MASSIVE SHEDDERS - Help! (Protective Styles)

[Enyo]

As some of you may know, my medications cause a lot of shedding. Right now I'm taking 3000mg a day of MSM, Maxi-Hair, and 5mg biotin. The shedding has gone down by about half, but it's still a lot. Even when I gently run my fingers through my hair while it's wet and loaded with conditioner, I get more hairs than I care to. New meds are not an option.

I think the ties on my hair are breaking off my ends even when I try my best to hide them, so I'm switching to a french roll held up by hair sticks and their varients until Christmas. MAYBE I'll do a few buns. My co-worker who is also a cosmotologist on the side says I should go back to my twists to protect my hair. I did retain more length when I used them a few years back as a protective style, but I wasn't on all those meds back then. I know when I don't relieve my head of the shedded hair at least once per week, they start to dread. I want to get rid of this bun since my hair has not shown any additional length for the last 7 months. I know it can grow at least a little more.

What do you all think? My hair stats are as follows:

1. 4A, easily dried out when left out
2. Oily scalp. I get the wet dog smell when I don't scrub the scalp every week.
3. Lots of shedding, dreads easily
4. Expands very easily, even with henna or cassia stretching it out. It's very hard to put it into a bun.
5. Hair is very fine


Thank you so much!

 

[LatterGlory]

____________________

 

[mohair4u2]

It sounds like you're having a problem with hydration, you're not getting moisture to pentetrate the hair shaft. Try using a hydrating shampoo and conditioner from Mizani, Redken, Aveda or Paul Mitchell. Give yourself a hot oil treatment with warm olive oil the kind you cook with and use a leave in conditioner like fermodyl #233. There's one other product that may help it's kind of old school "Prosity Control" by Roux put it in after you rinse out the conditioner. Oh and make sure you comb all conditioner through from ends to scalp with a wide tooth comb. Good luck! I hope this helps you

 

[HeChangedMyName]

As some of you may know, my medications cause a lot of shedding. Right now I'm taking 3000mg a day of MSM, Maxi-Hair, and 5mg biotin. The shedding has gone down by about half, but it's still a lot. Even when I gently run my fingers through my hair while it's wet and loaded with conditioner, I get more hairs than I care to. New meds are not an option.

I think the ties on my hair are breaking off my ends even when I try my best to hide them, so I'm switching to a french roll held up by hair sticks and their varients until Christmas. MAYBE I'll do a few buns. My co-worker who is also a cosmotologist on the side says I should go back to my twists to protect my hair. I did retain more length when I used them a few years back as a protective style, but I wasn't on all those meds back then. I know when I don't relieve my head of the shedded hair at least once per week, they start to dread. I want to get rid of this bun since my hair has not shown any additional length for the last 7 months. I know it can grow at least a little more.

What do you all think? My hair stats are as follows:

1. 4A, easily dried out when left out
2. Oily scalp. I get the wet dog smell when I don't scrub the scalp every week.
3. Lots of shedding, dreads easily
4. Expands very easily, even with henna or cassia stretching it out. It's very hard to put it into a bun.
5. Hair is very fine


Thank you so much!

what is your moisture reggie like? how much water do you drink? You may need more moisture in. especially having an oily scalp, it may be that your scalp is over compensating because its dry.

sn: my son has that same smell going on with his scalp. thanks for mentioning it, i always fuss at him and accuse him of simply being lazy and not washing it thoroughly. i feel bad now. what do you use for your scalp to get rid of the smell? I've tried borax on him, baking soda, now, i just wash wash wash it and since he had a hair cut, i brush his head with a soft brush while its all lathered up.

 

[Tyra]

Enyo, I'm so sorry that you're going through this.
Do you not want to go back to the twists because you don't want to have to manipulate your hair more than once a week? I ask that because it sounds like the tangling/dreading that happens when you leave your twists in more than a week at a time sounds like it's the only issue keeping you from twisting. I might have understood incorrectly.
If you don't mind the weekly manipulation, perhaps you may consider going back to what has worked best for you in the past- which are the twists.

Also, for the shedding I would HIGHLY recommend garlic tablets or capsules. They work wonders for me. WONDERS!
However, if you are taking any blood thinners or medication for high blood pressure, I would highly advise you to pass on the garlic.
Garlic pills slightly thin the blood and if taken with the types of medications that I mention, they could be harmful.

Best of luck to you!

 

[Allandra]

Have you tried black tea / coffee rinses? Heard that it greatly reduces shedding.

I do tea rinses, and they work well for me. I'm not a massive shedder, but I do experience shedding (more during the colder months).

Enyo - You say the shedding has gone down by about half. Are you combing through your hair once a day or like once a week? Can you take a picture of your shedding and post it so we can see how much shedding you're talking about?

Some people shed more during the colder months. Some people shed more when they are stressed. Do you think either could be the case for you?

 

[Enyo]

Have you tried black tea / coffee rinses? Heard that it greatly reduces shedding.

I have heard of that. I tried one after my henna rinse. I will start trying to remember to do it after I Wen.

what is your moisture reggie like? how much water do you drink? You may need more moisture in. especially having an oily scalp, it may be that your scalp is over compensating because its dry.

HeChangedMyName I drink a lot of water and tea to flush my system of the medications. At least 3 large coffee cup sizes of tea and two or three 12oz bottles of water during the work day. I keep a bottle of water by the bed at all times. I often wake up and drain at least half of it during the night.

I am using Wen right now. After I use it, I mist my hair with a great leave-in by phyto, use a water-based moisturizer (Dr. Miracle anti-breakage is my new favorite, before that, I used ORS Shea Butter), and seal with lots of Wild Growth Oil. My hair gets dry a lot, and I usually mist with "the juice" or use more water-based moisturizer.

sn: my son has that same smell going on with his scalp. thanks for mentioning it, i always fuss at him and accuse him of simply being lazy and not washing it thoroughly. i feel bad now. what do you use for your scalp to get rid of the smell? I've tried borax on him, baking soda, now, i just wash wash wash it and since he had a hair cut, i brush his head with a soft brush while its all lathered up.

I am using Wen now, but I clarify with ORS Root Stimulator once per month. It's great on the scalp and doesn't dry my hair out at all. I use my nails to really scrape the scalp. It's kind of nasty, but there is LOTS of buildup and Wen is not as good with disposing of it. I have to scrub for at least 5 minutes of the course of two lathering cycles to get smell away. I think it's an issue with excess sebum.

Enyo, I'm so sorry that you're going through this.
Do you not want to go back to the twists because you don't want to have to manipulate your hair more than once a week? I ask that because it sounds like the tangling/dreading that happens when you leave your twists in more than a week at a time sounds like it's the only issue keeping you from twisting. I might have understood incorrectly. If you don't mind the weekly manipulation, perhaps you may consider going back to what has worked best for you in the past- which are the twists.

Also, for the shedding I would HIGHLY recommend garlic tablets or capsules. They work wonders for me. WONDERS! However, if you are taking any blood thinners or medication for high blood pressure, I would highly advise you to pass on the garlic.
Garlic pills slightly thin the blood and if taken with the types of medications that I mention, they could be harmful

Best of luck to you!

Thank you, Tyra. I will try the garlic the next time I order my "supplies". And, yes, I think a combo of my nasty scalp and my shedding would hurt my ability to keep my twists in for two weeks which is my ideal. I have a bad back and shoulder and twists are so cumbersome for me now. I may alternate with the hair stick challenge and twists. One week sticks, the other twists.

I do tea rinses, and they work well for me. I'm not a massive shedder, but I do experience shedding (more during the colder months).

Enyo - You say the shedding has gone down by about half. Are you combing through your hair once a day or like once a week? Can you take a picture of your shedding and post it so we can see how much shedding you're talking about?

Some people shed more during the colder months. Some people shed more when they are stressed. Do you think either could be the case for you?

Allandra I'm combing my hair only when I wash it which is about twice a week. I run my fingers through it dry a little to loosen it up when I'm redoing my bun, but that only produces one or two hairs. The bipolar disorder (the reason I take the meds) causes me to always be stressed for the most part. I don't see much difference during the colder and warmer months. I have about 20 hairs per shampoo - enough to clog the shower.

 

[Allandra]

I'm combing my hair only when I wash it which is about twice a week. I run my fingers through it dry a little to loosen it up when I'm redoing my bun, but that only produces one or two hairs. The bipolar disorder (the reason I take the meds) causes me to always be stressed for the most part. I don't see much difference during the colder and warmer months. I have about 20 hairs per shampoo - enough to clog the shower.

You're shedding 20 hairs per shampoo? The average amount of shedding per day is so much more than that. Shedding about 20 hairs per shampoo isn't bad at all.

As far as retaining length, how is the suggestion working for you that we talked about recently (to prevent breakage)?

 

[divachyk]

Garlic prepoo helped my shedding -- Garlic Oil Treatment (pre-poo) | herbaldepecona.com

Thanks to @halee_J, she suggested this to me and has a different spin on this -- she mixed garlic in water, strain the garlic and apply the garlic water to the scalp.

Either method -- garlic prepoo with oil or water -- works great.

 

[lilsparkle825]

I may get some answers for my heavy seasonal shedding in here. Nice thread.

 

[JuiceMobsta]

Garlic prepoo helped my shedding -- Garlic Oil Treatment (pre-poo) | herbaldepecona.com

Thanks to @halee_J, she suggested this to me and has a different spin on this -- she mixed garlic in water, strain the garlic and apply the garlic water to the scalp.

Either method -- garlic prepoo with oil or water -- works great.

Yeah thats exactly what I was going to say, try a garlic prepoo. And also you could buy one of those garlic DC as well or add some garlic to your DC. :eyebrows2

To protect the ends of your hair you can moisturize them and then use a piece of silk or plastic to wrap around your ends before tucking them away.

 

[tHENATuRALhAiRpRoJEcT]

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[hairaboutit]

Hey OP,

Just wondering if your protein/moisture balance is correct. Have u tried a protein treatment?

 

[Enyo]

You're shedding 20 hairs per shampoo? The average amount of shedding per day is so much more than that. Shedding about 20 hairs per shampoo isn't bad at all.

As far as retaining length, how is the suggestion working for you that we talked about recently (to prevent breakage)?

Allandra It seems like so much! As I said, they clog up the drain and I often have to clear them out so I can keep showering. It might be more than that. I have a weird thing about handling hair that's off the body (it grosses me out, especially when it's soggy), but I'll try and recount the next time I Wen.

I'm worried about the Vaseline. I have been hesitant because they were really dry. Would mineral oil would make them worse? Recently I have stopped using hair ties by way of switching to hair sticks. My bun is so hard to make and it often expands over the course of the day, thus pulling my ends out of their tuck and exposing them to the elastic and air. I do brush gentley everyday.

Yeah thats exactly what I was going to say, try a garlic prepoo. And also you could buy one of those garlic DC as well or add some garlic to your DC. :eyebrows2 To protect the ends of your hair you can moisturize them and then use a piece of silk or plastic to wrap around your ends before tucking them away.

Chelz I can't wrap my ends in anthing. My bun is VERY hard to make without brushing my hair half to death and twisting so that my scalp hurts and I can barely get my ends hidden. Making it any bulkier buy adding fabric or plastic make it impossible to complete the bun. I don't pre-poo either because I only use shampoo once a month. I use Wen a couple times a week so there is no need to "prep" my hair because it's so gentle.

Hey OP, Just wondering if your protein/moisture balance is correct. Have u tried a protein treatment?

hairaboutit I use GBP whenever I use shampoo (about once per month) and every other time I Wen.

 

[Allandra]

It seems like so much! As I said, they clog up the drain and I often have to clear them out so I can keep showering. It might be more than that. I have a weird thing about handling hair that's off the body (it grosses me out, especially when it's soggy), but I'll try and recount the next time I Wen.

You may want to get a hair catcher for your shower. I've been using a hair catcher in my shower for years, and my drain never gets clogged.

 

[Lady Esquire]

I have shared my battle with extreme postpartum shedding. It lasted for 2 years! It chewed through my MBL hair and I had to cut to SL. I have taken an internal approach and it has stopped, except for a normal amount of acceptable shedding every now and then. The MSM, biotin and other vitamins you're taking are a good approach. Add garlic, zinc and saw palmetto to your vitamin regimen. I did not start seeing a decrease in shedding until I was consistent with my vitamins. It took a months (in my case years) to get to the bottom of my shedding.

 

[doobiequeen88]

To curb my shedding I apply aloe vera juice to my entire head on wash days, let sit for a hour, rinse. This has helped me so much. Good luck.

 

[Nasdaq_Diva]

Thanks everyone for helping Enyo out with these great suggestions! I know it's helped me so I'm sure it's helped many others out there as well.

 

[Enyo]

I have been keeping better records of how much I'm shedding, and it's quite more than 20 hairs. What's more, that happens every time I Wen (twice a week). I got some Nutrine Garlic Shampoo, and I'm going to use it as directed for a month to see how it works. I skipped on taking the garlic pills because I read they are basically rich in sulfur. I take 3g of MSM which is also a form of sulfur so I'm good on the internal stuff.

 

[newgrowth15]

Hi Enyo, I understand that WEN is basically a conditioner. Have you tried ACV rinses on your scalp to remove the buildup? I mix 1 part ACV to 3 parts warm water and apply this directly to my scalp with a nozzle bottle. This restores the pH balance to my scalp and helps to limit my shedding. I shampoo my scalp weekly and clarify with VO5 clarifying shampoo once a month. Perhaps if you part your hair in sections and shampoo your scalp more frequently than once a month, you will see a difference. Shampoo is what removes excessive sebum from the scalp. HTH.

 

[JuiceMobsta]

I have been keeping better records of how much I'm shedding, and it's quite more than 20 hairs. What's more, that happens every time I Wen (twice a week). I got some Nutrine Garlic Shampoo, and I'm going to use it as directed for a month to see how it works. I skipped on taking the garlic pills because I read they are basically rich in sulfur. I take 3g of MSM which is also a form of sulfur so I'm good on the internal stuff.

Are you sure you have excessive shedding? That sounds quite normal to me. Supposedly we can lose up to 100 hairs per day, so losing more than 20 hairs two times a week is not really a a bad thing at all...

 

[TonicaG]

Try eliminating the biotin from your supplement regimen and see if the shedding will stop or ease up.

I'm not able to take biotin or anything that contains a substantial amout of biotin otherwise my hair sheds excessively and I mean excessively. Though while taking it my hair was growing but it was shedding very badly that it wasn't worth it!

I am proactive by taking garlic supplements and using external hair products that contain garlic. Also maybe your iron level is low, something to consider...

Best wishes to you!

 

[Enyo]

Are you sure you have excessive shedding? That sounds quite normal to me. Supposedly we can lose up to 100 hairs per day, so losing more than 20 hairs two times a week is not really a a bad thing at all...

I dunno. It seems like SOOOO much!! Another member with WL hair posted how much shedding she gets in a week, and it was like how much I get in a single wash. I found that very alarming.

Try eliminating the biotin from your supplement regimen and see if the shedding will stop or ease up.

I'm not able to take biotin or anything that contains a substantial amout of biotin otherwise my hair sheds excessively and I mean excessively. Though while taking it my hair was growing but it was shedding very badly that it wasn't worth it!

I am proactive by taking garlic supplements and using external hair products that contain garlic. Also maybe your iron level is low, something to consider...

Best wishes to you!

I thought Biotin was supposed to stop shedding?

I have my iron level checked monthly during routine blood tests, and it's fine - must be something else.