stringy for hair desperate for volume. 

Ironically, so many of us go right back to the products we swore off - I'll get gels again soon, I eventually switched to another lash-growth product, and my friend had her extensions put back in.  

But, I think it's helpful to remember both for our esteem and our pocketbooks, that often miracle products are far less amazing as they may seem at first.  And, if women are continually focused on being less identified by their exterior appearance, we can save on the money, time and angst some of these products cause us. 

Hello, old gelicure! Off you go! 

scores & horrors

Horror

This week's horror becomes a score...eventually. The "horror" part is breakouts. Post-holiday-food-binging and stress-induced breakouts.  I can't believe I ever thought acne would go away with age - often, it doesn't, and I'm stuck with this problem weeeeeeeeellllll after my teenage years, as are many.  

When these wonderful visitors attack my face & neck (yep, neck), I often turn to an aspirin mask.  It's effective, easy, and - best of all - cheap! 

Crush 3-4 generic aspirin (don't sub Advil, etc.) in a Ziploc bag (I usually smash them with the bottom of a bathroom cup), then mix the crushed pills in the palm of your hand with a few drops water, adding more water drops slowly until a past-consistancy is reached.  Spread the paste thinly over either entire face; or, you can target specific breakouts by gooping a heavier paste on needed areas.  Then kick back and read a book or catch up on Downton Abbey for 10-20 minute before rinsing the mask off with warm water.  

The aspirin works to reduce swelling, shrink pores, calm redness, and eliminate bacteria  - all for about 99 cents a bottle! 

Score

It was a terrible idea for my wallet to move less than a mile away from an Ulta, but being so close has lead me to expand my knowledge of brands otherwise unknown to me.  One of those was the brand NYX Cosmetics, and their retractable lip liner is a super-score for around $4-5.  I love the #10 Nude shade - it's my natural lip color, but amped up a bit, creating a neutral base that evens out skin tone and brightens the face.  It's almost undetectable, but your lips just look...better.  If you add gloss or lipstick over it, it will blend easily with most colors.  

Beautifully Simple,

Nicole @ Vanity Cosmetics

2 scores under $5 each!