June 17, 2024 • 36 mins
Have you tried wearing wigs or toppers yet?
In this episode Bambi talks to Ashley about her hair loss and why she’s embraced alternative hair.
Ashley even has an online channel helping women choose wigs and toppers that are right for them.
Bambi also continues her conversation around supplements.
In this episode you’ll learn:
- Some of the main differences between wigs and toppers
- What you should think about if you’re curious about trying wigs for the first time
- And in the Did You Know segment, Bambi runs through the main types of supplements you might hear about to do with female hair loss.
CONNECT WITH ASHLEY:
Want to know more about wigs and toppers? You can follow Ashley, @lifebeyondlocks, on Instagram and on You Tube.
SHARE THE PODCAST:
Like what you heard and want to share the podcast with other women in your life? Send them this link: https://www.boostnblend.com/pages/hair-loss-in-women-podcast
FIND OUT MORE:
If you’d like to find out more about Boost n Blend head to the Australian website, US website, UK website.
Find us on social media at Facebook or Instagram.
DISCLAIMER:
While Bambi is a former registered nurse with extensive knowledge on hair loss in women, she is not a medical doctor.
All information shared in this podcast is of a general nature.
Please see your GP or other medical professional for specific advice related to your circumstances.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Hello ladies, are you struggling with hairloss?
I want you to know you're not alone.
Hi, I'm Bambi Staveley, former registerednurse, author, founder of Boost & Blend
and someone who probably just like you hashad first -hand experience with hair loss,
which is all covered in my latest book,Hair Loss in Women.
(00:23):
When I noticed my own hair thinning 15years ago,
I went looking for information and I wentlooking for products for women, just like
you and me.
But all I could find out there wasproducts made for men.
And most of the information I could findwas about male pattern baldness.
Well, that's not much help.
So I set out to change that.
(00:44):
I want to see women with hair loss talkingabout it and talking to each other,
sharing their stories from a place ofknowledge.
So join me.
as I meet some courageous women.
I'll share some information and we'lllearn together on the Hair Loss in Women
podcast.
(01:11):
Hi there and welcome to Hair Loss inWomen.
Have you tried toppers or wigs?
In this episode, you'll meet a woman whohas embraced both wigs and toppers.
She's had hair loss for many years and shetalks to us about the various wigs and
toppers that she's used and tried.
And she even covers the different types ofquality and different price points.
(01:34):
So very interesting interview.
After that, we'll continue theconversation around supplements.
Last episode I talked to you about what tolook for when it comes to supplements and
in this episode I'm going to run throughthe different types of common supplements
that you're likely to hear about in thehair loss community in particular.
(01:54):
But first up it's time for our interview.
So let me introduce you to Ashley.
Hello Ashley and thank you so much fortaking the time to come on the podcast.
I really appreciate it.
Thank you for having me.
I'm honored.
You're a huge fan of wigs and toppers.
So I can't wait to find out more aboutthat with you.
(02:16):
But before we get onto that, let's startwith your personal story.
When did you first notice that your hairwas thinning?
my goodness.
I suppose it was in my early 20s actually.
I think I first realized it when I saw aphotograph of myself with some of my
(02:37):
girlfriends.
And I realized that I had a widening partthat I hadn't otherwise noticed.
And that felt a little alarming, but Iactually have female baldness undiagnosed
on my maternal side of the family.
So initially I didn't even make thatconnection.
(02:58):
My grandmother,
had her first and only wig in the 1990s.
It was definitely not anything like whatwe have today.
She was really uncomfortable and didn'twear it most of the time just because of
the discomfort.
But I didn't make that connection until alittle bit later.
And it was, I guess, after the time that Ihad my first child that I started to see
(03:19):
it had progressed.
And I started trying to fill it in witheyeshadow.
I didn't realize that hair fibers existed.
so I thought I was being really inventive,but I think it looked kind of, you know,
it wasn't the best product at the time,but it was something and it sort of
covered up for a while.
(03:40):
And then I started to learn a little bitmore about fibers.
And then it was after my second son that,or my second child, my son that I
realized, okay, this is getting, a littlebit more serious and maybe I need to look
into.
getting a diagnosis.
So I booked an appointment with adermatologist, waited an excruciating long
(04:05):
time to get in with the specialist and itwent horribly.
Yeah, which is something that I keephearing.
You know, when I'm talking to differentwomen, I'm hearing the same narrative that
they're going to specialists, they'regoing to doctors, but they're not getting
the support and the comfort that they'relooking for, or even really practical help
(04:26):
a lot of the time.
So,
She just took a look and said, yeah, yoursis the most advanced thing I've ever seen
for someone your age.
And if you continue to have children,it'll probably continue to get worse.
You should look into prosthetics.
And she prescribed something without doingblood work.
It had a bunch of side effects.
And I thought, well, this isn't for me.
So I cried, went back to work to teach inthe afternoon, and kind of put it to rest
(04:50):
for a little while.
And then it was probably a few monthsafter that that I started going to
YouTube.
to see what I could do about it in termsof wigs.
We hear that so often, waiting a long timefor an appointment with such built up
expectations that you're going to leavethat appointment with an answer.
(05:11):
Yes.
Somebody is going to say, this is what'shappening, here's what we do about it,
don't worry.
And it's just, I just never hear of that.
I never hear of a good example.
So did you get any kind of diagnosis?
then or later?
Nothing.
When she didn't offer to even do bloodwork, I just felt she was sort of supposed
(05:34):
to be the person, as you say, with in mymind the answer, she was the specialist.
And so I thought if she couldn't provideit for me, I would have to go to great
lengths.
And I just thought, okay, well, I justneed to sort of grab the bootstraps and
tuck and just kind of deal with this as itis, because it's probably not going to be
resolved by somebody else.
And that's when I really started to lookat options and
(05:55):
You know, at that time, that was probablylate 2017.
There wasn't a lot of education in theonline space about alternative hair at
that point, not even about hair fibers.
There was just such a lack of educationfor me anyways.
And I ended up purchasing three pieces inone shot based on what I had seen on some
(06:17):
online reviewers who were, you know,
just because it looks good on them.
This is something that I think is reallyimportant, right?
Is education before purchasing.
Doesn't mean it's gonna look good on me.
And I ended up pretty disappointed, putthe wigs away and it was another two years
before I actually took a chance and triedsomething that really worked for me.
And then since then I haven't looked backand I felt like it was really important to
(06:40):
start sharing that experience because Iknow that there are...
tons of women out there who are feelingisolated and alone in this as well.
And instead of hoping for an answer, and Iobviously encourage people to get the
answers that they're looking for, but inthe interim, we sometimes think that
(07:01):
finding those answers are going to helpgive us our confidence back, but really it
was binding alternative hair, using hairfibers, practical things that actually
rebuild my confidence and made me realizethat I don't.
need the answer because I have solutionsthat work and allow me to live my life the
way I want to live my life.
(07:21):
So there was a long time there where youwere challenged by your hair probably
every day.
How did you feel during that time aboutthat?
Alone.
You know, when you're aware of it, youfeel, I think many of us feel like we're
the only ones going through it.
(07:42):
And oftentimes in our immediate circle,
That might actually be the case.
And so it's only when we find these onlinecommunities and supports that we realize
there are a lot of women, you know, maybeup to 50 % who experienced hair loss at
some point in their lives.
But at the moment that you're enduring it,you know, you really don't see that.
Yeah, yeah, exactly.
And so, so you, you bought a couple ofwigs, which that you didn't like, or you
(08:06):
just worked out that they weren't for you,those three that you bought.
What was wrong with them?
I think fear.
So they were synthetic wigs and ironicallyI've come back to synthetic wigs in a full
circle moment.
I see so much benefit and fun in them butI ended up purchasing pieces that were a
little bit shorter than what I wasaccustomed to because I wanted to get the
(08:28):
longevity.
I didn't realize that human hair was anoption first of all and...
Secondly, as I said, I had babies, we werepaying for daycare, I didn't want to have
a big expense.
And so I thought, well, I'll buy somesynthetic pieces that are shorter and they
won't expire as quickly because they won'tbe rubbing on my collar, things like that.
(08:49):
But the styles were just all wrong for me.
They had tons of permatease.
I didn't know what permatease was.
So I just - what is permatease?
Tell us.
Well, permatease is something that's used.
sometimes on the top or the sides of a wigto give it volume.
And it often goes in place of where a moreluxury piece would have a hand tied fiber.
(09:15):
So the hand tied fiber is sort of manuallydone and it drives up the wig price a
little bit.
It also allows for more movement, justsort of a natural look.
But in absence of that, we'll putpermatease to sort of fill in the area and
give lift and volume.
So it's,
just creates big hair, which is fantasticnow that I'm comfortable wearing hair.
(09:36):
But initially it just felt like to go fromzero to 60 was just, you know, it's a lot.
You look in the mirror and all of a suddenyou've got full head.
Yeah.
I think I know what that would feel like.
Yes.
And so you had, you had that sort ofunfortunate occurrence and then decided
not to try again for awhile.
So you said, I think you said two yearslater, you went back and tried wigs again.
(09:59):
Yeah, it was about two years later, Istumbled online across a company that sold
human hair poppers and they seemed to bequite nice, good reviews, a growing
account, a lot of fans and in NorthAmerica and I thought, no, what do I have
to lose?
Her products look like they're prettygood.
(10:19):
She's in New York, only a few hours fromme, I'm in Canada, but just about seven
hour drive from New York City.
And...
I thought, okay, let's give this a go.
And then I realized that it wasn't perfectfor me, but it was certainly the gateway
into reclaiming my life.
It's a little dramatic, but.
(10:39):
Well, no, I hear you.
So how did you feel when you found thatfirst wig that worked?
It's interesting because looking back, Isee it all as positive and exciting, but
I'm sure if I really think about it, itwas four years ago now.
I was pretty nervous about reintroducingmyself to the world.
(10:59):
We were in lockdown, so I knew I had timeand I could baby step it.
So I started by wearing it to one of myonline classes with my grade 12s because I
figured if they noticed and said anything,well, they were graduating at the end of
the year and they would forget all aboutme.
But yeah, I think it was a little bit acombination of excitement and enthusiasm,
(11:23):
trying to figure out how to make it myown, how to make it work, learning that
hair fibers and other products couldreally enhance the natural appearance of
it and trying to arm myself with the righttools and practices, you know?
And then eventually comfort comes along ormaybe just a lack of an absence of caring.
Like I'm a little bit more, if it lookswiggy today.
(11:46):
So be it.
So I'm, I'm keen to understand not being awig wearer myself.
I put in brackets yet, I guess.
I know this sounds really silly, but howare you sure that it will stay on?
How do you keep it on and how are you surethat, you know, that it won't fly off in a
wind or something?
That's such a good question.
Probably one of the biggest concerns thatwomen who start to wear wigs or thinking
(12:10):
about wearing wigs have.
I certainly did.
wonder, you know, it's fine when you'rejust going about your business, but what
about a big gust of wind or if you want togo on a ride with your kids at the fair?
And the reality is that, I mean, there aredifferent ways to secure them.
Toppers typically use clips.
Wigs can have clips, but they also justfit with tension.
(12:33):
They tend to stay on much better than Iimagined with very little work.
So someone once commented on my Instagram.
I was...
you know, demonstrating an install, doinga tutorial of putting on a hair topper.
And she said, wow, you just lay it on yourhead and go.
Like you don't even really use the clipsvery much.
(12:54):
And I, you know, over time I realized thatI didn't need to be tugging and pulling at
my own hair, that just setting it in placeis good enough.
And I was caught in a tarmac just a fewmonths ago and the big gust of wind came
and I went, my goodness.
Cause I knew I hadn't clipped the topperin that well, but it stayed.
So.
Well, they're pretty good.
Well, you have some amazing videos on yoursocials and I've really enjoyed having a
(13:19):
look through those.
And you've you've tried on different wigsand different colors and different toppers
and you've got some fabulous advice andsupport for other women.
So we'll actually link to your socials inthe show notes for anyone who'd like to
follow you.
So what's it been like for you to be inthe public eye?
As we speak, I have to be honest, I'm I'm
(13:39):
you know, slightly nervous having thisconversation.
Public speaking is, despite the fact thatI teach high school, is not an area of
comfort for me.
So it's been an adjustment.
And I wouldn't say that I've learned toenjoy speaking publicly, but I love the
connections that I've made.
(14:00):
I love the conversations that I'm having.
I love that the narrative seems to bechanging.
just in the last two years that I've beenonline.
So it's been a journey and it's been anexciting one and it's been a lot of fun
and it's encouraged, you know, just as I'mencouraging other women to take that first
(14:21):
step, it's encouraged me to take, youknow, five, six, seven steps forward and
try things that are maybe outside of mycomfort zone as well.
So it's been positive.
Very brave of you.
So do your friends and family know thatyou wear hair?
They do.
I think.
think everybody has to approach things,you know, in her own way.
But for me, it is easier just to sort ofput it out there.
(14:46):
My students don't know, or maybe they do.
But I've seen...
Wow, your students...
Yeah.
It's like a double life that I'm leading.
So if somebody compliments my hair in apublic setting, I generally just say, you
know, if the opportunity is there, I mightsay, thanks, it's a wig or it's a hair
topper.
I often just say wig because...
(15:06):
You know, those who aren't in this worlddon't know the distinction.
but yeah, my students don't know what I'venoticed increasingly.
Some of the girls are kind of looking atmy hairline as they're talking to me and
there's definitely a curiosity.
So that's, that's been interesting, right?
Because there's a whole group of people inmy life who know, and a few of them know
about my public account, not many, but afew of them.
(15:28):
And then there's this whole other sidethat has no idea.
And so you wear the same wig to school, Iimagine then.
Yeah, so that's something I'm working onthough, because if I'm going to encourage
women to take chances and to putthemselves out there, then that's sort of,
I think, the final step for me is to, andyou know, we all have different, like I
(15:48):
said, different journeys and differentpaths.
But for me, I think it's going to be tojust change it up when I feel like
changing it up.
And I typically make the change over alonger holiday break or change of
semesters, something like that.
But I did make a switch part way through.
this semester over the March break.
And when I returned, the girls were allasking questions.
(16:11):
Did you get extensions?
What did you do to your hair?
It looks great.
So yeah.
And what did you say?
Something like that was my response.
Yeah.
And so do you wear wigs mostly or toppers?
I like to switch between the two.
So currently I just happen to be wearing awig.
(16:31):
right now to school every day, but I waswearing a topper for the first half of the
year.
So I have curly hair and that is achallenge I think for women who are
looking for toppers to match.
The texture does have to match your biohair and the color has to match to a
certain extent.
So there's an extra step involved in blowdrying my hair and having it prepped to
wear the topper.
(16:51):
Whereas with the wig, you know, if I'm ina hurry in the morning, I can just shove
my hair in there right out of the showerand go.
Now, one of the things that my
curiosity points with wigs is there's alace front area.
Do all wigs have that lace front and howdo you deal with that?
So some do and some don't.
(17:12):
Well, the one I'm wearing in our interviewhas a lace front, but the one that I was
wearing at school today doesn't.
It's called a silk top.
They sew hairs into a silk material and itmimics the scalp.
So it has a very realistic lookingappearance from above.
which was a conscious choice as a shortperson in a high school.
Everybody towers over me.
So they look down at the top of my head.
(17:32):
Yeah.
But there's no, there's no lace to dealwith, which can make it look a little bit
more unnatural depending on how you styleit, but allows for really great longevity.
It could last you two or three years.
I know wigs are expensive.
I guess real hair wigs are more expensivethan synthetic wigs.
Would that be right?
(17:53):
Generally.
Yes.
So you get two or three years out of areal hair wig?
It does depend on the cap construction,the company.
So the silk that I'm wearing is definitelythe most durable type of human hair wig
that you can purchase.
And I'm only saying two to three yearsbecause I wore one topper for more than
(18:13):
two years and it was the silk.
It needs to be recolored and probably begiven a trim, but I'm sure I could get
another year or two out of it.
No problem.
It hasn't shed any hair at all.
The lace, however, is more fragile.
And because it's more fragile, thelikelihood of shedding and losing some of
those hairs over time or having the lacefray is a possibility.
(18:36):
And so in some cases, depending on howrough we are with those lace pieces, I've
heard that they can last just, you know,six months, but they could go a year
depending on the care, the frequency ofwear, those types of things.
The lace that I mean I've seen a couple ofvideos where people cut the lace off at
(18:57):
the front.
You obviously have to cut it pretty tightso that it's not visible.
But then I guess my confusion about thelace front is the lace itself is often
visible.
I mean I guess in videos that I've seen Idon't think I've ever seen a person with
visible lace.
But it seems to me that the lace does seemto form part of the front.
(19:18):
So how do you how do you disguise that?
Some people will swear, it's invisiblelace, but if the eye is looking for it,
you can definitely see it.
One thing is, I guess, doing enoughresearch to make sure that the brand is
using high quality lace.
There are different types of lace,actually.
So for example, you can have Swiss lace orFrench lace.
(19:41):
So knowing the type of lace.
And then also, I've found, and I actuallyasked this of one wig.
I won't call her a vendor because she'sactually, she does custom work herself.
But I asked her, does your lace sort oflean yellowish or pinkish?
And she was sort of puzzled by myquestion.
(20:01):
And she said, well, I think it'stransparent and neutral, but I've found
that most laces sort of lean one way orthe other.
And if it's pinkish, it shows up more onme.
And I know that now.
So it's a bit of a learning curve inknowing what works for you and what
doesn't, but different hairstyles can helpto conceal it.
You know, if you're not wearing it rightup off your face, most of the time, you're
(20:22):
only going to see it right wherever thatpart line is.
But the silk will allow you to blend withyour own hair.
And that, that makes it a little biteasier to camouflage.
And so what would be your advice forsomeone thinking about trying a wig for
the first time?
It's hard to just narrow it down to onething, but certainly if there's a local
place that you can go and visit to try onpieces.
(20:44):
I mean, that would be, that would begreat.
You have a sense of.
styles and colors that would work for you.
But I have spoken to a lot of women whohave regretted their decisions to go in
person simply because there was pressureto buy or a rush decision was made because
of the pressure.
You know, going in maybe with a friend,like your friend who is most assertive, so
(21:08):
that they can be there for you and allowyou to take your time and to think about
it and walk away and then make a decisionlater.
But doing the research, so whether that'sgoing in person, going online, looking at
how the piece appears on other reviewers,but then taking into account that they
have different base shapes, differentheights, different colorings, really sort
(21:30):
of exploring all of the educational stuff.
And it can seem overwhelming, but it'scertainly worth, I think, the time to
digest before rushing in and doing as Idid and potentially wasting $1 ,000 on.
some purchases that ended up sitting in abox for years.
Yeah.
And I think this whole length thing withwigs and the size of the cap and there's
(21:55):
lots of measurements that one would needto figure out.
So I think if there is, there's not verymany places where I am in Sydney, in
Australia, there's not very many wigplaces, but I guess it's really good if
you can find someone who can help you.
Maybe hairdressers can help as well, but.
I think a wig specialist is really, therejust aren't enough of them around, are
(22:19):
there?
No, but so many of us are happy to help.
You know, I spend hours and hours everyweek working with women in messages on the
back end of things.
And so those resources are available anddefinitely the community can be
supportive.
There are a lot of online spaces too,where you can just on Facebook, you can
(22:39):
look up hair loss groups and.
ask questions freely there as well.
So a lot of women will sort of come toyour aid and there's, you know, I have a
YouTube channel, there's a lot of otherwomen who have YouTube channels where they
provide information and it might take alittle bit of digging, but certainly the
answers are out there.
thank you.
That's really, really good advice.
(23:00):
So you've talked about being brave andchanging up your wig style at school.
So what's next for you in the world ofalternative hair?
I'm not sure.
I guess, I think that's kind of theinteresting thing about all of this is I
started the account on a whim.
I actually didn't realize that this worldexisted, this community existed.
(23:24):
I started my account thinking that I wouldbe one of the first and it turned out
there were so many wonderful women beforeme between the time that I was looking
into wigs in 2017 and when I started myaccount five years later.
I've been going with the flow and I...
I don't know if I have so much a plan inplace as much as I just look forward to
seeing what opportunities come up next andwho else am I going to get to meet?
(23:47):
And there is a hair loss meetup coming.
So that's kind of exciting actually.
Yeah, great.
In Canada, we're going to be meeting nextmonth.
So that'll be fun.
Yeah, that's great.
We have hair loss meetups here inAustralia too.
Everybody out there, just Google it andsee if you can find something near you.
Cause this whole,
community of women in the hair loss worldis really heartwarming and supportive.
(24:12):
And I guess if people have found thepodcast and they've found some support and
there's so much more out there.
Look, it's been so wonderful talking toyou today and I really love your story and
in particular just talking to somebody whois confident wearing alternative hair.
That's just such an amazing.
(24:35):
encouragement for me too and I think for alot of other women out there that you know
wigs and toppers are there and they canmake you feel fabulous.
So thank you for sharing your story andfor all that knowledge that you've shared
with us and as I said we'll put a link toyour information in the show notes so that
people can follow you and watch you and Iknow I've seen some videos of you putting
(25:00):
on your wigs and I think that's reallyfabulous.
That's what we...
would like to see and learn from.
So thank you very much.
Thank you very much.
I don't know if it's okay to say, but oneof the things that I love about you is
your efforts to create products thatreally work nicely with the products that
(25:22):
I use every day.
I started using a fiber brand that I laterlearned was quite dangerous based on the
chemical ingredients.
And I know from
early on looking at the list ofingredients in your products that you
really strive to keep things as clean aspossible.
And I just wanted to say that I reallythink that that's great.
(25:43):
And I thank you for that because it showsa level of care and concern for your
consumer, which I think is really, reallyimportant.
Thank you, Ashley.
Thank you.
Thank you very much for having me.
Wow.
Wasn't that great information from Ashleyabout wigs and toppers.
I wonder if that makes you keen to try awig after hearing what Ashley had to say.
(26:05):
I've thought about it over the years andit's really interesting to hear how easy
it can be.
Okay, so time now for our Did You Knowsegment and today it's the second part of
what I want to tell you about supplements.
Last episode I spoke about supplements,particularly that they're not likely to be
(26:28):
of any help for someone with hair lossunless there's been a medically diagnosed
deficiency.
If you have a deficiency then you take thesupplement and then the baseline will
improve.
But if there was a specific vitamin orsupplement that you could take that would
grow hair or regrow your hair then theworld would be shouting it from the
(26:49):
rooftops, right?
So that's the
raw facts of it.
So yes, there are supplements that canhelp in many ways for someone with an
inadequate diet.
But for the vast majority of us with hairloss and no deficiency or no known
deficiency, spending a lot of money onhopeful remedies that you can buy over the
(27:10):
counter is probably not going to achievetoo much, if anything.
Now, I also mentioned that mostsupplements can't or shouldn't
make claims to treat anything.
They haven't undergone the rigoroustesting that medications have.
So you really need to read carefullywhat's on the label.
(27:31):
And I didn't really get time to runthrough any specific vitamins or any
specific supplements in our last episode.
So I thought that might be a good idea todo that on this episode.
And obviously I can't go into all thedetails of every supplement here, but I
can give you a little bit of an overviewof the key supplements.
that are often talked about in regard tohair loss and they're very much talked
(27:54):
about in all the Facebook groups whichmany women with hair loss would know
about.
So the first, I think the first and mostcommon thing talked about are hair gummies
and there seems to be lots of noise aroundthese on the internet and in particular,
influencers talking about how they tookthese hair gummies and look at their
(28:15):
luscious hair.
Well, they do contain vitamins and they docontain, well,
largely.
They do contain vitamins and they containvitamins which can be associated with
healthy hair.
But they also contain sugars andsweetness.
They will help if you have a deficiency.
But if you have a deficiency, the tinyamount in a hair gummy is not likely to be
(28:37):
enough to get your levels back up.
So what you really need to do is speak toyour doctor or your healthcare
professional to work out what it is thatyour deficiency in
Now the other thing we hear a lot aboutour hair, skin and nail tablets.
They come in all forms of tablets,capsules, powders, and yeah, they contain
vitamins and minerals.
(28:57):
Generally those known to be important forhealthy hair, yes.
But again, if you have a healthy diet,they won't be of much help.
And if you have hair loss, they won'tmagically grow your hair back.
The one that I think we certainly hear alot about is biotin.
Now, biotin, which is also known asvitamin B7, is another common vitamin you
(29:22):
hear people talking about in relation tohair loss.
And while it is important for hair health,a biotin deficiency though is really rare
because it's actually found in manyeveryday foods that you would be eating.
If you just Google foods that containbiotin, you will find that you're getting
enough unless you're living on a waterdiet or something.
(29:44):
And the worst thing is that if you taketoo much biotin, it can have a negative
impact on your body.
It can impact your body's ability toabsorb zinc and vitamin B5 and a zinc
deficiency can cause hair loss.
So you have to be careful.
And I also want to point out that youshould be aware of the confusion of
(30:06):
micrograms and milligrams.
So micrograms is usually written as MCGand milligrams are written as
mg and micrograms are very small.
In fact, a thousand micrograms makes upone milligram.
So without getting too techie here, thedaily requirement of biotin is around
(30:26):
about 30 micrograms up to maybe a hundredmicrograms.
So a tiny amount.
So if that's the daily requirement, youhave to look on the label and make sure
that you're not taking 30
milligrams, which would be a thousandtimes more.
So that's something you have to be reallycareful of.
(30:47):
You want to be taking biotin with MCGwritten after it, micrograms, probably,
you know, 30 is the daily allowance.
But as I said, just Google it, you've gotplenty of biotin in your system.
And there are really no studies that Icould find that support the idea that
taking biotin will improve hair loss.
And they're obvious reasons why that I'vejust mentioned.
(31:09):
Now, something else that I hear a lotabout is,
Pumpkin seed oil.
Now some studies have shown that pumpkinseed oil has an anti -angiogenetic effect
on rats.
A study in 2014 did show positive resultsin balding men, yes, and another study in
2019 showed a positive effect on mice.
(31:31):
So yeah, sounds promising, right?
But remember, women are highly unlikely tolose their hair in the same way, meaning
because of the same hormones as men.
I do talk about androgenic alopecia andthe hormones associated with that in
another episode.
So I'll link to that in the show notes ifyou'd like to know more about that.
So I'm not saying it wouldn't work ifyou've been diagnosed with androgenic
(31:55):
alopecia, but there's so many underlyingcauses for female hair loss as we know
that pumpkin seed oil just may not live upto the hype.
Now another one is vitamin A.
There are lots of vitamins that are linkedto healthy hair.
because a healthy hair follicle containscells and those cells are rapidly dividing
(32:16):
and that means the body needs nutrients tomaintain that rapid division.
So it might make sense to top up thosevitamins that help in this process but of
course it's not as simple as that.
For example, while vitamin A has beenlinked to healthy hair, most people with a
relatively healthy diet will actuallynaturally get enough vitamin A and
(32:40):
Too much of any vitamin can cause otherhealth issues and one of those health
issues it can cause is hair loss.
So vitamin A in high doses can alsoperhaps impact on your hair in a negative
way.
Vitamin C.
Now there are no studies to say vitamin Cboosts hair growth, but as you probably
(33:00):
know, it does help with iron absorption.
So if you're a person who's been diagnosedthrough a blood test with low iron, then
you're probably been advised to take alsotake vitamin C, but on its own, there's no
evidence to suggest that it will help withhair growth.
It will help to absorb the iron.
So that is an important thing to knowabout vitamin C.
(33:23):
Selenium.
Now again, selenium is one of thosevitamins that is needed for healthy hair
and for cell division, but you're alreadyagain, likely to have enough of it if you
just have a normal diet.
And yes, you can have too much seleniumtoo, and it can cause some pretty awful
side effects.
including hair loss.
In fact, there was an outbreak of seleniumpoisoning in 2008 and that was because of
(33:46):
a supplement that contained 200 times thelabelled concentration.
And of the 201 people who were identifiedas having selenium poisoning, 75 % of
those reported hair loss.
So again, be careful.
You don't want to take too much ofanything.
Now protein powders is an interestingtopic.
(34:08):
Many women don't actually eat enoughprotein and we're not getting enough
protein in our diet.
And of course we need protein to make ourhair strong.
So increasing your general protein intakeeither through food or a protein powder is
probably a good idea.
And if you're going to increase yourprotein with food, you can find protein in
(34:29):
meat, eggs, fish, legumes, nuts, and youmight already be taking enough protein in
your diet.
But if you're not, consider increasingthose foods.
or of course a protein powder.
Iron supplements is another one andprobably at the top of my list.
Low iron is definitely known to cause hairloss and it did in me.
(34:49):
But iron supplements shouldn't be takenwithout a doctor's guidance or at least a
blood test so that you know your ironlevels are low.
You can boost your iron intake naturallyby eating iron rich foods, which I did try
alongside vitamin C rich foods.
I did try that myself.
But my iron was so low and it was so lowthat it was causing hair loss that I
(35:11):
really needed to take an iron supplement.
I had to take it solidly for 18 months toget my iron back up and to get my hair
growing again.
So that's iron and very important.
So there you have it.
Those are the main supplements I thinkthat I see connected with hair loss.
As always, if you're thinking of startingor stopping a supplement, check with your
(35:33):
healthcare professional, your doctor for
all the kind of personal advice that youneed relating to you.
Well, I hope you enjoyed this episode ofHair Loss in Women.
Until next time, please remember, kindnessis beautiful, so wear it every day.
Thanks for joining me on the Hair Loss inWomen podcast.
(35:55):
And a big thank you to the women who sharetheir stories here and with others in
their community.
One of the hardest things about hair lossfor women is that we don't talk about it.
So if you do want to hear more, pleasesubscribe to the podcast.
And if you like what you heard, why notleave a review?
Positive reviews will help other women tofind this podcast too.
(36:17):
You can also find out more in my book.
Hair loss in women.
This podcast has been recorded in Sydney,Australia and is produced by Pod and Pen
Productions.
Hello ladies, are you struggling with hairloss?
I want you to know you're not alone.
Hi, I'm Bambi Staveley, former registerednurse, author, founder of Boost & Blend
and someone who probably just like you hashad first -hand experience with hair loss,
which is all covered in my latest book,Hair Loss in Women.
(00:23):
When I noticed my own hair thinning 15years ago,
I went looking for information and I wentlooking for products for women, just like
you and me.
But all I could find out there wasproducts made for men.
And most of the information I could findwas about male pattern baldness.
Well, that's not much help.
So I set out to change that.
(00:44):
I want to see women with hair loss talkingabout it and talking to each other,
sharing their stories from a place ofknowledge.
So join me.
as I meet some courageous women.
I'll share some information and we'lllearn together on the Hair Loss in Women
podcast.
(01:11):
Hi there and welcome to Hair Loss inWomen.
Have you tried toppers or wigs?
In this episode, you'll meet a woman whohas embraced both wigs and toppers.
She's had hair loss for many years and shetalks to us about the various wigs and
toppers that she's used and tried.
And she even covers the different types ofquality and different price points.
(01:34):
So very interesting interview.
After that, we'll continue theconversation around supplements.
Last episode I talked to you about what tolook for when it comes to supplements and
in this episode I'm going to run throughthe different types of common supplements
that you're likely to hear about in thehair loss community in particular.
(01:54):
But first up it's time for our interview.
So let me introduce you to Ashley.
Hello Ashley and thank you so much fortaking the time to come on the podcast.
I really appreciate it.
Thank you for having me.
I'm honored.
You're a huge fan of wigs and toppers.
So I can't wait to find out more aboutthat with you.
(02:16):
But before we get onto that, let's startwith your personal story.
When did you first notice that your hairwas thinning?
my goodness.
I suppose it was in my early 20s actually.
I think I first realized it when I saw aphotograph of myself with some of my
(02:37):
girlfriends.
And I realized that I had a widening partthat I hadn't otherwise noticed.
And that felt a little alarming, but Iactually have female baldness undiagnosed
on my maternal side of the family.
So initially I didn't even make thatconnection.
(02:58):
My grandmother,
had her first and only wig in the 1990s.
It was definitely not anything like whatwe have today.
She was really uncomfortable and didn'twear it most of the time just because of
the discomfort.
But I didn't make that connection until alittle bit later.
And it was, I guess, after the time that Ihad my first child that I started to see
(03:19):
it had progressed.
And I started trying to fill it in witheyeshadow.
I didn't realize that hair fibers existed.
so I thought I was being really inventive,but I think it looked kind of, you know,
it wasn't the best product at the time,but it was something and it sort of
covered up for a while.
(03:40):
And then I started to learn a little bitmore about fibers.
And then it was after my second son that,or my second child, my son that I
realized, okay, this is getting, a littlebit more serious and maybe I need to look
into.
getting a diagnosis.
So I booked an appointment with adermatologist, waited an excruciating long
(04:05):
time to get in with the specialist and itwent horribly.
Yeah, which is something that I keephearing.
You know, when I'm talking to differentwomen, I'm hearing the same narrative that
they're going to specialists, they'regoing to doctors, but they're not getting
the support and the comfort that they'relooking for, or even really practical help
(04:26):
a lot of the time.
So,
She just took a look and said, yeah, yoursis the most advanced thing I've ever seen
for someone your age.
And if you continue to have children,it'll probably continue to get worse.
You should look into prosthetics.
And she prescribed something without doingblood work.
It had a bunch of side effects.
And I thought, well, this isn't for me.
So I cried, went back to work to teach inthe afternoon, and kind of put it to rest
(04:50):
for a little while.
And then it was probably a few monthsafter that that I started going to
YouTube.
to see what I could do about it in termsof wigs.
We hear that so often, waiting a long timefor an appointment with such built up
expectations that you're going to leavethat appointment with an answer.
(05:11):
Yes.
Somebody is going to say, this is what'shappening, here's what we do about it,
don't worry.
And it's just, I just never hear of that.
I never hear of a good example.
So did you get any kind of diagnosis?
then or later?
Nothing.
When she didn't offer to even do bloodwork, I just felt she was sort of supposed
(05:34):
to be the person, as you say, with in mymind the answer, she was the specialist.
And so I thought if she couldn't provideit for me, I would have to go to great
lengths.
And I just thought, okay, well, I justneed to sort of grab the bootstraps and
tuck and just kind of deal with this as itis, because it's probably not going to be
resolved by somebody else.
And that's when I really started to lookat options and
(05:55):
You know, at that time, that was probablylate 2017.
There wasn't a lot of education in theonline space about alternative hair at
that point, not even about hair fibers.
There was just such a lack of educationfor me anyways.
And I ended up purchasing three pieces inone shot based on what I had seen on some
(06:17):
online reviewers who were, you know,
just because it looks good on them.
This is something that I think is reallyimportant, right?
Is education before purchasing.
Doesn't mean it's gonna look good on me.
And I ended up pretty disappointed, putthe wigs away and it was another two years
before I actually took a chance and triedsomething that really worked for me.
And then since then I haven't looked backand I felt like it was really important to
(06:40):
start sharing that experience because Iknow that there are...
tons of women out there who are feelingisolated and alone in this as well.
And instead of hoping for an answer, and Iobviously encourage people to get the
answers that they're looking for, but inthe interim, we sometimes think that
(07:01):
finding those answers are going to helpgive us our confidence back, but really it
was binding alternative hair, using hairfibers, practical things that actually
rebuild my confidence and made me realizethat I don't.
need the answer because I have solutionsthat work and allow me to live my life the
way I want to live my life.
(07:21):
So there was a long time there where youwere challenged by your hair probably
every day.
How did you feel during that time aboutthat?
Alone.
You know, when you're aware of it, youfeel, I think many of us feel like we're
the only ones going through it.
(07:42):
And oftentimes in our immediate circle,
That might actually be the case.
And so it's only when we find these onlinecommunities and supports that we realize
there are a lot of women, you know, maybeup to 50 % who experienced hair loss at
some point in their lives.
But at the moment that you're enduring it,you know, you really don't see that.
Yeah, yeah, exactly.
And so, so you, you bought a couple ofwigs, which that you didn't like, or you
(08:06):
just worked out that they weren't for you,those three that you bought.
What was wrong with them?
I think fear.
So they were synthetic wigs and ironicallyI've come back to synthetic wigs in a full
circle moment.
I see so much benefit and fun in them butI ended up purchasing pieces that were a
little bit shorter than what I wasaccustomed to because I wanted to get the
(08:28):
longevity.
I didn't realize that human hair was anoption first of all and...
Secondly, as I said, I had babies, we werepaying for daycare, I didn't want to have
a big expense.
And so I thought, well, I'll buy somesynthetic pieces that are shorter and they
won't expire as quickly because they won'tbe rubbing on my collar, things like that.
(08:49):
But the styles were just all wrong for me.
They had tons of permatease.
I didn't know what permatease was.
So I just - what is permatease?
Tell us.
Well, permatease is something that's used.
sometimes on the top or the sides of a wigto give it volume.
And it often goes in place of where a moreluxury piece would have a hand tied fiber.
(09:15):
So the hand tied fiber is sort of manuallydone and it drives up the wig price a
little bit.
It also allows for more movement, justsort of a natural look.
But in absence of that, we'll putpermatease to sort of fill in the area and
give lift and volume.
So it's,
just creates big hair, which is fantasticnow that I'm comfortable wearing hair.
(09:36):
But initially it just felt like to go fromzero to 60 was just, you know, it's a lot.
You look in the mirror and all of a suddenyou've got full head.
Yeah.
I think I know what that would feel like.
Yes.
And so you had, you had that sort ofunfortunate occurrence and then decided
not to try again for awhile.
So you said, I think you said two yearslater, you went back and tried wigs again.
(09:59):
Yeah, it was about two years later, Istumbled online across a company that sold
human hair poppers and they seemed to bequite nice, good reviews, a growing
account, a lot of fans and in NorthAmerica and I thought, no, what do I have
to lose?
Her products look like they're prettygood.
(10:19):
She's in New York, only a few hours fromme, I'm in Canada, but just about seven
hour drive from New York City.
And...
I thought, okay, let's give this a go.
And then I realized that it wasn't perfectfor me, but it was certainly the gateway
into reclaiming my life.
It's a little dramatic, but.
(10:39):
Well, no, I hear you.
So how did you feel when you found thatfirst wig that worked?
It's interesting because looking back, Isee it all as positive and exciting, but
I'm sure if I really think about it, itwas four years ago now.
I was pretty nervous about reintroducingmyself to the world.
(10:59):
We were in lockdown, so I knew I had timeand I could baby step it.
So I started by wearing it to one of myonline classes with my grade 12s because I
figured if they noticed and said anything,well, they were graduating at the end of
the year and they would forget all aboutme.
But yeah, I think it was a little bit acombination of excitement and enthusiasm,
(11:23):
trying to figure out how to make it myown, how to make it work, learning that
hair fibers and other products couldreally enhance the natural appearance of
it and trying to arm myself with the righttools and practices, you know?
And then eventually comfort comes along ormaybe just a lack of an absence of caring.
Like I'm a little bit more, if it lookswiggy today.
(11:46):
So be it.
So I'm, I'm keen to understand not being awig wearer myself.
I put in brackets yet, I guess.
I know this sounds really silly, but howare you sure that it will stay on?
How do you keep it on and how are you surethat, you know, that it won't fly off in a
wind or something?
That's such a good question.
Probably one of the biggest concerns thatwomen who start to wear wigs or thinking
(12:10):
about wearing wigs have.
I certainly did.
wonder, you know, it's fine when you'rejust going about your business, but what
about a big gust of wind or if you want togo on a ride with your kids at the fair?
And the reality is that, I mean, there aredifferent ways to secure them.
Toppers typically use clips.
Wigs can have clips, but they also justfit with tension.
(12:33):
They tend to stay on much better than Iimagined with very little work.
So someone once commented on my Instagram.
I was...
you know, demonstrating an install, doinga tutorial of putting on a hair topper.
And she said, wow, you just lay it on yourhead and go.
Like you don't even really use the clipsvery much.
(12:54):
And I, you know, over time I realized thatI didn't need to be tugging and pulling at
my own hair, that just setting it in placeis good enough.
And I was caught in a tarmac just a fewmonths ago and the big gust of wind came
and I went, my goodness.
Cause I knew I hadn't clipped the topperin that well, but it stayed.
So.
Well, they're pretty good.
Well, you have some amazing videos on yoursocials and I've really enjoyed having a
(13:19):
look through those.
And you've you've tried on different wigsand different colors and different toppers
and you've got some fabulous advice andsupport for other women.
So we'll actually link to your socials inthe show notes for anyone who'd like to
follow you.
So what's it been like for you to be inthe public eye?
As we speak, I have to be honest, I'm I'm
(13:39):
you know, slightly nervous having thisconversation.
Public speaking is, despite the fact thatI teach high school, is not an area of
comfort for me.
So it's been an adjustment.
And I wouldn't say that I've learned toenjoy speaking publicly, but I love the
connections that I've made.
(14:00):
I love the conversations that I'm having.
I love that the narrative seems to bechanging.
just in the last two years that I've beenonline.
So it's been a journey and it's been anexciting one and it's been a lot of fun
and it's encouraged, you know, just as I'mencouraging other women to take that first
(14:21):
step, it's encouraged me to take, youknow, five, six, seven steps forward and
try things that are maybe outside of mycomfort zone as well.
So it's been positive.
Very brave of you.
So do your friends and family know thatyou wear hair?
They do.
I think.
think everybody has to approach things,you know, in her own way.
But for me, it is easier just to sort ofput it out there.
(14:46):
My students don't know, or maybe they do.
But I've seen...
Wow, your students...
Yeah.
It's like a double life that I'm leading.
So if somebody compliments my hair in apublic setting, I generally just say, you
know, if the opportunity is there, I mightsay, thanks, it's a wig or it's a hair
topper.
I often just say wig because...
(15:06):
You know, those who aren't in this worlddon't know the distinction.
but yeah, my students don't know what I'venoticed increasingly.
Some of the girls are kind of looking atmy hairline as they're talking to me and
there's definitely a curiosity.
So that's, that's been interesting, right?
Because there's a whole group of people inmy life who know, and a few of them know
about my public account, not many, but afew of them.
(15:28):
And then there's this whole other sidethat has no idea.
And so you wear the same wig to school, Iimagine then.
Yeah, so that's something I'm working onthough, because if I'm going to encourage
women to take chances and to putthemselves out there, then that's sort of,
I think, the final step for me is to, andyou know, we all have different, like I
(15:48):
said, different journeys and differentpaths.
But for me, I think it's going to be tojust change it up when I feel like
changing it up.
And I typically make the change over alonger holiday break or change of
semesters, something like that.
But I did make a switch part way through.
this semester over the March break.
And when I returned, the girls were allasking questions.
(16:11):
Did you get extensions?
What did you do to your hair?
It looks great.
So yeah.
And what did you say?
Something like that was my response.
Yeah.
And so do you wear wigs mostly or toppers?
I like to switch between the two.
So currently I just happen to be wearing awig.
(16:31):
right now to school every day, but I waswearing a topper for the first half of the
year.
So I have curly hair and that is achallenge I think for women who are
looking for toppers to match.
The texture does have to match your biohair and the color has to match to a
certain extent.
So there's an extra step involved in blowdrying my hair and having it prepped to
wear the topper.
(16:51):
Whereas with the wig, you know, if I'm ina hurry in the morning, I can just shove
my hair in there right out of the showerand go.
Now, one of the things that my
curiosity points with wigs is there's alace front area.
Do all wigs have that lace front and howdo you deal with that?
So some do and some don't.
(17:12):
Well, the one I'm wearing in our interviewhas a lace front, but the one that I was
wearing at school today doesn't.
It's called a silk top.
They sew hairs into a silk material and itmimics the scalp.
So it has a very realistic lookingappearance from above.
which was a conscious choice as a shortperson in a high school.
Everybody towers over me.
So they look down at the top of my head.
(17:32):
Yeah.
But there's no, there's no lace to dealwith, which can make it look a little bit
more unnatural depending on how you styleit, but allows for really great longevity.
It could last you two or three years.
I know wigs are expensive.
I guess real hair wigs are more expensivethan synthetic wigs.
Would that be right?
(17:53):
Generally.
Yes.
So you get two or three years out of areal hair wig?
It does depend on the cap construction,the company.
So the silk that I'm wearing is definitelythe most durable type of human hair wig
that you can purchase.
And I'm only saying two to three yearsbecause I wore one topper for more than
(18:13):
two years and it was the silk.
It needs to be recolored and probably begiven a trim, but I'm sure I could get
another year or two out of it.
No problem.
It hasn't shed any hair at all.
The lace, however, is more fragile.
And because it's more fragile, thelikelihood of shedding and losing some of
those hairs over time or having the lacefray is a possibility.
(18:36):
And so in some cases, depending on howrough we are with those lace pieces, I've
heard that they can last just, you know,six months, but they could go a year
depending on the care, the frequency ofwear, those types of things.
The lace that I mean I've seen a couple ofvideos where people cut the lace off at
(18:57):
the front.
You obviously have to cut it pretty tightso that it's not visible.
But then I guess my confusion about thelace front is the lace itself is often
visible.
I mean I guess in videos that I've seen Idon't think I've ever seen a person with
visible lace.
But it seems to me that the lace does seemto form part of the front.
(19:18):
So how do you how do you disguise that?
Some people will swear, it's invisiblelace, but if the eye is looking for it,
you can definitely see it.
One thing is, I guess, doing enoughresearch to make sure that the brand is
using high quality lace.
There are different types of lace,actually.
So for example, you can have Swiss lace orFrench lace.
(19:41):
So knowing the type of lace.
And then also, I've found, and I actuallyasked this of one wig.
I won't call her a vendor because she'sactually, she does custom work herself.
But I asked her, does your lace sort oflean yellowish or pinkish?
And she was sort of puzzled by myquestion.
(20:01):
And she said, well, I think it'stransparent and neutral, but I've found
that most laces sort of lean one way orthe other.
And if it's pinkish, it shows up more onme.
And I know that now.
So it's a bit of a learning curve inknowing what works for you and what
doesn't, but different hairstyles can helpto conceal it.
You know, if you're not wearing it rightup off your face, most of the time, you're
(20:22):
only going to see it right wherever thatpart line is.
But the silk will allow you to blend withyour own hair.
And that, that makes it a little biteasier to camouflage.
And so what would be your advice forsomeone thinking about trying a wig for
the first time?
It's hard to just narrow it down to onething, but certainly if there's a local
place that you can go and visit to try onpieces.
(20:44):
I mean, that would be, that would begreat.
You have a sense of.
styles and colors that would work for you.
But I have spoken to a lot of women whohave regretted their decisions to go in
person simply because there was pressureto buy or a rush decision was made because
of the pressure.
You know, going in maybe with a friend,like your friend who is most assertive, so
(21:08):
that they can be there for you and allowyou to take your time and to think about
it and walk away and then make a decisionlater.
But doing the research, so whether that'sgoing in person, going online, looking at
how the piece appears on other reviewers,but then taking into account that they
have different base shapes, differentheights, different colorings, really sort
(21:30):
of exploring all of the educational stuff.
And it can seem overwhelming, but it'scertainly worth, I think, the time to
digest before rushing in and doing as Idid and potentially wasting $1 ,000 on.
some purchases that ended up sitting in abox for years.
Yeah.
And I think this whole length thing withwigs and the size of the cap and there's
(21:55):
lots of measurements that one would needto figure out.
So I think if there is, there's not verymany places where I am in Sydney, in
Australia, there's not very many wigplaces, but I guess it's really good if
you can find someone who can help you.
Maybe hairdressers can help as well, but.
I think a wig specialist is really, therejust aren't enough of them around, are
(22:19):
there?
No, but so many of us are happy to help.
You know, I spend hours and hours everyweek working with women in messages on the
back end of things.
And so those resources are available anddefinitely the community can be
supportive.
There are a lot of online spaces too,where you can just on Facebook, you can
(22:39):
look up hair loss groups and.
ask questions freely there as well.
So a lot of women will sort of come toyour aid and there's, you know, I have a
YouTube channel, there's a lot of otherwomen who have YouTube channels where they
provide information and it might take alittle bit of digging, but certainly the
answers are out there.
thank you.
That's really, really good advice.
(23:00):
So you've talked about being brave andchanging up your wig style at school.
So what's next for you in the world ofalternative hair?
I'm not sure.
I guess, I think that's kind of theinteresting thing about all of this is I
started the account on a whim.
I actually didn't realize that this worldexisted, this community existed.
(23:24):
I started my account thinking that I wouldbe one of the first and it turned out
there were so many wonderful women beforeme between the time that I was looking
into wigs in 2017 and when I started myaccount five years later.
I've been going with the flow and I...
I don't know if I have so much a plan inplace as much as I just look forward to
seeing what opportunities come up next andwho else am I going to get to meet?
(23:47):
And there is a hair loss meetup coming.
So that's kind of exciting actually.
Yeah, great.
In Canada, we're going to be meeting nextmonth.
So that'll be fun.
Yeah, that's great.
We have hair loss meetups here inAustralia too.
Everybody out there, just Google it andsee if you can find something near you.
Cause this whole,
community of women in the hair loss worldis really heartwarming and supportive.
(24:12):
And I guess if people have found thepodcast and they've found some support and
there's so much more out there.
Look, it's been so wonderful talking toyou today and I really love your story and
in particular just talking to somebody whois confident wearing alternative hair.
That's just such an amazing.
(24:35):
encouragement for me too and I think for alot of other women out there that you know
wigs and toppers are there and they canmake you feel fabulous.
So thank you for sharing your story andfor all that knowledge that you've shared
with us and as I said we'll put a link toyour information in the show notes so that
people can follow you and watch you and Iknow I've seen some videos of you putting
(25:00):
on your wigs and I think that's reallyfabulous.
That's what we...
would like to see and learn from.
So thank you very much.
Thank you very much.
I don't know if it's okay to say, but oneof the things that I love about you is
your efforts to create products thatreally work nicely with the products that
(25:22):
I use every day.
I started using a fiber brand that I laterlearned was quite dangerous based on the
chemical ingredients.
And I know from
early on looking at the list ofingredients in your products that you
really strive to keep things as clean aspossible.
And I just wanted to say that I reallythink that that's great.
(25:43):
And I thank you for that because it showsa level of care and concern for your
consumer, which I think is really, reallyimportant.
Thank you, Ashley.
Thank you.
Thank you very much for having me.
Wow.
Wasn't that great information from Ashleyabout wigs and toppers.
I wonder if that makes you keen to try awig after hearing what Ashley had to say.
(26:05):
I've thought about it over the years andit's really interesting to hear how easy
it can be.
Okay, so time now for our Did You Knowsegment and today it's the second part of
what I want to tell you about supplements.
Last episode I spoke about supplements,particularly that they're not likely to be
(26:28):
of any help for someone with hair lossunless there's been a medically diagnosed
deficiency.
If you have a deficiency then you take thesupplement and then the baseline will
improve.
But if there was a specific vitamin orsupplement that you could take that would
grow hair or regrow your hair then theworld would be shouting it from the
(26:49):
rooftops, right?
So that's the
raw facts of it.
So yes, there are supplements that canhelp in many ways for someone with an
inadequate diet.
But for the vast majority of us with hairloss and no deficiency or no known
deficiency, spending a lot of money onhopeful remedies that you can buy over the
(27:10):
counter is probably not going to achievetoo much, if anything.
Now, I also mentioned that mostsupplements can't or shouldn't
make claims to treat anything.
They haven't undergone the rigoroustesting that medications have.
So you really need to read carefullywhat's on the label.
(27:31):
And I didn't really get time to runthrough any specific vitamins or any
specific supplements in our last episode.
So I thought that might be a good idea todo that on this episode.
And obviously I can't go into all thedetails of every supplement here, but I
can give you a little bit of an overviewof the key supplements.
that are often talked about in regard tohair loss and they're very much talked
(27:54):
about in all the Facebook groups whichmany women with hair loss would know
about.
So the first, I think the first and mostcommon thing talked about are hair gummies
and there seems to be lots of noise aroundthese on the internet and in particular,
influencers talking about how they tookthese hair gummies and look at their
(28:15):
luscious hair.
Well, they do contain vitamins and they docontain, well,
largely.
They do contain vitamins and they containvitamins which can be associated with
healthy hair.
But they also contain sugars andsweetness.
They will help if you have a deficiency.
But if you have a deficiency, the tinyamount in a hair gummy is not likely to be
(28:37):
enough to get your levels back up.
So what you really need to do is speak toyour doctor or your healthcare
professional to work out what it is thatyour deficiency in
Now the other thing we hear a lot aboutour hair, skin and nail tablets.
They come in all forms of tablets,capsules, powders, and yeah, they contain
vitamins and minerals.
(28:57):
Generally those known to be important forhealthy hair, yes.
But again, if you have a healthy diet,they won't be of much help.
And if you have hair loss, they won'tmagically grow your hair back.
The one that I think we certainly hear alot about is biotin.
Now, biotin, which is also known asvitamin B7, is another common vitamin you
(29:22):
hear people talking about in relation tohair loss.
And while it is important for hair health,a biotin deficiency though is really rare
because it's actually found in manyeveryday foods that you would be eating.
If you just Google foods that containbiotin, you will find that you're getting
enough unless you're living on a waterdiet or something.
(29:44):
And the worst thing is that if you taketoo much biotin, it can have a negative
impact on your body.
It can impact your body's ability toabsorb zinc and vitamin B5 and a zinc
deficiency can cause hair loss.
So you have to be careful.
And I also want to point out that youshould be aware of the confusion of
(30:06):
micrograms and milligrams.
So micrograms is usually written as MCGand milligrams are written as
mg and micrograms are very small.
In fact, a thousand micrograms makes upone milligram.
So without getting too techie here, thedaily requirement of biotin is around
(30:26):
about 30 micrograms up to maybe a hundredmicrograms.
So a tiny amount.
So if that's the daily requirement, youhave to look on the label and make sure
that you're not taking 30
milligrams, which would be a thousandtimes more.
So that's something you have to be reallycareful of.
(30:47):
You want to be taking biotin with MCGwritten after it, micrograms, probably,
you know, 30 is the daily allowance.
But as I said, just Google it, you've gotplenty of biotin in your system.
And there are really no studies that Icould find that support the idea that
taking biotin will improve hair loss.
And they're obvious reasons why that I'vejust mentioned.
(31:09):
Now, something else that I hear a lotabout is,
Pumpkin seed oil.
Now some studies have shown that pumpkinseed oil has an anti -angiogenetic effect
on rats.
A study in 2014 did show positive resultsin balding men, yes, and another study in
2019 showed a positive effect on mice.
(31:31):
So yeah, sounds promising, right?
But remember, women are highly unlikely tolose their hair in the same way, meaning
because of the same hormones as men.
I do talk about androgenic alopecia andthe hormones associated with that in
another episode.
So I'll link to that in the show notes ifyou'd like to know more about that.
So I'm not saying it wouldn't work ifyou've been diagnosed with androgenic
(31:55):
alopecia, but there's so many underlyingcauses for female hair loss as we know
that pumpkin seed oil just may not live upto the hype.
Now another one is vitamin A.
There are lots of vitamins that are linkedto healthy hair.
because a healthy hair follicle containscells and those cells are rapidly dividing
(32:16):
and that means the body needs nutrients tomaintain that rapid division.
So it might make sense to top up thosevitamins that help in this process but of
course it's not as simple as that.
For example, while vitamin A has beenlinked to healthy hair, most people with a
relatively healthy diet will actuallynaturally get enough vitamin A and
(32:40):
Too much of any vitamin can cause otherhealth issues and one of those health
issues it can cause is hair loss.
So vitamin A in high doses can alsoperhaps impact on your hair in a negative
way.
Vitamin C.
Now there are no studies to say vitamin Cboosts hair growth, but as you probably
(33:00):
know, it does help with iron absorption.
So if you're a person who's been diagnosedthrough a blood test with low iron, then
you're probably been advised to take alsotake vitamin C, but on its own, there's no
evidence to suggest that it will help withhair growth.
It will help to absorb the iron.
So that is an important thing to knowabout vitamin C.
(33:23):
Selenium.
Now again, selenium is one of thosevitamins that is needed for healthy hair
and for cell division, but you're alreadyagain, likely to have enough of it if you
just have a normal diet.
And yes, you can have too much seleniumtoo, and it can cause some pretty awful
side effects.
including hair loss.
In fact, there was an outbreak of seleniumpoisoning in 2008 and that was because of
(33:46):
a supplement that contained 200 times thelabelled concentration.
And of the 201 people who were identifiedas having selenium poisoning, 75 % of
those reported hair loss.
So again, be careful.
You don't want to take too much ofanything.
Now protein powders is an interestingtopic.
(34:08):
Many women don't actually eat enoughprotein and we're not getting enough
protein in our diet.
And of course we need protein to make ourhair strong.
So increasing your general protein intakeeither through food or a protein powder is
probably a good idea.
And if you're going to increase yourprotein with food, you can find protein in
(34:29):
meat, eggs, fish, legumes, nuts, and youmight already be taking enough protein in
your diet.
But if you're not, consider increasingthose foods.
or of course a protein powder.
Iron supplements is another one andprobably at the top of my list.
Low iron is definitely known to cause hairloss and it did in me.
(34:49):
But iron supplements shouldn't be takenwithout a doctor's guidance or at least a
blood test so that you know your ironlevels are low.
You can boost your iron intake naturallyby eating iron rich foods, which I did try
alongside vitamin C rich foods.
I did try that myself.
But my iron was so low and it was so lowthat it was causing hair loss that I
(35:11):
really needed to take an iron supplement.
I had to take it solidly for 18 months toget my iron back up and to get my hair
growing again.
So that's iron and very important.
So there you have it.
Those are the main supplements I thinkthat I see connected with hair loss.
As always, if you're thinking of startingor stopping a supplement, check with your
(35:33):
healthcare professional, your doctor for
all the kind of personal advice that youneed relating to you.
Well, I hope you enjoyed this episode ofHair Loss in Women.
Until next time, please remember, kindnessis beautiful, so wear it every day.
Thanks for joining me on the Hair Loss inWomen podcast.
(35:55):
And a big thank you to the women who sharetheir stories here and with others in
their community.
One of the hardest things about hair lossfor women is that we don't talk about it.
So if you do want to hear more, pleasesubscribe to the podcast.
And if you like what you heard, why notleave a review?
Positive reviews will help other women tofind this podcast too.
(36:17):
You can also find out more in my book.
Hair loss in women.
This podcast has been recorded in Sydney,Australia and is produced by Pod and Pen
Productions.
Popular Podcasts
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.