Why is my hair like this?

[Vapeaddict]

And what do I do to fix it?!

I'm not actually sure it is fixable- I started with the fluffy "halo" after having DD 8 years ago and over time it seems to have worked it's way back, the whole of the top layer of my hair seems to have broken off (or stopped growing?) at about 3". (If the picture takes a while to be approved, it shows me holding the hair on the top of my head up vertically. The hair starts off thickish, then ends with just a few strands).

I've recently learned it's bad to sleep on wet hair so I'm trying to remember to wash it in the day and dry it on cool setting hairdryer. I've also stopped tying it high up/in a bun/remotely tight and only use satin bobbles at the nape of my neck (both of these with the last 3 months).

I don't use any heat styling or products on it at all- the very occasional bit of hairspray/dry shampoo.

I sleep on a silk pillowcase. My diet isn't terrible but there is probably room for improvement. My bloods are fine (actually fine not just NHS fine)- slightly low calcium but I've been on a supplement.

The worst thing I probably do is dye my roots- I try to stretch it so it's only maybe 5 times a year? I'm only mid-30's, not ready to go grey yet. Any thoughts pleeeease 🙏

Thanks @Londontown12 is a thyroid antibodies test different to a thyroid function test? I've had a few thyroid tests as both me and my GP were convinced that was the cause of various symptoms but it always comes back absolutely fine.

Agree with you about the biotin- unless deficient, I don't think it has any impact. However the rosemary oil has some promising evidence, comparable to minoxodil 2%. There's a really interesting journal on NCBI about natural alternatives for treating androgenetic alopecia that looks at rosemary oil in particular, but also a few other things mentioned on here.

Could you just embrace it...

(I am not a troll!)

It’s a proper test that shows when antibodies attack your thyroid before any blood test show any abnormal results like your tsh and t4 ect there are 2 types serum types and drs don’t always test because it’s expensive it’s easier to fob u off when bloods come back normal even thou antibodies are attaching thyroid the bloods won’t change until it’s super bad ! Hope this helps x

My hair was exactly like this 3 months ago. I've really committed to improving it and have done the following:

• switched to Nioxin shampoo, conditioner and scalp treatment
• daily biotin
• bought really good quality GHD brushes
• no sleeping with wet hair
• no more box dyes - I now get my roots done at the hairdressers

My hair looks miles better, it's feels (and looks) healthy and strong!

I take Minoxidil tablets from Hair&Me, no side effects. Been nine months now.

From my reading around I gather the side effects mentioned are only on the far higher dose (10x) that is given to patients using it for the original reason (which I think was something to do with the heart, which makes sense bc it improves blood flow). I read that it's not really been monitored at the low doses prescribed for hair loss.

I think it is working. I had a distinct bald patch at the front which I was always anxious about and trying to hide, but it's no longer visible. Still thin there but I don't worry about it being visible now. And I can see my parting is less of a river and more if a team now. Hoping to reduce it to a trickle! I used to have such thick hair.

Biotin did nothing btw, and I'm sure if made my skin bad. I have rosemary oil, but find it impossible to use as it just makes my hair oily and won't wash out. I do use the hair thickening shampoo in the dark purple bottle with the unmemorable name, I think it's been mentioned here - OIA or something.

I do think it's worth seeing a tricologist or dermatologist if you can afford it. Knowing the cause is the first step to treating. Not all hair loss is hormonal, so treating it as if it is might not work.

This really made me laugh 😂 after a particularly shit hair day!
I have a patch round my crown that's so thin and I ended up with a sore scalp from brushing it trying to cover it today 😕 leaning towards the topper idea while I try and fix what's left!

Ta @Londontown12 I'll definitely speak to my GP about this!
Glad you've seen improvement @Hayley1256 your changes sound sustainable and roughly what I'm aiming for too. I can't afford the time or the money to get my roots done at the hairdresser but I'm looking at the Wella colour touch range mentioned by @AlexandraJJ as it looks like it will be more gentle than box dye and I can tweak colours a bit as well which will be nice.
Ahh @Negroany I keep flip flopping on the minoxodil. Tablets would be so much more convenient than the foam but I'm worried about side effects and after the 3m @£15 it will be quite expensive won't it. But then again I cried buckets today trying to cover my stupid thin patch and got so distracted in a meeting staring at other people's hair that I barely took anything in- maybe it's a small price to pay. I got the details for a trichologist, I might call and see how much a consultant would be..

I also found myself obsessing over other people's hair. Comparing, looking at partings in particular (I still do).

The Hair&Me is £30pm I think after the starting offer. I was probably spending that on hair products and supplements which weren't working. I wouldn't use the foam, I don't understand how it would fit into any routine (though I do actually have some I've never used). I did look for other, cheaper, suppliers but not had any luck yet.

It has made me more confident and people have mentioned that it looks better. The main problem is that you can't stop taking it.

Mine was like this. Probably worse because my parting was also very visible and it looked like I had a small circle of baldness. I was constantly taking photos of the top of my head and I was very upset.

I went to my GP who said my bloods were fine.

I changed hairdressers because the hairdresser kept exclaiming how bad it was but not to worry because there was 'new hair' and I was frequently very upset leaving the salon. My hair never seemed to grow. Or maybe it did and then it broke off.

I searched MN over and over again and read that the blood results may be within the normal range but they were very possibly on the low side of the normal range.

I started taking Biotin, folic acid, B12 vitamins, Omega 3 and iron (but iron didn't agree with me).
I don't know how long I was on them before it made a difference but over time it did make a difference.
The little bald patch and hairline started to fill in. My hair is fine but had always been thick and it started to grow back.
I've been taking the above supplements for a couple of years now. I've had periods where I've stopped taking them and within a short time, I notice increased shedding.

I hope this helps.

ETA I also stopped washing my hair so frequently. I tried to wash twice a week.
I stopped using the hottest setting on my hairdryer. I started taking it down every night instead of having it tied up/back. I had already stopped using GHD/hot appliances anyway. I used a wooden brush that didn't retain the heat.

@Negroany yeah absolutely obsessed with other people's hair. It's crowns for me- how visible are they? And how thick is their ponytail? I do have a bit of an obsessive personality type and hair seems to be a focus at the moment..
Yeah to be fair I spent £30 in Boots on a couple of bottles of shampoo and serum. Hopefully it lasts longer than a month but I see your point, especially considering it might not even work.

Thank you @User21548967 I totally relate- my camera roll is full of various pics of my head and hair from different angles. I managed to forget about it until I saw a photo of me from the back- it's like my parting carries on halfway down the back of my head!
I found my pack of biotin and can't actually remember why I forgot taking it. I'll add it to my multi vitamin, which includes everything else you mention, and see if it helps.

Hair washing seems to be a mixed bag- some say wash more to cleanse the scalp and get rid of dht, others say it's damaging. I haven't a clue. I think I might give it til Xmas with the changes I've made and if no improvement I'll look more seriously at Hair&Me/minoxodil. Need to fit in some blood tests as well, just to make sure I'm not missing anything!

Dianette is a combined pill and has higher risk of blood clots compared to others. As I got to my mid-30s and my blood pressure was a bit high, my GP wanted me off it. I was gutted, I’ve attached a couple of old photos from when I started using it and 6 months later. My hair is thin around my crown and doesn’t grow more than a few inches but the rest of my hair is just below my collar bone. It’s definitely not breakage.

One thing to mention about minoxidil is that’s it’s fatally toxic to cats. I used the topical version from Hair & Me for a month before finding out. Unfortunately I never got to find out if it would work because I only got as far as the stage where your hair falls out 😭

That's a significant difference when you see the photos side by side @BatOrange- to be clear, the Dianette helped & it was coming off that caused the loss? GP's seem really reluctant to re-prescribe the combined pill- I can't get it anymore, understandable with the migraines, but my friend had her pill review and was rushing around beforehand, obviously her BP was raised but she's never been able to get it again either.

I did read about the toxicity to cats and I do have a cat- presumably the tablet form would be ok? One of the things that puts me off is the "dread shed" or whatever they call it.

So far I'm sticking to my increased protein, vits, water & product regime. Who knows if it will do any good but at least I'm trying something, surely it can't do any harm!

Ah the photos came out back to front. The hair loss was before starting Dianette (normal female pattern hair loss with PCOS) and then it started growing back once I was on Dianette. Sadly it’s all gone again. I’m also going down the route of increased protein and vitamins. It’s such a struggle.

Oh wow @BatOrange the Dianette really did make it thicken up didn't it! So sorry you had to come off it- must be extra frustrating to know there's something out there that works but you can't have it, I'd be so upset. How are you finding increasing protein? I find all I'm thinking about is food!

I'm very cautiously optimistic that something I'm doing is helping- obviously not noticing any growth or whatever but I do think it's shedding less. I try not to let hair go down the plug hole and there's definitely less in the trap after a bath the last couple of times I've washed.

I was considering a radical-ish cut, maybe a bob/long bob. My hair currently is well below shoulders and I wondered if the length was weighing it down. But because it's so fine on top, the only proper hair I have is in the length and it's actually in really good condition. I just wish the top bits could grow to be the same!

I also need some styling tips/education. I keep trying to change my parting so I can cover the thinning at my crown but it's like a cowlick, just sticks out at weird angles! Thinking about a baby loss big hair/Revlon one step but don't want to cause damage 😬

Box dyes ruined my thick head of hair.
Please stop any home dye.
Also try increasing protein such as have a whey protein .
Take biotin and llysine
Come off contraceptive xxx

Posting in solidarity, OP - mine is exactly like this, with the added bonus of a pronounced thin patch on my left temple, I think it's called a widow's peak? But only on the left.

I'm in my late 40s and first noticed issues about 5 years ago, so I'm sure it's hormonal in my case.

So far I've tried:

1. Scandinavian Biolabs shampoo, conditioner and scalp treatment - liked the shampoo and conditioner, but they made no difference. The scalp treatment made my hair look and feel permanently dirty, so I stopped after three months, on the basis that there was no point in having more hair if it still looked shit.

2. Elvive Bond Repair pre-wash, shampoo, conditioner and serum. No difference, didn't like how they left my hair

3. Biotin tablets and bovine collagen - 3 months in, I still haven't decided if I think it's helping. I'm going to carry on for another 3 months and then decide

4. Klean anti-breakage shampoo - no difference

5. Klean water-filtering showerhead that apparently removes lots of damaging metals and other gunk - no difference

6. I'm currently using a bog standard moisturising shampoo and conditioner, which leaves my hair feeling nice, but is neither helping nor hindering.

Going short isn't really an issue, as my hair is curly, but not nice curly. I get horrid thin rats tails, which I wouldn't be able to hide if my hair was short.

Tempted to try Ouai, as recommended by @AlexandraJJ

Mine has been like this since baby no 3. Babies 1 and 2 didn't cause any issues, but no 3 really went for me 🤣

I too am chock full of nutrients, no health issues, eat well, great skin and nails, no meds, never dyed my hair in my life, only use natural shampoo, air dry, no styling. It's inexplicable.

@Merseymum1980 I would like to come off home dye but I can't afford salon visits every time I need my greys doing unfortunately! I'm looking into the Wella colour touch to do at home but it's more complicated than just a box dye and I haven't had time to read properly yet. I think I need a few different colours? Coming off contraception isn't an option just now either but I'm not sure the minipill makes much difference.
Increased protein and biotin are big ticks though!

Wow @LancreWowhawk you've tried all sorts too, it's so frustrating when I makes no difference, or worse makes things worse! I saw the elvive bond repair and have read good things about it- I'm using the OGX version at the moment and it does make my hair feel nice. Whether it's doing anything, who knows. I think the elvive growth serum is helping with shedding though. Heard mixed things about Ouia(?) but report back if you try and it's good!

@Reginalda blooming kid #3 got you good! Is yours breaking or thinning? I'm still not sure what mine is doing- a bit of both I suspect. I sent a pic to a trichologist and she said it was a density issue!

You can get coloured root spray. Im struggling with the price of hairdressers too ,its ridiculous.
I've just bought a wig but I can't figure out the mesh stuff

Yeah I use the root spray in between @Merseymum1980 my temples seem to go grey after about a week 🙄 such a pain! I'm going to have a chat with a friend next week who was a hairdresser- see what they say about the salon-dye-at-home and what I can do and if a demi permanent will be less damaging etc.

Ohh wow I've got a topper in an online basket but haven't taken the plunge yet- if you're on TikTok there's loads of tutorials on how to put them on and blend with your bio hair! Hope it gives you some confidence back, it's so bloody miserable- first world problem but on my mind all the time.

Mine is like this although not quite as extreme, it’s definitely noticeable though. After DD it had all grown back by the time she was 3, but then I had DS and it just never recovered - he’s 2.5 now, I finished breastfeeding when he was 11 months (this was the trigger for my hair to grow back with DD) but nothing really. Like you it grows a few inches then just tapers off.

I know I need to try some of the things on this thread, I’m lucky in that my hair is quite thick so it’s disguisable unless I tie it up - lots of volume at the top then a tiny straggly ponytail at the end!

I understand why it would be on your mind.
Im wanting some thickness back then I might get a nice bob.
I do fi d home dyes have totally destroyed mine x

So if the trichologist says it's a density issue that means thinning I guess? But that doesn't really make sense if yours is still growing but only to a certain length 🤔 very weird.

Check out the blow out professor on you tube.
I really think its home dye because of my experience.
What dye do you usecx

I've decided against trying Ouai, @Vapeaddict - the reviews were too mixed given the cost. I've just ordered some OGX Keratin Oil stuff. I like OGX products so I think they'll at least leave what hair I've got feeling nice. I shall report back!

I can't help feeling it's pointless though - if it's hormonal in my case, as I suspect, no amount of topical treatments or washes is going to help.

I'm clinging to the hope that if I can just stop my hair breaking then it would by a big improvement.