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I've been losing hair like crazy in the past month. It could be from 2 heavy antibiotics I was taking due to a chronic lung condition. It could be due to stress (major lately). It could be due to the fact that I stopped taking my extensive vitamins for the past 4-6 weeks. I take quite a few vitamins that are high quality and not cheap, including Biotin and a whole host of other things. I feel better when I take them but I wanted to see how I felt without taking them. It could be due to the clarifying shampoo and conditioner I've been using. Tired, stressed, and now losing hair like crazy. It's actually scary compared to a few months ago.
It could be due to all of the above.
Stopped the antibiotics, taking all the vitamins again, and attempting to manage stress better. I also stopped using the clarifying shampoo and conditioner that I've used for the past 2 months. I think I used it too frequently. Average of 2 times per week. The seborhhea problem I had earlier this year is gone but I think I overdid it with the clarifying stuff.
At any rate, we'll see what happens. I'm not averse to taking minoxidil if things don't improve, but I'm going to wait 6 months to see if that would be unnecessary. Not interested in being a wispy-haired old lady. I blunt cut my hair every couple months so it does look thicker after I do that.
I'm not normally a proponent of essential oils because of all the midlevel marketing junk associated with them, but there does seem to be some emerging evidence that rosemary oil may have some benefits for improving scalp health/preventing hair loss and breakage.
I use a rosemary/mint serum made by Pacifica. It's pretty affordable, and it smells really nice. Can't speak to whether it helps with thinning hair on a personal level.
Have you had your thyroid checked? One of my first symptoms of being hypothyroid was my hair falling out. Got on the meds and the shedding stopped for years. Then my doctor changed me to a different type of thyroid medication which I didn't metabolize properly and my shedding began again. The failure of that med was evident on my lab tests which suddenly changed for the worse. I returned to my previous med and my hair has regrown.
All that to say, if your other changes don't help and/or you have any other symptoms of low thyroid, you might want to get yourself checked out.
Metlakatla, thank you for reminding me about that. I had read about it earlier this year and thought it would be a good idea (rosemary oil) even before the hair loss. I have some oil from 6-7 years ago so probably need to get some fresh. I agree about all the hype, so I'm careful where I buy it. You're fortunate that you can use mint. Several years ago I tried using hair care with mint in it (Pureology, which is a high quality company; there's something about my biochemistry that mint makes my hair fall out. I gave those products to my daughter who didn't have a problem. Go figure.
Mitch, yes I've considered minoxidil. I understand that you have to keep taking it or your hair situation will regress. I don't care about side effects. I'm old enough that I just don't care anymore, unless of course the side effects are severe - which I don't think they are?
movinon, yes, I'm going to my doctor today to have my thyroid checked. It's a walk-in clinic. My mother "took thyroid" as she called it, for 46 years; started when she was 40. I had my thyroid checked about 8 years ago. It was right on the borderline so I asked my doctor to prescribe it. Well, I read the side effects and decided not to take it at that time. Again, I'm old enough now that I just don't care anymore about side effects. I'd rather have whatever benefits that levothyroxine will provide.
Now here's a kicker:
I had a followup with a rheumatologist yesterday. My ortho surgeon had sent me because I kept having inflammation in my ankles for months. I found out that I don't have RA but the doctor prescribed - get this - hydroyquinoline, that stuff that nobody could get 2-3 years ago at the height of the pandemic! WTH. I read the side effects: hair loss. Not taking it. I can fix inflammation by improving my diet and getting up off my ass and being more active! And why would I take that when I don't have RA? Again,
For now, I've decided to use rosemary oil, start taking my vitamins again (including Biotin - it really does seem to help!), improving diet and taking Levothyroxine.
I've been on levothyroxin since 1982, except for the brief period when my doctor inexplicably switched me to a different thyroid med. I've had no side effects on the levothyroxin and I'm one of those people who reacts to everything. Hopefully you'll do fine. It may take some fine-tuning to get the dosage just right so be patient.
Thanks. I'm glad you didn't have any side effects. My mom was on it for 40+ years, and didn't have side effects either. I'm not only concerned about hair loss, but about fatigue. Have to face the fact that even with a better diet, vitamins and good rest (but not always a full night's good sleep) I probably have thyroid issues.
My mom was on it, too, for I don't even know how many years. She did fine. The crashing fatigue is definitely part of it. Are you cold all the time? I was freezing even in 110 degree heat. I also had excessively dry skin which wasn't helped by any of the usual remedies. Everything settled down once I got a proper diagnosis and medication.
Thyroid issues definitely run in my family. My first cousin is hyperthyroid (Graves disease) so the flip side of the coin.
I'm not excessively cold all the time, but I don't like being cold and don't do well with cold, if that's a thyroid thing. I have also noticed that it takes longer for my body to warm up when it is cold. Another symptom is dry hair and especially dry skin. It's gotten to the point where I'm like "what the heck is going on with my skin??" Come to think of it, my skin's been like that for the past 9-10 years.
As to minoxidil, yeah, you do have to keep taking it, or your hair loss will resume. Same with finasteride. Finasteride works by blocking the enzyme that converts testosterone to dihydrotestosterone or DHT, DHT seems to be one of the main culprits for Male Pattern Baldness (which can affect some females as well)
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Not taking it. I can fix inflammation by improving my diet and getting up off my ass and being more active! And why would I take that when I don't have RA? Again, 
