It looks like you're new to The Community. If you'd like to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Login Here Signup Here Signup using FacebookI am trying not to freak out but it is pretty hard not to knowing that I am losing my hair at a much faster pace than normal. I’m assuming it is due to some sort of deficiency but I am not sure without going to the doctor. My hair is dry too even though I have tried using several different conditioners and even plain coconut oil. The only good thing is that my hair grows faster than normal.
I read through some previous posts about losing hair and I am not sure if I have a protein deficiency, msm deficiency, or something else completely. This is what I am doing so far but I would like to know if there is anything else I should be doing. Also, are there other protein sources I should be consuming or anything else??
This is my vitamin/defense routine so far:
- I take 2 Viactiv Multi Vitamin Chews daily.
- I take 1 chromium picolinate pill daily which I think is 500 mcg.
- I eat 1 cucumber daily.
- I just started this week with hemp protein shakes, about 1 a day. I’ll try to increase this but lately I just have not been in the mood for any smoothies.
- I started taking some msm pills but they upset my stomach. I think they are 1500 mg? but I have to double check. I am taking 1 pill a day. They are so big too!
- I’ve also been taking flax seed oil daily. I either incorporate it into my smoothies or I just take 1 to 2 capsules a day.
Any other advice would greatly be appreciated!
Comments
Maybe put the msm into your shampoo, or add it to oil and massage it into your scalp.
And ummm..if your are really brave you could massage your own pee into your scalp, it is a cure for baldness, I know some on this forum swear by it.
Wheat grass juice is good for hair as well.
By the way…headstands and scalp massage help to improve cirualtion to your scalp so that your nutrients get to where they need to go. Also some health practitioners believe that baldness is linked to muscle tension in the head and neck which is relieved by massage and yoga.
This may sound really really strange, but when I went no poo my hair stopped falling out excessively and it actually started growing back again! I’d suggest you take a look at what you’re putting on your hair.
I also second Zoe on using msm directly on the scalp. Have you ever checked out longhaircommunity.com? These women know how to take care of hair like its nobody’s business, you could get some tips there from the pros.
Hi Nuttgirl!
Are you 100% raw? When I went 100% raw this january my hair started folling of very rapidly and it is much thinner now than it used to be. The rapid hair loss lasted about 1-1/2 months and then it stopped(thank god!!).This is very common when people go 100% raw and one women I know told be about this before I started raw,because this heppend to her and about 8-12 months later she had all her hair back(she is 100% raw). I im not talking about baldspots or all the hair off the hed,but thinner so in my case thats no proplem.
This is do to the cleansing of the body and the hair follicles are no exeptions,so in fact this is a good thing and you know it grows back and probably thicker and more beautiful than before.
Try eating some seaweed. It contains iodine and in turn supports your thyoid. I used to lose hair by the handful. I don’t since taking a brown seaweed supplement. Now, I just eat wakame and kelp and have the same good results. Iodine neutralizes the toxins/fungus that kill the hair follicle too.
MSM will work better taken internally than in shampoo. When mixed with the other ingredients of the shampoo, it will just die. MSM is very easily destroyed. Hair is dead material so it can’t absorb anything. Your scalp will take in it but won’t get absorbed into your body the same way it does if you take it internally. Just like if you drink juice – you would not expect any real benefits if you bathed in your juice everyday instead of drinking it, right?
FYI, when you first start taking MSM, take the smaller dosage and gradually increase up to a higher one – I had the upset stomach too when I first started taking it. Your body needs to get used to it.
Speaking of shampoo, if you want to continue using it (although I would quit it – shampoo can be very drying and damaging to the hair – yes, even the “natural” shampoo – you already said your hair was dry – quit shampooing it and that will change believe me! – or at least, shampoo less often and extremely dilute your shampoo – hair does not get as dirty as most people think and there is no need to use straight strength shampoo on it everday). Using shampoo, you are stripping protective natural oils (called sebum) off your hair. Sebum, although seemingly annoying and oily, does have a purpose – a natural conditioner for your hair. Don’t shampoo it all out.
For the MSM, if the pill is too big, it is available in a powder form as well. Put it in your smoothies. I can’t swallow the pills either. The higher a dosage you take – the faster your results. MSM stays in the body for a max of 12 hours. According to David Wolfe, a “protein deficiency” is what people often mistake for an “msm deficiency”. So, according to him, their is no such thing as a protein defiency.
It is true you could be deficient is some other things. Hair needs more than just MSM to keep to strong and healthy. Their are so many factor that can effect hair loss that it is hard to pin down. Going 100% raw could do it though – it is sort of equivalent to going on a “crash” diet in a way – you change what you are eating so dramatically – naturally your body will change. It hasn’t happened to me eating raw but my hair did thin quite a bit (and stayed that way) when I went vegetarian 18 years ago.
Look at your stress levels too. Stressful events are one of the number one causes of hair loss and the hair loss happens several months AFTER the event has happened. So, you might not notice the corelation.
Sounds like you are doing good with what you are including in your diet.
I would look at your shampoo bottle – what is in it? (if it was me, I would throw the bottle out – but I realize not every one is ready to do this). Have you done anything to your hair recently – like a perm or color? These are very damaging to hair.
Don’t forget too that hair sheds in cycles. It has different phases. There will be times of the year when you shed more hair than others (I think right after the summer is over is one of those times – although, it can be different for everyone). Like Vala said, your body cleans itself out when you go raw – hair is part of that cycle too.
Definatley do those scalp massages – I used to do them for a very long time every day long ago and I had the healthiest thickest hair ever when I did that. Tension in your scalp caused by stress can be a factor in hair loss too – a relaxed, well-circulating scalp is the best kind of have.
So in case you are wondering why iodine restored your hair, iodine kills the fungus and that helps the fungus from eating up the ends of the hair follicle. But the issue goes more than this, fungus EXISTS BECAUSE your body is already high in heavy metals. Without high heavy metals, they die. And one reason WHY your body was high in heavy metals in the first place could come from many things, one of which iodine deficiency reduces your body’s ability to rid of heavy toxic metals such as cadmium, mercury, lead, etc. And when these heavy metals are high, they seem to make home by colonization in your various glands, such as thyroid gland, which may bring about hypothyroidism (that and lack of iodine), but in the adrenal, it may create adrenal exhaustion or gradual “moon face” look when you start reaching your 31st birthday, or in the pancreas, the generation of heavy metals causes lack of insulin, and if in the thymus, it creates immune suppression.
The catch-22 situation is once your body is high in heavy metals, it becomes a veritable paradise for fungus, mycoplasma and bacteria with fungal abilities. These need food near the heavy metals and the heavy metals protect themselves from hostile antibiotics. You see antibiotics get destroyed or oxidized in presence of heavy metals. In fact this is a protective shield for these bugs. And you wondered why antibiotics don’t work!
Once the fungus starts invading the glands, they become inflamed, and when they do become inflamed, the doctors simplistically remove the gland! An easier and much kinder method would be to remove the heavy metals, kill the fungus, and stop inflammation using simple solutions I mentioned in the above (iodine, lavender, etc. depending on the conditions).I got this from an “ask the doctor” site on the Internet. I initially started taking Modifilan (seaweed) for mercury detox., The iodine was a side benefit.
In addition to the MSM, I would suggest Biotin if you don’t already take a Vitamin that contains it. I take MSM and can’t take large doses. I take around 500-1000 mg a day and always with food. My aunt swears that taking probiotics helps, but I don’t know whether or not this is true. I did take probiotics when I was nursing and it did seem to help my hair and skin.
Also, gentle scalp massages help to stimulate circulation in the scalp. What kind of hair do you have? Do you brush/comb your hair? I have curly hair (if you couldn’t guess from the name… lol) and I never comb or brush and only finger comb my hair in the shower when wet. I also don’t use ‘poo and only silicone free conditioners. I think I noticed more hair shed when I initially started being CG, but now I seem to loose less hair.
If your hair is dry, you may try coconut oil. This does wonders for me. I like jojoba as well. I send good hair growing vibes to you. I know thining hair is hard. I hope you are able to find something that works for you.
I am not 100% raw. At this point I am roughly about 85 to 90% raw. Last month was a bad month for me stresswise…sick cats, unexpected car repair bills, and a lot of other stressful things. I cheated a lot of my diet with plenty of pizza and other junk foods. Maybe its catching up with me this month?
I don’t think I could stomach any more vitamins or pills. My stomach is already upset from the MSM. I did buy a lower dose in liquid form so maybe that will be a little better. For those of you who take MSM when did you first notice results?
The Viactiv vitamins I take contain vitamins A, B6, B12, C, D, E, Biotin, Folic Acid, Niacin, Thiamin, Riboflavin, and Calcium. I take 2 day which amounts to 60 mcg of Biotin and 12 mcg of B12. How much B12 should I be consuming? I’m just wondering if I need to increase my B12 intake or if I am getting enough with the Viactiv.
I’ve also experienced some hair loss while I first became 90% raw. Especially my pubic hair! I take 5 mg Biotin, it really helps. Very tiny and easy to swallow. Also I take 500 mcg B12 “dots” (again, very tiny). My hair feels thicker now.
My hair seems to have thinned out in the past few years (although I’ve only been raw for the past 4 months). Recently I found out that oatmeal is the highest food source of silica, so I’m working on a “healthy hair breakfast cookie” to help my hair grow back thicker. Scalp massages really are excellent because thinning hair is also caused when the membrane lying over our scalp begins to thicken – due to age or stress. I read that in a health/chiropratic book I found lying around the house. The book also stressed that no matter how good our diet is, if we have pinched nerves anywhere along our spine that our organs may not be working to their full capacity and assimilating our food properly. Anyways, enough rambling from me for today . . . but I do like the brown seeweed idea. Thanks 123!
As far as I’m aware, vitamins / minerals in supplement form don’t absorb as well as those in food (and especially raw food!) sources. Also, I’ve heard that depeleted iron stores are often a key factor in pre-menopausal hair loss. I would try upping your iron intake.
One ounce of pumpkin, sesame, or squash seeds has 3.5mg or iron, for example, and one medium stalk of broccoli has 2.1mg. Greens are good too. Mmm – I feel a delcious green smoothie coming on!
ilovesnowie,
What brands do you buy for the Biotin and B12? Everything I have seen so far are like horse pills! :)
Hi,
I started taking MSM few weeks ago but it
Vala,
1/4 teaspoon equals 1000mg of MSM. I get the powder because i hate swallowing pills. It is recommended to take 1/4 or 1/2 teaspoon twice a day – so you could take up to a teaspoon which is 4000 mg I guess.
David Wolfe apparently takes up to 3 tablespoons of MSM a day! Why he does this I have no idea. MSM is good for lots of other things too – not just growing hair.
I haven’t been taking it on a regular basis lately but I try to do a 1/2 or a whole tablespoon a day. I figure a whole tablespoon it more than double the recommended amount and should be good for growing hair. But like I said I haven’t been very regular at taking it – but i have heard from other people who have been taking lots on a daily basis and they said their hair is growing in really fast and thick.
I would increase over time – you should take it slow though. like do it in weeks or something.Maybe increase by 1/4 teaspoon each week until you are up to the amount you want to be taking.
Here is some more info on hair loss in women…
“When a woman loses iron because of something such as trauma, poor diet or heavy menstruation, several things happen. Among them: Her body literally stops producing hair until she gets more iron.
4000 mg of MSM a day? Oy, I’d never leave the bathroom. LOL!
Today I didn’t take any and I don’t think I’m going to take any tomorrow just so I can give my stomach a break.
I fine the whole situation very frustrating.
4000 mg is actually a average dosage – not high at all. You just have to keep taking it until your body gets used to it. My stomach was upset too when I first started taking it. It went away in about a week. Don’t increase until it doesn’t bother your stomach anymore. The best way to take it is to mix it in with a smoothie – you won’t even notice it than. I would take the powder and not the pill. In order to get the MSM into a pill form, other chemicals need to be added to achieve and MSM is easily destroyed so you won’t be getting much value in pill form MSM. The powder probably cost the same.
Maggie, I never knew iron was connected to hair loss. I googled “iron deficiency” and finally understand why I’ve had more trouble keeping warm after puberty. I’ve only been eating raw for the past 4 months, and before that my diet left much to be desired. I’ve also been under quite a lot of stress due to work and family issues, all that would surely add up to a defficiency in iron. It also explains why palak paneer is my favourite food. Thanks for the advice!
I feel like a walking medicine chest with all the vitamins I am taking now…..iron supplements, biotin, vitamin B12, multi-vitamins, chromium, flax seed oil, and a small amount of msm in liquid form. I’ve also increased my consumption of iron rich foods like cashews and spinach. I wonder how long I have to wait in order to see results? Everyday I seem to loose more hair and not just a few strands here and there. Please tell me things will get better?
Try seaweed or kelp. You may have an iodine deficiency.
I have some nori sheets. How many sheets would I have to eat on a daily basis?
You can also try using kelp salt instead of sea salt.
I lost lots of hair back in 2003 when I went 100 % raw – but it all came back in a matter of months. A haircut helped, so it wasn’t both long AND thin. :-)
After 2 not raw pregnancies I’m making my way back to raw foods, this time with green smoothies being the mayor part of my food – and I’m not losing hair this time. I think the minerals in the greens makes the difference.
You might do better with adding kelp powder to your smoothies and seaweed to salads. It would cost a lot less and would be easier to eat daily than nori sheets.1/4 teaspoon of kelp powder will provide the RDA of iodine, which is actually low.
sorry for asking a stupid question, but what is MSM?
http://www.detoxyourworld.com/acatalog/msm_powd…
Hey hope this helps you know what msm is, I bought some just recently but for recovery after my workouts…Ill see if it helps with that too and if my hair gets thicker as mines gone thinner after being nearly vegan/raw but that might be lack of iron iron…:S
thanks for the link! all of the females in my family have thinning hair as we age. I wonder if it’s dietary or hereditary. I hope there’s something I can do to grow thicker hair again… The width of my ponitail (I have all one-length hair with no bangs) is now less than 1 inch thick and I continue to lose wads of hair, especially noticable in the shower.
my mum has naturally thin hair so yeah my family hasn’t got overly thick anyways, I loose quite a bit of hair but sometimes it may seem that way for me because I dont brush it sometimes for about a day or two. (I’m not unclean lol just my hairs got a wave and brushing gets rid of it lol) make sure you have a good protector if you use heating appliances on your hair it will make a big difference..just one thing I’ve also done to prevent damage to my hair. but just incase its protein or iron or something else. I take msm now (only last day or so though), vega I also take spirlina and flaxseed oil (I won’t live with out that now because it helps my dry skin and my dry eyes and should help hair as well I think:S) Vega tastes great and has everything to cover those areas that might be problems for me, don’t know if you try that product will help at all? it also has maca too!! if you need to know about certain natural foods for minerals/vits I find shazzies site very useful or ‘total raw’ i think has some good info too.
It’s weird to think that I feel the need to use what could be classed as supplements but I guess wild food would have more minerals in them then foods from supermarkets have now, at least they are natural sources of food, expescially If like me I think dairy is mostly a bad food source and can’t really bring myself to eat meat for protein/iron but thats another subject lol
I am having a very hard time taking msm. I bought it in a liquid version and added 1 tablespoon to my green smoothie, which was about 600 mg(??I’m unsure of the exact measurement) and it still upset my stomach.
I’ve only just started taking msm, so I don’t think it causes me any problems..I’ve taken a little bit tonight, powder form prob about 2000mg (900mg sulphur) Ill see if i have any adverse effects tomorow and try and give you feedback, otherwise I’m not sure unless it’s not going well with your smoothie?? I havn’t been taking it everyday, I always prefer to do less than they say and maybe every otherday or even less, just incase I need to get use to a new supplement. Not sure what other ppls experience with it are, but sometimes taking too many supplements, maybe something else might be effecting you instead.
Heres some interesting reads…I thought I’d find more info on msm considering I’m taking lol (I should do more reading before buying something lol I know bad of me but supposedly msm is still good for you even though some individuals may have bad side effects…)
http://www.arthritis-msm-supplements.com/why_ms…
http://www.cortaflex-healthproducts.com/Cortafl…
looking at these websites suggest -take it with a meal, which your doing anyway -maybe not at night -a reliable good brand
one of them said if you have bad body odour then that product could have something bad put in it eek!!!