So how many of you have experienced hair loss?

[SarahFairy1984]

I'm only just starting on SS and am curious to know how common hair loss is, should I be buying head scarves just in case?!

 

[kerryberry]

my hair is falling out a little bit not much thought

 

[NicolaR]

Oh my, I'm glad to say that hasn't happened to me! It's not something I've noticed is mentioned on the forum too often, so hopefully it won't happen to you. I've had very few side effects from the diet, my main one just being a bit of a lack of energy, and I hope the diet goes well for you too

 

[SarahFairy1984]

Well is a relief to know that it's not a given, have heard horror stories of people going bald and am terrified that will happen to me!!

 

[Dita-von-squeeze]

My hair falls out/breaks loads usually anyway. But I must say since doing SS I have noticed a lot more hair coming out recently when I wash it etc. My boyfriend finds it disturbing but it hasn't made a difference to my hair really because it's so thick anyway.

 

[XlosingitX]

my hair fellout last year when i did cd not allof it lol ,id say 30% the good news is as soon as you notice it dropping new hair is growing ull see it in tuffs my hairs really thin so i noticed it alot .. but its a small price to pay

 

[Lin18]

My hair fell out lots at the begining but has stopped now seems to be normal again

 

[eyeontheprize]

loads of my hair fell out, but it's so thick that it's not really noticeable. It's a relief really, made it much more manageable!

 

[suranne]

I'm on day 6 today and noticed a lot of it coming out this morning when I washed my hair - mine is really long and thick though so not worrying about it too much yet!

 

[Sammi N]

I have lost lots of hair, i dont wash my hair as much as i used to for fear of the clumps coming out. I have the advantage of having really thick hair so i can get away with losing a bit. I have found that its more noticeable around my hairline at the front, especially by my ears. I tend to wear my hair down a lot to cover it. As others have mentioned tho as quick as it has snapped or fallen out i can see sprouts of regrowth. Will definately need a new hair do when im at target tho as my hair is very long and currently looks layered where ive had breakages etc, saying that, it looks quite a nice hair style for now

 

[Mini]

Hope this article helps to put your mind at ease.

The science bit...
It's pretty common to lose hair when dieting. Here's why...

Each hair on your head grows for 4-5 years, then falls out. So your hair is always renewing itself. The long growth stage is called anagen and the short stopping phase that follows is called catagen. Then the hair falls out, which is telogen. The hair follicle then goes back into anagen and makes a long hair for the next 4-5 yaers.

What happens during weight loss is Telogen effluvium. It also happens after any stress to the body. Some of your hair follicles go into catagen to conserve body resources. So the hairs stop growing and "rest". Once your body feels safe again, those hairs go back into anagen - but because there was the pause in the middle, the brand new growing hair pushes the old hair out of the follicle. So in reality you have just as much hair as you did before - and it's probably far healthier hair. But the new hairs are short

Normally around 10% of your head of hair is in the catagen or telogen phase, in essence resetting itself to prepare for new hair to grow in. Because you have so much hair on your head, you don't even notice. During weight loss that percentage gets higher, but this is only temporary. Your body starts creating new hair in its normal cycle once it settles into a healthy weight and those hairs start growing again. Remember that hair doesn't reach a long state overnight! So all those new, healthy hairs need time to grow out to whatever length of hair you have chosen.

Usually it takes 6 months for your head of hair to have grown back out to typical fullness. Hair grows around 1/2" per month, so at the 6 month mark, the hair is around 3" long which is enough to seem thick on most heads. Again, it's not that the hair is MISSING during this intermediate time. It's just that it is brand new and growing from scratch.

Copied from here Weight Loss, HairLoss and Low Carb - Low Carb if you want to read the whole article!

Love Mini xxx

 

[Sammi N]

That is reassuring thanks for posting. I just find the breakages in my hair most annoying, it breaks and splits and looks dodgy at times but on the flip side its soooo soft and very shiny.

 

[kerryberry]

had a shower today and hair loss was so much less that then last 2 weeks

 

[Lostris]

I had quite a bit of hair falling out shen I started doing the steps up, now I have a relatively lager amount of hair falling out than before I did CD but nothing I can't handle.. thank god.

It does happen but when it does you should realise it's only temporary...

 

[claira07]

bear in mind the time of year also, hair should naturally start to shed, and you always loose more around now, avoid colouring you hair if you are worried, it will come back, probably thicker and healthier xx

 

[Jaycey]

That's a really good article and it does put my mind at rest a bit (after all, I didn't even realise I was losing hair until my hairdresser told me - now I'm paranoid!). I've bought some hair vitamins today, also some silica (as recommended by my CDC) and sent for Rejuvx hair treatment. I'm also going abroad on Saturday, and my hair and nails always grow more in hot countries. I'm hoping that all this will sort my poor hair out! (Unlike many others posting here, my hair is fine and not thick - so any thinning will show up pretty quickly.)