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 🙏

OGX biotin and collagen, purple bottle, is the one I have. I think it does help. I don't think it helps it grow but it makes it look thicker.

The Elvive one is good too.

Oh, I've tried that one before, @Negroany - I really like it, it leaves my hair feeling very nice. I might revert to it if I don't like the keratin oil one, but I want to try that as it's meant to be anti-breakage.

The marketing blurb says:

OGX Anti-Breakage+ Keratin Oil pH Balanced Shampoo: Find your perfect hair match with OGX, now with NEW upgraded pH balanced formulas for salon-quality, gentle cleansing that will help give you stronger hair with more shine, less frizz and long-lasting smoothness. OGX Anti-Breakage+ Keratin Oil is a fortifying blend infused with keratin proteins, helping to reinforce each strand to resist split ends and fly-aways. Help resist breakage caused by brushing and styling while enhancing a luminescent shine.

So I don't really see how it can fail😂

They always sound so convincing in the product description don't they 🤪 I've got the OGX in the pink bottle- bond protein repair something I think? I got the shampoo, conditioner and 1min treatment mask on a deal from Boots. It's making my hair feel lovely and I'm sure there's less fall, even yesterday when I washed for the first time since Saturday there wasn't huge amounts.

I went back to the message from the trichologist- I sent her the same pic I posted above and she said: "I don’t think that’s breakage and if there is breakage it’s caused by lack of density and is a byproduct of hair thinning"

It was free advice and she recommended a trichologist locally to me but I haven't made an appointment yet. I've got a telephone appt today with the Dr so I think I'll ask for them to check my bloods before I take the next step.

@LancreWowhawk I feel exactly the same, especially 'I'm clinging to the hope that if I can just stop my hair breaking then it would be a big improvement."

@Merseymum1980 I'm not brand loyal 😂 to home hair dye at least! I used to use colour sensation quite consistently but now pretty much anything that looks about right and is around a fiver. I've tried more expensive ones or specific 'gentle' ones, nutrisse etc to see if they feel less damaging and have never noticed a difference. I need to do some proper reading about the Wella colour touch but just haven't had time- I'm off today so I'll see what I can find out!

Doing this yoga pose for 5 mins per day has helped me improve hair growth/quality:

My hairdresser even commented on the difference.

I really think its the home dye. A lot of them say no ammonia but they contain other things that llift the hair.
Other than henna ,home dye wrecked my hair.
Try olaplex no 3 to repair , light oil at the ends daily just a touch.
Llysine, multi vitamins, more protein and if can afford collagen and biotin.
A hair towel and satin pillow.
Good luck op

Forgot to say my cousin actually cut her hair really short,she then wore a wig for 12 months. She did all the nice treatments, came off contraceptive (he can use a condom for a bit to help you) and didn't dye her hair. Her hair is now much thicker,shinier.
You can also get vibrating electric comb things and steroid creams from the doctor.
If it is just breaking rather than bald patches im certain its the dye and care x
Not sure if you have any pcos, exterme stress,extreme diet or thyroid issues

Thanks @Usernameaplenty that looks quite relaxing even if it doesn't help! Sounds promising though and blood flow is vital isn't it.

@Merseymum1980 I definitely agree with you that the home dye will be contributing, it was just the trickiest one to tackle! I don't think I do have bald patches. I thought I did but managed to set up a mirror contraption so I could look properly at the back of my head and I'm pretty sure it's thinned but mostly the way that it grows (cowlick? Funny angle/like the parting continues down my head!).

It got really bad when extreme stress led to extreme diet 😞 and hasn't recovered. I spoke to GP today and they want to rerun my bloods so will see if they show anything- I'll be sure to get the actual figures.

From reading this morning the Redken EQ shades plus sounds like a good solution. Should blend my greys, way less harsh than box dyes and has some sort of bond builders in it. If all else fails I'm not averse to a chop and a wig- it just feels daft, like I'd be cutting off the healthiest bit of hair. Although the top section of hair breaks, everything underneath is thick and healthy!

I had hair issues similar to this over the years, combo due to contraception, pregnancy, then divorce stress. I switched to non hormonal IUD and hair stopped thinning. Later added zooki collagen sachets they've been v good after few months of consistent use. Took a good year for hair to bounce back PP. Any hormones for contraception or HRT I asked my doctor about non-androgenic options as progesterone seemed to be one culprit for my hair. Olaplex at home bond repair and (no3) and Davines brown conditioner good for huge boost between colouring around week 5. My hair dresser friend does my roots at home to cover greys so luckily doesnt cost the earth - if I didnt have him I would go to training day or v junior for root touch up as it's not complicated a job enough IMO to justify senior stylist but box colour left my hair unhappy, maybe that was operator error though 🙃 If my hair is v damaged I lay off the styling and twist wet into coiled bun and secure with hair stick, let it dry on way to work or school run before undoing. Chronic high stress levels can up cortisol and lower estrogen which affects hair fyi. That was a big one for me. Hope some of that helps xxx

@Vapeaddict It is! I originally started doing it for stress relief - the hair growth was an unexpected bonus.

As a trained hairdresser (although not currently working as one!) this post is exactly what I would advise too. The nioxin range is excellent and effective. You can buy it from hairdresser trade shops like Sally’s.
However changing your diet will be the biggest factor in increasing the hair health, it all stems from the vitamins and minerals coming through wholefoods in your diet.
if you’re looking for a more natural box dye that is still permanent colour, I like Naturtint . Holland and Barrett sell it. Applies really easily and hair feels lovely after using it.

Nioxin didn't work for me. Not all hair loss is diet related either.

Re getting bloods done, that's great, but remember the GP will (probably) say everything looks fine, because they are looking for indicators for ill health. Ime they don't care about hair loss. So just make sure you get the actual umbers and can check the impact of each yourself.

I'm going to suggest that you see your GP. There are so many different types of hair loss, so many things can affect it, and hair grows so slowly that by the time you find out that something isn't working, your hair loss will be worse. I thought about my mother, aunt and grandmother's super-fine hair that was so sparse you could see their scalp and realised that my own hair loss would most likely not be solved with any kind of supplement or otc serum. I asked for a referral to a dermatologist with a scalp and hair loss specialty. Before my appointment, I had blood tests and had to catch my daily hair loss in ziploc bags for a week. Everything from my hairbrush, shower, clothing, car seat, etc. Boring, but I managed it. They evaluated the hair root and length and also took several punch biopsies. I was diagnosed with both telogen effluvium and androgenetic alopecia, and prescribed medication. It took a while to notice the difference. I had fluffy hairs in the bald spots. They initially looked whispy and different to the rest of my hair. I was later diagnosed with heart failure and my hair loss was also probably triggered because my entire cardiac system was operating at sub-standard and hair wasn't prioritised. Three years down the track, my hair is almost at it's teenage fullness and it's longer than it's ever been as an adult. I even got it caught in a door the other day.

Also, Abbey Yung and The Blowout Professor on youtube. Both very American, but they offer good, practical ideas on how to protect and look after your hair. Learning how NOT to break it yourself is one of the best things I ever did. I take their product recommendations with a grain of salt. I think you can pick and choose from their advice and find something that suits you and your budget. (I use Japanese hair care as it's cheaper where I live. They don't mention any of the things I use.)

Lots to think about here, thank you all for taking the time to share with me! @Francestein sorry to hear about your heart failure, it sounds like you were working against your own health and genetics so you've done really well! Glad you're back to full thickness! I follow Abbey Yung already but will watch some Blowout Professor (I think @Merseymum1980 recommended them too). I think this bit is something I need to learn too: "Learning how NOT to break it yourself is one of the best things I ever did"!

Common themes seem to be:
Hormones (contraception/natural fluctuations)
Self inflicted damage (wet hair/brushing technique etc)
Box dye damage
Diet
Underlying health issues
Combination of the above!

I can make an appt for my blood tests today so I'll get it in asap. I was clear that my main concern was hair loss so I'd hope they'll look closely at the things that can affect it ie. ferritin etc but I will be able to see a full breakdown of the results/numbers on my online account so can check for myself!

Isn't nioxin just a minoxodil shampoo? I'd rather go straight to minoxodil if I'm going to try it- that's my last resort! @Butterflysunshine01 my diet has had a complete overhaul- I've lost 2.5lb and hit my protein goal everyday so far. I'll do my best to keep it up! I like the sound of Naturtint- do you think this is a better option than me attempting to use salon dyes at home? I was looking at wella Colour Touch or the Redken one with bond builders?

@Harristocat so handy to have a hairdresser friend, I need one 😂 I think my original diagnosis was telogen effluvium- I'll have a look back on my GP notes.

This is absolutely amazing! You were treated really well and had an excellent outcome. I can’t believe the difference between this and my own experience with a gp and dermatologist. Three years ago I was going through an incredibly stressful period from all angles of my life. I had hair loss but then I experienced a very sudden and overnight loss of a Hank of hair that had been preceded by soreness and a tugging feeling. The Gp checked bloods for thyroid, iron deficiency and autoimmune disease and found nothing wrong so referred me to a dermatologist. Months of waiting were in between these appointments. The first appointment was promising. He was sympathetic and injected my scalp with steroids. The next appointment came through a year later and this time a different dermatologist couldn’t be less interested. There’d been no improvement. He confirmed that the patch of hair loss was scarred and would never grow back… and that was only given after I’d prompted. He decided there was no point in taking a tissue sample. I asked advice and he shrugged and told me to use baby shampoo. There was no investigation into the cause at all.
I added daily doses of nuts, seeds, biotin and now collagen to my diet. I’m vegetarian so I take an iron supplement from Holland & Barrett with a drink of orange juice to help it absorb. I use a scalp massager and am trying various shampoos and oils to massage with. The stressful period of my life is largely over but I still don’t seem to find the time to meditate properly. My hair is half of what it used to be only five years ago. I got so fed up that I’ve made another appointment with my gp to have another investigation into my overall health because something is not right somewhere and I think my hair loss is connected to something else going on.

@HatStickBoots I live in Australia and have a very good relationship with my GP. It's getting harder and harder to find a good GP here which is more than half of the battle, and I am very lucky with mine.

Nioxin doesn't have Minoxidil, it's just another biotin and caffeine shampoo.

Ive seen a hair growth serum ,has anyone had any experience of these

The ones I've tried have been liquid that you apply with a pipette and massage in to your scalp, rather than a 'hair serum' like frizzease that you apply to the lengths.

I've tried the Champo Pitta one, and also the Scandinavian biolabs one, both of which are liquid-pipette type things. I'm afraid I didn't stick with them for long enough to know if they were going to work, because despite promises on the bottle that they'd dry and be completely unnoticeable, they weighed my very fine hair down and made it look permanently greasy. I decided there was no point in having more hair if it always looked like shit, so I stopped.

In fairness, my mum as also tried the Champo Pitta one, and she swears by it. Her hair is a very different texture to mine, still quite sparse but thicker strands. So perhaps it depends on your individual hair.

The weighing it down is what im afraid of x

I've tried a few, I'm afraid I've not seen any results. They say to rub them in and not wash out, but I can never work out how to do that as they tend to be greasy, so I put them in at night and washed hair in the morning.

Mine was similar post menopause and when I saw my GP about it I was ‘just’ within the normal range for iron. She said it needed to be near 80 for hair growth so I took some prescription ferritin tablets for a while. I also realised my diet had been appalling with very little protein. Cue change and about 6 months later it started to become healthier. I didn’t waste time in shampoos or anything like that as I’m a total cynic when it comes to advertised products. Good luck OP.

Thanks @abracadabra1980! I've really made an effort to clean up my diet and increase protein- obviously not going to experience change overnight but I feel a bit better at least- hopefully in the next few months it'll start to help.

I have blood tests booked next week- will keep you posted if there's anything standout on there. I know to pay attention to ferritin but anything else in particular?!

I'm also going to have a chat with a different hairdresser to get a second opinion and hopefully some advice on more gentle home colouring! From pics they think it's dye damage- think you said the same @Merseymum1980?- and I've basically over processed the top layer of my hair. This makes complete sense as I always put the dye straight down my parting first as it's the grey I most want to cover. And that's exactly where all the breakage is 🙃