Help for hair

[Ilovechurrosalldaylong]

DD21 keeps asking me for advice about her hair. She was complaining that it wasn’t growing and it’s thin etc. I was kind of ignoring it until I sat behind her and a bunch of other girls at a graduation and was actually shocked at how bad her hair was. It was thin, lank, etc. it honestly shocked me. She always wears it up so it was a while since I had seen it down.

I spoke to her again about it and she is happy to spend some money on getting help but we both want to make sure it’s not a rip-off clinic that is just going to recommend some expensive shampoo.

How do we see a proper hair expert, is there a register or something? We’re googling trichologists but they all seem to link to these “clinics” that I don’t really trust but maybe we just need to investigate them individually.

Also She has died/highlighted her hair for the past 4-5 years and been vegetarian for most of that time too. Could that be the issue? (Recent blood tests for another issue did not suggest any deficiency)

She needs blood tests, especially if vegetarian and not getting enough nutrients/relying on processed veggie foods.
Low iron, low B12/folate and low vitamin D can all cause thinning hair, as can thyroid issues. Speak to the GP before a trichologist, because the other issue may not have had the correct bloods needed for hair thinning, but be aware they mark blood tests at the lowest end of the reference range as ‘normal’ but ferritin for example needs to be above 70 for healthy hair growth. GP’s generally are not even aware of this and can mark ferritin as normal at just 22 in some cases.

@IUnderstandTheWeird thank you for that info. Do you know if taking a good multi vitamin supplement would counter any deficiencies? Or does it have to be from the actual food sources to be sure?

Did they test for vitamin and mineral levels though? Or did they just do a blood count and thyroid?

I would get her blood tested first. Depending on the levels she may need high doses of vitamins/supplements which go above what you can buy over the counter. Don't use anything until she has her results.

She may need to get a decent haircut, loosing some length of damaged hair to get proper growth and should stop dying/highlighten for a while.

I also think she should get her thyroid checked .
Unfortunately there are no supplements that will make her hair magically grow but a really good collagen supplement could help.
Both my sisters have this problem and have left no stone unturned in pursuit of a 'cure'.
They have finally both resorted to hair enhancers .....like clip on wigs but much more sophisticated.
Quite a few salons where I live are selling them.....they start at £500 upwards .
Good luck to your daughter I know the lengths and expense my sisters have gone to

Blood tests for iron, maybe check for Coeliac (you can have this without digestive issues, just hair loss), make sure eating enough protein too. Ask GP to be referred to dermatologist, think trichologist is more private. I saw a trichologist who was expensive but got the above advice which helped me find cause and some solutions. Good luck, hope she gets sorted.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. Sounds like a trip to the GP is the first step.