kandegirl - I have alopecia on both sides of my head. Dumb weave many many years ago. In fact if I wanted to be honest with myself I would concede that the follicles are long dead. But I won't admit defeat. (I'm actually staging a war on my bare spots
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I just completed purchasing an arsenal of ayurvedic products (bhrinraj, brahmi, amla, neem) which are said to help with hair loss, thinning, color, etc. You should search them here on the forum. Several members use the products. I posted in one thread some background on some of the products that I found on another forum (WL2013 thread). I purchased the oil form earlier this week and waiting delivery and purchased the powder form from a local Indian grocery last night. I plan to use the powder to make tea for rinsing and conditioning and use the oil forms as recommended.
Don't know if the products will help me or your Mom but I am giving it a shot. Have nothing to lose.
It was time for me to re-order my HSN and Silica supplements - so I purchased Futurebiotis HSN (which has good reviews) and Bamboo Extract which is 70% silica as opposed to the Horsetail (Silica) that I was taking. Bamboo extract has proven to increase hair growth based on laboratory studies.
Sorry for the long post - but I know how it feels to have those "bare areas" and if I can share I try to.