Hair help please.

[fairydust04]

hi, my hair is long, its always been on the thin side but now its really thin! its also quite dry and brittle and strands fall out at the slightest touch or brush of my hair, its so dull and lifeless, my scalp is quite dry and itchy, I have even found a few brittle grey hairs too over the last couple of months and im only 26! my hair is dying

 

can anyone recommend a good shampoo and conditioner that will bring my hair back to the lovely long silky soft condition it once was?

[medusa]

Ignore your hair and work on your scalp instead (as long as you aren't making things worse by using straighteners and the like). The hair itself is dead so you can moisturise it as long as you like and that won't change the damage that's already there as there's no capacity to heal in the hair.

 

A dry and itchy scalp could mean you're having a reaction to something in your shampoo, a styling product or something in your diet, or it could be an infection or just plain lack of natural oils. Are you trying to lose weight at the moment? Low fat diets can cause really dull dry hair and skin.

 

You also don't include any information about your age, other health and whether you could be menopausal, all of which can affect your hair and scalp.

[decaff]

hi, my hair is long, its always been on the thin side but now its really thin! its also quite dry and brittle and strands fall out at the slightest touch or brush of my hair, its so dull and lifeless, my scalp is quite dry and itchy, I have even found a few brittle grey hairs too over the last couple of months and im only 26! my hair is dying

 

can anyone recommend a good shampoo and conditioner that will bring my hair back to the lovely long silky soft condition it once was?

 

probably a daft question but have you seen a doctor?

 

You could be allergic to something, not getting enough vitamins/minerals.

[spooky3]

have you seen a doctor?

 

My first thought...

[Isabelle]

My hair seems to be really dry at the moment, I think the weather and central heating is to blame.

I have to use intensive conditioner every time I wash my hair, I tried using normal conditioner and it was really dry afterwards.

I would recommend Aussie 3 minute Miracle conditioner, its about £5 a bottle but its really good, and smells nice too. You can also buy sachets for about £1 if you are worried about allergies/reactions, so you can try it before spending more on a full bottle.

VO5 hot oil is also good, I lighten my hair, and it keeps it soft and shiny.

[fairydust04]

My hair seems to be really dry at the moment, I think the weather and central heating is to blame.

I have to use intensive conditioner every time I wash my hair, I tried using normal conditioner and it was really dry afterwards.

I would recommend Aussie 3 minute Miracle conditioner, its about £5 a bottle but its really good, and smells nice too. You can also buy sachets for about £1 if you are worried about allergies/reactions, so you can try it before spending more on a full bottle.

VO5 hot oil is also good, I lighten my hair, and it keeps it soft and shiny.

 

ive tried all the aussie products but they didnt really work, well saying that it did for a while but then after a few washes my hair got bad again.

i use to use v05 hot oil years ago... might give that another try. thanks for taking the time to reply.

[fairydust04]

probably a daft question but have you seen a doctor?

 

You could be allergic to something, not getting enough vitamins/minerals.

 

a doctor!

come to think of it i do have really dry skin too... could be related somehow?

 

** goes off to google possible health problems with these symtoms**

[fairydust04]

Ignore your hair and work on your scalp instead (as long as you aren't making things worse by using straighteners and the like). The hair itself is dead so you can moisturise it as long as you like and that won't change the damage that's already there as there's no capacity to heal in the hair.

 

A dry and itchy scalp could mean you're having a reaction to something in your shampoo, a styling product or something in your diet, or it could be an infection or just plain lack of natural oils. Are you trying to lose weight at the moment? Low fat diets can cause really dull dry hair and skin.

 

You also don't include any information about your age, other health and whether you could be menopausal, all of which can affect your hair and scalp.

 

im 26 so deffently not menopausal! im not dieting although i do eat lots of fresh fruit and veg and very rarely eat processed foods, at the moment i crave fresh salmon with salad and i always try to drink plenty of water but end up falling victim to a cuppa with 3 sugars maybe 10 times a day...

i dont have any health problems..

hope i have gave you enough information and thanks very much for taking the time to reply.

[medusa]

im 26 so deffently not menopausal! im not dieting although i do eat lots of fresh fruit and veg and very rarely eat processed foods, at the moment i crave fresh salmon with salad and i always try to drink plenty of water but end up falling victim to a cuppa with 3 sugars maybe 10 times a day...

i dont have any health problems..

hope i have gave you enough information and thanks very much for taking the time to reply.

 

If you're young, healthy and the hair loss isn't severe enough to be called alopecia then I'd look at changing your hair products to reduce the number of things that you could be having a reaction to and then look at things that you can do to help your scalp out.

 

I found that taking lots of evening primrose oil (4g a day, as tested in an eczema trial) helped both my eczema and also my scalp and my hair, meaning that I need far less moisturiser and conditioner to keep them in good condition. A lot of my hair dropped out through chemo a few years ago and since starting taking plenty of essential fatty acids lots of people have noticed how much better it's growing back in.

 

Various companies (including Aveda) also sell scalp tonics which are hair friendly scalp moisturisers and anything which makes your scalp healthier is likely to result in happier follicles which lose their hair strands less easily.

 

If your hair is long then you have to remember that each strand will have been on your head for 5 years or more, so the longer parts of it are likely to get dehydrated and damaged as time goes on. Whilst you can't repair the hair that's already damaged, you can rehydrate it to improve appearance and you can reduce the damage that happens to the strands as a result of mechanical damage (i.e. combing, styling, using elastic bands etc) to make newer strands last longer looking good.

 

Unfortunately some people never regain the fabulous head of hair that they had in their teens and early 20s, but it's normally a gradual thing so if it's happening suddenly for you then there will be a cause somewhere.

[BoopBoop]

The stuff that Cheryl Cole advertises was on offer at Boots the other day (2 for £4) so I decided to give it a try and it did make my hair look and feel a little fuller.

It's a cheap treat if nothing else - I do love trying new shampoos!

My mum swears by Ojon on QVC but that's a bit outside my budget.