Reducing hair shedding? page

[meepster]

For as long as I can remember, I've shed a lot of hair. I have coarse, dark hair, so it's very visible and I'm always sweeping up clumps of hair. It appears to be genetic; my mother had the same issue.

I'm getting a bit worried, though, since these days, my hair appears to be getting noticeably thinner. Not to the point that I can see my scalp or anything, but just thinner than it's been. My mother says that her shedding problem went away when she started coloring her hair with henna, but I don't want to color mine. Are there any dietary/lifestyle changes I can make to help my hair?

[Kunko]

Well, if your hair curly? If so your hair is so dry it is probably just breaking off and you need to condition it. Here is a quick recipe for a hair mask that you can try

1-3 teaspoons of olive oil, jojoba oil, or shea butter

take that and apply it to the ends of your hair, then wrap your hair like a turban in plastic wrap and leave it for ~30 minutes, than rinse it out. Also do you brush your hair? (it sounds like a crazy question) I no longer do and only actually detangle my hair when I am in the shower with massive amounts of conditioner in my hair. It helps prevent ripping out hairs that aren't actually loose like the brush/comb does.

I hope this helps!

[Linny]

I'm losing my hair in fistfuls since starting Primal. I'm sure it's just temporary and will stop as I'm approaching the 6 month mark. But you should rule out low iron levels and thyroid issues first. I'm also taking Biotin, B vitamin complex, silica, and MSM to help get my hair growing - which it has. The baby hairs have grown about an inch a month!

[namelesswonder]

If you are losing a lot of weight, that can have an affect. I would encourage you to get your ferritin (iron) levels checked. Mine were pretty low, though not anemic, and within a few days of supplementing ferritin chelate and Vitamin C, my hair loss significantly slowed. It comes out at a normal rate now (a few strands in the shower, and I don't notice any loss throughout the day, but my hair is very short).

[Corvidae]

I've been shedding like **crazy** since starting primal as well. Part of the problem is, I think, the fact that I also went off hormonal birth control around the same time. Serious hormone changes + serious diet changes = zomgwtfbbq reactions in the hair, apparently. These arent hairs breaking off, theyre full on hair loss from the root, and I have very long hair so its basically a hair nightmare in my bathroom and all over my room. It seems to be slowing somewhat, and the short hairs I see growing in seem to be thicker than before, so I'm happy about that. But yeah... overall, its been kinda upsetting and frustrating.

[HotRodKristina]

I started taking a kelp/iodine supplement 3-4x a week with breakfast - this is the first time I haven't shed like a cat in years. I still shed but it's at least 75% less than it used to be. I used to have to take a pet hair roller to the seat of my car & office chair lol...

[ChocoTaco369]

People on Primal tend to lose their hair because of thyroid issues. Many people treat Primal as a low carbohydrate diet, and as a whole foods diet tends to be naturally low in sodium, these things are murder on your thyroid. Increasing carbohydrate, particularly sugar-based carbohydrates like fruits, and upping sodium and supplementing with kelp are the best ways to go about this.

1.) I strongly recommend taking kelp. I take 5 kelp tabs a day, which is about 1.5 mg of iodine. They make 12.5mg iodine tablets as well. If you have thyroid issues, you may prefer the latter.

2.) Get used to adding salt to things. I strongly recommend buying Himalayan sea salt. I have it and purposely add it liberally to all my meats and vegetables. Sometimes I'll cut up an apple and rub it in salt and cinnamon. I do not believe salt is bad for you, particularly if you're sweating at the gym every day and drink a gallon of water a day like I do. If you do these things, I STRONGLY recommend getting used to adding good quality salt to everything. Also consider buying iodized salt and using that in conjunction with Himalayan sea salt.

3.) I am adamantly against low carbohydrate diets, and this is one of the reasons why. If you are metabolically deranged, it's good to put yourself on a low carbohydrate diet until your fasting blood sugar stabilizes and you're metabolically stable (just be aware that carbs didn't cause your resistance to carbs - omega 6 fats, chemical sweeteners/colorings/preservatives/other additives and isolated sugars and grain/legume toxins caused your resistance to carbs - you did not become overweight eating sweet potatoes, white rice and raw honey). Unfortunately for some people, this could take many months or even several years. Regardless of your condition, I recommend you add starchy carbohydrates and fruit to your diet on SOME occasion, even if it's just with one or two meals a week. Prolonged low carbohydrate diets lead to:

- Underactive thyroid
- Decreased testosterone
- Increased estrogen
- Increased serotonin (BAD!!!! Increased serotonin actually = depression!)
- Increased cortisol (BAD!!!)
- Chronically low levels of leptin (Hello, fat loss plateau!)
- Carbohydrate Phobia and impending Carbohydrate Nazism (the most dangerous effect of all)

Low-carb diets should be viewed as temporary in most cases (Type I Diabetics, epileptics get a pass). But what do I mean by "low carb"? Anything under 100g of carbs for the metabolically stable. Sedentary people IMO should shoot for the 100-150g range, active people in the 150-200g range and the athlete in the 200-300g range. I, as a 5'7" 140 lb male that lifts 3 times a week and does low level cardio 2-3 times a week, average around 150-200g of carbs a day (I do a low/high split, low level days around 75g and the next workout day around 300g). That is still a low carbohydrate day in the grand scheme of things compared to the average American that eats 300-400g of carbs as a daily average and doesn't work out nearly as hard as I do.

I make sure to get one serving of fruit on low-carb days and eat 2-3 servings of fruit on high carb days along with 3-4 servings of starch. I noticed myself being constantly cold eating low-carbohydrate. Since I've been doing this, my body temperature has picked up significantly and I feel much better. I was getting the chills after I would break a fast with a meal before doing this, which is a classic side effect of a slowing thyroid. NOT GOOD.

That's my opinion and I'm sticking to it. I strongly recommend reading Danny Roddy's blog as he addresses these issues in detail. Thyroid issues and ensuing hairloss plague religious low-carbers.

[sbhikes]

If you find a solution to hair shedding let me know. I shed hair all the time. My hair is down to my tailbone, so even a small number of hairs looks like I've lost a whole scalp full.

Many people lose hair early on with this diet because new growth is stimulated. This pushes out hairs that were laying there dormant but still attached. It's not all about carbs or supplements.

My own hair shedding is a constant occurence made more noticable simply by having much longer hair than I used to.

[ChocoTaco369]

If you find a solution to hair shedding let me know. I shed hair all the time. My hair is down to my tailbone, so even a small number of hairs looks like I've lost a whole scalp full.

Many people lose hair early on with this diet because new growth is stimulated. This pushes out hairs that were laying there dormant but still attached. It's not all about carbs or supplements.

My own hair shedding is a constant occurence made more noticable simply by having much longer hair than I used to.

Read my post. Up your sugars, start supplementing with kelp and start adding whole salt (such as Himalayan sea salt) AND iodized salt to your food. You may want to consider one of these supplements as well:

Terry Naturally Tri-Iodine
- OR -
http://www.amazon.com/Iodoral-12-5-m...9159020&sr=8-1

I would recommend the following regime a day:

1.) Eat 1 grated carrot with 1 tablespoon of coconut oil
2.) Take 1 12.5mg iodine pill (choose one above)
3.) Start adding Himilayan salt to all of your meats and vegetables
4.) Eat at least one serving of fruit a day so you get some natural, whole fructose (this is important). The more fruit you eat, the less you'll shed so if you can fit in 3-4 servings into your carb allotment that's even better.
5.) Reduce fiber intake.

Try it for 30 days and I bet your shedding will reduce dramatically, if not completely.

[billp]

I've been shedding like **crazy** since starting primal as well. Part of the problem is, I think, the fact that I also went off hormonal birth control around the same time. Serious hormone changes + serious diet changes = zomgwtfbbq reactions in the hair, apparently. These arent hairs breaking off, theyre full on hair loss from the root, and I have very long hair so its basically a hair nightmare in my bathroom and all over my room. It seems to be slowing somewhat, and the short hairs I see growing in seem to be thicker than before, so I'm happy about that. But yeah... overall, its been kinda upsetting and frustrating.

Women get thicker hair while pregnant and lose it after weaning. So give it a few months and get pregnant!