Hair

Gimme head with hair

Long beautiful hair

Shining, gleaming,

Streaming, flaxen, waxen

Give me down to there hair

Shoulder length or longer

Here baby, there mama

Everywhere daddy daddy

Hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair

Flow it, show it

Long as God can grow it

My hair

From "Hair"

Lyrics: James Rado and Gerome Ragni

Music: Galt MacDermot

For the great majority of my life, my hair has been on the longer end of the spectrum. Even when I "chopped it off" in junior high, it was a chin-length bob--no shorter. Since growing that back out, it's gone from just-brushing-my-shoulders to its current length, almost halfway down my back.

I like my hair long--not because it's some standard of feminine beauty, but because I like how it feels long. I like ponytails (and these days, wearing it in a bun). I like having it combed or brushed. Sure, long hair can be a pain, but I like it this way.

Imagine the stress I've been feeling in the last few months, every time I shower, as I see huge amounts of strands coming out whenever I wash and condition it.

I wash my hair pretty much daily--I know it's not necessarily recommended but I have pretty high oil production, I use good conditioner, and I work out almost daily, so it gets sweaty and gross enough that going without washing feels nasty. And I know that everyone loses something like 100 strands of hair a day as part of the natrual growth cycle. But in the last couple of months, it felt like I was losing more than that.

My recent stomach upset issues got me thinking and doing a little research. Several sites that come up on Google when you type in "Why am I losing my hair?!" reassured me of a few key things, so instead of blind panic and never washing my hair ever again--I mean EVER--I'm going to make a few key adjustments. Here's where I think my "hair loss" (I can't even call it that, really, as I have no big patches of missing hair and my part is still its usual width) is coming from:

1. My normal hair-growth cycle.

As I mentioned, I don't have any patches of missing hair and my part is normal, so I am definitely not losing too much hair (this was such a relief to read). One article even said that autumn is a natural time for hair to start shedding in earnest, and while it's been happening in late summer it's 1) been sort of fall-like, weather-wise, and 2) close enough for jazz, right?

Also, I have a theory that when I was dying my hair blonde, it was harder to see the hairs stuck to the wall of the shower.

2. My body no longer thinks it's pregnant.

I was on the Pill for a long time and I've recently gone off, as I lost my health insurance when I lost my job. I read on multiple sites yesterday that this can cause the body to shed a little extra hair for a few months after going off the pill--the hormonal shock, etc. It's the same thing that causes women to "lose their hair" after having a baby. Pregnancy hormones mess up the natural hair growth and shedding cycle, which is why pregnant women report having thicker, more lustrous hair.

Since my body sorta-kinda thought it was pregnant while I was taking the Pill (hence the whole no-ovulation thing that prevents pregnancy and controls hormones), it makes sense that now I've been off the Pill for a few months, it would react like it would if I'd just had a baby.

3. Not enough iron and/or some other vitamin deficiency.

I haven't been eating a lot of meat, choosing, instead, to get my protein from a supplemental powder I use in my morning smoothies and skim dairy products. This is not working for me. I need to eat more lean meats (chicken, turkey) and beans, as I think I might have a slight iron deficiency. I also bought more multi-vitamins recently so that I can get back into that crucial habit.

But apparently iron deficiency can cause hair loss.

4. Stress

Duh.

I've been handling my stress soooo very well this year--let's face it, I've been downright Zen compared to Megan-a-few-years-ago. But the bottom line is, I lost my job, I've had a lot of uncertainty, the stress of job interviews and possible moves. Even with regular working out and mostly healthy eating, there is anxiety and stress.

I've learned to channel it very well into healthy activities--feeling stressed? Go for a walk instead of eating. Scrapbook. Watch a funny movie instead of crying. Get to the gym. But still, stress will take it's toll.

Not to mention stressing about my hair falling out.

5. Other stuff...

I don't heat-style my hair a lot these days--too lazy to blow-dry, but that can be a cause. However, I do wear my hair in a ponytail when I work out, and I've been twisting it into a bun a lot these days--on hot days, I don't want it flowing down my back, and a bun looks so cute. So that could be part of my problem, and as we go into cooler weather, I'll wear my hair down a lot more.



After reading all of this yesterday (here, here and here were the sites that gave me best info),  I feel a lot better and realize that as long as I'm not seeing great clumps of hair fall out (knock on wood!), this is normal and okay. I'll continue to take care of my hair and condition it every time I wash.

October 2008, right after getting it trimmed and highlighted.

This is what happens when I use curlers.

Going back to my roots, April 2010 (it's lightened a bit since then).

Ponytail (May 2010).

Bob--8th grade

When in Rome...I had several inches of length chopped off by a guy who spoke maybe seven words of English, and layers put it. EEK!!

The most recent pic of my hair--long, brown, ruler-straight and baby-fine.