For women who noticed hair thinning after a relaxer

[abcd09]

How long did it take post relaxer to notice you were losing hair? Im experiencing strange hair loss. I got a relaxer on Oct 8 and did not notice any thinning. My roots always feel thin after a relaxer, but that was due to having fine hair. I've never had an adverse reaction to a relaxer before. My stylist even used the same brand, although she may have left it on five minutes more than I wanted.

This is where it gets confusing, after about 2 weeks post, I was in a lot of pain in my right tooth, so I started taking ibuprofen until I get get to a doctor and he just prescribed me more (vicodin and ibuprofen). So for about 1.5-2 weeks weeks I was taking more ibuprofen than I should, which after some research can cause hair loss/thinning. This is when the thinning became noticeable, although I had never had any clumps of hair anywhere. Just shedding as usual. There are no bald spots and the thinning is just on the right side/hemisphere of my scalp. It's very evident when I part my hair. The reason why this is confusing is because I cannot pinpoint what may have caused this.

Please help! How long did it take for the thinning from your relaxer to occur?

 

[JJamiah]

I can't offer any advice just sorry your going through this.

Have you tried Alter Ego Garlic or another garlic conditioner.

Did you do a heavy protein before or after your relaxer?
Did you neutralize again to make sure all the relaxer was out?

 

[abcd09]

I can't offer any advice just sorry your going through this.

Have you tried Alter Ego Garlic or another garlic conditioner.

Did you do a heavy protein before or after your relaxer?
Did you neutralize again to make sure all the relaxer was out?

I didn't neutralize againafter the relaxer which is strange because I usually do this The stylist neutralized for a good 5 minutes though.

I havent tried Alter Ego yet. That's for shedding right?

 

[klsjackson]

Sorry to hear that! I'm actually experiencing something similar. I didn't notice at first either. And I had no irritation until days later. I think she used old relaxer or something. Don't dwell on it. At least you caught it before it was too bad. I'm using the board as a resource to maintain my hair and starting over. Good luck

 

[JJamiah]

I didn't neutralize againafter the relaxer which is strange because I usually do this The stylist neutralized for a good 5 minutes though.

I havent tried Alter Ego yet. That's for shedding right?

Yes it is.
You'd be suprised at how many people leave the salon still not properly neutralized. I am not sure that was your case just a food for thought.

 

[ElizaBlue]

Garlic pills or rinsing with coffee. I didn't know that Ibuprofen had that affect. I have been taking it for the last three weeks for my knee...but I just figured the excessive shedding was because I went from a box relaxer to lye. Now you have me wondering....hmmm.

 

[abcd09]

Garlic pills or rinsing with coffee. I didn't know that Ibuprofen had that affect. I have been taking it for the last three weeks for my knee...but I just figured the excessive shedding was because I went from a box relaxer to lye. Now you have me wondering....hmmm.

Oh no! @ElizaBlue, how much are you taking? I was taking maybe 1200mg every four hours for a week or two. When did you do your last relaxer?

@klsjackson are you going natural now? what kind of irritation did you have? I almost want to call the stylist and ask her is she remembers any excessive shedding, but it's been two months and I doubt she'll remember.

 

[Guitarhero]

Op, do you have an infected tooth? Any kind of severe infection can also cause hair loss. If your tooth was painful due to sinus infection, that may also be a source. And I think we sometimes build up chemical tolerance then suddenly face sensitivity. That's why I'm going back to the bisulfite perm "New Era" which isn't nearly as harsh. My scalp felt better and I didn't even use strong relaxers. I just don't want that demarcation and the problems it presents, neither do I wish to cut and start over. I hope you figure out the problem. Call your pharmacist and ask them if ibuprofen can cause it or the hydrocodone. I have heard they don't in short-term use. And try Nioxin while trying to get to the cause.

 

[abcd09]

Op, do you have an infected tooth? Any kind of severe infection can also cause hair loss. If your tooth was painful due to sinus infection, that may also be a source. And I think we sometimes build up chemical tolerance then suddenly face sensitivity. That's why I'm going back to the bisulfite perm "New Era" which isn't nearly as harsh. My scalp felt better and I didn't even use strong relaxers. I just don't want that demarcation and the problems it presents, neither do I wish to cut and start over. I hope you figure out the problem. Call your pharmacist and ask them if ibuprofen can cause it or the hydrocodone. I have heard they don't in short-term use. And try Nioxin while trying to get to the cause.

Yup my tooth was infected. I didn't know it could cause hair loss!! That pain was the worst pain I've ever had in my life. The hair loss was on the same side of my head as the tooth (tooth on ride side, hair loss on right hemisphere). I definitely have a tolerance to ibuprofen so I started off with the max dose (800mg) then increased. Thanks for this!!

 

[klsjackson]

Oh no! @ElizaBlue, how much are you taking? I was taking maybe 1200mg every four hours for a week or two. When did you do your last relaxer?

@klsjackson are you going natural now? what kind of irritation did you have? I almost want to call the stylist and ask her is she remembers any excessive shedding, but it's been two months and I doubt she'll remember.

No, I'm not going natural. Even though I have a lot of breakage, I'm still getting compliments on my hair . It's only noticeable to others if I point it out. So, I'm at 4 weeks post, I'm going to wait at least 4 more weeks to relax again. In the meantime, I'm treating the breakage and keeping the rest of my hair in good condition. As far as irritation, my scalp was itching something fierce!! It almost felt like it was burning when I would scratch. And I didn't have any dandruff!! at all. I know this might sound weird, but I know my hair is in good shape when I have dandruff. For me it's a sign that my hair is in good condition and growing. Any time I don't have any dandruff, my hair is breaking off. Go figure!

 

[Hairsnob]

I wouldn't be surprised if it was the Ibuprofen. I do know that certain things like naproxin sodium (Aleve) could cause hair thinning if taken a lot. I noticed hair thinning after taking an acne medicine (Dorex I think it was). I don't know if Ibuprofen is on the same line as Aleve though. The reason I think both can cause the same symptoms is because I believe they both work as anti-androgens. They reduce the androgens that cause excess oil production, which leads to acne.

Was your scalp extra dry? I noticed mine was dry from the meds and then realized the hair thinning about a month later. Think about it, if it dries up the oil production to reduce acne, then it probably affects your scalp the same way.

This is just my theory on it all so hopefully it's helplful to you at least a bit. Either way, nothing you can do now but focus on getting it back to normal. Try the garlic pills as others said. It worked wonders for me and they stopped the excess shedding in its tracks almost.

 

[abcd09]

I wouldn't be surprised if it was the Ibuprofen. I do know that certain things like naproxin sodium (Aleve) could cause hair thinning if taken a lot. I noticed hair thinning after taking an acne medicine (Dorex I think it was). I don't know if Ibuprofen is on the same line as Aleve though. The reason I think both can cause the same symptoms is because I believe they both work as anti-androgens. They reduce the androgens that cause excess oil production, which leads to acne.

Was your scalp extra dry? I noticed mine was dry from the meds and then realized the hair thinning about a month later. Think about it, if it dries up the oil production to reduce acne, then it probably affects your scalp the same way.

This is just my theory on it all so hopefully it's helplful to you at least a bit. Either way, nothing you can do now but focus on getting it back to normal. Try the garlic pills as others said. It worked wonders for me and they stopped the excess shedding in its tracks almost.

I know ibuprofen is a non-steriod anti inflammatory drug and after just looking it up, aleve is as well.

My scalp is always dry, but i didn't notice any extra dryness, although it has been pretty itchy lately. I've applied sulfur 8, aloe, etc and it still itches.

I'll set out to by some garlic pills this afternoon. I hope they work.