I just came across such a great blog. I know it probably speaks more to me than to most of you, but I wanted to post about it in hopes that someone doing a Google blog search or something will find it. It’s called the Women’s Hair Loss Project and it’s basically the story of a young woman in her twenties going dealing with hair loss. She shares her feelings and experiences and encourages others to do the same. The blog is full of the author’s posts, as well as posts from other women going through the same thing.
I didn’t realize that women’s hair loss is such a common thing - 40% of people suffering from hair loss are women. Surprising, huh? We always think of MEN as the ones losing their hair. And men are so lucky right now - baldness is generally considered to be pretty dang hot among most men. My husband is one of the many, many guys I know who shaves his head every couple of days. That look just isn’t going to fly for most women, though.
I myself have been losing A TON of hair over the past couple of years. I think it has to do with some of the medications I take. Someone mentioned to me the other day that I’m probably not eating enough protein. I have no idea. It’s really just such a crapshoot, trying to pin down some REASON that I can SEE THROUGH my hair! It’s so embarrassing, particularly when I’m standing out in the sunlight - it’s not so noticable to everyone else, but every time I catch a glimpse of my reflection somewhere, all I see is my part, and my SCALP shining through it. It sucks! Women need their hair, y’know? It’s such a huge part of our vanity and our image and honestly, our self worth. Hell, I spent a good three months whining about getting a bad haircut earlier this year - imagine how hard it would be to just lose handfuls of your hair every time you shower or brush your hair! Crazy.
Anyway - GREAT blog. The author is really baring her soul, putting it all out there, in hopes of helping other women going through the same thing. You have to applaud that.
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3 Responses to “Hair loss in women.”
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About the Author
Laura, also known as LaLaGirl, is the mother of a teenager and two young sets of twins. She's happily married to an enginerd named Paul, loves living in Colorado, and writes almost daily about married life, raising multiples, and parenting a child with autism. In addition to playing Barbies and pretending to eat plastic food all day, Laura spends most of her time folding clean laundry, obsessing about the amount of sugar her kids eat, and vacuuming up Polly Pocket accessories. She's obsessed with Yo Gabba Gabba, red wine, and Family Guy. She also regularly contributes to How Do You Do It? and authors the following blogs:
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webgrrlie
December 30th, 2007 at 9:13 am
laura - i just wanted to mention that the protein thing is right on. i think you know that several years ago, i had a gastric bypass. one of the things a REALLY prepared for prior to surgery was the possibility that since i wouldn’t be capable of eating enough protein (or anything else, for that matter), i might lose a considerable amount of my hair. i have REALLY thick hair, and that was something i was bound and determined not to let happen.
so before i had my surgery, i switched all of my hair products to the nioxin line (http://www.nioxin.com/). and then after surgery, i started drinking two protein shakes a day (each one contains a little over 30g of protein); the recommended guideline for daily protein is half your body weight.
and i’m thrilled to say that i still have my VERY thick hair.
i also think that some hair loss in women can be attributed to hormones. i’ve had countless friends who said that while they were pregnant, they had the best hair and nails of their lives, and then after birth, they lost a considerable amount of their hair, and their nails got weaker. and in your case, after two sets of twins, it wouldn’t surprise me if that might be a contributing factor for you.
just please promise me you won’t ever use that horrid spray-on hair in a can!!
Eli
December 30th, 2007 at 11:17 am
My oldest sister’s hair was getting really thin, and she went to a dermatologist who happens to be the only doctor in town (and there are a lot of doctors in this city) who specializes in hair loss. He had her change to a hypoallergenic shampoo, and her hair is starting to come back. Apparently, a lot of people become allergic to the extra chemicals in shampoos and conditioners…
Noelle
January 2nd, 2008 at 11:54 am
So on that comment about Nioxin. That stuff does wonders. I would use it when I worked with my sister in the salon. But really if you are gonna buy some Laura let me know and I could get it at whole sale. It’s a little on the pricey side so getting it for half the price than the salon always helps.