EXCESSIVE SHEDDING!!!!!!

[Natural Love]

Hello Ladies:

I have come seeking advice for a problem that I have NEVER had before until about 5 weeks ago and that is that my hair has been excessively shedding.

Usually I comb and detangle my hair once a week, this has been my regimen for over a year and even with combing my hair once a week my hair hardly shed. It shed so little that it was unbelievable for me.

Within the last five weeks when I comb my hair at the end of the week my hair has been coming out by the handfull!! This has been ultimately frustrating as I take extremely good care of my hair by washing and conditioning it weekly with a cowash in between. Nothing else has really changed in my diet or routine that I haven't done, I just can't understand why my hair is shedding at such an alarming rate. I am literally afraid that my hair is going to become thin and that I will eventually get frustrated and want to chop it all off. I actually feel like crying

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

TIA!!!!

 

[msa]

Humans shed between 50 and 150 hairs per day. Multiply that by a week and you have 350-1050 hairs when you finally wash and detangle. Are you finding bald spots or obviously thinning areas? If not, I wouldn't worry too much. Stressing about it may only make it worse.

Also, how did you wear your hair up until 5 weeks ago? And how have you been wearing it since then? I'm wondering if the hairstyle you wore made it easier for the shed hair to fall from your head on it's own so when you did detangle there wasn't much to see.

The two things that I've heard that seem to help with shedding are garlic (pills or products, but be careful if you take the pills it's a blood thinner) and rinsing with something with caffeine (coffee or tea). But be aware you can't stop shedding forever. It's a natural process and it's going to happen no matter what you do.

 

[Natural Love]

Thanks for the response. I wore my hair in twists or wash and goes. Now I wear my hair in buns. So far no bald spots (thank God). I use a spray that has tea (burdock and horsetail) in it. I am hoping it's just a phase, but it seems to be lasting longer than I would expect it to.

It's almost has come to a point where I am afraid to touch my hair.

 

[Reecie]

Natural,

I'm sorry to hear your dilemma. I can just feel the frustration in your post. When you look at the shed hairs, are there white bulbs at the end of the strand? If so, then I agree with the last post that it is an accumulation from 1 weeks worth of not combing.

However, if they are just longer pieces that are breaking off. I would either use a protein treatment and/or deep condition more with a moisturizing conditioner.

 

[upliftedjw]

I agree with reecie. If there's way too much protein in your hair and not enough moisture, shedding happens (this is without the whit bulb tips). same thing vice versa. there has to be a protein/moisture balance.

Someone posted this a while back (forgot who) but it definitely helped me:

[FONT=&quot]Protein and Moisture[/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]​

[FONT=&quot]

Scenario 1: Kim's hair is breaking like crazy and feels like a brillo pad. Every time she touches it, pieces seem to just pop right off. Snap, crackle, pop. Combing is impossible without tons of little hairs covering her sink and back. Her hair feels hard and rough even when wet. She's given it protein treatments because the product says its supposed to stop breakage in its tracks and rebuild the hair, but so far nothing is working and her problem is getting worse.

Scenario 2: Trina's hair is breaking like crazy as well. Her hair feels dry, looks dull, and is very weak. Her hair is too weak to withstand simple combing. It feels extra stretchy when wet and almost follows the comb as she pulls through to detangle. She has deep conditioned and done hot oil treatments on her hair once a week. Since her breakage began, she?s stepped up the conditioning but her problem has gotten worse. [/FONT][FONT=&quot]

Both of these women have issues with breakage, but the solutions to their individual problems require two very different approaches. Before you go shopping for your hair care product arsenal, you must understand the difference between protein and moisture and what they mean for your hair. Protein and moisture are the key cornerstones of great hair care. Maintaining a proper balance between these two entities is critical for the healthiest hair growth possible. The two scenarios above perfectly illustrate what happens when the balance between protein and moisture is tipped too far in either direction. This section will teach you to effectively recognize the difference between protein based and moisture based problems and help you can organize your hair regimen to effectively combat these issues as the arise.


Protein

Protein is what gives the hair its strength and structure. Hair is about 70% keratin protein by nature. Protein is found most prevalently in products like instant conditioners (bargain brands like Suave and V05), leave in conditioners, protein conditioner treatments, and even some moisturizers.


Moisturizers

Moisturizers are products that are water-based and nourish your hair deep within the strand. Water is the ultimate moisturizer so waterbased products are best for really getting the best moisture benefit. Products with moisturizing properties tend to be your conditioners and other water-based products. Moisturizers may also be protein-based, but these protein based moisturizers do not have the moisturizing benefit that moisture-based moisturizers have. Good moisturizers will not contain ingredients like petrolatum, mineral oil, or lanolin. These are cheap product fillers. Be wary of products that claim moisturizing benefits and contain these ingredients. There is nothing moisturizing about them! Petrolatum and mineral oil are sealants and have the potential to suffocate the hair and scalp and seal out the moisture it needs. [/FONT]


I'll find the rest of the thread and post the link. hope it helps

 

[upliftedjw]

okay, here's the link:

http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=84746

it's extremely long but I would recommend reading it. It helps! : )

 

[msa]

If there's way too much protein in your hair and not enough moisture, shedding happens (this is without the whit bulb tips). same thing vice versa. there has to be a protein/moisture balance.

Breakage, not shedding.

Shedding=white bulbs.

Breakage=no white bulbs.

 

[upliftedjw]

ooops, def meant to say breakage...lol...oops

 

[Natural Love]

Thank you all for the responses. It helps alot!!

The hairs do have the white bulbs on the ends but it is just so many of them. I honestly believe that it is more than average shedding.

Maybe I will try a protein treatment. My hair doesn't feel or look dry nor is there a significant amount of breakage.

Thanks again.

 

[msa]

Thank you all for the responses. It helps alot!!

The hairs do have the white bulbs on the ends but it is just so many of them. I honestly believe that it is more than average shedding.

Maybe I will try a protein treatment. My hair doesn't feel or look dry nor is there a significant amount of breakage.

Thanks again.

A protein treatment will not stop shedding so don't jack up your hair trying to do it.

Next time you detangle, count the shed hairs and report back. My shed hair is like a ginormous ball sometimes but in reality it's not thousands of hairs, it's just coily and takes up lots of space.

 

[Urban]

A protein treatment will not stop shedding so don't jack up your hair trying to do it.

Next time you detangle, count the shed hairs and report back. My shed hair is like a ginormous ball sometimes but in reality it's not thousands of hairs, it's just coily and takes up lots of space.

ugh, thank you! I really wish people on this forum would stop recommending protein treatments for shedding! I keep asking people who do this, why they would recommend external protein on the hair shaft for a shedding problem and they just don't seem to get it. It'll probably do more harm than good if the person's hair doesn't actually need protein.

OP, you need something that will help your follicle to stop detaching the hair shaft. You shouldn't need to apply anything to the actual shaft itself to stop shedding that's occuring from the follicle.

Aside: Also, I really don't understand why people blame the protein in Megatek for shedding. I can understand people reacting to certain ingredients in MT which then causes shedding. But to blame a biologically inactive protein that may not even penetrate to have an effect ... I just don't know. I guess my point is this ... why are people quick to point to the protein and forget about all the other ingredients in it?

Sorry OP, don't mean to hijack your thread... lol, I guess I should just make my own.

 

[Natural Love]

A protein treatment will not stop shedding so don't jack up your hair trying to do it.

Next time you detangle, count the shed hairs and report back. My shed hair is like a ginormous ball sometimes but in reality it's not thousands of hairs, it's just coily and takes up lots of space.

Gotcha...

I will try and upload a picture. My hairball is beginning to look like a ping pong ball, but I think that's just my stressed out distorted image.

 

[msa]

ugh, thank you! I really wish people on this forum would stop recommending protein treatments for shedding! I keep asking people who do this, why they would recommend external protein on the hair shaft for a shedding problem and they just don't seem to get it. It'll probably do more harm than good if the person's hair doesn't actually need protein.

OP, you need something that will help your follicle to stop detaching the hair shaft. You shouldn't need to apply anything to the actual shaft itself to stop shedding that's occuring from the follicle.

You and me both!

It doesn't make sense.

My other pet peeve is when people say they never shed EVER. Everybody sheds. There's no way to stop it forever. If there were, we'd all have full heads of ankle length hair.

 

[Lucky's Mom]

My Shedding has virtually ceased.

I use 5 oz Aloe Vera Inner Fillet - 1 tsp of Wheat Germ oil and 2 tbls of Coconut oil.
I use this as a detangler - and an overnight Pre poo.

Amazing. No shedding.