Hi, so I've had pretty thick and long hair for most of my teen years and I slowly started losing hair. I remember me getting sick around 16 with COVID and that is when I started losing chunks of hair because of not being able to shower or take care of myself. As soon as I started college, my diet was not the best and the stress got to me. My hair still didn't look visibly thin, but it was not as thick as before.
Then during my junior year is when I gained a lot of weight and my hair started falling rapidly. I would try scalp massages, regular oiling and reduce heat but that didn't help much. This june, I had taken a blood report and it showed that I have 10.8 Haemoglobin and also slightly elevated LDL (bad cholesterol). I'm overweight and have been on/off of a 500 cal deficit since aug, I've lost close to 15 lbs since then - im not sure if the deficit could also be the reason of my hair thinning. Now when people see my hair, they can notice that my hair has become significantly thinner and my widened part. I'm still a broke college student, so any tired and tested methods that you guys might suggest would work.
I love having long hair but I think the only way I could g
et it healthy was to cut it short and really focus on scalp health, completely eliminate heat and change my diet. What do you guys think I should do? Do i give myself the big chop?
2020 june before I started losing hair
I have a bald spot on the left side
my middle part seems to be never covered even after combing
This is my whole hair in a braid- this used to be the amount I had on one side of my head
To me, this sounds like repeated TE. Shedding in big clumps from different back to back triggers especially with a white bulb on the end signals TE, and it is usually reversible on its own. AGA is more slow shedding, usually genetics. I experienced the same issue myself the last year and a half, heavy shedding and I had very thick Indian hair prior to the TE, but I had many back to back stresses and triggers so I’d keep shedding. Take supplements and avoid stress, eat lots of protein, get 8 hours of sleep and don’t stay up late so that your cortisol stays within limits. Also, I’ve found taking Ashwaghanda and Fish oil supplements have really made a difference, at least in my case. Best of luck to you, just know you’re not alone in this struggle❤️