My Hair is Still Shedding!!!!!

[Ediese]

My Hair is Still Shedding!!!!! PICS

How do you know when you have a problem with excessive shedding? I posted a thread about my shedding woes back in September. My hair was coming out faster than I've ever seen it. I got tired of seeing that much hair coming out of my head, so I went ahead and got a sew-in weave (might not have been a good idea). I thought by the time I took it out the shedding would stop esp. since I was taking garlic supplements everyday. That did not happen!

I think coupled with the too tight braids, I lost ALOT of hair when I took my hair out and detangled on Saturday. I think if my hair wasn't thick already, I would have a serious problem! Looking at the shed hair, it honestly looks like I should be missing hair on half of my head. Trust me I am not exaggerated. I'm really afraid to straighten to see the damage. I'm not sure what caused this. I know shedding is normal, and I'm always prepared to see all the hair that comes out when your hair is braided up for 2-3 months at a time, but this is not ordinary. I'm so irritated. I'm not sure what to do.

Has anyone else dealt with this? I'll post a pic so you guys can see. I'm sure anyone else would really be freaking out.

 

[Vanity1]

How long did you have your sew-in in? It is natural to have what may seem to be alot of shedding after you take the braids down cause the shed hair has been accumulating over time.

I don't know what it is, I been hearing a couple of people complain about shedding during the colder months, esp. myself. I guess I haven't noticed until now cause my hair has thickened alot. I just got braids myself to hide my hair till next year, but I am also curious as to what is considered normal shedding.

 

[brownelovely]

hmmmm...I'll have to stick around..I'm having the same problem and can't figure out what it is I'm doing wrong.

 

[TG2000]

I experience this 2 wks ago when I took down a full sewn in weave. I was losing clumps of hair! I would say almost a ziplock sandwich bag full of hair! No kidding! I cried in the shower thinking when is this hair gonna stop coming out? My hair is thick too and I am only waiting to see what it looks like when I get a touch up next week. It still looks thick though **shrugs**.

I think the combination of stretching and a full sewn in weave is a big NO-NO (for me)! Not sure if that is your problem. Honestly, I think it is normal for you to see alot of hair after you take out a weave. Did you detangle before you washed? I did and still had alot of shedded hair! Did you condition (on dry hair) after you detangled? I did and still lost a lot of hair! I don't think I will be getting a full-sewn in again. Sorry if I didn't help answer your questions, but I feel your pain!

ETA: The pic in my siggy is the day after I took the weave out! My roots look good, but my ends are jacked the elf up!

 

[Lucky's Mom]

I lost a ton of hair on my last wash. I have NO idea why.

So - I think that it is just a part of life.

 

[Kacie]

ITA, with hair shedding more during a particluar season. For most people that season is winter, it may not be every year, but the shedding will come. My advice is to just wait it out for a month or two. If the garlic pills aren't helping, try Queen Helene's garlic conditioner (found at any BSS). Personally, I found the concotions to be too time consuming so I just let nature take its course.

OT: Your progress inspired me try a sew-in protective style. Love your hair.

 

[faithful]

Food allergies Re: My Hair is Still Shedding!!!!!

Hi,

Sorry to hear about your shedding. I don't know if this applies to you but maybe it will help someone. My son's hair falls out when he eats something he's allergic to. At first we had no idea what the problem was and thougt it was normal but after discovering what caused other symptoms we found that his hair only sheds if either one of us eats something with wheat/gluten or corn in it. (breastfeeding) He has other allergies/sensitivites but it is the most extreeme with wheat. Depending on what I've eaten or if he ate it, we see strands of hair on the sheets same day or next few days. For him it only takes a tiny amount.

 

[Ediese]

I experience this 2 wks ago when I took down a full sewn in weave. I was losing clumps of hair! I would say almost a ziplock sandwich bag full of hair! No kidding! I cried in the shower thinking when is this hair gonna stop coming out? My hair is thick too and I am only waiting to see what it looks like when I get a touch up next week. It still looks thick though **shrugs**.

I think the combination of stretching and a full sewn in weave is a big NO-NO (for me)! Not sure if that is your problem. Honestly, I think it is normal for you to see alot of hair after you take out a weave. Did you detangle before you washed? I did and still had alot of shedded hair! Did you condition (on dry hair) after you detangled? I did and still lost a lot of hair! I don't think I will be getting a full-sewn in again. Sorry if I didn't help answer your questions, but I feel your pain!

ETA: The pic in my siggy is the day after I took the weave out! My roots look good, but my ends are jacked the elf up!

Yes, I definitely know it is normal to lose alot of hair when you take down a sew-in/braids etc. That's the shed hair that you lose since you weren't able to detangle for the length of time you had the braids/sew-in. I'm already use to that, but this was MUCH more hair that I'm use to. Trust me...I wear weaves all the time, so that's never been a problem for me. I did detangle before I washed. If I didn't, I know my hair would have loced up really bad. lol I know it's not the sew-in in my case, I'm just really having issues with shedding (this was happening before I put it in). I'm trying to figure out if it can may be hormonal problems..

 

[Ediese]

How long did you have your sew-in in? It is natural to have what may seem to be alot of shedding after you take the braids down cause the shed hair has been accumulating over time.

I don't know what it is, I been hearing a couple of people complain about shedding during the colder months, esp. myself. I guess I haven't noticed until now cause my hair has thickened alot. I just got braids myself to hide my hair till next year, but I am also curious as to what is considered normal shedding.

Yes, I know it's normal. I wear weaves all the time, so I'm use to the shedding. Usually, I wear them for 3+ months, so I already know about how much hair I can expect to see. This time, I only left it in for a little over 2 months, and this was way more hair that I have EVER seen. I noticed the excess shedding back in August, and I decided to get it weaved up in September. I guess I should have dones other measures to stop it before just hiding it. I definitely need to work on that now, before I end up with a couple strands.

 

[Ediese]

I lost a ton of hair on my last wash. I have NO idea why.

So - I think that it is just a part of life.

I think you guys will definitely think something is seriously wrong when I post the pics. That was way too much hair.

 

[Vanity1]

Yes, I definitely know it is normal to lose alot of hair when you take down a sew-in/braids etc. That's the shed hair that you lose since you weren't able to detangle for the length of time you had the braids/sew-in. I'm already use to that, but this was MUCH more hair that I'm use to. Trust me...I wear weaves all the time, so that's never been a problem for me. I did detangle before I washed. If I didn't, I know my hair would have loced up really bad. lol I know it's not the sew-in in my case, I'm just really having issues with shedding (this was happening before I put it in). I'm trying to figure out if it can may be hormonal problems..

I was thinkin the same thing with myself cause I have been very stressed out lately but I been trying to control and curb it and still have what IMO is excessive shedding. I really think it is the weather/environmental.

 

[Ediese]

ITA, with hair shedding more during a particluar season. For most people that season is winter, it may not be every year, but the shedding will come. My advice is to just wait it out for a month or two. If the garlic pills aren't helping, try Queen Helene's garlic conditioner (found at any BSS). Personally, I found the concotions to be too time consuming so I just let nature take its course.

OT: Your progress inspired me try a sew-in protective style. Love your hair.

Thanks!! I'll try that out today. At this point, I'll try anything. It's so depressing that when you think everything is going well, something that you don't have control over messes things up.

 

[TCatt86]

I know when it's cold my hair sheds alot, I don't know why. Maybe you could try a coffee or tea rinse.

 

[Ediese]

Re: Food allergies Re: My Hair is Still Shedding!!!!!

Hi,

Sorry to hear about your shedding. I don't know if this applies to you but maybe it will help someone. My son's hair falls out when he eats something he's allergic to. At first we had no idea what the problem was and thougt it was normal but after discovering what caused other symptoms we found that his hair only sheds if either one of us eats something with wheat/gluten or corn in it. (breastfeeding) He has other allergies/sensitivites but it is the most extreeme with wheat. Depending on what I've eaten or if he ate it, we see strands of hair on the sheets same day or next few days. For him it only takes a tiny amount.

Thanks for posting this! I definitely think something has changed that I haven't paid attention too, and it causing this. It's just not normal.

 

[Mo96]

Yes, I know it's normal. I wear weaves all the time, so I'm use to the shedding. Usually, I wear them for 3+ months, so I already know about how much hair I can expect to see. This time, I only left it in for a little over 2 months, and this was way more hair that I have EVER seen. I noticed the excess shedding back in August, and I decided to get it weaved up in September. I guess I should have dones other measures to stop it before just hiding it. I definitely need to work on that now, before I end up with a couple strands.

Could this be the problem? I'm no expert, but I remember reading somewhere that it's usually not a good idea to go past 8-10 weeks. I just had my install removed on 12/1, and experienced some shedding, but it wasn't too bad.

 

[crazydaze911]

what mcgs or mgs are your garlics supplements? MT was making me shed like an animal so i started taking some garlic and also putting it in my condish. still shedding like nuts. then i looked at the mgs i was taking and it was a tiny amount, so i brought a stronger dosage. im still shedding like an animal, but i think if i keep up with the stronger ones, i'll get better results in a month or so...

 

[Ediese]

Could this be the problem? I'm no expert, but I remember reading somewhere that it's usually not a good idea to go past 8-10 weeks. I just had my install removed on 12/1, and experienced some shedding, but it wasn't too bad.

Nope that's not the problem. Remember, even if I didn't wear the sew-in on average our hair sheds 50-100 strands a day. If it's braided for 3 months, it's expected that you will have a lot of shed hair. I'm use to that. The shedding that I'm talking about is much more excessive.

 

[Kookie]

I shed excessively as well.
I've noticed the increased amount of shed hairs starting about a year ago.

But then, I spoke to other people about hair: They also said that people would be "shocked" how much their hair shed....but still had healthy BSL hair.

I think I agree with Faithful's post about possibly being allergic to wheat/gluten. We could be allergic to certain foods and not even recognize it!

But to be honest--when I first started shedding more than what's consdered the "norm"--I panicked!! However, I just started paying attention to my hair. My hair is still very healthy, very thick, and still growing. Thus, I've come to accept that **my** hair now just sheds a lot more than others.

**I'll continue to monitor my progress and take notes**

 

[Ediese]

what mcgs or mgs are your garlics supplements? MT was making me shed like an animal so i started taking some garlic and also putting it in my condish. still shedding like nuts. then i looked at the mgs i was taking and it was a tiny amount, so i brought a stronger dosage. im still shedding like an animal, but i think if i keep up with the stronger ones, i'll get better results in a month or so...

It says 73.5 mg. Do you know how much on average would be a good amount?

 

[Blessed2bless]

My shedding is not good! I have taken out my braids on Saturday, I have pics on all of my shedding... I will start a thread to show the comparisons. Also, my animals are shedding like crazy in my home ... you would think that they would be bald but they are not... it's a cycle that happens every winter and summer... I wonder if we have a simular hair shedding cycle?

 

[Ediese]

I shed excessively as well.
I've noticed the increased amount of shed hairs starting about a year ago.

But then, I spoke to other people about hair: They also said that people would be "shocked" how much their hair shed....but still had healthy BSL hair.

I think I agree with Faithful's post about possibly being allergic to wheat/gluten. We could be allergic to certain foods and not even recognize it!

But to be honest--when I first started shedding more than what's consdered the "norm"--I panicked!! However, I just started paying attention to my hair. My hair is still very healthy, very thick, and still growing. Thus, I've come to accept that **my** hair now just sheds a lot more than others.

**I'll continue to monitor my progress and take notes**

Thanks for posting! I've been racking my brain trying to figure out what exactly could be causing this. I know it started back in August, when I went home to St. Croix after being gone for 7 years. That's really when I noticed that clumps were coming out every time I washed. I haven't been able to stop it either. I've also had to back to back 'near misses', and had to take the morning after pill, so that may also have been a factor. I've also been under a lot of stress. In all, it really could be a number of things.

 

[MAMATO]

My hair sheds a lot and it is still very thick, that is probably the reason: people with thick hair have much more shedding than others. My hair has been shedding badly ever since I was a little girl so I am quite used to. I have started the garlic supplements as well, so I hope that will help me a bit. About the wheat germ, I like breads but I know that there's something very wrong with my digestion everytime I eat some, so that is a good clue I think... more investigation is needed...

 

[Ediese]

My hair sheds a lot and it is still very thick, that is probably the reason: people with thick hair have much more shedding than others. My hair has been shedding badly ever since I was a little girl so I am quite used to. I have started the garlic supplements as well, so I hope that will help me a bit. About the wheat germ, I like breads but I know that there's something very wrong with my digestion everytime I eat some, so that is a good clue I think... more investigation is needed...

Thanks! Thank goodness for thick hair then! I just hope it doesn't thin out.

 

[msa]

There are a couple of things to consider. It could just be your "seasonal shed" which a lot of members talk about on here. I don't if it is true because I haven't ever had one, but that could be it.

If you've been using a growth aid of some sort it could be affecting the length of your growth phase, causing old hairs to shed so new ones can come in...but that's just a theory.

If it is truly abnormal shedding that just doesn't sit right with you, it could be your diet/health/medication. Have you changed your diet in the last 6 months? Started or stopped medication? Have you had a major illness (like the flu) or been in the hospital? Have you been really stressed in the past several months?

Shedding is a normal part of the hair growth cycle. The only times I've had abnormal shedding was after coming off steroid medication and when I've been in the hospital.

 

[1QTPie]

I would honestly go the extreme route and see an endocrinologist to get my hormone levels checked. If you've had excessive shedding since September (regardless of weather) it's time to make sure that you are healthy. Hair loss is one of the first signs that something isn't right.

Go get your hormones and blood checked.

I shed a lot in the winter too but that's a lot of hair.

 

[Ediese]

There are a couple of things to consider. It could just be your "seasonal shed" which a lot of members talk about on here. I don't if it is true because I haven't ever had one, but that could be it.

If you've been using a growth aid of some sort it could be affecting the length of your growth phase, causing old hairs to shed so new ones can come in...but that's just a theory.

If it is truly abnormal shedding that just doesn't sit right with you, it could be your diet/health/medication. Have you changed your diet in the last 6 months? Started or stopped medication? Have you had a major illness (like the flu) or been in the hospital? Have you been really stressed in the past several months?

Shedding is a normal part of the hair growth cycle. The only times I've had abnormal shedding was after coming off steroid medication and when I've been in the hospital.

You're right it could be a large number of things. I actually did change my diet in preparation to my trip back home. I took two strong hormonal pills within 2 weeks of each other, and I have definitely been really stressed. Hopefully, I can get to the exact cause of this sooner rather than later. Thanks!

 

[Ediese]

I would honestly go the extreme route and see an endocrinologist to get my hormone levels checked. If you've had excessive shedding since September (regardless of weather) it's time to make sure that you are healthy. Hair loss is one of the first signs that something isn't right.

Go get your hormones and blood checked.

I shed a lot in the winter too but that's a lot of hair.

I'm definitely going to do this. I know I wasn't exaggerating when I talked about the amount of hair. This is just not normal for me.

 

[JuicesN'Berries]

I'm having a major shedding problem too...I'm on the verge of just accepting it.....

I'm gonna try a coffee rinseto curb my shedding ...OP I will let you know how this works for me....