Fantastic, very very funny, and fundamentally transFormational. This finding is not yet peer-reviewed, but early results from my lab show that people who always vote lose less hair. 🇺🇸
I lost most of my hair after spiking a high fever for three weeks running. Here's the good news: It came back even better!!
And your advice about letting your hair dry naturally after shampooing is THE MOST DO-ABLE, and the thing that works best! I would only add that most of us should stop washing our hair so often.
Val! In service to the goal of self-acceptance, I highly recommend Jessi Klein's book "I'll Show Myself Out." I just went searching for it to quote her essay on hair-loss, but it appears I've lent the book to a friend (lucky them). It is one of the funniest, most wonderful takes on motherhood and also... maturing. She ends her essay on the topic of a widening part in a wonderfully uplifting way, which I won't dare to recreate. The whole book had me howling and delighting and generally experiencing that same sense of affirmation and uplift you provide us readers with on the topic of our culturally disappointing yet actually magnificent bodies.
This excerpt went viral on The Cut--you may have seen it.
Val! Chock full of valuable info, as usual. Some followups for whenever you next address this topic: Since hairloss is hormonal, do the over the counter supplements work as well for men as for women? Also: what about what all the "trichologists" say...they want you to wash your hair so much, scrub your scalp, "balance" your scalp, on the theory that you keep the hair follicle "clear" to produce a thicker, healthier strand. I get that they're trying to sell you 13 different products. But, is there any truth to that scalp care regimen? My hair is happier when I wash it less. Also I'm lazy. But I've always wondered if it would grow better if I obeyed ye Madison Avenue hair gods.
Thanks so much, dear Val. According to a report from the Mayo Clinic, the side effect of facial hair growth from use of the Minoxidil foam or solution is rare, so I will definitely look into it. I do like the idea of a drip-proof foam. Many thanks again for another enlightening, engaging edition of HNTFUYF! xo
First, as the Brits say, Well done, you! And kudos to Hadley King for sharing her vast wealth of knowledge.
I am one of those “otherwise contented women” you mention, one who has been struggling with thinning hair for decades. My own case is the result of a hormonal imbalance I was diagnosed with in my late teens and underactive thyroid diagnosed in my late 30s.
BTW, too high a dose of Levothyroxine can leach calcium from your bones, a fact I discovered the hard way with a diagnosis of osteoporosis and osteopenia in my 40s.
Have taken a much lower dose since then, but while my thyroid levels are at the low end of the normal range, the thinning hair problem persists.
I am reluctant to try Minoxidil because it can also trigger hair growth in other places, like your face. Minoxidil doesn’t discriminate. It doesn’t enter your body and say, “Oh, I’m only going to affect the follicles on your scalp.”
Interesting that the study on oral Minoxidil within the post doesn’t mention this
potential side effect of Minoxidil, but the one on Nutrafol does (without naming Minoxidil).
There are women in my circle who are thrilled with results from Nutrafol (one’s shedding hair was after-effect of having COVID—another potential topic for HNTFUYF?). I am considering Nutrafol, although it is a tad pricey for my budget.
But first, a visit to the derm is in order. There is the Alopecia Center of Excellence at Mount Sinai in Manhattan, led by Emma Guttman, MD, PhD, which specializes in alopecia areata. Will see if they treat androgenetic alopecia as well.
In the meantime, as per your suggestion to be more daring in wearing color, I’m going to shop my closet for some options. I think I there is a pair of 7 for All Mankind burgundy jeans in that sea of black and neutrals calling out to me!
When I saw an old friend for the first time after pandemic, her hair was as thick as it had been in her 30s. Her secret? Nutrafol, which I promptly bought. It did indeed take six months of four giant pills a day, but finally my hair got noticeably thicker too. Even my hairdresser agrees. I do recommend, but it's expensive and takes dedication.
Hairbrained: Thinning and Th'options for Thickening
Fantastic, very very funny, and fundamentally transFormational. This finding is not yet peer-reviewed, but early results from my lab show that people who always vote lose less hair. 🇺🇸
Extremely helpful, Val!!!
I lost most of my hair after spiking a high fever for three weeks running. Here's the good news: It came back even better!!
And your advice about letting your hair dry naturally after shampooing is THE MOST DO-ABLE, and the thing that works best! I would only add that most of us should stop washing our hair so often.
Val! In service to the goal of self-acceptance, I highly recommend Jessi Klein's book "I'll Show Myself Out." I just went searching for it to quote her essay on hair-loss, but it appears I've lent the book to a friend (lucky them). It is one of the funniest, most wonderful takes on motherhood and also... maturing. She ends her essay on the topic of a widening part in a wonderfully uplifting way, which I won't dare to recreate. The whole book had me howling and delighting and generally experiencing that same sense of affirmation and uplift you provide us readers with on the topic of our culturally disappointing yet actually magnificent bodies.
This excerpt went viral on The Cut--you may have seen it.
https://www.thecut.com/2022/04/excerpt-ill-show-myself-out-jessi-klein.html
Val! Chock full of valuable info, as usual. Some followups for whenever you next address this topic: Since hairloss is hormonal, do the over the counter supplements work as well for men as for women? Also: what about what all the "trichologists" say...they want you to wash your hair so much, scrub your scalp, "balance" your scalp, on the theory that you keep the hair follicle "clear" to produce a thicker, healthier strand. I get that they're trying to sell you 13 different products. But, is there any truth to that scalp care regimen? My hair is happier when I wash it less. Also I'm lazy. But I've always wondered if it would grow better if I obeyed ye Madison Avenue hair gods.
Thanks so much, dear Val. According to a report from the Mayo Clinic, the side effect of facial hair growth from use of the Minoxidil foam or solution is rare, so I will definitely look into it. I do like the idea of a drip-proof foam. Many thanks again for another enlightening, engaging edition of HNTFUYF! xo
Dear Val,
First, as the Brits say, Well done, you! And kudos to Hadley King for sharing her vast wealth of knowledge.
I am one of those “otherwise contented women” you mention, one who has been struggling with thinning hair for decades. My own case is the result of a hormonal imbalance I was diagnosed with in my late teens and underactive thyroid diagnosed in my late 30s.
BTW, too high a dose of Levothyroxine can leach calcium from your bones, a fact I discovered the hard way with a diagnosis of osteoporosis and osteopenia in my 40s.
Have taken a much lower dose since then, but while my thyroid levels are at the low end of the normal range, the thinning hair problem persists.
I am reluctant to try Minoxidil because it can also trigger hair growth in other places, like your face. Minoxidil doesn’t discriminate. It doesn’t enter your body and say, “Oh, I’m only going to affect the follicles on your scalp.”
Interesting that the study on oral Minoxidil within the post doesn’t mention this
potential side effect of Minoxidil, but the one on Nutrafol does (without naming Minoxidil).
There are women in my circle who are thrilled with results from Nutrafol (one’s shedding hair was after-effect of having COVID—another potential topic for HNTFUYF?). I am considering Nutrafol, although it is a tad pricey for my budget.
But first, a visit to the derm is in order. There is the Alopecia Center of Excellence at Mount Sinai in Manhattan, led by Emma Guttman, MD, PhD, which specializes in alopecia areata. Will see if they treat androgenetic alopecia as well.
In the meantime, as per your suggestion to be more daring in wearing color, I’m going to shop my closet for some options. I think I there is a pair of 7 for All Mankind burgundy jeans in that sea of black and neutrals calling out to me!
Absolutely!!
When I saw an old friend for the first time after pandemic, her hair was as thick as it had been in her 30s. Her secret? Nutrafol, which I promptly bought. It did indeed take six months of four giant pills a day, but finally my hair got noticeably thicker too. Even my hairdresser agrees. I do recommend, but it's expensive and takes dedication.
"You guys still with me? The prolific King has a bit more you should know." OMG. Did you hear me groan? LOL.
Thank you for writing this. I mean, wow. Funny, wise and helpful. You saved me a ton of Googling and stressing!