First of all, apologies for the terribly cheesy and completely unoriginal title. I’m in a strange mood today. Perhaps due to the tube strike which meant I spent the whole day alone at home. I always go a bit doolally after too much alone time.
Anyway …
I decided that today I want to have a mini rant, or ramble if you will, about my hair. It may or may not interest you, but hell; I’m going to ramble anyway.
So here’s the thing. I used to have ridiculously thick, curly hair – like a MANE of hair. When I was ten years old a hairdresser cut it into a bob and it stuck out about a foot around the circumference of my head, it was that thick (I looked ridiculous.) As a teenager (before the days of GHD’s) I used to spend over an hour straightening the stuff with a brush and hairdryer and owned more serums, pomades and hair sprays than I knew what to do with. My friends used to joke as I had to start getting ready about an hour before them. And then, inevitably, I’d step outside and immediately it would puff up like the fur of an electrocuted long-haired cat.
I was forever paranoid of it getting frizzy; toilet mirror checks were compulsory every half an hour back in those days to make sure it hadn’t gone all eighties on me. Most of the time I couldn’t muster the energy to deal with it so I rocked a ponytail or bun for the majority of my teens.
It was the bane of my life.
But now, somehow, half of it seems to have mysteriously vanished. I don’t know if this only just dawned on me today, but I am suddenly quite concerned about this and it’s bothering me (enough to rant about it on here, clearly).
Don’t get me wrong, my hair isn’t exactly thin; I’m sure I have more than lots of people and I don’t mean to moan unnecessarily. In fact I actually quite like it – it’s far more manageable than it was ten years ago and doesn’t take nearly as long to style. I’ve got the blow-dry down to ten minutes! Plus it has got less frizzy and generally healthier looking.
But my question is: where the heck has it gone? And if I’ve lost half of it by the age of 25, what will it be like in another ten years? I don’t want to lose any more, thanks!
This picture was taken at uni – probably three years ago (?) – I swear it looks nothing like as thick as that now! I have hair envy, of myself!
Did my desperate teenage prayers for thinner hair get answered and now there’s no turning back? Or is it just a natural part of getting older? Please though, it’s time to stop! The fashion for slicked-down-poker-straight thin hair is long gone and instead of wanting to spend hours flattening it, I now spend most of the time fluffing it up. How ironic. It’s like an ironic kick in the arse.
Does anyone have any advice for me? Is this normal hair behaviour?
And no, I don’t have photographic evidence of the bob incident. Fortunately digital photography was not invented back then. So there.
I have the SAME HAIR! I am 44 now, and I recall having a razor cut as a kid that gave me Bozo the Clown hair. Bobs, unless below the chin, are laughable. I’ve had thyroid issues on and off which has changed my texture a bit. Not to mention the highlights…ahem. I find washing it as little as possible, taking vitamins and exercising has helped. I have virtually elminated sulfates & silicones from my routine and have noticed a lot less hair in the shower drain as a result. I use a clarifying shampoo once every couple weeks but other than that I treat it like baby hair….
Thanks for the tips Jane :) I’ve switched to sulfate-free too recently and have found my hair is taking a little while to adjust – one of the products I was using wasn’t seeming to clean well enough – it felt greasy, which isn’t usually an issue for me, but the Liz Earle is working quite well. I used to highlight my hair too, which definitely did damage it. I’ve just started taking b-vitamins which I hope is going to help and have been making more effort to eat oily fish and avocado. I find with my skin it’s what I eat which has the biggest impact – so I’m hoping altering my diet will help my hair too. x
I suffered with Alopecia areata which is when your hair falls out not completely but in spots…It was so distressing that I called my doctors in tears and was inconsolable for weeks…That was about a year and a half ago now and the patches have grown back but I’m dark brunette with thick hair and it grew back fine and blonde!!! Lucky I dye my hair really!!! Anyway about 3 months ago I got diagnosed with a B12 deficiency which the doctors have said may have been the cause for my hair loss so in short B vitamins are the way to go for sure I would say!!!
Thanks so much for all the comments and advice. I talk about the benefits of supplements all the time and am first to recommend taking a supplement instead of medication when you’re ill. But I always forget to take them daily just for general health (and beauty). It’s amazing to hear from you girls that Vit B deficiency had such dramatic effects. Good to hear that taking it as a supplement can help resolve the problem though.
I am DEFINITELY going to start taking a good B Vit complex or combination supplement. Will make an interesting blog update in a couple of months too.
Thanks again for commenting ladies (and gent) :) x
I know just how you feel. I had a lot of hair fall out due to the drugs I take for rheumatoid arthritis and as a result my hair completely changed texture. Mine was never hugely thick like yours – it was fine-ish but there was a lot of it. Now, nat so mach. It’s pathetic compared to how it used to be.
I’m suffering continual rounds of regrowth as the hair grows back at all different rates and in different areas of my head. Hello fluffies! I decided on the way back from the hairdressers today that I’m going to write a blog about it.
Anyway, why mine fell out was because of one of my drugs depleting my folic acid. I should have been taking a supplement. However, if any of the B vitamins are deficient, then all of them are – I don’t know loads about it but basically they need to be balanced. Taking B-Complex has helped my hair no end and it’s finally starting to return to its former glory!
However, when I met you the other day your hair was thick and fabulous, so I wouldn’t worry too much about it. xx
maybe avoid washing too regularly?
make sure you’re taking in the right vitamins and minerals (D i think?)
i’ve always thought that blow drying it could be risky due to the heat and drying out – maybe allow it to dry naturally?
hair thinning can also be a symptom of stress…