Is long or short better...

[Wuxiapian]

for thinning hair?

I've been losing hair the past 3 years, but a much more substantial amount the past year.

It's all over hair loss - especially at temples/top of forehead - hair has lost more than half it's volume.

I've had all blood tests and hormones are perfectly fine.

GP basically told me it's "one of those things".

It's incredibly distressing - my confidence is shot to pieces!

My hair is just below shoulder length and I'm wondering if a shorter style would be better...

Anyone else suffering with this, too?

Any words very much appreciated.

I've lost lots of hair too, with no obvious reason. At first it really affected me badly too, but it seems to have settled down.

I've gone for middle length - I've gradually reduced the length until I feel comfortable with it, and until it gets a bit of bounce back too. Longer hair is heavier and tends to pull itself down flat to the head.

(I used to have lovely short hair, then much longer, but daren't go really short now, I don't think, in case it lost all volume.)

My hairdresser keeps recommending volumising shampoos, but I find they make it worse. I've experimented with a couple of shampoos and found one which gives my hair a bit of body and keeps it feeling nice.

HTH. Yet another thing to cope with, after having kids, isn't it?!

Mine thinned a lot when I was at Uni (think it was because the only nutrition I got was Marlboro lights and dry cider ).
I find mine is best in a chin length bob. It is a bit longer at the moment, and am trying it out, but I think a bob is best for me.
Notquite, what shampoo would you recommend?

That's another thing...

How often are you supposed to wash hair?

I ask because I lose a handful when I do, so try to limit washing to once a week/10 days!

It's gross, but scared I'll end up totally bald if I wash it more often.

It's s depressing.

My Mum lost loads of hair when in her 40's. it coincided with me leaving home to go to Uni and looking back on it I think she was just stressed/depressed, not just about me but about her life in general. The good news is, once over that phase of her life, her hair grew back and is now fine. So there is hope.

It's so strange, though, as it's been gradual over 3/4 years and there haven't been any particularly stressful events.

Do you guys lose a lot of hair when you wash it, too?

my friend lost a lot of hair after she split up with boyf a few years ago - she was late 40s, no children. it has mainly grown back since.

she has always been extraordinarily fussy about how her hair is cut, almost hair by hair! it is shortish, so below ears but not chin length.

Can you ask your doctor for a referral to a trichologist?

I did go through a phase of losing loads when I washed it, for a few months - it has eased up a lot now though.

BitOfFun, endocrinologist hadn't mentioned talking to Dr about trichologist.

Wonder if it'll be worth speaking with my GP... Get the feeling he'll fob me off with the "it's just one of those things" line, though

No, really, do give it a try. I had to go back a couple of times about a bad skin condition until the GP would take me seriously, but I got seen really quickly and the consultant was brilliant. I feel like this is actually going to get sorted out now, and that would never have happened just with cream off the doctor. Someone with real expertise will be able to help you, and they'll understand how it affects your confidence etc much better than the GP. Good luck, it is worth pushing for!

And in the meantime, my hairdresser recommended trying Zinc and Selenium supplements. Apparently they work best if you take them for 3 months, leave them for three months and then start again.

Phillip Kingsley who s a trichologist advises that protein is important for good hair growth. He advises protein at evey meal, so not pasta with tomato sauce, but chicken salad for e.g, add nuts and seeds to breakfast cereals, or have eggs. I find it does help.

OP - do you take the pill? Some pills have hair loss as a side effect.