[the_technogoat]

hello, my hair seems to refuse to grow and is very dry regardless of deep conditioning and leave-in conditioners. i have been growing it out for three years, and it's only recently become shoulder length. i've only dyed it once (temporary) in the last six months, and i blowdry less than once a month. i don't even use mousse or styling products, because i worry it will further dry my hair or stunt its growth. i have to stay away from moisturizing things, though; i have extremely fine hair which becomes very oily and stringy very easily. i'm considering hair-health supplements from the health food store, but i do not yet know if it will help me. is there anything to recommend along those lines?

i use giovanni products: 50:50 shampoo, smooth as silk conditioner, leave-in conditioner, and reconstructor. this is the closest thing i've found to the ideal shampoo and conditioner--my hair is not as dry as it would be with a different shampoo, and it also doesn't become greasy and stringy after a few hours. so, i don't think my shampoo is the culprit...

it's frustrating that my ex-boyfriend had a shaved head two years ago, and now he has hair twice the length of mine--almost all the way down the back. all he does is eat burgers and shower once or twice a week, and he literally will not eat anything that doesn't have meat in it (rebellious little thing, isn't he?). this makes me think it is not a matter of nutrition, even though ex and i are two different circumstances; fast food and pizza rolls are the only thing he ever really eats.

i apologize if i have left anything important out. has anyone taken supplements for dry hair that will not grow? are there any suggestions for improving the condition of my hair, or are the conditioners basically the best i can do?

thank you.

 

[karenlovessnow]

My daughter swears by biotin...I do not know if it is vegan, however.

 

[GhostUser]

go on longhaircommunity.com.... they have awesome tips.

firstly, make sure you are getting all the nutrients you need.

secondly, some hair types do better with Protein shampoos and conditioners and some do better with Oil based. I myself love using straight Jojoba oil as a deep conditioning treatment.

thirdly, and most important, stop washing your hair every day. do conditioner only washes in between if your scalp is oily. scalp massages will stimulate growth.

treat your hair like your grandmother's lace table cloth... only take it out for special occasions. limit styling products and blowdrying.

 

[Keelin]

One thing that I don't think has been mentioned yet... are you getting enough healthy fats? Healthy plant fats, especially omega-3 (found in hemp, flax, walnuts, etc.) help keep your hair shiny and soft

 

[berrykat]

what keelin said

 

[Lothar M Kirsch]

Have a look at Keelin's thread. Maybe there are some ideas with hair loss that you can put to work with normal hair growth.

http://www.veggieboards.com/boards/s...ad.php?t=58740

Some people say you can't force hair to grow but you still can put your body in a hair growth favourable condition.

 

[missbelgium]

Could be hormonal. Hair growth/loss has strong hormonal links. Any changes in your cycle recently ? Been on/off a pill, hormone IUD, whatever ? Check it out !

Hair growth is also genetically programmed. I come from a family with extremely fast growing hair. Our hair stylists (we all go to different ones, since we live in different places) have all said our hair grows amazingly fast. My daughter has it too. So there must be something genetic. And I doubt you can influence that.

For dryness etc. I would recommend natural herbal rinses. Make your own. I totally believe in herbal remedies. Do some research on the net, I'm sure there are good recipes out there.

 

[the_technogoat]

thank you for the responses. i'm quite shocked that shampooing every other day and conditioning in between hasn't made my hair oily. i think this will help greatly, even if i decide to color my hair again. i will try to get a good multivitamin and some sort of flaxseed or essential fatty acid oil as soon as i can afford to (i'm going out of state four times in the next two months...why do events in the midwest have to occur in clusters?). however, i do not know what to do with oils. is it possible to mix a tablespoon or two into a drink like orange juice, soymilk, or cola, or would that make the drink taste strange?

as far as hormones are concerned, i've been on ortho cyclen for about 7 months, and my cycle is regular. i had been on depo provera for about a year and a half, though, and it caused all sorts of side effects like gaining 20 lb. and suffering two-week-long panic attacks after every dose. i was on ortho evra for a few months, but it caused cystic acne. if anything, i think i have been growing hair on the pill, just in awkward places, like peach fuzz on the stomach

.

as far as medications go, i've been struggling with different combinations for eleven years, and the doses and type of meds change every month or so. for instance, i am going from 150mg trileptal 5mg vivactil 100mg lamictal to 150mg lamictal 15mg remerol, and next month we are going to try to find another ad which doesn't cause heart palpitations or dramatic weight gain (i've gained 20lb in a week before) and something to help me sleep (it takes six hours), possibly another mood stabilizer. there are so many meds my heart, brain, and body simply can't tolerate. i just want to be able to leave my house every once in a while without being terrified. with any luck i'll be going away to a university and new home out of state next year, and i want to be able to do so without hitting rock bottom or being self-destructive. i can't handle antipsychotics (zyprexa, seroquel, etc) or stimulant antidepressants (fluoxetine, vivactil, bupropion, etc), and the last several years we've been experimenting with different combinations somewhat rapidly, so i don't think hair loss from my medicine is much of a threat. sorry this last bit has been long.

for now, i'll shampoo less frequently, try to use more flax and nuts, and use my leave-in conditioner on my dry ends.

 

[missbelgium]

Could be a combination of things from the sound of it, now that I read this.

I remember now that I lost a lot of hair many years ago on antidepressants (forget which and brandnames wouldn't be the same as in the US anyway). And I have heard of very violent reactions to depo shots. My guess is your problems are due to chemical imbalances. I would limit the medication to the absolute minimum and stick with "old fashioned" stuff. Stress can cause all sorts of hair probs as well, so a general guideline would be to watch what you eat, your exercise and your sleep. But it could be the antidepressants, esp. if combined with an hormonal (external ?) factor. If it was the depo it will get better since you're off it now but it may take months to get back to normal. The pill normally should not cause any hair problems, if possible enquire about a triphased pill, this is closest to the natural cycle.

Good luck !

 

[DLS]

There are a lot of herbal remedies out there that are supposed to improve hair growth, of coarse your overall internal health is a determining factor in how well we look on the outside too, Stress- enviromental, mental etc, diet, and so many other factors come into play, but i do know that an old time hair tonic is Fenugreek-Trigonella foenum-graecum, not sure how it works but it is supposed to help expell excessive mucus from all the body sytems, so maybe if you can clean up your insides it will show in your shiny, new and hopefully long hair. I make up capsules of fenugreek and kelp.