straw for hair

I'm18 months out.  My hair fell out, has stopped falling but nothing coming back in yet.  The hair I do have is like straw, very brittle.  I wear hair extensions to try to hide my lack of hair. 

Any one else have this problem and any suggestions??  D...................

How is your protein intake and fat intake?

I just upped my protein from 90-100 to 140-150 a day.  I think I'm getting enough fat,  eating butter, half and half, full fat every thing.

Thanks Jenna for such a quick response.  D................

You're welcome. Sorry it wasn't more helpful, though, as it sounds like you are doing well on both protein and fat.

Those are the two main culprits I can think of, especially the fat. Have you tried a "fatty" hair treatment, like olive oil, avocado or something similar that you soak your hair in? That might help.

Also, getting good hair care products can make a big difference. What are you using now?

Being that far out, I'd be looking at deficiencies as well. One of our comrades had what her hair dresser defined as "surgery hair" in that it was damaged and lifeless. A good hair cut rid her of most of it and you wouldn't beleive the difference! She had gorgeous curls that were once stringy waves. If you've not done anything drastic and stll holding to the same ol style you started with, this pick me up might be just the trick.

It also wouldn't hurt to do a deep conditioning (a moisturizing one) every week. My favorites are Aussie 3 Minute Miracle & Neutrogena Triple Moisture. When washing we can strip the hair of natural moisture anyways and with us being "altered" we have to step our game up to make sure its balance in moisture and protein.  I wash my hair every other day but I wa**** with conditioner. I only wash once a week with shampoo and maybe once a month or less with clarifying shampoo. Unsure on why type of extensions you have in but with glue or bonds you would have to be careful what products to use to not break down the bonds. If you have sew in or clip in you are good to go!! HTH

This is what I usually go by given everything else is in order:

To determine what your hair is lacking, gently pull out a few pieces of wet hair from various parts of your head. Holding each hair separately between both thumbs, lightly pull. How does your hair react? Is it gummy, does it snap or appear brittle, or does it return back to its original state?

• If it's gummy: Repair damage with protein-based conditioner.
  
• If it snaps or appears brittle: Put moisture back in with a deep conditioning treatment. 
• If it returns back to its original state: Congratulations. You've got some healthy hair on that noggin. Use shampoos and conditioners for your hair type (curly, limp, colored, etc.) to maintain.

Have you tried any biotin? Made a world of difference in how fast my hair grew back after so much fell out. I take 5K mcg a few times a week now, but at first I took it daily.

Also,  how's your vitamin E intake? Isn't E the vite that's in the hair/skin/nails supplements that normies take? Since we malabsorb that one, I'd put it on my list of suspects. Along with zinc.

Hope something works for you. I know how much I hated it when my hair was falling out.

I have the exact same problem.  I looked like Larry King and the stubby new growth was just as dry.  Mine is a lot better.  I'll tell you what I did.

Even though we don't absorb 80% oil, I take 3-4 fish oil pills a day.  Better to absorb some then none.  Then I take Vectomega supplements.  They are not oil based and the company wrote me back to say they will be better absorbed per our new arrangements.  http://www.vectomega.com/

I take 2 dry Vitamin E per day, biotin, and more liquid omega stuff since it claims to be fast absorbing  http://www.barleans.com/omega_swirl.asp  My skin was terribly dry. 

I used very good, very deep conditioners and products on my hair.  Also, protein based products and ones without sulfates.  Since this wasn't working quickly enough for my impatient self, I opted to have a Brazilian Blowout once my hair had grown in for 4 months. http://brazilianblowout.com/  I was using a flat iron on my hair everyday and that was just toasting it more.  The blowout treatment helped a lot.  It's very expensive though so the jury is out on whether I will get it done again. 

Again, it's all helped a lot.  I've been dealing with my mom's medical crisis so when I get back home, I plan on upping my fat intake and taking better care of myself overall.  I hope you find some relief.  It sucks to get skinny and have hair that could go up in flames at any moment, huh?! 

Cheers,
Cathy

Big hint--Use Wen Conditioning Cleanser (I like lavender).  It will transform your hair!
Lisa

I have the added bonus of living in a drastically dry environment. I use Aussie 3 minute miracle every night. Yes. That is what I said. Every night. I started doing it when my hair started falling out and now I still do it. To make it go a little farther I mix it with some regular conditioner.