Hair loss — female hair loss!! — is the worst. Whether GLP-1 hair loss, breakage from chemicals, anything to do with your thyroid, that most mercurial of glands — I have been there, and I sympathize. It is incredibly hard to solve, and I say that as someone who went to a dermatologist for hair loss only to be asked if I lived near a nuclear reactor (I’m not kidding.) The hardest thing is that figuring out which products and strategies work and which don’t is complicated because it can take months to see results. Over the past four years, I’ve tried everything I could to combat my hair breakage. I finally feel like I have a winning routine — but it took years to get there, and along the way I tried more things that didn’t work than those that did.
This, though, is my full report: 15 products (and strategies), and three (only three) that felt like they worked.
I can honestly say that my hair is much healthier than it was four years ago. Whatever you’re trying, don’t give up — someone out there can help. I’m not sure that nutrition-related hair loss was my problem, but I revamped my diet as I did this, ultimately eating many fewer ultra-processed foods as a result. (Except Cheez Its, I love Cheez Its.) If you are aiming to do the same thing, I want to recommend recipes from Madelaine Rascan, Emma Bardwell, and The Doctor’s Kitchen.
Moving along!
Everything that didn’t help improve my hair loss
– Biotin. Maybe I just got cheap, poorly performing biotin, but I couldn’t tell any difference after months of usage. I used the 5000mcg from Target.
– Various hair supplements involving biotin, including Phyto’s Phytophenère
– Zinc supplements. One of my doctors is convinced that many women are on the edge of being zinc deficient (my bloodwork put me on the low side of normal). Zinc deficiency has been linked to hair loss. I’m not convinced this was a big part of my problem.
– Iron. Ditto iron. Similarly, I’m not convinced there was a connection, and presumably I’m getting enough iron from my diet and vitamins (see below).
– Drinking tons of water (read: a gallon daily). Maybe I would’ve seen a difference if I’d kept up with it, but I just couldn’t, and I ultimately don’t think it was related to the breakage.
– Combing (rather than brushing). I found this tedious and ineffective, and while I did see less breakage while combing (instead of brushing), I saw just as much broken hair pieces around my apartment.
– Less frequent washing. This is the one I really want to call out: I read a lot of stories about how over-washing your hair could strain it and lead to breakage. For me, the opposite was true: washing it less led to more tangles, and way more breakage. I’m now washing it whenever it looks like it needs it (every day to every other day). This is a really good reminder to not believe the hype. (Any hype.)
– The Aveda Invati system
Jury’s still out
– Regular vitamins. I’m not convinced these have made my hair stronger, but they’re good for me for non-hair reasons, so I’m going to keep taking them.
– Viviscal
– Silk pillowcase. I’m not sure if this is helping my hair, as it’s supposed to, but it’s very comfortable to sleep on!
Three products that seemed to slow hair breakage
– Olaplex No. 3
– Hairstory New Wash (Rich). Here’s the full story — but in short, I credit this non-detergent, non-shampoo cleanser with reducing buildup and with ending my tangling problem.
– Hair clips: a worthy alternative to tight cheap, elastics. (But TBH I sometimes still use cheap, tight elastics.)
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