Getting Started With Female Hair Loss

[wealthofwisdom]

Hi Everybody. This is my 2nd post. I'm posting this in the "hair loss" thread rather than the "female issues" thread, since I want input from everybody (and I think both male and female hair loss should be discussed in the main hair loss thread).

My main "issues" are energy/mood/adrenal fatigue and hair loss. I've been shedding a LOT lately, and I've also been experiencing intermittent symptoms of adrenal fatigue. I'm sure they're related, but In this post I'll just ask about getting started with combating hair loss as a woman.

Questions:
1) What's a good way to get started with addressing female hair loss?
2) I purchased a lot of the supplements I've seen recommended: DHEA, pregnenolone, vitamin 3.. but in oral form. Now I'm reading that it might be better to use hormones/supplements on the skin instead? If so, what are the top supplements & brands I should be using topically?
3) Aside from topical supplements, what supplements should I be using internally?
4) What else should I be doing / changing to combat hair loss as a woman?

About me:
- late 30s
- slim (5'6", 120 lb)
- get sunlight regularly (tennis outdoors 4-5x/week) though I always wear sunscreen (as a fair skinned person in the southwest, this is necessary)
-resting heart rate of 60 bpm. don't know temps yet.
- I do get cold easily, but I've always assumed it's due to being thin.
- have been told I have low blood pressure, anemia, and hypoglycemia (was told that in my childhood by various doctors, not sure if it's true - except for low blood pressure. I know that is true. I just don't remember the exact number)
- I actually have pretty good indicators on all levels except for sleep/energy/mood and hair loss. (skin, nails, bm regularity, libido, digestion - all pretty optimal)

"Issues"
My biggest non-optimal health indicators are:
-- Hair shedding (it's always been thin and now it's been shedding A LOT for the past few months)
-- Pretty bad PMS for my entire life (emotional mood swings and depression for a week or so before period) Through meditation and mental work this is getting better, but I would like to also address it through my diet.
-- Adrenal fatigue-like symptoms that come and go. Last week I had major adrenal fatigue symptoms where I would fall back asleep during the day for 4+hours, completely exhausted unable to get things done. Before that for a few months I had really weird sleep patterns - sleeping at 12-1am, waking up at 4 am. I go through periods of only sleeping 4 hours / night, even though when I am "normal" I usually require 7-8hrs/night. This week I feel OK...but in short my sleep and energy cycle is obviously not optimal. I think something is up with my adrenal / thyroid / stress hormones.

Diet
- My diet is a typically standard "healthy" diet (which may or may not be considered healthy by this forum). A very typical day:
-- coffee + coconut milk in morning - 2 cups
-- typical breakfast: eggs + sausage + cheese + spinach scramble
-- typical lunch: salad (lettuce, carrots, celery, cucumbers) + chicken / hamburger on gluten free bun / baked chicken legs
-- typical dinner: beef tacos (home made with soft shell corn tortillas)/ rice spaghetti + meatballs for dinner
--typical snacks: celery + peanut butter / apples + cheese / banana + protein powder + collagen powder + full fat plain yogurt + coconut milk smoothie
-- typical daily calories: probably 1200 or less (I have a naturally low appetite and am definitely an under-eater. I have a hard time eating what is supposedly more than 1200 calories/day)

Other considerations:
-- I have stress due to being self-employed. I"m sure that this is a factor to my adrenal health.
-- Am not on birth control and never have been (except for a few months in my mid-twenties. I couldn't stand it so I got off it immediately)
-- Have never been pregnant

Thanks for your help and insight!

 

[taralynne]

Unfortunately, I don't have a lot to offer but I have had issues with hair shedding/loss as well & I can tell you a little bit of what worked for me. My hair started shedding when I was low calorie (1300-1500 most days with some intermittent binging and an allowance to eat a little more on the weekends), high fat & low carb. The hair shedding stopped when I switched to this WOE & I increased my calories substantially, although, what I have lost has yet to grow back but at least it is not getting worse. I also have had low blood pressure pretty much my entire life which I'm pretty sure is related to low thyroid which slows a lot of things down. I think the first place to start would be to start SLOWLY (I can't emphasize this enough) increasing calories as your body is not getting enough fuel right now to support all of the things it needs to do to keep you healthy. Hair, skin, nails are some of the first things to go when the body does not have enough fuel as it has to prioritize which functions in the body to keep going and your heart & brain are more important for survival than your hair. That being said, I would recommend that you increase calories very slowly... don't do what I did which was to change almost everything overnight which is a huge shock to the system and resulted in a big increase in weight which I did not want or need. Also, stay away from PUFA as much as possible.

 

[wealthofwisdom]

Unfortunately, I don't have a lot to offer but I have had issues with hair shedding/loss as well & I can tell you a little bit of what worked for me. My hair started shedding when I was low calorie (1300-1500 most days with some intermittent binging and an allowance to eat a little more on the weekends), high fat & low carb. The hair shedding stopped when I switched to this WOE & I increased my calories substantially, although, what I have lost has yet to grow back but at least it is not getting worse. I also have had low blood pressure pretty much my entire life which I'm pretty sure is related to low thyroid which slows a lot of things down. I think the first place to start would be to start SLOWLY (I can't emphasize this enough) increasing calories as your body is not getting enough fuel right now to support all of the things it needs to do to keep you healthy. Hair, skin, nails are some of the first things to go when the body does not have enough fuel as it has to prioritize which functions in the body to keep going and your heart & brain are more important for survival than your hair. That being said, I would recommend that you increase calories very slowly... don't do what I did which was to change almost everything overnight which is a huge shock to the system and resulted in a big increase in weight which I did not want or need. Also, stay away from PUFA as much as possible.

Thank you Taralynne, I appreciate the advice. Especially since we share(d) many similar circumstances. As far as PUFAs go, did you also avoid avocados? I seem to see conflicting advice around that.

I honestly find it extremely hard to eat over 1500 calories per day. The way I'm doing it now is by "cheating" and adding ice cream every day, but I don't really want that to be a long term solution. I do think I under eat, but I also think people must have different calorie requirements. I don't think I've ever been one to eat 2000+ calories / day. That said, maybe that's why my hair has been thin my entire life. (...But now I wonder: Why have my nails always been so strong and healthy and fast growing???.. It's a mystery to me)

 

[wealthofwisdom]

To be clear, I don't eat a lot because I don't get that hungry. I never deny myself when I am hungry. Never. At most what I do is just forget to eat, and then realize I am starving afterwards. This comes from being a self employed entrepreneur with a million and one things going on.

 

[taralynne]

I use to eat 4-5 avocados per week. I'd put them on salads, on burgers or in smoothies. I loved avocados and still do but I don't eat them anywhere near as often as I once did. I still may buy one every few months or so and I certainly would never turn down fresh guac but they are no longer a staple in my diet. I also have been known to still eat chocolate covered almonds from time to time. I think whole foods even if they contain some PUFA are far better than vegetable oils which I have not used for cooking at home for several years. That being said I try not to base my diet around them.

I always ate when I was hungry too but I never really got that hungry and never really ate that much as a rule but there were times I would crave sweets so badly that I would eat way too much of them. It was a constant cycle of not eating a lot of food and then not being able to control myself around sugary foods. Now, I eat quite a bit more, and I also am hungry for more food than I was before. I have gained a considerable amount of weight though which I can not seem to lose so that is definitely not a good thing but my hair is no longer shedding, I no longer have the urge to binge, & longstanding fairly severe eczema has completely resolved among other things that have also improved., Not being hungry is a sign of a poor metabolism so I think if you are not really hungry for more than 1500 calories a day it is likely your metabolism is not in the best of shape which also the hair loss would likely indicate. In order to combat the hair loss I would try to slowly increase calories but just be aware that increasing calories, even if it is something your body needs, can result in weight gain for someone with a poor metabolism.

 

[Estradiol]

Try dissolving Niacinamide, Caffeine and Magnesium Chloride. All these are dissolves in water. Cheap and safe way to make a topical.

Oral Taurine also helps hair loss as I can see.

 

[danishispsychic]

prob would help to get a saliva hormone panel to see where you are at . there is a product called cocoa locks that really helps grow hair - or it did for me.

 

[wealthofwisdom]

prob would help to get a saliva hormone panel to see where you are at . there is a product called cocoa locks that really helps grow hair - or it did for me.

Thanks. I've been trying to figure out what tests to get. Already I know I probably need a saliva cortisol test. I'm sure I need to get all of my hormones tested too. I'll look up cocoa locks.

 

[wealthofwisdom]

Not being hungry is a sign of a poor metabolism so I think if you are not really hungry for more than 1500 calories a day it is likely your metabolism is not in the best of shape which also the hair loss would likely indicate.

This is something I've been worried about...

 

[wealthofwisdom]

Try dissolving Niacinamide, Caffeine and Magnesium Chloride. All these are dissolves in water. Cheap and safe way to make a topical.

Oral Taurine also helps hair loss as I can see.

Thanks. Have you tried this yourself and seen results?

 

[Estradiol]

Thanks. Have you tried this yourself and seen results?

Yes, topical caffeine is instant hair loss stopper for me.

Magnesium relaxes scalp muscles.

Niacinamide for oiliness.

 

[taralynne]

This is something I've been worried about...

Another thought in regard to increasing calories- keep fat lowish as high fat high carb can be a disaster as far as potential weight gain goes. I ignored this when I started because I could not get on board with how eating food in an altered state could possibly be good for me. Like you, I was all about the avocados and nut butters before I transitioned my diet so I drank full fat raw milk and ate full fat Greek yogurt among many other things for far too long. Over 2 years and many pounds later that is my one regret- that I did not heed the advice to not go all in with high fat and high carb. Of course, this is how it went for me and it could be completely different for you. Just food for thought.

 

[wealthofwisdom]

Yes, topical caffeine is instant hair loss stopper for me.

Magnesium relaxes scalp muscles.

Niacinamide for oiliness.

Wow, thanks for the info. Can I ask if you are male or female? Do you use this solution every day?

 

[wealthofwisdom]

Another thought in regard to increasing calories- keep fat lowish as high fat high carb can be a disaster as far as potential weight gain goes. I ignored this when I started because I could not get on board with how eating food in an altered state could possibly be good for me. Like you, I was all about the avocados and nut butters before I transitioned my diet so I drank full fat raw milk and ate full fat Greek yogurt among many other things for far too long. Over 2 years and many pounds later that is my one regret- that I did not heed the advice to not go all in with high fat and high carb. Of course, this is how it went for me and it could be completely different for you. Just food for thought.

Thanks for the tip. I personally quite dislike any low fat dairy product (milk, cheese, yogurt) so my instinct says to stay away from that. I can definitely give up nut butters and avocados.

 

[Estradiol]

Wow, thanks for the info. Can I ask if you are male or female? Do you use this solution every day?

I'm a male.

I'm out of it right now. It's safe to use everyday since it's just a vitamin/mineral combination.

You can search another water-soluble vitamin/minerals/substances and add it. This is just a simple combination.

 

[wealthofwisdom]

This reminds me of another topical solution I've read is good for hair growth:

(PDF) The Effect of Methylsulfonylmethane on Hair Growth Promotion of Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate for the Treatment of Alopecia

So now these are on my list of topicals...

• MSM
• MAP (Magnesium ascorbyl phosphate is a form of vitamin C that is considered stable and an effective antioxidant for skin.)
• topical caffeine
• Magnesium
• Niacinamide

 

[Estradiol]

This reminds me of another topical solution I've read is good for hair growth:

(PDF) The Effect of Methylsulfonylmethane on Hair Growth Promotion of Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate for the Treatment of Alopecia

So now these are on my list of topicals...

• MSM
• MAP (Magnesium ascorbyl phosphate is a form of vitamin C that is considered stable and an effective antioxidant for skin.)
• topical caffeine
• Magnesium
• Niacinamide

Do you have sebum/oil problem?

I remember Zinc Picolinate and Selenium dissolved in Ethanol greatly reduced my sebum.

I always try lot of topical combinations myself. Drugs, vitamins, minerals, name it..

 

[wealthofwisdom]

Do you have sebum/oil problem?

Actually that has never really been my problem. I mean my hair gets normally oily if I don't wash it, but it's never felt excessive. My issues have been thin hair, and now shedding hair.

 

[DhtAssassin]

This reminds me of another topical solution I've read is good for hair growth:

(PDF) The Effect of Methylsulfonylmethane on Hair Growth Promotion of Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate for the Treatment of Alopecia

So now these are on my list of topicals...

• MSM
• MAP (Magnesium ascorbyl phosphate is a form of vitamin C that is considered stable and an effective antioxidant for skin.)
• topical caffeine
• Magnesium
• Niacinamide

Is there even a single study for MSM? Seems like a waste of money to me.

 

[Tash]

Heya

Similar back story to you. Crazy hair shedding, really freaked me out was a genuine ordeal...
Now my hair no longer sheds excessively, pretty delighted to have a thicker ponytail girth return and texture is silkier, l feel so much more feminine and appreciative of my hair so hope the following helps assure you.

Protocols are: increased salt, freshly squeezed oj every single day, cyproheptadine, aspirin (which I suspect was the game changer), cascara Sagrada, charcoal tablets, lots of strong milky coffee, liver, gelatine, topical progesterone, and last but definitely not least - breathing to increase carbon dioxide. I also embrace sunbathing and keep my skin bare of toxic sunblock but I use Haidut's solban which my skin seems to love.

Before this, I wasted literally thousands of pounds on supplements, topicals and treatments and if anything the hair reduction worsened. I suspect that I've been in an unmitigated state of estrogen dominance since my teens.

I also avoid strenuous cardio and pufa even avocado and salmon which I miss very much but you know, few things I would miss more than my beloved locks of hair.

Nothing I've said here is new to this forum but I hope it offers some encouragement for your health journey ?