Category Archives: Hair Care Faves

Thyroid and Hair Loss

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I had hair loss due to thyroid problems.

I used to think I had pretty good hair.  But, in order to keep my hair “healthy”, I never used hot tools of any kind.  I always let my hair air dry and I never used hot irons.  So technically, even though I was protecting my hair from damage, it never really looked great because it was never really styled in any way.

Then I had my first (and only) child.  After having her and nursing for about 10 months, my hair started falling out.  I expected this because it’s normal after we have children.   

But after a couple of years, I still felt like I was shedding.  I expected my hair loss should have stopped by then and I was hoping to see some hair grow back.  But that just wasn’t happening.  Strangely enough, it wasn’t only my hair.  My nails also became brittle, would chip and I just couldn’t get them to grow any longer.  This was so depressing for me!  I’d always been blessed with healthy strong finger nails.

Then, my doctor discovered the problem: Hypothyroidism due to Hashimoto’s Disease. 

I still struggle with getting my medication exactly right because, as anyone who has thyroid problems knows, your dosage will work for a while but then may need adjusting.  But at least, I’d gotten to where my hair stopped falling out.  Unfortunately, it still was not coming back but I still felt like my hair looked pretty good.  I just wore bangs so no one could see that my hair line was thin.

There are so many hair care options out there that claim to regrow hair but I have found that those that contain keratin or human growth hormones only work when using that product and they can still cause long term damage if they contain sulfates, parabens, harsh silicones, or harsh chemicals.

I wanted a product which would give me beautiful, healthy hair again. 

I started with changing my multi-vitamins to a multi-vitamin which contains biotin for both my nails and my hair.  But do your research on your vitamins and check with your doctor before you start.  All vitamins and vitamin makers are not the same.  If you are like me and must have your thyroid checked on a regular basis, biotin may influence your TSH results.  So, I always go off my vitamins about 2 weeks prior to having my blood drawn. 

 

I was also introduced to a line of hair care products which gave me amazing results, growing back healthy, strong hair. 

Contact me if you’d like to hear how I got my beautiful hair back.

STRESSED OUT! And now I seem to be LOSING MY HAIR!!

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We all know of the negative effects stress can have on us: overeating or not eating enough, laying awake all night long, feeling agitated and so many others! 

But did you know that stress can actually cause your hair to fall out?

It’s true, if you have severe stress in your life and seem to be losing a lot of hair they can be related.

And then you start to worry about your hair.  Guess what?  That is contributing to MORE hair loss. 

According to Dr. Daniel K. Hall-Flavin, M.D., there are three types of hair loss which can be directly related to how our bodies deal with high stress.

When you go through significant stress, the stress pushes large numbers of hair follicles in the resting phase. This is called Telogen Effluvium.  Within a few months, affected hairs might fall out suddenly when simply combing or washing your hair.

Many of us have play with our hair as a nervous habit.  I not only twirl my hair, I tie it in a knot while thinking.  But there are some instances where our nervous habit may go a bit further, leading to Trichotillomania.  Trichotillomania is an irresistible urge to pull out hair from your scalp, eyebrows or other areas of your body. Hair pulling can be a way of dealing with negative or uncomfortable feelings, such as stress, tension, loneliness, boredom or frustration.

Finally, the third type is Alopecia areata. This is a condition which presents as bald spots on the scalp. A variety of factors are thought to cause alopecia areata, possibly including severe stress. With alopecia areata, the body’s immune system attacks the hair follicles — causing hair loss.

If you experience sudden hair loss, you should always be checked by a physician.

But if your hair loss is caused by stress or anxiety, it does not have to be permanent!  Once you are able to get your stress under control, your hair could grow back.

The lovely lady above had some really significant hair loss but it was not permanent for her and she found a wonderful solution to give her new growth and give her some great confidence back!

If you would love to hear more about ways to help regrow your hair after loss from anxiety or stress, please touch base with me.  I would love to talk to you about it.  

Charcoal? On your hair??

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I know you have already heard…. The big rave right now for skin care is activated charcoal.  And for good reason.  Activated charcoal draws bacteria, poisons, chemicals, dirt and other micro-particles to the surface of skin.  This helps to fight acne and helps to give you a flawless complexion. Charcoal is not metabolized or absorbed by the body, but it can be used to treat some poisonous bug bites and disinfect some wounds. 

Knowing that it is good for our skin in general, would we get the same benefits on our scalp? 

Sure!  Why not?

It can absorb dirt, grime, excess oil and other impurities and it can remove build-up left by products which contain silicones and waxes.  But additionally, dandruff, redness, oily and itchy scalps may be relieved with activated charcoal.  So there are definitely benefits to giving yourself a charcoal treatment on hair and scalp.

But let’s talk about product build-up for minute.  We know it makes our hair and scalp look and feel dirty but it is so much more important than just that.  Build-up clogs the pores on our scalp and our hair follicles.  That results in all kinds of problems, most importantly, stunted hair growth. 

If you’d like to try an activated charcoal treatment on your hair, there are a couple ways to tackle this.  If you already have a charcoal treatment for your face, you can go ahead use it as a scalp treatment before you shampoo or it can be mixed in with your shampoo.  The activated charcoal will work on your scalp and hair the same way as it does on skin;  by pulling out toxins and by purifying it.

Another option is that my company has developed an activated charcoal gelee hair masque and have made it a free gift during the month of May for its VIP customers market partners.  So I received mine this week and I tried it this morning.

This hair masque claims to purify the scalp and remove build-up but what is great is that it also lightly hydrates with coconut oil to reduce dryness and flakiness and your hair looks and feels thoroughly cleansed.  Adding the coconut oil is great to ensure that the charcoal on its own does not dry out your hair and scalp.

I loved the results.  It made my scalp and hair feel so clean without feeling dried out or like straw. 

So, like I said, this is a great treatment to ensure your scalp and hair stays clean of waxes and build-up.  So I highly recommend doing it once or twice per month.  You can use a charcoal treatment formulated for your face but make sure you really condition your hair because it is not formulated to ensure your hair is hydrated afterwards.  If you’d like to try our charcoal gelee masque, message me  and we can chat about how you can get it.  But it is only available for free until the end of May so touch base with me soon.

Take care of those beautiful locks!  Remember, your hair is the crown you never take off!