Female hair loss.

Tegan, I totally sympathise as you have expressed my feelings exactly . I have hereditary hair loss and the only advice I got from my doctor was to wear a hat! I never feel happy with my appearance whatever I am wearing because of my thin hair and have thought of a wig but am nervous about wearing one. I tell myself that I am healthy and should be grateful for that and I am, as I know that people have far worse to contend with than thin hair, but it doesn't help much. I have had blood tests but no problem with thyroid either and it seems there is no miracle cure. Hate going to the hairdressers and seeing others with luscious locks as I feel so self conscious, just wish there was more research into hereditary hair loss as it causes distress to many women although sometimes I feel I am the only woman to suffer!!

trouble is, if your hair loss is stress related and lose the stress when you retire or whatever, you then have the stress of the hair loss which I'm afraid you can't help - if that makes sense.

I am a big fan of Phase 8, manufactured in this country too.

Note I only mentioned what I was wearing outer garment wise yesterday as well ....

Just an observation - I know how stressed you were at work before you retired, Tegan and it occurs to me perhaps you need to give your body more time to unwind before you can expect to feel any betteror look more relaxed . Our skin and hair are supposed to reflect our health - but any imporvementt will not necessarily show immediately. However, if you do decide to investigate wigs, a very close friend who had chemo several years ago bought a gorgeous wig from Selfridges (not real hair, but looked amazing - not unlike her own hair) and 1) the kids at school actually used to compliment her on her hair (!), 2) she found it so easy to care for, just washing it and drying it on the post at the foot of the stairs and 3) she said she saved a fortune in hairdressers' bills. It may not be much consolation but bottom line is you want to feel confident and happy with your appearance. I agree with Marelli on how you are a snappy dresser but at least in bringing sideboards into the conversation she resisted the temptation to comment on your drawers

I think flaxseed is the same as Omega3. I only think that cause I was going to buy some from Holland and Barrett as I'd ran out and the assistant told me if I was taking Omega3 I didn't need flaxseed as well.

never heard that one blueskies and I thought I'd heard them all. Am going to give it a try.

excellent question!

To my shame, when I was a child I asked a woman who had a bun, "if you cut your bun will it turn into a pompom"

Not sure if this will help but I suffered severe hair loss a few years back through stress. I take one tablet of silica compound and one flaxseed capsule every day now without fail. It worked for me. All OK.

I think this company may do both !

Chignons are different to buns surely. Is n' t a chignon, sort of, wound around a doughnut thingie?

Galen - Oh yes I really must keep up!

Chignons! Surely?

Tegan - yes that was my problem, nothing to clip anything into. I am a bit reluctant to recommend as I haven't tried them myself for the reason mentioned but when my hair was first going and just rather thin, I found a company called Hot Hair. They have a website which would probably be a bit of a risk to order from re colour, fitting etc but I have seen them in some of the big stores, Selfridges in Brum and Debenhams. They have ladies to advise. They do wigs but also fringes, add ins, buns (if they are still called that) etc. Just a thought.

Katy; I've been looking at those. One reason why I've grown the low lights out of my hair. is that I thought if it was just white it would be easier to match. This is a plan that I've been hatching for a while. My only worry is that my hair is so fine nothing will clip into it and, if it does it will move around. Once you start looking on the internet you find lots of things you'd never known about.

.....your cover will be blown then, Tegan !

I can ALWAYS recognise phase 8!

You can get clip in fringes

"...what a LOVELY top, Tegan - it's Phase 8, isn't it....?" Like that? I'll keep rehearsing...."What a LOVELY top, Tegan.........." Remember to tuck the Matalan label in, though, eh?

The ones I have without the hole have a brown mark on them where some soap powder must have bleached them whereas the hole is a tiny one on the seam [not sure which is worse]. Anyways, I'm going to M&S on Sunday to buy some proper gym clothes; and the trainers were VERY expensive Nike ones . Which [this is going off at a tangent] makes me think of something else. I bought a top from a charity shop; it was very like a Phase Eight one which I nearly bought once so I was well chuffed with it. But then, when I washed it I realised it was Matalan and, suddenly it didn't look so lovely. And I realised I am a slave to designer stuff without knowing it [not in the Victoria Beckham league mind you but on the first rung of the ladder]. I'm probably going to wear it to Edinburgh so I want everyone to say 'what a lovely top; it's Phase eight isn't it' [you can start practicing now]...

! Quite agree with your choice of clothes, anyway, Tegan - why wear unholy (sp!) leggings if you have a long coat that will cover holey ones!

You can have a very low thyroid problem that isn't picked up [I'm sure Dr John Briffa whose blogs I read said that]. I've just realised that my cousin [who's a lot older than me] also has thin hair but I'd forgotten that she's on my dad's side of the family so, genetically I'm beyond hope. Marelli; you really should have seen me yesterday; long grey coat, no make up, hair scraped back, leggings with a small hole in them [that's why I was wearing the long coat ] and [this is the worst bit] white trainers [I had been to the gym]. Edna the inebriate [sp] woman lives again! I am going to do that [wig wise]. All I really want is a fringe cause I've got a high forehead and it's the fact that the fringe is disappearing that's bothering me.

Just one more thing.... (sorry)... I have just read the comments above and one says it's a pity the poster couldn't be more helpful. That is just the point, for some there is no help, you have to help yourself.

I too was hoping for a thyroid problem (sounds awful doesn't it) but to no avail.