Last week when I went to get my hair trimmed, the hairdresser commented that I was losing too much hair. Now, I've noticed this, but just thought it was due to age.

She suggested that I get a good Ph balanced shampoo, a good hair conditioner and a moisturizer. Unfortunately they were out of stock at the salon so I couldn't get the products that day.

Lastly, she suggested that I not color my hair very often, since that was likely most of the problem. But, I'm not ready to let the gray "out there" just yet.

So - here are my questions.

Can anyone recommend some good products? Does anybody use "natural" hair dyes or hair color?

Any insights would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Whirlwind

You can pick up good hair products at any health food store, no harsh chemicals are used. They are a bit more expensive but worth it. Also depending on the color of your hair you might want to try streaking it that way the color will blend. Also many of us in the forum are taking BIOTIN, it makes the hair grow, no kidding and the only side effect is the nails grow too. I personally take 1000 mcg a day. My hair is thicker than ever before. I have been taking this natural product for years with no harm....My hairstylist turned me on to Biotin when she noticed how much my hair was thinning. Check it out...

Chatty: Thanks for the suggestions. I would have never thought of a health food store, but that makes great sense! And I'll buy some biotin tomorrow.

The older I get, the more I realize I need to take really good care of my mama's only daughter.

Whirlwind

Whirlwind,

Could I suggest you take a peak at Arbonne. Our products are botanically based, PH balanced, no chemical fragrances or dyes, and no animal by-products.

I would offer you to try them at a 35% discount (what I would make if I sold them at retail).

I have a friend whose hair was thinning horribly. she started using the Arbonne products, and her hair dresser couldn't believe the difference.

The shampoo and conditioner have a hormone blocker that blocks the hormone that causes hair loss.

Just another suggestion!

Danita

Try not using conditioners of any kind. I was getting some really thin places on my head, very embarrassing. I only condition once a week now.
Also, I was taking Prem-Pro. I also went off the hormones. My hair's so thick now, my hairdresser has to thin it.
Hope this helps.
By the way, I 'let my hair go' and my hair is the most beautiful white you've ever seen! Stunning! I use Loreal Mega Lightest Ivory Blonde
to keep the yellow tinge out about every 2 months or so,and use Shimmer Lights shampoo daily to keep it snow white.
Stunning!
Virginia

I've been wondering about gray hair, and how many of us are going "natural" ?

By the way, I use Biotin and my hair as thickened up and grows so fast now, I get it cut every 5 weeks. My hairdresser has commented on the difference from thinning (she could see my skin through,) to so thick now you can't see through to the scalp at all.

I've been coloring my hair since I was 25. I started going gray then. I stopped coloring my hair a couple of years ago and I like seeing the different colors gray and silver and white that streak my hair.

Every once in a while I get that old twinge to color, but my husband says no, he likes the way it looks.

What about you? If you color, Why?.. and if you do't, why not?

Vicki- I went grey over 3 years ago- cut my dyed red locks real shot and kept cutting til it was all me
Now it's silver and white and crazy streaked down to the middle of my back
Seems every time I think of the bottle someone tells me what beautiful hair I have- and as long as my man loves it- I'll be a silver haired vixen!!!

One of the reasons I've never colored my hair is INERTIA! Also, I always liked the color. The silver doesn't bother me. It's now 25% silver and 75% deep brown. Husband doesn't care what I do color-wise. I'm still thinking about that purple.

I should add, I gave up all make-up except nail polish when I turned 40 (now 55). I'm into a natural look and don't feel particularly obligated to buy into the whole cosmetics thing.

[ September 02, 2005, 05:18 AM: Message edited by: meredithbead ]

Meredith, I stopped wearing makeup as well. My husband said he liked the natural look much better. He said the makeup wasn't the "real" me.

I hate make-up. Always was sorry I ever started wearing it when young. I wear less and less every year. I am down to coloring in my blonde eyebrows a bit darker and still put on a bit of mascasra. My lashes are very long but also very light in color. I do wear just a bit of powder. My hair is alost all light brown naturally now except for the side that are very light and silvery. My beautician friend says it looks so nice she said to tell others she did it for me so they would come to her. Shes a nut! I go between long and short but short is so easy and neat looking. I finally figured out some years ago, its me I have to please, no one else.

chatty lady, I too have hair loss. I started using rogaine and my hair loss seemed to slow down but I hate using it. I don't even like to take an aspirin for a headache! I bought biotin. My question is, are you ladies also using rogaine or just biotin? And how long does biotin take to show results?

Biotin? Ladies, do tell more. I lost all of my hair during chemo. It grew back okay. Some said it would grow back thick and curly. NOT. It grew back fine, thin, and straight as ever. What is biotin and where do you get it and what is it for and is it a vitamin, mineral, or animial product?

I started losing my hair last year. Went to a Dermatologist. Was put on high does of Iron. Told a friend about the hair loss, and she said she had the same problem. She took vitamin E and Biotin. Gues what ladies? It works!!!!!!!
Just in the last couple of months my hair has turned curly. Shirley Temple curly!!! We belive it's from the high does of Iron. Now I have to get used to curly hair. I will get used to it, but I'll get used to having my hair stay in from now own. Try the vitamine E and Biotin. I can't hurt. You can get them at a health food store, or I get mine at Freddy's. Good luck!
Lynne

Lynne, was you hair straight and it suddenly went curly from the iron? And are you also taking E and Biotin?

Lynnie...
I had and still have very thick hair. Lots of body and some wave and a little curl. I modeled in Hair Style shows when I was a teenager in San Francisco because all the stylist "loved" my hair.
Then after blood loss, due to many medical problems, and transfusions, I started to lose my hair.
Was referred to a Dermatologist who did lab work, which came back with my iron down to 9. To be normal it should be 79. Started me on high doses of Iron.
Didn't start taking the Biotin and Vitamin E until a few months ago. Been on the Iron for over a year.
I've been told it's the Iron.
I've been told by my older daughter, who has tons of hair, very long, and hangs in ringlets, that her hair didn't really get as curly as it is now until she got older. She's a whoping 40!
My mother has very curly hair and a lot of wave.
Who knows?
All I know.......is it's really tough to try and make this hair behave!
I do know the Biotin and the Vitamin E helped with the hair loss.
Lynne(Lynnie is my nickname!)

Biotin takes about five weeks before you notice a difference. Your nails will get strong too.

I've taken biotin for at least a year, and unfortunately have seen no change. My hair has always been thin, straight and baby-fine, so the fact that it's somewhat thinner with age didn't come as much of a surprise. Maybe the biotin only works for hair loss that's NOT hereditary??

Lynnie, biotin can be found in the supplement area of any health food or vitamin store. It's a B vitamin that occurs in nuts, egg yolks, beans and cereal.

I too have been taking biotin for quite a while.....I have seen some change in my fingernails being a bit stronger BUT no change in the fine, thin hair. Oh well. Something is better than nothing - eh??? LOL

I am trying to let my hair grow and it is in the not too short yet messy looking stage. I haven't colored it in months and it has gotten brown again except for assorted gray hairs in some strange places. It seems to be changing monthly via color and consistency. What a pain this is. I want to let it get long to the shoulder and then go blonde. Lets see why am I stressed, messy weird hair, fat body full of lumps and bumps, dieting constantly, (yuk) not enough money coming in, can't seem to get rid of the ex totally, yada, yada, yada...thats why!

I let my hair grow out to its natural color about 5 years ago, when nothing would completely cover the gray. Now people ask me what I do to get my hair the silver gray it is. I've always had curly hair that does what it feels like doing. It can be a pain at times, which is why I wear it short.

when I was younger I wore short hair, then went into the Marines and kept it short. After I got married, I let it grow out a little, but it wasn't until I was in my 30's that I decided to let it grow long. I kept it long until I was 40, and it got so that I was hurting my back having to take care of it. I had to bend over at the waist to comb it out and dry it. My hairdresser hated to cut it, but it needed to be done. I've been wearing it short now for a few years and I like it. It's easy to take care of, it looks like it's styled every day. I just run a comb through it and I'm done.

I stopped coloring it and it looks fine. The brown is still there, but it's more gray, and a few streaks of white.

I have been taking biotin now for over a year and the results are great. My hair is thick and healthy. My nails are strong.

And, funny thing. Now that I'm taking my Cymbalta, that stops the pain in my back, I don't have the problem anymore about taking care of my hair. Think I should start growing it out again? :-)

Vicki, I didn't know you were in the Marines. Learn something new every day here at BWS.

My vote is to keep it short. It looks good. I saw the wedding pictures, remember?

I suffered a bit of thinning and hair loss at the temples the last few years. After I read this I started taking biotin and iron around last October.

Can't say I've seen tons of hair sprouting out where I'd like to have it. But by golly yes, my fingernails have become bullet proof! I can hardly get a pair of nail clippers to go through them.

How much longer do I need to wait for my thick luxurious mane? Or maybe the har will grow in a place where I don't want it? (wouldn't that be just my luck to have a splendid growth of underarm hair?)

Madness......I was losing my hair over a year ago. Went to a dermatologist, got on iron, Vitamin E and Biotin, and my hair came in curly!!!!!
I now have tons of hair, it's still curly, and I'm finally getting used to it.
Give it time and the hair will come back.
Lynne

My hair didn't come in thicker but I seemed to have alot more of it. My usually thin easily broken nails are thicker and stronger with the Biotin. I noticed the difference in about 90 days or so.

[ February 06, 2006, 09:16 PM: Message edited by: chatty lady ]

The curly hair reminds me of a few women I know who lost their hair due to chemo. When it grew back, it was thick and wavy. What's up with that? Anyone know? HAs that happened to anyone here?

[ February 07, 2006, 12:55 PM: Message edited by: Dotsie ]

Well ladies, I caved and got it all cut short again. Looks great and is very blondish. Once short its hard to let it grow out I guess, too lazy to fiddle.

For those of us with naturally-curly hair, the website www.naturallycurly.com is great - loads of support and celebration of curliness in all its forms. Very active discussion boards too, including a new one for over-40's. A tip, once you have your hair cut right for your particular texture, it's a whole lot easier to deal with. It can be challenging to find a haircutter who really knows how to deal with curly hair, but once you find him/her, stick with them! I've followed mine around to several salons in Santa Fe, with great results!
Fortunately thinning isn't present for me - my cutter says I have enough hair for 3 people. It's maybe gotten somewhat finer over the years, but it is still very plentiful and does exactly what it wants, which is to curl in loose curls and waves.

Nice of you to advertise for this other site, but why not go to the welcome thread and introduce yourself and tell us something about you. You may or may not have noticed that the site you mentioned charges others to advertise on their site...

[ May 27, 2006, 08:13 PM: Message edited by: chatty lady ]

I've gone strawberry blonde for the summer! I like it. It's gonna take a while for my hair to get back all of it's shine but I'm putting great conditioners on it and being extra nice to it. As my French BIL says, my hairs, not hair!

HUH? What is it then?

Girls
what is biotin? do you think I can get it in the UK.
My nails always break..
Mountain Ash

Mountain Ash you should be able to get it in the UK. Just go along to a health shop and they should have Biotin there for you. It a 'B' vitamin.

May I humbly suggest looking at our Sea Buckthorn Hair Therapy? It's an oil based conditioner and can be left in overnight or washed out after 10 minutes.

My husband had two bald spots on his head grow in when we added .5 oz sea buckthorn seed oil to 16 oz of cheapo shampoo. I had NO IDEA it would grow his hair in or make mine thicker. I would have taken pictures yanno?

But people were not wanting to add it to their shampoo and so many asked me to make a shampoo, I did. We have raves about the Sea Buckthorn Shampoo and Sea Buckthorn Hair Therapy.

One man was completely bald on top and he used the oil in his shampoo and his wife, who cuts his hair, said it was fuzzy on top after 4 weeks. It usually takes about 3-4 weeks, some shorter, some longer.

Janine