It's been a while since I updated you guys last with regards to the whole hair situation. Since my last post my hair took a bit of a turn for the worse, well when I say a turn for the worse what I really mean is there were no changes. Still falling out, still very dry and breaking and some growth but not enough.
I was using Shea Moisture Shampoo, conditioner and thickening mist along with Sweet Almond oil to begin with. I found that over time the condition of my hair hadn't really improved, which is a little bit of a contradiction since in my last post I was over the moon with the products I was using. I personally think the products were good but just not good enough. I'm impatient and after over 8 weeks of routine weekly washes and oil treatments with not much change I felt as though I needed to up my game in order to restore my hair back to the thick, full, long head of hair I once had.
The Shea Moisture treatments are good because they contain only natural ingredients I just feel as though they may work better on already natural hair. I on the other hand still have a while to go before the relaxer in my hair has completely grown out. The last time I relaxed was December/January time and I although I do have new and completely natural growth the Shea Moisture in my opinion was great for the natural hair but the relaxed hair needed something a little more to keep it healthy and growing so until my hair is 100% natural I don't think this brand of shampoo is really what I need. With regards to the Almond oil, I found it far too oily to use everyday and the natural hair I do have literally soaked up every last drop of oil and was dry within less than a day. This meant I had to keep topping up more than once a day which really wasn't good for my scalp, as I believe the oil along with the weekly washes really irritated my scalp clogging up the follicles causing more pain. Again if my hair was either fully relaxed or fully natural the system I had going may have worked a little better. I also tried Coconut Oil which a lot of people swear by but for me the only benefit I got from using that was my hair smelling like cake, which really wasn't that great because it somehow induced my craving for cake and whilst I sat stuffing half a Victoria sponge in my face I kind of realised I needed to move on a find an alternative.
Around two weeks ago I made the decision to go fully natural. Yep! No relaxer, no perm, no nothing. Just my fuzzy, little microphone head. My hair was still coming out and when brushing I could literally hear the hair snapping, even with a wide-tooth comb which is never good. My natural hair (once it grows back) will be stronger, thicker and can withstand pretty much anything which is why this decision for me is best. I had also noticed that although I do have some growth I have a slight patch to the back left hand side of my head. My hair at the front is still pretty long and feels strong enough and minus some loss to the very front of my head this area seems to be doing okay. Towards the middle and back of my head that's where the problem is. This is the area I am experiencing HELLISH pain and this is the area the hair is falling out most.
Two weeks ago I cut my hair in order to get some kind of even length so when my hair grows back it'll grow at a similar length at the time I was still using the Shea Moisture trio this time with the Coconut oil over Almond oil.
Last week I switched to NISIM Fast Shampoo and conditioner which was sent to me by the company after being contacted by a rep via Twitter. I have had this shampoo for a few months but I hadn't used it as I was worried it wouldn't agree with my hair. I had initially seen this product in Boots when I began the mission to restore and regrow my hair but didn't buy it as I thought it'd be better for me to go with something aimed for the sole use of people with Afro hair. Before receiving the product I had a little chat with the lovely lady from the company who found me on Twitter, who reassured me she had used it herself with relaxed hair and that the product would be fine on my hair type. As reassuring as she was I was still massively worried about using it so both myself and Ben set about finding some reviews from people with the same hair-type as me who had used the product. Our findings were, according to the word of YouTube Vlogs and blogs that this product would be safe for me to use with a lot of women having great success. Fast Shampoo contains no Sulphates, Parabens or DEA it does however have a long list of ingredients which weren't found in the Shea Moisture products but maybe these ingredients are exactly what my hair needed in order to break out of this tiring and emotionally draining issue.
I kind of felt like I had nothing to lose at this point so went ahead
and gave my hair it's first wash using both the shampoo and conditioner. I was pleasantly surprised as after my first lather and rinse my hair and scalp felt like they could breathe, both felt super-clean and when I ran my fingers through I could hear that squeak you get when something is so clean it gives out a little squeak to let you know. If my hair could talk, at that moment it would have been like, 'Ooooh Gurrrrrrrrl!' Not only does the Shampoo smell beautiful it lathers up so well, something I found Shea Moisture struggled with especially with the amount of oil I used. I lathered and rinsed three times before adding the Fast conditioner which absolutely does the trick. There was no need to use more than two squirts of this applied to my wet hair. The conditioner feels great, it doesn't just sit on the surface of the hair like most it really soaks in which is what I need. I applied all over my hair, with extra care and attention being paid to the areas needing the most help. I massaged in for a few minutes before covering with my very attractive shower cap. No honestly, words can't even describe how absolutely ridiculous I look waltzing around the house in a foil cap. If lightning ever strikes during my hair care routine, wearing that foil shower cap I've got no chance. I'm getting struck with no chance of survival. I look like I should be in a lab handling bio-hazards wearing that thing! I left the conditioner in for 30 minutes before rinsing out with lukewarm water.
I'm now drying my hair on the coolest setting whereas before I was using a medium heat, which was probably contributing to the dryness. Since lowering the temperature even more I find my hair is less dry and retains a lot of the moisture left from conditioning.
In terms of oils I am now using Jamaican Black Castor oil which I am absolutely in love with. The oil itself is great for nourishing the hair and for helping with hair growth. It's lovely and thick so it really absorbs into my hair keeping it shiny and moist. My hair hasn't been dry since using this product. I received an applicator with the oil which has allowed me to add essential oils in order help treat my hair, ingredients below:
Jamaican Black Castor Oil, 60ml: Promotes hair growth, reduces loss, nourishes and adds shine
Essential Lavender Oil, 6 drops: Conditions, stops itchy/dry scalp, controls loss/improves growth
Essential Tea Tree Oil, 10 drops: Antibacterial, good for hair follicles
Essential Rosemary Oil, 4 drops: Slows down premature hair loss, stimulates follicles
I add just the Castor oil to my hair while it's wet before blow drying and then I section my hair into parts, using the nozzle of the applicator bottle to add the Castor/Essential oil mixture to my scalp. I then massage through to the ends of my hair making sure everything is covered. I am now washing every other day with a weekly deep/hot oil treatment using the Castor/Essential oil mixture. So far, fingers crossed everything seems to be going well which I'm really happy with.
I've also (finally) had my bloods done after over two months of waiting. Everything appeared to be fine, minus my hormone levels. As I guessed my testosterone levels are pretty high, I knew but needed this to be confirmed. My doctor wants to keep a check on this and wants me to go back for more tests in a month. She checked my hair and said there is definitely new growth at the back which is also good. With regards to the extreme pain in my scalp, this is due to the increased testosterone level. She said there is a possibility my hair follicles are blocked which is caused by the hormone imbalance, in turn causing the hair to fall out, minimising regrowth. She was also really concerned with my stress levels and blood pressure (that's another blog post) and wanted for me to take some time out of work to relax because the stress isn't good for my condition and definitely isn't good when I'm already experiencing hair-loss. Although the loss isn't stress-related she didn't want to take any chances. I've refused to take time off because if I'm being honest I'm happiest when I'm at work and although things outside of work are a little tough at the minute I feel as though 'Onwards and Upwards' is the best option for me right now (I'll talk more about this in my next post.)
My Doctor did prescribe Nizoral 2% shampoo to help treat the scalp and the scalp pain. I'm going to continue doing what I'm doing for now as this shampoo contains Sulphates and herbal remedies are always my first option. She also asked whether I'd consider a pill to help with the hair-growth, which I knew she would. I'd already done my research on this pill earlier in the year. It's a contraceptive pill with a tonne of other side effects I honestly have no time to deal with, it's also no good for people with a history of high blood pressure/anxiety/depression/stress. Suffering with PCOS means there's a chance I won't be able to conceive naturally so for me right now I don't think taking this pill will help me in any way. That's a no go for me.
I've decided to continue doing what I'm doing along with regular exercise and making sure I stick to a LOW GI diet there shouldn't be any reason for my hair not to grow back.
This has already been one heck of a journey and I still have a long way to go but I'm positive I can fight this and hopefully the next time I post about my hair I'll be letting you guys know how well I'm doing.
I really want to say thank you to the women who suffer from PCOS or hair-loss who have been in contact with me I LOVE talking to you all and again if I can help anyone then I feel as though my my purpose is served. It's a lovely feeling knowing you are able to approach me and I urge you to continue. A problem shared is a problem halved.
Lots of Love
Beanie xoxo
