***!!! ~ I'm a Survivor ~ !!! ***

[coyacoy]

hi @chicha - thank the good GL above, using the sulfur has helped to fill in the balding spots in the front:notworthy. the lighting in the last pic may not have done it justice, cuz while the front is thinner than the rest of my hair the bald spots have filled in completely - halle-lu! my point in mentioning this is to say that the sulfur has worked miracles. it is seriously the business. if you get a minute, check out my photo albums for a better look at progress using sulfur. hth

@coyacoy
You scalp looks like mines. Especially the 1st pic at the middle of the hairline where it is thinning and looks see through. Also the balding spots in the other areas of the scalp. I have those. They are just not as apparent since you are natural.

I've reduced my shedding dramatically! Thank my sweet Jesus for that because I was losing hair at an alarming rate. Wish Id found my help years earlier I'd be alot less bald.

Now Im seeking something that will regrow my hair or activate the follicles in those bald spots. I'm trying Nioxin and I thought it was doing this but no the bald spots are still bald or thin.

Let me know if you find something that works for this.

 

[chicha]

coyacoy This is the first thing I've heard to fill in bald spots! Hallelujah!!!

The only way it will work for me is if you have dht related hair loss. The female version of male pattern baldness. Thinning all over. Extra thinning at the temples, sometimes crown and the top of the head on hte back (the spot that most balding men have thats usually bald in the back).

If so, then we have the same thing and the sulfur will work for me.

If you will, where did you get the sulfur from? How did you use it? If you have what I have, I'm so on this! Thanks so much

hi @chicha - thank the good GL above, using the sulfur has helped to fill in the balding spots in the front:notworthy. the lighting in the last pic may not have done it justice, cuz while the front is thinner than the rest of my hair the bald spots have filled in completely - halle-lu! my point in mentioning this is to say that the sulfur has worked miracles. it is seriously the business. if you get a minute, check out my photo albums for a better look at progress using sulfur. hth

 

[coyacoy]

well, i never really had the hair loss diagnosed by other than myself which i attributed to traction alopecia, so unfortunately, i can't say with certainty one way or another re: dht related hair loss in my case - sorry! i can offer, though, that while using the sulfur i also took MSM and liquid biosil, which is a DHT blocker. you can find them all (sublimed sulfur powder, liquid biosil, MSM) on vitacost.com. i mixed 1 heaping tsp of sublimed sulfur powder with 8 oz of JBCO and pumpkin oil (you can use whichever oils you prefer) and applied 3 - 5 time a week with one co-wash midstream. after several months of using and just washing once a week, it was getting a little drying so i started cowashing mid week so to prevent build up...the sulfur can get a little drying so just make sure you have a good moisture reggie. check out the sulfur challenge thread on this site and you will see that the ladies have had AMAZING progress and growth. good luck!!

@coyacoy This is the first thing I've heard to fill in bald spots! Hallelujah!!!

The only way it will work for me is if you have dht related hair loss. The female version of male pattern baldness. Thinning all over. Extra thinning at the temples, sometimes crown and the top of the head on hte back (the spot that most balding men have thats usually bald in the back).

If so, then we have the same thing and the sulfur will work for me.

If you will, where did you get the sulfur from? How did you use it? If you have what I have, I'm so on this! Thanks so much

 

[Truth]

Haven't survived yet! just lurking this thread for ideas on what to do. I noticed a rather noticable bald spot in the front of my head about a week ago. I was always told by my braider that one side of my head was considerably thin. I never paid it any mind because I couldn't visibly see where she was talking about. I've also discovered that what i've bee thinking was just the parting of my hair(you know when you keep your hair parted one way for so long it kinda takes on that part?) is actually my hair thinning on the crown of my head My scalp has been on fire lately, itching (it's never itched this much before) tingling, getting extremely irritated and tight and warm...It started doing that in the winter time, however once again, I kept a wig on my head majority of the winter so I thought it was due to the wig causing friction.... sighs..i've been searching for days... I have no clue what to do with my hair in terms of styles I was trying to wash it more often (my hair is saying hell no i dont like this anymore) but ..eh..that has to stop ..so i'm findin it difficult to style because of how tender my scalp gets. My Dermatologist appt isn't until July 27 but I want to start something before then to at least ease my mind, because stressing wont help. I currently just massage with castor oil... Thanks for the help and inspiration ladies!

 

[Nonie]

Truth, massage, massage, massage! Do not just slide fingers over the skin but really move that scalp over you skull. Think of it as encouraging circulation to bring good nutrients to your follicles. Also pay attention to your diet and avoid junk (sugar, white flour, dairy, etc). Let whatever you put into your mouth be something useful to your body. And keep a positive mental attitude.

Whenever someone has an itching or tender scalp, they either get excited coz they believe it means their hair is growing, or they scratch it like crazy, or they don't touch it at all. I say all those are wrong. Instead, knead/massage with finger tips.

This link may have some useful information to you and anyone dealing with hair loss: http://www.add-hair.com/hair-loss-causes.htm

 

[Truth]

Truth, massage, massage, massage! Do not just slide fingers over the skin but really move that scalp over you skull. Think of it as encouraging circulation to bring good nutrients to your follicles. Also pay attention to your diet and avoid junk (sugar, white flour, dairy, etc). Let whatever you put into your mouth be something useful to your body. And keep a positive mental attitude.

Whenever someone has an itching or tender scalp, they either get excited coz they believe it means their hair is growing, or they scratch it like crazy, or they don't touch it at all. I say all those are wrong. Instead, knead/massage with finger tips.

This link may have some useful information to you and anyone dealing with hair loss: http://www.add-hair.com/hair-loss-causes.htm

Thanks Nonie!

 

[manter26]

For those that grew back shiny bald patches...what was the hair like when it grew in? I think my spot was clean bald since last November and I finally have a few sprouts. The hair feels like a newborns though, very soft and very straight...kinda like my sideburns. Anyone else have hair that feels different?

 

[SimplyBlessed]

manter26

What r u doing to get growth?

Sent from my HTC Glacier using HTC Glacier

 

[manter26]

manter26

What r u doing to get growth?

Sent from my HTC Glacier using HTC Glacier

I don't know if it was just time and it finally grew back on its own or if it was something specific that I did. I kinda gave up after 6 months of being bald and getting more bald. The spot had grown to about the size of two thumb nails. I guess it started from a combo of hair color (Garnier is the devil) and stress.

To answer your questions, I did nothing consistently. Since I discovered the spot, I probably did each of these things 3 or so times... MN, water, conditioner mix; Megatek and water mix; EVOO and cayenne pepper; tea tree oil. I would get fed up and quit then get excited about something else and quit...

I think it was less what I did and more my body is getting back to normal.

 

[blackberry815]

For those that grew back shiny bald patches...what was the hair like when it grew in? I think my spot was clean bald since last November and I finally have a few sprouts. The hair feels like a newborns though, very soft and very straight...kinda like my sideburns. Anyone else have hair that feels different?

I didnt think you could grow back shiney bald patches... There is hope for me then.. ive started using minoval on my bald spot and its looking balder..

Sent from my ADR6400L

 

[Truth]

For those that grew back shiny bald patches...what was the hair like when it grew in? I think my spot was clean bald since last November and I finally have a few sprouts. The hair feels like a newborns though, very soft and very straight...kinda like my sideburns. Anyone else have hair that feels different?

My bald spot in the front is growing back! I started seeing little sprouts of hair before my derm appt. Now I have a little peach fuzz in that spot and it feels baby soft. I'm beyond happy about that one spot.

My update..
My derm said the bald spot was alopecia aretata.... which I figured. But my hair is thinning on the top and suggest female pattern baldness is somewhere in the family. She's not gonna do anything about it yet(too young to be put on rogaine just yet) she just wants me to keep check and see if it turns around..me being a true LHCF'er ..I'm on it for ways I can curb it before it gets bad. I'm already looking into dht blockers .....

Questions how often do you ladies cowash ? I found that frequent cowashing usually helps thicken my hair...however I'm skeptical about doing this. I only wash my hair once a week now...but I'm wondering if going back to my old 2-3xs a week cowash schedule could help.
Sent from my SGH-T839 using SGH-T839

 

[LynnieB]

I didnt think you could grow back shiney bald patches... There is hope for me then.. ive started using minoval on my bald spot and its looking balder..

Sent from my ADR6400L

I used to have pics in my lhcf album but some lhcf member reported it as pornographic without reading the description (yea, still royally po'd about it).

Here's a link to my Fotki Album. I documented everything in the hopes that it would help encourage another woman going through this.: http://public.fotki.com/IsItOnlyHair/alopecia/alopecia-areata/

I didn't begin to notice my bald patch until it was the size of a dime. From then on, I watched as it grew to the size of a silver dollar . To add to that, I later found another patch AFTER the original patch start growing in.

Shiny, bald as a cueball and just horrible.

But it did grow back. First there were very fine vellum hairs (peach fuzz) and then the hair grew in and looked like the hair of a newborn baby, fine and perfectly straight. A few months after that, it kept growing and began to change into normal hair. Derm diagnosed it and prescribed steroid creams and foam. I also tried some homeopathic remedies but even now, I'm not sure what actually worked.

Don't give up. Sometimes alopecia aerata has to be allowed to run it's course as difficult as that sounds. It's an autoimmune problem and the trigger is difficult to diagnose, stress & allergy sensitivities can all be triggers. The hair falling out sometimes is a delayed reaction from something up to 3 months in the past!!

Anyway, hang in there, be as patient as you can and try to control stress (yea I know it's hard but I have to say it).

{{hugs}}

 

[Ebony Majesty]

In 2007, I had a bald patchin the middle of my head due to stress. Took ages to grow back, then it fel out again in the exact same spot and was bigger!

It's grown back now. The best thing for me was keeping the area free of products and massaging with oil once or twice a week.

Sent from my Desire HD

 

[Ebony Majesty]

Forgot to add minimising tension in that area

Sent from my Desire HD using Desire HD

 

[coyacoy]

hi ladies! it's been awhile since i've checked in - how is everyone doing? well i certainly hope! i am still using sulfur and in the 2011 challenge - i've been using henna every month for the past 6 months and believe that it is helping to thicken my strands as much as can be expected i am grateful for the progress i've made so far and i'm wishing for continued progress for us all no matter where we are at on our journey. blessings to you all!

updated pic below of twist out semi fail - will be using a twisting cream next time to help define the crinkles for sho'!

 

[coyacoy]

updates and bumping.....where is everybody!?

 

[sheanu]

I posted this in my own thread but decided to bring it here. I know I will survive but starting this journey has been really horrific and I'm about ready to cut it all off...

Have any of you ladies ever had long-term scalp damage and were able to get a healthy scalp? Here's some background on my issue:

I've been an extremely slow grower since childhood but I think that is the result of getting my first perm at age 1 . My aunt (who at the time was 16) was an "aspiring cosmetologist" and decided that she couldn't resist perming an available head of hair. My parents said that before she permed my hair, it was full and thick (even at that young age my twa is thicker and longer than my hair has been at most periods in my life!). My mum tried many methods to get my hair to grow but nothing worked well and my hair was always short, fragile and fine. Eventually she just started perming it to make it easier on herself (at around age 8 probably) and that made breakage and scalp burns a problem.

Once I started taking care of my own hair, I put in a series of braids that further damaged my already temperamental scalp, meaning that my edges were (and still sort of are) gone. Finally, I decided back in 2008 that since perms didn't seem to be working out for my hair, why not go natural? And I was for about 8 months before I decided to follow my mother's advice and do a short "Halle Berry" style. This was the worst possible decision I'd ever made for my hair. This short style meant that I permed my hair every month and got it styled every two weeks on the dot to maintain it. I also made the foolish mistake of getting color rinses on the same day as the perms. I never let a permanent color touch my head because I knew that my scalp just couldn't take it and my stylist assured me that a rinse and perm on the same day would be ok (all pre-LHCF) Talk about breakage! I would have probably noticed it more if my stylist wasn't trimming every month to maintain a style. What I did notice was that my scalp was JACKED UP! My edges, which were starting to grow back after the time I was natural, are just about gone and my scalp is still recovering . I had my last perm in Dec. '11 and I'm pretty sure that after joining LHCF, I'm never going back.

I'm trying to be patient because I know that everything takes time but I just don't know what to do now to get my scalp healthy. I'm not even sure I can say "back to normal" because given my scalp's history, I don't think it's ever really been healthy. I'm putting a lot of work into finding some kind of solution because I'm getting married next year and would like to at least be able to wear my own hair in some kind of style instead of the wig I've been using for the past few months. I'm trying twists now under the wig and daily spritzing with a mixture of nettle tea, 6'n1 moisturizer (anyone else used this?), aloe vera gel, and castor oil mixed with some essential oils and sealing with shea butter. I've also been washing with an all natural aloe and vitamin e soap bar to avoid sulfates. I also tried cowashing but I got the worst buildup ever. So far I can't really tell if it's truly helping with the condition of my scalp because it still itches frequently and the hair on my edges sometimes drops out with a white bulb still attached.
Can anyone offer advice? And sorry the post is so long lol . Thanks ladies!
If you need me to post my "regiment" or anything else let me know!

 

[abcd09]

bumping!!!

 

[lushcoils]

How are you ladies keeping the little hairs that have grown/remain in the healing spots moisturized (so that it retains length) without leaving the surrounding scalp irritated from product?

 

[Second2None]

Bumping thread

 

[manter26]

Update on this. I guess my hair fell out November 2010 in several areas (from hair color and stress made it worse).

For those that grew back shiny bald patches...what was the hair like when it grew in? I think my spot was clean bald since last November and I finally have a few sprouts. The hair feels like a newborns though, very soft and very straight...kinda like my sideburns. Anyone else have hair that feels different?

post from July 2011 below

I don't know if it was just time and it finally grew back on its own or if it was something specific that I did. I kinda gave up after 6 months of being bald and getting more bald. The spot had grown to about the size of two thumb nails. I guess it started from a combo of hair color (Garnier is the devil) and stress.

To answer your questions, I did nothing consistently. Since I discovered the spot, I probably did each of these things 3 or so times... MN, water, conditioner mix; Megatek and water mix; EVOO and cayenne pepper; tea tree oil. I would get fed up and quit then get excited about something else and quit...

I think it was less what I did and more my body is getting back to normal.

I'll post a pic from my phone of where it was about Feb 2011. I now have maybe 4" of hair there. I can't tell exactly because I'm in mini braids but it grew in completely. It just took FOREVER. My hair texture went back kinky after the 1st inch or so. I trimmed that tuft a lot too because it had knots in it and it didn't play nice with the rest of my hair.

click to enlarge pics. 1st one was how I found it, looked like one of my mini braids were yanked clean from my head.

View attachment 167769

in this pic it was slightly larger. it got worse before it got better.

View attachment 167771

 

[lamaria211]

Trich made me pull a 1/2 dollar sized baldspot in 09 it was clean like the palm of my hand it took 2 years to start growing back its about 4" now

 

[daviine]

I am by no means a survivor but I'm posting here because I don't want to be alone in my journey. I had a scalp biopsy done last week and I will most likely find out the results at the end of next week. My dermatologist thinks I have either scarring alopecia (CCCA) or androgenetic alopecia (female pattern baldness). Either way, I feel like I'm screwed. I've been reading for days and I'm seeing people grow back hair from traction alopecia, alopecia areata, and other scalp trauma but I'm just not seeing the success stories for CCCA or androgenetic alopecia. It's disheartening.

I'm going to hold on to the hair I do have and brace myself for my upcoming battle/journey. Thanks for this thread.

 

[chassiecrane]

I am by no means a survivor but I'm posting here because I don't want to be alone in my journey. I had a scalp biopsy done last week and I will most likely find out the results at the end of next week. My dermatologist thinks I have either scarring alopecia (CCCA) or androgenetic alopecia (female pattern baldness). Either way, I feel like I'm screwed. I've been reading for days and I'm seeing people grow back hair from traction alopecia, alopecia areata, and other scalp trauma but I'm just not seeing the success stories for CCCA or androgenetic alopecia. It's disheartening.

I'm going to hold on to the hair I do have and brace myself for my upcoming battle/journey. Thanks for this thread.

Hi, I'm a newbie here, but I'm a PCOS sufferer and, as a result, have dealt with hair loss on my hairline. I've seen people recover from the hair loss. It takes a lot of work, but it's possible. The best things that ever happened to me for my hair loss were Nizoral 2% and Spiro, both from my dermatologist. Good luck and I hope everything works out!

 

[weavesimi]

I am by no means a survivor but I'm posting here because I don't want to be alone in my journey. I had a scalp biopsy done last week and I will most likely find out the results at the end of next week. My dermatologist thinks I have either scarring alopecia (CCCA) or androgenetic alopecia (female pattern baldness). Either way, I feel like I'm screwed. I've been reading for days and I'm seeing people grow back hair from traction alopecia, alopecia areata, and other scalp trauma but I'm just not seeing the success stories for CCCA or androgenetic alopecia. It's disheartening.

I'm going to hold on to the hair I do have and brace myself for my upcoming battle/journey. Thanks for this thread.

Hi Daviine I know exactly how you feel! I was recently diagnosed with CCCA alopecia and the doc says I may see some regrowth but, it will never look "normal" again. BTW he did not do a scalp biopsy he just examined it and made the diagnosis. I have also been searching for people that have recovered from this but, so far no luck! I hope we can both regrow our hair eventually..... Good luck!

 

[Seamonster]

I am surviving areata. My hair falls out if I get sick, trauma, stress. I have had a full head of hair for 6 months and I am grateful for every strand.

 

[daviine]

Hi, I'm a newbie here, but I'm a PCOS sufferer and, as a result, have dealt with hair loss on my hairline. I've seen people recover from the hair loss. It takes a lot of work, but it's possible. The best things that ever happened to me for my hair loss were Nizoral 2% and Spiro, both from my dermatologist. Good luck and I hope everything works out!

Thanks @chassiecrane. I hope everything works out too!

Hi Daviine I know exactly how you feel! I was recently diagnosed with CCCA alopecia and the doc says I may see some regrowth but, it will never look "normal" again. BTW he did not do a scalp biopsy he just examined it and made the diagnosis. I have also been searching for people that have recovered from this but, so far no luck! I hope we can both regrow our hair eventually..... Good luck!

@weavesimi

Thanks for posting. I'm all over the place with this. I try not to post about it anywhere because I feel like I'd be bringing the thread down...like a "Debbie Downer" or something. I do have some positive days but I never really get around to posting on those days. It doesn't even feel right to post in this thread since most of the posts are positive. But I figure if anyone has an inkling of how I'm feeling, it has to be the ladies in this thread. I've been trying to lurk in the Health Forum to find something else to distract me. It's been working so far. It'll probably all fall apart when I go to the dermatologist on Thursday. I'm getting my stitches removed from the biopsy and I should have my diagnosis by then. I'll update you with my diagnosis and my treatment plan, if there is one.

I would ask the dermatologist why he didn't do a biopsy and how is he certain that it isn't another type of alopecia. I'd try to ask in the most nonthreatening way possible. Does he have a treatment plan for you by the way?

 

[daviine]

I went to the dermatologist today to get my stitches removed and to get the results of my biopsy. I have female pattern baldness aka androgenic (androgenetic) alopecia.

I told the derm that doing nothing wasn't an option so she prescribed a compound of finasteride and rogaine. Now that I'm home, I'm thinking I should have asked for more time to research my options. Once I go down that road, I feel like there's no turning back. I have the rest of my life to take those drugs...erplexed

Off to research.....

ETA: Androgenetic/androgenic alopecia is commonly otherwise known as male pattern baldness but can also affect women. When it affects women, it is referred to as female pattern baldness. On some websites it's referred to as both, but on other sites, it is only referred to as male pattern baldness.

 

[Nonie]

I went to the dermatologist today to get my stitches removed and to get the results of my biopsy. I have female pattern baldness aka androgenic (androgenetic) alopecia.

I told the derm that doing nothing wasn't an option so she prescribed a compound of finasteride and rogaine. Now that I'm home, I'm thinking I should have asked for more time to research my options. Once I go down that road, I feel like there's no turning back. I have the rest of my life to take those drugs...erplexed

Off to research.....

Well @daviine, male pattern alopecia (androgenetic alopecia) is one of the conditions that's been treated by the concoction I shared earlier in this thread that treated my own alopecia. So if you don't want to be sentenced to a lifetime of drugs, you could try it. It has helped a few of us, including @vickid whose alopecia had been going on for a couple of years and she'd even tried cortisone shots before switching to this. I'm a believer in natural remedies. They may work slowly but their solutions last. So I suggest giving this a try. (If you don't feel like reading through the whole thread to find my post, here's a link to another discussion where studies on the concoction and results on some guy are posted. I do share my story there too: http://healthyskin.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/1990018252/m/9170088235)

 

[Marand13]

This is a great thread! I just got finished reading and wanted to share my story.

It seems like every few years I go through this.

The first time was due to birth control(depo & the ring). My hair began to thin out like crazy. At the time I attributed it to my relaxer so I grew it out and ended up going natural. This was the very beginning of my healthy hair journey.

The second time I had grew my hair to MBL for the first time in my life!! Around the same time I decided I wanted to have Mirena installed. The second this was put in, my hair began to fall out in clumps daily! After a year I had Mirena removed and over a few months, I chopped my MBL hair down to 4".

The third time, this year I grew my hair to BSL and this time I did 2 BKT treatments 3 months apart and used MN a few months after that. I think that I either I had an allergic reaction to the BKT and that caused my hair to fall out yet again. Or the MN didnt sit well with me. I am still not completely sure but I am sure that the BKT also cause my hair to break really bad in addition to what made my hair shed.
I have used MN successfully in the past and this is why I am not completely sure.

So, I am taking vits consistently since the beginning of the year and now using coffee and sulfur oil on my scalp and I have a ton of baby hairs growing back in again. I also find that doing cleanses every now and then and exercising regularly really helps as well.

I am taking a multi, biotin, msm, iron, and epo. These along with a b complex silica and pantothenic acid have helped me tremendously because it usually takes over a year for me to see the baby hairs coming back in.

My baby hairs are very fine and straight and eventually curl up and thicken like the rest of my hair.

I am debating on shaving my head clean just so I can have a fresh start and not worry so much about the shedding. Also, because I have never done it before. At the same time, I want to keep the hair just to see how it will react my treatments. I know now that my hair does not like BKTs and birth control of any kind.

But even though I hate that I go through this every few years I am thankful to be able to reach my hair goals and also to know that if something does not work for me, my body will always tell me. I am a survivor!!