newbie with PCOS, Thin hair, don't know where to start

la929

New Member
Hi ladies,

I have been searching trying to find some answers to my hair problem. My computer is extremely slow b/c the search is driving me crazy. Anyway, I am 31 and I have PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) which rages havoc on my hormones. Since my hormones are screwy it affects my hair growth. Hair that shouldn't grow (chin, mustach) does and hair that should (on my head) doesn't....at least not like I want it to.

I find that if I go more than 5 weeks w/o a relaxer my hair start breaking off really badly. After I get it relaxed I usually wear a simple doobie and wrap it each night using a airflow brush with a little kemi oil and a satin scarf. I just comb it down with a very wide tooth comb the next day and go. I get my hair re-wrapped once a week if I can, depending on what city I am in. I am a traveling consultant so I am constantly on the road. I try to find a dominican salon wherever I go...otherwise i wait until I get home to NC. I find that the less I 'mess' with my hair, the better it does. With my hair being so thin I really can't use too much product on it or it will weight it down. After my relaxers my hair almost clings to my head with little to no body, that is how thin it is. I am taking a multi-vitamin, Flax seed oil, folic acid, and vitamin C. I am starting to increase my water intake.

What do you all suggest? I know how to do a roller set but I can't do it on my own head. Other than my 'regular' routine I don't know what to do to promote hair growth. Please help a newbie out...I see the pictures you all post and I wish I had hair like so many of you have.

Lastly, I had a relaxer while I was in Oklahoma...obvious the product was not washed out completely and my hair was coming out in chunks...I was in tears...my kitchen and my edges are just now staring to grow back. Even though my hair has grown quite a bit in the last 6 months, I am at a loss. My husband likes my hair straight and he absolutely hates weave and braids...any advice is greatly appreciated.
 
I just wanted to say Welcome and the Ladies here will have your hair whipped into shape in no time! I know what you mean about those Hormones, with my weight gain they went crazy hair on my chin, my neck but since loosing some pounds I am not having it as much LOL!!! You are good hands!
 
Welcome. I agree you are in good hands. I am no expert and sorry I can not be of any more help.

I hope you get you hair issue resolved.
 
NappyParadise said:
I just wanted to say Welcome and the Ladies here will have your hair whipped into shape in no time! I know what you mean about those Hormones, with my weight gain they went crazy hair on my chin, my neck but since loosing some pounds I am not having it as much LOL!!! You are good hands!
Thanks NC! Since I gained weight, I noticed a few unruly hairs sprouting on my cheek (ew) and chin herre and there. Your progress has given me even more motivation to lose this weight.
 
I have PCOS too. I spend a lot of time on the website www.soulcysters.com. There is a lot of in-depth discussions on the latest treatments, so please check it out if you get the chance. I take 1000mg of metformin and it has brought my testosterone level down to normal, which will hopefully help my hairline and crown issues. Metformin is also supposed to help with weight loss, so definitely look into it if you haven't tried it yet!
 
CAPlush said:
I have PCOS too. I spend a lot of time on the website www.soulcysters.com. There is a lot of in-depth discussions on the latest treatments, so please check it out if you get the chance. I take 1000mg of metformin and it has brought my testosterone level down to normal, which will hopefully help my hairline and crown issues. Metformin is also supposed to help with weight loss, so definitely look into it if you haven't tried it yet!

Metformin? Isn't that for diabetes? My mother takes it to lower her blood sugar but she has also lost weight. This could be very dangerous to take if you aren't diabetic. If it weren't I'd be swallowing them by the bottle just to shed the pounds.:look:
 
Metformin helps regulate blood sugar.
more specifically, it helps lower glucose levels in the blood, if I remember correctly.

There has been some study into its affect on androgen levels in the blood. It seems to help lower them.
 
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kittenz said:
Metformin? Isn't that for diabetes? My mother takes it to lower her blood sugar but she has also lost weight. This could be very dangerous to take if you aren't diabetic. If it weren't I'd be swallowing them by the bottle just to shed the pounds.:look:

Yes, metformin is for diabetics, but it is not to lower blood sugar it is to re-sensitize your body to insulin. A lot of people have a condition called insulin resistance, but do not have diabetes. Insulin resistance can lead to diabetes though, it is like "pre-diabetes." If you have PCOS, it is an appropriate treatment, trust me, I'm under a doctor's care. I did not write the script myself:lol: It makes a dramatic difference in testosterone levels of women with PCOS, which often gets too high and causes facial hair and male pattern hair thinning. It is NOT DANGEROUS if you are not diabetic, but probably is if you don't have an insulin problem.
 
My doctor and I have been thinking that I have PCOS but we didn't do a full evaluation. Maybe I should make an appt. for that. What is the testing/evaluation like?
 
They draw lots and lots of blood Jessica!

There are several tests she could do, my doc did fasting glucose, total testosterone, free testosterone, thyroid panel, prolactin, FSH/LH ratio and DHEAS and probably a whole bunch of other stuff I don't know about. She should also take note of the regularity of your periods (if you get them). I got an ultrasound done to image my ovaries, this isn't necessary but it helps to get a "baseline" image.
 
CAPlush said:
Yes, metformin is for diabetics, but it is not to lower blood sugar it is to re-sensitize your body to insulin. A lot of people have a condition called insulin resistance, but do not have diabetes. Insulin resistance can lead to diabetes though, it is like "pre-diabetes." If you have PCOS, it is an appropriate treatment, trust me, I'm under a doctor's care. I did not write the script myself:lol: It makes a dramatic difference in testosterone levels of women with PCOS, which often gets too high and causes facial hair and male pattern hair thinning. It is NOT DANGEROUS if you are not diabetic, but probably is if you don't have an insulin problem.

Ok, I was mistaken (somewhat). Never said I was a doctor though so...:ohwell: Thanks for the info.

OP: Seems like you might have some questions to ask you Doc. Good Luck
 
CAPlush said:
They draw lots and lots of blood Jessica!

There are several tests she could do, my doc did fasting glucose, total testosterone, free testosterone, thyroid panel, prolactin, FSH/LH ratio and DHEAS and probably a whole bunch of other stuff I don't know about. She should also take note of the regularity of your periods (if you get them). I got an ultrasound done to image my ovaries, this isn't necessary but it helps to get a "baseline" image.
I used to get cysts religiously and my gyn put me on birth control to try and regulate me. My periods are EXTREMELY painful and my weight gain went out of control. They wanted to operate to remove a cyst when I was younger but it dissolved before they could get to it.
 
I find that if I go more than 5 weeks w/o a relaxer my hair start breaking off really badly. After I get it relaxed I usually wear a simple doobie and wrap it each night using a airflow brush with a little kemi oil and a satin scarf. I just comb it down with a very wide tooth comb the next day and go. I get my hair re-wrapped once a week if I can, depending on what city I am in. I am a traveling consultant so I am constantly on the road. I try to find a dominican salon wherever I go...otherwise i wait until I get home to NC. I find that the less I 'mess' with my hair, the better it does. With my hair being so thin I really can't use too much product on it or it will weight it down. After my relaxers my hair almost clings to my head with little to no body, that is how thin it is. I am taking a multi-vitamin, Flax seed oil, folic acid, and vitamin C. I am starting to increase my water intake.

What do you all suggest? I know how to do a roller set but I can't do it on my own head. Other than my 'regular' routine I don't know what to do to promote hair growth. Please help a newbie out...I see the pictures you all post and I wish I had hair like so many of you have.

Lastly, I had a relaxer while I was in Oklahoma...obvious the product was not washed out completely and my hair was coming out in chunks...I was in tears...my kitchen and my edges are just now staring to grow back. Even though my hair has grown quite a bit in the last 6 months, I am at a loss. My husband likes my hair straight and he absolutely hates weave and braids...any advice is greatly appreciated.
I am sorry to hear about your relaxer trouble in OK. Sounds like you need to baby your hair a bit. Getting relaxers every 5 weeks does not seem healthy, either. There's too much room for error and overprocessing at this short of a time. I'm not saying you should do a 20 week stretch or anything like that (at least not juss starting out), but you might want to check out the relaxer stretcher threads and try and do a 7 or 8 week stretch instead. That should help you retain some length and also see what else your hair might need. It also sounds like your hair is breaking at the demarcation line. By babying your hair where the two textures meet, you will be able to combat this pattern. The thread I mentioned should help with info on this.

I didn't see you really mention how often you are washing, conditioning or deep conditioning your hair. What about protein treatments? Shampoo isn't for everyone, but there are other ways of washing your hair. And conditioning and deep conditioning will keep your hair moist and help with the relaxer stretching.

Speaking of keeping your hair moist, I noticed you mentioned using oil when tying your hair down for the night, but nothing of how you moisturize. Keep in mind that oil is a sealant; NOT a moisturizer. It's good to oil your hair, but moisture first.

You said that your hair doesn't like a lot of product and that it is very easily weighed down. There are a lot of light products out there, and even then, you can use them sparingly and still get some great benefits.

I understand what you mean about your husband not liking braids or weaves. I grew up thinking that weaves and extensions were the devil because my dad hated them. However, there are plenty of other protective styles that you can look into that maybe he won't mind as much. And maybe you can do braids or weaves very sparingly in between all of the other styles and once he sees how your hair is thriving and flourishing, he will stop hating them. Maybe he'll juss dislike them instead. :)

There are a lot of threads that I would suggest, but I can't link to them all right now. However, check out my posts here. That should help you find what you are looking for.

It seems you distracted us all a bit with the mention of PCOS, but I am sure that the real experts will be here shortly to offer their suggestions and tips.
 
I'm a fellow PCOS'er, and I experience hirsutism (excessive hair growth on my chin, neck), but my hair on my head still grows in thick. I should say, the new growth grows in thick, my relaxed hair is thin :nono: ....


Eat healthy, try to exercise regularly and pray often! :yep:
 
I'm glad to see this thread. Its good to see woman with PCOS who can get their hair looking good. I don't know which is worse the thinning hair, weight gain or the acne :ohwell:. I've got the acne under control (I'm supporting my derms kids college fund) working on the weight and now trying to get the hair right again.

OP check out the threads on this board. Its helped me stop the shedding and my hair is starting to thicken again but its a process figuring out what works on my hair and doesn't. And as def check out soulcysters.com if you haven't already there is a ton of information on that site
 
Another member with PCOS here. Just wanted shout out to ya'll. My hair is growing in length, but it's getting thinner. I feel what you're going through.
 
:wavey: Welcome! I havent had any problems with thinning hair but the weight gain and acne have been issues for a while. If you have a chance do a search for PCOS, there are a couple of threads in the OT section about it. :)
 
I am sorry to hear about your relaxer trouble in OK. Sounds like you need to baby your hair a bit. Getting relaxers every 5 weeks does not seem healthy, either. There's too much room for error and overprocessing at this short of a time. I'm not saying you should do a 20 week stretch or anything like that (at least not juss starting out), but you might want to check out the relaxer stretcher threads and try and do a 7 or 8 week stretch instead. That should help you retain some length and also see what else your hair might need. It also sounds like your hair is breaking at the demarcation line. By babying your hair where the two textures meet, you will be able to combat this pattern. The thread I mentioned should help with info on this.

I didn't see you really mention how often you are washing, conditioning or deep conditioning your hair. What about protein treatments? Shampoo isn't for everyone, but there are other ways of washing your hair. And conditioning and deep conditioning will keep your hair moist and help with the relaxer stretching.

Speaking of keeping your hair moist, I noticed you mentioned using oil when tying your hair down for the night, but nothing of how you moisturize. Keep in mind that oil is a sealant; NOT a moisturizer. It's good to oil your hair, but moisture first.

You said that your hair doesn't like a lot of product and that it is very easily weighed down. There are a lot of light products out there, and even then, you can use them sparingly and still get some great benefits.

I understand what you mean about your husband not liking braids or weaves. I grew up thinking that weaves and extensions were the devil because my dad hated them. However, there are plenty of other protective styles that you can look into that maybe he won't mind as much. And maybe you can do braids or weaves very sparingly in between all of the other styles and once he sees how your hair is thriving and flourishing, he will stop hating them. Maybe he'll juss dislike them instead. :)

There are a lot of threads that I would suggest, but I can't link to them all right now. However, check out my posts here. That should help you find what you are looking for.

It seems you distracted us all a bit with the mention of PCOS, but I am sure that the real experts will be here shortly to offer their suggestions and tips.

Thanks you so much for your reply...I have been doing a lot of research on this board and really seeing how much I did NOT know about proper hair care. I will continue with my research and pt together more tips offered here on the board....and I did not know that oil was a sealent...*sigh* so much to learn
 
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