March 11, 2024 • 34 mins
Finding a reason for your hair loss can be a powerful step towards healing and acceptance.
In this episode, Bambi Staveley talks to Dee about how she finally found the reason for her hair loss and the steps she took to regain some growth.
You’ll also find out just how you should be washing your hair to minimise hair loss.
In this episode you’ll learn:
- How often you should be washing your hair
- The ingredients to avoid in your shampoo and conditioner
- Why you shouldn’t believe the hype about shampoos that claim to grow back your hair.
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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.
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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 N Blend
and someone who probably just like you.
has had first -hand experience with hairloss, 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 went looking 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 courageouswomen.
I'll share some information and we'lllearn together on the Hair Loss in Women
podcast.
(01:13):
Hi ladies and welcome back to the HairLoss in Women podcast.
You know, it's so powerful to hear storiesof other women talking about their hair
loss.
And I think the stories that we tell andthat we listen to in this podcast can only
do good for somebody else.
And that's what I'm hoping.
(01:34):
Today, we're going to be talking to Deeand hear her story.
And it's really interesting that
Dee has been able to find an underlyingcause to her hair loss, so that'll be
really good to listen to.
I'll also be talking about hair washing alittle bit later.
You know, we all have to wash our hair, soI've got some tips to share with you on
(01:56):
the ways we could wash our hair a littlebetter.
But for now, I really hope you enjoy thisconversation that I had with Dee.
Hi Dee and welcome to the podcast.
Hi Bambi, nice to meet you.
Let's start at the beginning.
When did you first notice your hair loss?
It was about 14 years ago.
(02:16):
I just noticed that my hair was coming outin handfuls.
I'd brush my hair in the morning like mybed used to be opposite the dressing
table.
And as I'd brush it, I would be able tosee it sort of in the mirror coming out in
the brush and in my hand.
Yeah, it was horrible.
Oh, it sure is.
certainly empathize with that and had avery similar experience.
(02:39):
So how long was the distance between whenyou first noticed it and when you found
your reason?
Probably about four years.
Initially, I really panicked.
I became worried and then depressedactually.
I'd been seeing a naturopath and she'dsaid it was mainly menopause.
(03:02):
I was like, oh, okay.
But it just ...
kept falling out and I was losing most ofmy hair from around my temples and at the
front.
So I found it really difficult to hide, ifyou know what I mean, that I was losing
the hair.
And I just started a new job at a largeprestigious company here in Perth.
(03:26):
The culture there was quite ageist, whichwas sad.
Um, and it was quite critical as well.
Um, so I was just really self consciouscause I had to do a lot of presentations
and under lights and I don't know, youknow, you know, as you lose your hair,
when you're under the lights, you just seelike the bald patches and it was just
(03:48):
awful.
And, um, yeah, there were a lot of tears.
Yes.
I think light is one of those things thatonly somebody with hair loss would
understand.
You're standing in full sun.
I'm sitting in a restaurant under a veryheavy light that seems to be shining down
on the top of your head.
So yes, I think we all particularly thatthing about the light, we all understand
(04:13):
that.
So were people commenting to you aboutyour hair?
A little bit, not like every singleperson.
And it was mainly sort of, if I mentionedto friends that they'd say, oh, you'll be
okay.
And then people would say, well, just getyour hair cut, get it cut short.
And then I was like,
Well, no, because then I would just havethin short hair with bald patches instead
(04:34):
of long, longish hair.
Do you know what I mean?
They didn't really seem a way round out.
I had a good hairdresser, bless her, shehelped.
But I ended up going to a professionaltrichologist in Perth and she was great
and helped me as much as she could.
And I ended up having scalpmicropigmentation.
(04:57):
Right.
Which you...
you're probably aware of those thataren't.
It's basically tattooing, but the needlesdon't go in as far as normal tattooing on
your skin because obviously it's on yourhead.
So it only lasts a couple of years andthat really helped in the beginning.
It sort of masked it.
I mean, it was a pretty painful procedureto be honest and expensive, but it helped
(05:21):
like for a couple of years, it got methrough.
She also sold me these hair fibers, which,you know, I was
I'd never seen anything like it before.
And I was like, oh, great.
But they were really, um, like thick andcoarse.
And, um, she said it was horse hair and Iwas like, Oh, okay.
(05:42):
Anyway, so they worked like they gavegreat coverage, but they also made me
really itch and scratch.
So, so finding your hair fibers was justsuch a blessing because they're made of
cotton and they don't irritate.
and they don't itch and they're so lightand they don't flake off either, which is
(06:03):
what these other ones would do.
You know, I'd sort of put my head down atwork and they'd sort of, if you would like
flake off onto the desk and I'll think, ohgosh.
Oh my goodness.
So do you feel that at that time, so youhad the micro -pigmentation, you had some
hair fibers, was that affecting your day-to -day work environment for you?
(06:24):
Was that changing the way you felt atwork?
I mean, it helped to my confidence that Ifelt like looked okay, but I was always
conscious of more hair loss.
Cause the thing is whilst I'd had themicro pigmentation at the front, because
that's where it initially started losingit.
I started losing it at the back of mycrown as well.
(06:45):
So then I used to wear ponytails to coverthat bit up, but then, you know, and try
and cover it up a little bit in the front.
It's scary, isn't it?
Because you.
don't know because obviously you can'tforesee, you don't know how far it's going
to go, if it's ever going to stop.
You're just going to end up with onestrand and have a comb over or something
(07:08):
like the old men used to do back in the50s.
Not my confidence generally, I must admit.
Going through menopause as well, which canoften take a knock on your confidence, it
was really horrible time actually.
I think it actually makes a differencewhen you can
you can step out and feel like, okay,well, maybe nobody will notice, you know,
(07:30):
nobody can see it.
Then in that there's that niggling feelingthat you have, how long is this going to
last for?
It's a bit scary.
Where's it going to end up?
As you say, am I going to end up with onestrand of hair or is it going to stop?
Or, you know, interesting that you saw atrichologist and she didn't offer you, I'm
assuming she didn't offer you any.
(07:52):
treatment that might have stopped it orreversed it or at that time.
So we'll get on to what you did next, butshe didn't offer you anything?
No, obviously there was hair transplants.
I didn't want to go to that point andthey'd only really performed the procedure
on men until then.
So this is like back 14, 15 years and it'sfunny how the world's changed since then,
(08:14):
which is a good thing.
But no, not really.
She did look at my dia and we sort of wentthrough that and she,
sort of advised me to eat a lot ofpepinas, like the dry pumpkin seeds.
She said, they're good for your hair.
And I, not that I didn't wash my hair, butI tried not to wash it as frequently.
(08:36):
And then it's the usual, you know, don'tblow dry it too much.
Yeah.
So how did you come to find a reason foryour hair loss?
I'd been having B12 injections for about25 years because I'd, um,
been diagnosed with pernicious anemia.
And so basically my body couldn't storeB12 at all.
(08:58):
So I had to have regular injections tosupplement them.
And the B12 basically gives you energy andalso mind clarity.
So when I could feel my B12 depleting, Iwould become really, really tired.
And also like trying to process stuff atwork become really difficult.
(09:19):
Like,
It wasn't impossible, but rather thanbeing able to think of something straight
away, it just took me a little bit to getthere.
So anyway, I'd been having these B12injections and I started to need them more
and more frequently.
And it got to a point, I went back to mydoctor's to have another B12 injection and
I sat down and the nurse was like, oh, youknow, what are you here for?
(09:41):
And I said, oh, another B12 injection.
She said, but you only had one last week.
And I said, I know, but I feel terrible.
And I said, you know, I'm just so, soexhausted and I just can't think properly.
And she said, well, I can't give youanother one.
And I said, well, why not?
And she's like, well, like legally, I'monly can really give them to you like once
(10:04):
every two months, three months.
And I burst into tears.
Oh my gosh.
She must have thought, God, what have Igot here?
Anyway, she got me in to see my regulardoctor and this doctor just said B12 isn't
a disease on its own.
It's actually an underlying symptom ofsomething else.
(10:25):
And she said, we'll do your bloods.
And she'd done my bloods before, but likefor the general stuff, say like iron, yes,
the B12, thyroid, all that sort of stuff.
And they'd come up fine.
And
She sat there and she said, have you everbeen tested for celiac?
And I said, no, don't think so.
And she said, okay, we'll test for that.
(10:46):
And I might sound quite ignorant now, butback then I didn't really know to a point
what celiac was.
I'd heard of it, but there wasn't muchawareness of gluten and everything like
there is now.
And so I was like, okay, so anyway, I hadthis blood test and it came back and she
said, yes, it does.
(11:07):
show signs of celiac.
You're not showing the gene, but I wouldlike you to have an endoscopy.
So I underwent that procedure and I don'tknow how much you know, but we've
obviously got the large intestine and thesmall intestine.
And on the small intestine are these like,they look like reeds or rushes and they're
(11:27):
called villi.
And it's these villi, there's likethousands of them and they absorb all the
nutrients from the food before like it.
like goes right through your stomach andeverything.
And I didn't have any at all.
Yeah.
And the surgeons said, um, normally, youknow, like a healthy person, you know,
there would be millions of them and theylike loads of hairs and that all, you
(11:50):
know, all around people that are startingto show signs of, um, celiac sort of like,
you can see them in sort of bald patchesif you like.
I thought I was like my hair.
And, um, um, he said my sort of like.
surface was just completely bald and likeshiny.
You said there was nothing.
And so I must have had this for a longtime and I didn't know.
(12:16):
And looking back, I probably, I thinkwould have had it about 10 years because I
had like stomach issues and that, and I'dstopped eating bread.
And I just thought, you know, it's justbecause just affected my tummy and that
was it.
And also it made sense with other thingsas well, because I think in the end, my
hair was like the final thing where mybody just decided it didn't need the hair
(12:42):
and then he lost that.
How was it when you found out that youactually had something that, you know,
black celiac, which you'd never everassociated with yourself before, and I
assume no one else in your family and youdidn't have the gene for it.
So how was it when you found that out?
It was mixed really like a reliefinitially thinking, oh, you know, there is
(13:03):
something to blame or the reason for it.
Also, it was really overwhelming because Isort of thought, oh, you know, and, you
know, I realize it's not really serious,like what a lot of people have, but it
was, I was still like, oh, you know, it islife changing to a point in what I eat or
can't eat now.
But it also explained, cause I'd had a...
(13:26):
you know, drastic weight loss, whichinitially was great because, you know, I
wanted, not that I was ever reallyoverweight, but I thought, well, I wanted
to be thinner and all that and that wasgood.
But it was the exhaustion.
And I remember some mornings waking upfeeling more tired than before I went to
bed.
And I'm not a drama or dramatic person,drama queen or anything, but I started to
(13:47):
wonder if I had cancer or something reallyserious.
And I hadn't said anything to anyonebecause I couldn't explain.
the sheer exhaustion.
So learning that I became celiac and thatthere was then a reason and also a way
forward where I could potentially gethealthier and restore my hair, my skin
(14:11):
would not be so dry, everything.
It was just great.
And so once you found out you were celiac,you changed your diet.
Anything else that you had to change?
Mainly the diet.
I went to a nutritionist that sort of likespecialized in celiac and she was
excellent because she was actually celiacherself and so were her children.
(14:33):
So she understood what it meant.
Cause I think the most overwhelming thingis that people think, oh, you know, we
just don't eat bread.
Obviously it's more than that.
You know, it's also rye and barley and soyand malt and that.
I mean, now it's not so bad.
because I know and I go in and I know theproducts I can definitely have.
I remember the first time I went shopping,it just took me about three hours because
(14:56):
I had to read every single label that Ipicked up.
It was just the diet and it took up toabout two years to see the change, putting
on weight a little bit.
And then finally starting to see regrowthin my hair.
And during that time, I've just found yourcompany.
(15:18):
my pigmentation had gone like from themicro scalp in.
Yeah.
It fades over time, doesn't it?
That micro pigmentation sort of tattooingit does fade.
Yeah, it does fade.
So it was starting to fade just in timefor your hair to start to grow back.
Yes.
And like it is back, but not as it was.
(15:39):
And I have to accept that and I'm okaywith that.
So it's still thin on the temples.
and my parting is a little bit wider thanwhat it used to be.
Luckily the bit at the back grew back.
So at least I can have my hair down andfeel okay.
But using your fibers and your shampoosand conditioners is just brilliant.
(16:04):
Yeah, it's just helped me no end.
And I actually sent some fibers throughyour UK website over to my best friend in
the UK because she started having issuesas well.
Yeah.
Oh, that's lovely.
And so once your hair started to growback, how long between the, so you said
two years, you could see it starting togrow back between there.
(16:26):
And then when you felt like, you know, youcould look in the mirror and go, Oh, you
know, it's back.
Probably a year actually.
So once it started growing, yeah, it wassort of a year and, and then people
started bless them.
They, they started saying, Oh, your hair'slooking good or it's looking thicker,
which.
(16:46):
you know, it's obviously better thanbefore if they had said it the other way.
Um, but yeah, it was just the fact then.
Um, and my hairdresser, I continued to seeher during that time doesn't mean much,
but I'd moved north of the river here, myhairdresser's south of the river.
And I traveled 50 minutes to go and seeher because she has been through this
(17:07):
whole journey with me and she understandswhat I went through.
And she's sort of helped me like the waymy hair's cut to look a bit fuller.
And.
And it's not colored close to my headbecause I don't think, because she sort of
said, your hair is quite delicate, youknow, I don't want to put any more stress
on it.
So we just color it a little bit lowerdown and things like that.
(17:31):
But yeah, finally, finally got there.
Well, and I think it's really good foreveryone to know that from when you first
found out what your underlying cause wasbeing celiac.
There would have been a period of timefrom there to changing your diet, to your
body starting to recover, to perhaps youriron levels and whatever else had been low
(17:55):
to start to turn around and for your bodyto then heal, to get to the point where it
could then start to grow hair.
So you were saying it was about two yearsfrom the diagnosis of celiac disease to
the point where you felt that it wasstarting to come back.
So that was two years.
And then probably another year before youfelt like your hair was back.
(18:17):
And I think what's really important aboutthat is for women to know out there who
may try something for a couple of monthsand say, Oh, well, that didn't work.
That the reality is this does take a longtime to turn around.
And you know, there you are.
It's sort of taken you three years all upfrom, you know, the beginning of your.
(18:39):
fixing it journey, your recovery journeyto when you had enough hair that you felt
people were commenting and you felt betterabout it.
So how do you feel about your hair thesedays?
So it's now a couple of years later.
A lot more confident.
I obviously still need the products andthat's fine, but I feel comfortable in
being able to use the products as youknow, like the hair fibers, I mean, more
(19:02):
than anything.
And I've got used to using them and like,
my partner says to me, oh, it looks fine,don't worry.
But I suppose it could sound like I'mcoming from a space of vanity, but it was
just more the fact I think I was soparanoid before when I lost it.
(19:24):
And I think when you have gone throughthat hair loss and that panic and worry of
like, is it all going to fall out that Ijust want it to look fuller.
And so,
I don't have to use as many hair fibers asI did and I'm glad it's grown back a bit
more around the temples because that was abit more difficult place to try and cover
(19:48):
it.
Yeah.
Yeah, it's good.
And so while you were going through thehair loss part of it, how was the support
from your partner?
Really good.
He was worried.
I mean, he used to say, you're too thinand blah, blah, blah and thought there was
something wrong.
I sort of said about my hair and he'slike, don't worry.
(20:11):
And I don't actually know if men get it.
I mean, he is going slightly bald himself.
And so I suppose he just thinks, oh, it'sjust hair.
And I remember a girl at work saying thatto me as I was talking to her when I was
going through all the stressful time.
And she sat there, bless her, she was like20 years younger than me.
(20:32):
And...
She is from Italian descent and she hadthis beautiful thick black hair so full.
She was really pretty and she's kind of,don't worry, it's just hair.
I remember thinking, well, it's all rightfor you, sort of like she has so much of
it.
But my partner, he was supportive.
(20:53):
I don't think it bothered him very much.
It was more me.
Yeah.
Well, that's interesting because we hear alot about,
women and the feelings that they have andhow the people around them affect how they
feel, which is understandable.
So it's lovely to have a partner who wassupportive and didn't really see any
(21:13):
problem with it or wasn't in any waycommenting or making you feel any worse
than you already felt.
So that's lovely to have a lovelysupportive partner, as do I.
So yes, we're lucky to have that.
Is there anything that you'd like othersto know, anything that you could pass on?
I'd say don't lose hope.
(21:34):
It's easy to say, like now, to say, don'tworry, because I know at the time how it
feels, you just do.
But I'd say explore the avenues of whyyou're losing your hair.
I mean, like we know a lot of women canlose their hair if it's like genetic.
Menopause does take its toll.
(21:56):
Having children takes its toll.
Often women that have lost hair through.
like through childbirth, their hair growsback pretty good.
Menopause, I think, was a hard one.
But yeah, then if all of those areas arecovered and there's still something else,
then get some tests done, go to yourdoctor because there could be something
(22:21):
else.
Don't shut yourself away either becauseit's easy to want to do that because you
lose confidence.
You don't want to go out and say, I don'tknow, you go to an event, you feel like
everyone.
sort of looking at you or why they'retalking to you, they're looking at your
hair, but they probably don't notice it asmuch as you think they do.
And again, that's easier said than done,you know, but just hang in there and if,
(22:47):
you know, go to your doctors if you'rereally worried about anything else.
Yeah, thank you.
Well, actually, I think those are two veryimportant pieces.
One, don't lose hope.
And two,
see a doctor and get a blood test, atleast start there and see if there's
anything going on under any underlyingcauses that can be resolved.
(23:07):
I mean, just low iron in itself can bepicked up in a blood test.
So, you know, there's lots of things thatcan be picked up in a simple blood test,
which is pretty easy and fast.
The results are quick as well.
So good advice there, Dee.
Thank you.
Well, thank you very much for taking thetime today.
I really appreciate your time.
(23:28):
being so candid and opening up for us andfor all those women out there who are
feeling like you and I have felt on daysin the past.
It's just so nice to have listened tosomebody talking through their story.
So thank you very much, Dee.
We really appreciate your time.
You're welcome.
Thank you for the opportunity.
(23:50):
Big thank you to Dee for sharing her storywith us today.
So now, for our Did You Know segment, Iwant to talk to you about something very
practical, hair washing.
You probably look in the mirror like I doevery day and wonder if you can go another
(24:10):
day without washing your hair.
Am I right?
I think we all do that.
There is a lot of misinformation out therearound hair loss and hair washing.
And I feel like I need to help with thisparticular topic and debunk some of the
stories that are out there.
So firstly, washing your hair every day isactually really good for your hair.
(24:35):
It's also really good for your scalp.
So if you think about your scalp as partof your skin, and if you think about
skincare and particularly think about theskin on our face, we look after that skin
on our face generally pretty well.
We're keen to do what we can from an anti-aging perspective.
(24:56):
And we need to think about our scalp inthe same way.
We need to keep our scalp clean and
Therefore, we're going to have to wash it.
And also washing your hair stimulates yourfollicles.
And if you've got a scalp massager, allthe better.
And if you don't have a scalp massager,massage your scalp while you're washing
it.
But I know what happens with women withhair loss, and that is that they find when
(25:20):
washing their hair that a lot of haircomes out at that time.
And it is scary.
It's happened to me.
It clogs the drain.
It actually makes you feel a bit sick.
So I really do understand that.
But the thing is, hair in the restingphase will fall out and it will fall out
probably when you wash it.
It's more likely to fall out when you washit than any other time.
(25:43):
So it's going to fall out anyway.
So if you wait a week to wash your hairbecause you're scared of looking at how
much hair falls out, then you'll have aweek's worth of hair fall when you wash
your hair.
If you wash your hair every day, then youhave a day's worth of hair loss and
actually just in terms of how it makes youfeel.
a day's worth of hair loss is not as hardto look at as a week's worth.
(26:08):
So that's one reason why I would suggestyou wash your hair every day, as well as
keeping your scalp clean.
You know, there's a lot of buildup on ourscalp from just daily grime from the air,
and you need to wash that off the same asyou do with your face.
You wash it off and you should wash it offyour scalp as well.
I mean, you need a healthy scalp to growhealthy hair.
And actually, a couple of years ago, Inoticed that
(26:30):
Although I had recovered from my variousbouts of hair loss, I didn't have a lot of
new regrowth, you know, that sort oflittle bits of hair sticking up.
And I noticed that over a couple of weeks,I kept thinking, Oh, there's not a lot of
hair growth happening here.
So I thought what am I do?
I was watching my hair every second day atthat time and probably had mostly during
(26:54):
my hair loss months and years.
And I thought, okay, I'm going to wash myhair every day.
for six months.
I'm going to commit to it.
It's a big job, washing your hair everyday for six months because there's a lot
of styling and drying and things to doafterwards.
But I thought if I use a really goodquality hair shampoo, and I did use one
that that Boost and Blend makes, and thereare others out there of similar quality,
(27:18):
good quality shampoo, kind to hair.
And I thought, okay, I'm going to use thatevery day for six months.
And so I did.
And
During that time, I would lose maybe oneor two hairs after washing my hair.
So, you know, I'd comb my hair throughwith a wide tooth comb and a couple of
hairs would fall out, which is normal.
And then about four to five months in, Irealized that, yay, I had some new hair.
(27:45):
I had new growth and it was sort ofsticking up like new growth does.
And I'll tell you what, I was very happyto see that.
And I thought, okay, well, that's anexperiment on me and an experiment of one.
but it was the right thing for me.
It really stimulated my hair growth,really set me back up with some good hair
thickness, which I'm still enjoying now.
(28:07):
But I also want to say with shampoos andwith shampooing your hair, you're not
shampooing your hair to make it squeakyclean.
You're just shampooing your hair to cleanyour scalp.
And it's really important that you don'tuse harsh detergents.
which really dry your hair out, especiallyif you're going to dry your hair every
day.
You need to be very careful that you useproducts that have nourishing ingredients
(28:29):
in them.
And on that topic then, expensiveshampoos.
That isn't always going to give you thebest results.
Quite a few years ago now, when I wasreally in the thick of my hair loss, I
tried a shampoo that was costing $100 abottle.
I know that's too much and ridiculous andyou probably know where I've been.
(28:52):
where we've tried anything.
And I had to drive to the other side ofSydney to pick up this particular product.
And I continued to do it thinking, oh,it's a hundred dollars a bottle.
It must be great.
But actually over time I realized itwasn't making any difference.
And then when I learned a bit more and Ilooked into the ingredients, oh my gosh, I
realized they were terrible.
(29:14):
So don't think that an expensive shampoois a great shampoo.
But I would also say, no, this is a reallycheap one.
I'm sorry, but some of the ingredientscost a lot of money and the super cheap
ones probably aren't that great either.
And there's a hell of a lot of money putinto marketing of hair products and it can
(29:37):
be confusing.
So my advice is to avoid nasty chemicals.
And there's quite a few of those, but thecommon ones to avoid are the parabens and
the sulfates.
There is an ingredient called DMDMhydantoin and I would definitely avoid
that.
There are some very well -documented legalcases about that ingredient.
(30:02):
MEA, DEA, petrochemicals, and also have alook at the order of the ingredients on
your shampoo bottle.
I hope it's not a really long, long, longlist.
And just do look at those ingredients.
Put your glasses on ladies, if you needit.
Get in tight and have a look at thoseteeny weeny little ingredients.
It's worth having a look.
(30:22):
So look for natural ingredients likeessential oils, rosemary oil, lavender
oil, chamomile, jasmine.
And actually while we're on the subject ofingredients, can I please suggest that you
don't use dry shampoo?
Dry shampoos in the main are full of harshingredients, but not only that,
(30:46):
If you're using dry shampoo to avoidwashing your hair, then by its very
nature, it's going to build up on yourscalp.
It's going to sit there much longer thanthose ingredients should be.
So if you're trying to avoid washing yourhair and you're using dry shampoo, then
you really are doing double the harm.
And then the final thing that I'd like tosay about hair washing is be gentle,
(31:09):
particularly with wet hair.
Wet hair can be quite elastic.
it can break really easily.
So the first thing I would suggest is getyourself a microfiber towel or a towel
wrap.
Wrap your hair in a towel as soon asyou've washed your hair and just leave it
there for about five minutes so it cansoak up the majority of the water and then
(31:29):
you're not rubbing your hair and yourscalp really harshly trying to dry it off.
And then use a wide tooth comb.
Don't use a brush on wet hair.
Use a comb, use a wide tooth comb.
So they're my tips for hair washing.
Please try it.
Try washing your hair every day or ifyou're too scared to wash it every day,
every second day, but increase the amountof hair washes you do in an average week.
(31:52):
And I think you will find that you willhave a better outcome and your hair will
look better as well.
It always looks good when it's just beingwashed.
And just a reminder, when I was washing myhair every day, that was after...
the various acute phases of my hair loss.
I just want to mention that I was only asample of one.
(32:15):
I'm not saying that no matter what'scausing your hair loss, if you wash your
hair every day, it will grow back.
No, I'm not saying that.
What I'm saying is washing your hair everyday can help to stimulate growth by
keeping your scalp clean.
It also stimulates your follicles justwith the simple act of washing and
massaging daily or
(32:35):
As I said earlier, even every second dayis at least better than once a week.
So let me know how you go.
If you give it a try, wash your hair moreoften, preferably daily, as I said.
If you'd like to give that a go, maybe youcould send me an email and tell me how you
go.
I read my personal emails every day andI'll give you my personal email address
(32:57):
actually.
It's bambi at boostandblend .com.
And so if you'd like to share your storyon the podcast, well, I'd love to talk to
you.
I'd love to have a chat with you and hearyour hair loss story.
And I think all the other ladies out therewould love to hear your hair loss story
too.
So pop an email to me if you have aquestion that you'd like me to answer, or
(33:18):
you'd just like to comment on how you'regoing with your hair, or if you'd like to
share your story, all sorts of things youcan do.
Just send an email to me, a personalemail, and I will read it.
Can I also just say,
that I'd like to encourage you to rememberthis one thing which I like to mention.
Kindness is beautiful.
So wear it every day.
(33:41):
Thanks for joining me on the Hair Loss inWomen podcast.
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,
Please subscribe to the podcast and if youlike what you heard, why not leave a
(34:03):
review?
Positive reviews will help other women tofind this podcast too.
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 N Blend
and someone who probably just like you.
has had first -hand experience with hairloss, 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 went looking 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 courageouswomen.
I'll share some information and we'lllearn together on the Hair Loss in Women
podcast.
(01:13):
Hi ladies and welcome back to the HairLoss in Women podcast.
You know, it's so powerful to hear storiesof other women talking about their hair
loss.
And I think the stories that we tell andthat we listen to in this podcast can only
do good for somebody else.
And that's what I'm hoping.
(01:34):
Today, we're going to be talking to Deeand hear her story.
And it's really interesting that
Dee has been able to find an underlyingcause to her hair loss, so that'll be
really good to listen to.
I'll also be talking about hair washing alittle bit later.
You know, we all have to wash our hair, soI've got some tips to share with you on
(01:56):
the ways we could wash our hair a littlebetter.
But for now, I really hope you enjoy thisconversation that I had with Dee.
Hi Dee and welcome to the podcast.
Hi Bambi, nice to meet you.
Let's start at the beginning.
When did you first notice your hair loss?
It was about 14 years ago.
(02:16):
I just noticed that my hair was coming outin handfuls.
I'd brush my hair in the morning like mybed used to be opposite the dressing
table.
And as I'd brush it, I would be able tosee it sort of in the mirror coming out in
the brush and in my hand.
Yeah, it was horrible.
Oh, it sure is.
certainly empathize with that and had avery similar experience.
(02:39):
So how long was the distance between whenyou first noticed it and when you found
your reason?
Probably about four years.
Initially, I really panicked.
I became worried and then depressedactually.
I'd been seeing a naturopath and she'dsaid it was mainly menopause.
(03:02):
I was like, oh, okay.
But it just ...
kept falling out and I was losing most ofmy hair from around my temples and at the
front.
So I found it really difficult to hide, ifyou know what I mean, that I was losing
the hair.
And I just started a new job at a largeprestigious company here in Perth.
(03:26):
The culture there was quite ageist, whichwas sad.
Um, and it was quite critical as well.
Um, so I was just really self consciouscause I had to do a lot of presentations
and under lights and I don't know, youknow, you know, as you lose your hair,
when you're under the lights, you just seelike the bald patches and it was just
(03:48):
awful.
And, um, yeah, there were a lot of tears.
Yes.
I think light is one of those things thatonly somebody with hair loss would
understand.
You're standing in full sun.
I'm sitting in a restaurant under a veryheavy light that seems to be shining down
on the top of your head.
So yes, I think we all particularly thatthing about the light, we all understand
(04:13):
that.
So were people commenting to you aboutyour hair?
A little bit, not like every singleperson.
And it was mainly sort of, if I mentionedto friends that they'd say, oh, you'll be
okay.
And then people would say, well, just getyour hair cut, get it cut short.
And then I was like,
Well, no, because then I would just havethin short hair with bald patches instead
(04:34):
of long, longish hair.
Do you know what I mean?
They didn't really seem a way round out.
I had a good hairdresser, bless her, shehelped.
But I ended up going to a professionaltrichologist in Perth and she was great
and helped me as much as she could.
And I ended up having scalpmicropigmentation.
(04:57):
Right.
Which you...
you're probably aware of those thataren't.
It's basically tattooing, but the needlesdon't go in as far as normal tattooing on
your skin because obviously it's on yourhead.
So it only lasts a couple of years andthat really helped in the beginning.
It sort of masked it.
I mean, it was a pretty painful procedureto be honest and expensive, but it helped
(05:21):
like for a couple of years, it got methrough.
She also sold me these hair fibers, which,you know, I was
I'd never seen anything like it before.
And I was like, oh, great.
But they were really, um, like thick andcoarse.
And, um, she said it was horse hair and Iwas like, Oh, okay.
(05:42):
Anyway, so they worked like they gavegreat coverage, but they also made me
really itch and scratch.
So, so finding your hair fibers was justsuch a blessing because they're made of
cotton and they don't irritate.
and they don't itch and they're so lightand they don't flake off either, which is
(06:03):
what these other ones would do.
You know, I'd sort of put my head down atwork and they'd sort of, if you would like
flake off onto the desk and I'll think, ohgosh.
Oh my goodness.
So do you feel that at that time, so youhad the micro -pigmentation, you had some
hair fibers, was that affecting your day-to -day work environment for you?
(06:24):
Was that changing the way you felt atwork?
I mean, it helped to my confidence that Ifelt like looked okay, but I was always
conscious of more hair loss.
Cause the thing is whilst I'd had themicro pigmentation at the front, because
that's where it initially started losingit.
I started losing it at the back of mycrown as well.
(06:45):
So then I used to wear ponytails to coverthat bit up, but then, you know, and try
and cover it up a little bit in the front.
It's scary, isn't it?
Because you.
don't know because obviously you can'tforesee, you don't know how far it's going
to go, if it's ever going to stop.
You're just going to end up with onestrand and have a comb over or something
(07:08):
like the old men used to do back in the50s.
Not my confidence generally, I must admit.
Going through menopause as well, which canoften take a knock on your confidence, it
was really horrible time actually.
I think it actually makes a differencewhen you can
you can step out and feel like, okay,well, maybe nobody will notice, you know,
(07:30):
nobody can see it.
Then in that there's that niggling feelingthat you have, how long is this going to
last for?
It's a bit scary.
Where's it going to end up?
As you say, am I going to end up with onestrand of hair or is it going to stop?
Or, you know, interesting that you saw atrichologist and she didn't offer you, I'm
assuming she didn't offer you any.
(07:52):
treatment that might have stopped it orreversed it or at that time.
So we'll get on to what you did next, butshe didn't offer you anything?
No, obviously there was hair transplants.
I didn't want to go to that point andthey'd only really performed the procedure
on men until then.
So this is like back 14, 15 years and it'sfunny how the world's changed since then,
(08:14):
which is a good thing.
But no, not really.
She did look at my dia and we sort of wentthrough that and she,
sort of advised me to eat a lot ofpepinas, like the dry pumpkin seeds.
She said, they're good for your hair.
And I, not that I didn't wash my hair, butI tried not to wash it as frequently.
(08:36):
And then it's the usual, you know, don'tblow dry it too much.
Yeah.
So how did you come to find a reason foryour hair loss?
I'd been having B12 injections for about25 years because I'd, um,
been diagnosed with pernicious anemia.
And so basically my body couldn't storeB12 at all.
(08:58):
So I had to have regular injections tosupplement them.
And the B12 basically gives you energy andalso mind clarity.
So when I could feel my B12 depleting, Iwould become really, really tired.
And also like trying to process stuff atwork become really difficult.
(09:19):
Like,
It wasn't impossible, but rather thanbeing able to think of something straight
away, it just took me a little bit to getthere.
So anyway, I'd been having these B12injections and I started to need them more
and more frequently.
And it got to a point, I went back to mydoctor's to have another B12 injection and
I sat down and the nurse was like, oh, youknow, what are you here for?
(09:41):
And I said, oh, another B12 injection.
She said, but you only had one last week.
And I said, I know, but I feel terrible.
And I said, you know, I'm just so, soexhausted and I just can't think properly.
And she said, well, I can't give youanother one.
And I said, well, why not?
And she's like, well, like legally, I'monly can really give them to you like once
(10:04):
every two months, three months.
And I burst into tears.
Oh my gosh.
She must have thought, God, what have Igot here?
Anyway, she got me in to see my regulardoctor and this doctor just said B12 isn't
a disease on its own.
It's actually an underlying symptom ofsomething else.
(10:25):
And she said, we'll do your bloods.
And she'd done my bloods before, but likefor the general stuff, say like iron, yes,
the B12, thyroid, all that sort of stuff.
And they'd come up fine.
And
She sat there and she said, have you everbeen tested for celiac?
And I said, no, don't think so.
And she said, okay, we'll test for that.
(10:46):
And I might sound quite ignorant now, butback then I didn't really know to a point
what celiac was.
I'd heard of it, but there wasn't muchawareness of gluten and everything like
there is now.
And so I was like, okay, so anyway, I hadthis blood test and it came back and she
said, yes, it does.
(11:07):
show signs of celiac.
You're not showing the gene, but I wouldlike you to have an endoscopy.
So I underwent that procedure and I don'tknow how much you know, but we've
obviously got the large intestine and thesmall intestine.
And on the small intestine are these like,they look like reeds or rushes and they're
(11:27):
called villi.
And it's these villi, there's likethousands of them and they absorb all the
nutrients from the food before like it.
like goes right through your stomach andeverything.
And I didn't have any at all.
Yeah.
And the surgeons said, um, normally, youknow, like a healthy person, you know,
there would be millions of them and theylike loads of hairs and that all, you
(11:50):
know, all around people that are startingto show signs of, um, celiac sort of like,
you can see them in sort of bald patchesif you like.
I thought I was like my hair.
And, um, um, he said my sort of like.
surface was just completely bald and likeshiny.
You said there was nothing.
And so I must have had this for a longtime and I didn't know.
(12:16):
And looking back, I probably, I thinkwould have had it about 10 years because I
had like stomach issues and that, and I'dstopped eating bread.
And I just thought, you know, it's justbecause just affected my tummy and that
was it.
And also it made sense with other thingsas well, because I think in the end, my
hair was like the final thing where mybody just decided it didn't need the hair
(12:42):
and then he lost that.
How was it when you found out that youactually had something that, you know,
black celiac, which you'd never everassociated with yourself before, and I
assume no one else in your family and youdidn't have the gene for it.
So how was it when you found that out?
It was mixed really like a reliefinitially thinking, oh, you know, there is
(13:03):
something to blame or the reason for it.
Also, it was really overwhelming because Isort of thought, oh, you know, and, you
know, I realize it's not really serious,like what a lot of people have, but it
was, I was still like, oh, you know, it islife changing to a point in what I eat or
can't eat now.
But it also explained, cause I'd had a...
(13:26):
you know, drastic weight loss, whichinitially was great because, you know, I
wanted, not that I was ever reallyoverweight, but I thought, well, I wanted
to be thinner and all that and that wasgood.
But it was the exhaustion.
And I remember some mornings waking upfeeling more tired than before I went to
bed.
And I'm not a drama or dramatic person,drama queen or anything, but I started to
(13:47):
wonder if I had cancer or something reallyserious.
And I hadn't said anything to anyonebecause I couldn't explain.
the sheer exhaustion.
So learning that I became celiac and thatthere was then a reason and also a way
forward where I could potentially gethealthier and restore my hair, my skin
(14:11):
would not be so dry, everything.
It was just great.
And so once you found out you were celiac,you changed your diet.
Anything else that you had to change?
Mainly the diet.
I went to a nutritionist that sort of likespecialized in celiac and she was
excellent because she was actually celiacherself and so were her children.
(14:33):
So she understood what it meant.
Cause I think the most overwhelming thingis that people think, oh, you know, we
just don't eat bread.
Obviously it's more than that.
You know, it's also rye and barley and soyand malt and that.
I mean, now it's not so bad.
because I know and I go in and I know theproducts I can definitely have.
I remember the first time I went shopping,it just took me about three hours because
(14:56):
I had to read every single label that Ipicked up.
It was just the diet and it took up toabout two years to see the change, putting
on weight a little bit.
And then finally starting to see regrowthin my hair.
And during that time, I've just found yourcompany.
(15:18):
my pigmentation had gone like from themicro scalp in.
Yeah.
It fades over time, doesn't it?
That micro pigmentation sort of tattooingit does fade.
Yeah, it does fade.
So it was starting to fade just in timefor your hair to start to grow back.
Yes.
And like it is back, but not as it was.
(15:39):
And I have to accept that and I'm okaywith that.
So it's still thin on the temples.
and my parting is a little bit wider thanwhat it used to be.
Luckily the bit at the back grew back.
So at least I can have my hair down andfeel okay.
But using your fibers and your shampoosand conditioners is just brilliant.
(16:04):
Yeah, it's just helped me no end.
And I actually sent some fibers throughyour UK website over to my best friend in
the UK because she started having issuesas well.
Yeah.
Oh, that's lovely.
And so once your hair started to growback, how long between the, so you said
two years, you could see it starting togrow back between there.
(16:26):
And then when you felt like, you know, youcould look in the mirror and go, Oh, you
know, it's back.
Probably a year actually.
So once it started growing, yeah, it wassort of a year and, and then people
started bless them.
They, they started saying, Oh, your hair'slooking good or it's looking thicker,
which.
(16:46):
you know, it's obviously better thanbefore if they had said it the other way.
Um, but yeah, it was just the fact then.
Um, and my hairdresser, I continued to seeher during that time doesn't mean much,
but I'd moved north of the river here, myhairdresser's south of the river.
And I traveled 50 minutes to go and seeher because she has been through this
(17:07):
whole journey with me and she understandswhat I went through.
And she's sort of helped me like the waymy hair's cut to look a bit fuller.
And.
And it's not colored close to my headbecause I don't think, because she sort of
said, your hair is quite delicate, youknow, I don't want to put any more stress
on it.
So we just color it a little bit lowerdown and things like that.
(17:31):
But yeah, finally, finally got there.
Well, and I think it's really good foreveryone to know that from when you first
found out what your underlying cause wasbeing celiac.
There would have been a period of timefrom there to changing your diet, to your
body starting to recover, to perhaps youriron levels and whatever else had been low
(17:55):
to start to turn around and for your bodyto then heal, to get to the point where it
could then start to grow hair.
So you were saying it was about two yearsfrom the diagnosis of celiac disease to
the point where you felt that it wasstarting to come back.
So that was two years.
And then probably another year before youfelt like your hair was back.
(18:17):
And I think what's really important aboutthat is for women to know out there who
may try something for a couple of monthsand say, Oh, well, that didn't work.
That the reality is this does take a longtime to turn around.
And you know, there you are.
It's sort of taken you three years all upfrom, you know, the beginning of your.
(18:39):
fixing it journey, your recovery journeyto when you had enough hair that you felt
people were commenting and you felt betterabout it.
So how do you feel about your hair thesedays?
So it's now a couple of years later.
A lot more confident.
I obviously still need the products andthat's fine, but I feel comfortable in
being able to use the products as youknow, like the hair fibers, I mean, more
(19:02):
than anything.
And I've got used to using them and like,
my partner says to me, oh, it looks fine,don't worry.
But I suppose it could sound like I'mcoming from a space of vanity, but it was
just more the fact I think I was soparanoid before when I lost it.
(19:24):
And I think when you have gone throughthat hair loss and that panic and worry of
like, is it all going to fall out that Ijust want it to look fuller.
And so,
I don't have to use as many hair fibers asI did and I'm glad it's grown back a bit
more around the temples because that was abit more difficult place to try and cover
(19:48):
it.
Yeah.
Yeah, it's good.
And so while you were going through thehair loss part of it, how was the support
from your partner?
Really good.
He was worried.
I mean, he used to say, you're too thinand blah, blah, blah and thought there was
something wrong.
I sort of said about my hair and he'slike, don't worry.
(20:11):
And I don't actually know if men get it.
I mean, he is going slightly bald himself.
And so I suppose he just thinks, oh, it'sjust hair.
And I remember a girl at work saying thatto me as I was talking to her when I was
going through all the stressful time.
And she sat there, bless her, she was like20 years younger than me.
(20:32):
And...
She is from Italian descent and she hadthis beautiful thick black hair so full.
She was really pretty and she's kind of,don't worry, it's just hair.
I remember thinking, well, it's all rightfor you, sort of like she has so much of
it.
But my partner, he was supportive.
(20:53):
I don't think it bothered him very much.
It was more me.
Yeah.
Well, that's interesting because we hear alot about,
women and the feelings that they have andhow the people around them affect how they
feel, which is understandable.
So it's lovely to have a partner who wassupportive and didn't really see any
(21:13):
problem with it or wasn't in any waycommenting or making you feel any worse
than you already felt.
So that's lovely to have a lovelysupportive partner, as do I.
So yes, we're lucky to have that.
Is there anything that you'd like othersto know, anything that you could pass on?
I'd say don't lose hope.
(21:34):
It's easy to say, like now, to say, don'tworry, because I know at the time how it
feels, you just do.
But I'd say explore the avenues of whyyou're losing your hair.
I mean, like we know a lot of women canlose their hair if it's like genetic.
Menopause does take its toll.
(21:56):
Having children takes its toll.
Often women that have lost hair through.
like through childbirth, their hair growsback pretty good.
Menopause, I think, was a hard one.
But yeah, then if all of those areas arecovered and there's still something else,
then get some tests done, go to yourdoctor because there could be something
(22:21):
else.
Don't shut yourself away either becauseit's easy to want to do that because you
lose confidence.
You don't want to go out and say, I don'tknow, you go to an event, you feel like
everyone.
sort of looking at you or why they'retalking to you, they're looking at your
hair, but they probably don't notice it asmuch as you think they do.
And again, that's easier said than done,you know, but just hang in there and if,
(22:47):
you know, go to your doctors if you'rereally worried about anything else.
Yeah, thank you.
Well, actually, I think those are two veryimportant pieces.
One, don't lose hope.
And two,
see a doctor and get a blood test, atleast start there and see if there's
anything going on under any underlyingcauses that can be resolved.
(23:07):
I mean, just low iron in itself can bepicked up in a blood test.
So, you know, there's lots of things thatcan be picked up in a simple blood test,
which is pretty easy and fast.
The results are quick as well.
So good advice there, Dee.
Thank you.
Well, thank you very much for taking thetime today.
I really appreciate your time.
(23:28):
being so candid and opening up for us andfor all those women out there who are
feeling like you and I have felt on daysin the past.
It's just so nice to have listened tosomebody talking through their story.
So thank you very much, Dee.
We really appreciate your time.
You're welcome.
Thank you for the opportunity.
(23:50):
Big thank you to Dee for sharing her storywith us today.
So now, for our Did You Know segment, Iwant to talk to you about something very
practical, hair washing.
You probably look in the mirror like I doevery day and wonder if you can go another
(24:10):
day without washing your hair.
Am I right?
I think we all do that.
There is a lot of misinformation out therearound hair loss and hair washing.
And I feel like I need to help with thisparticular topic and debunk some of the
stories that are out there.
So firstly, washing your hair every day isactually really good for your hair.
(24:35):
It's also really good for your scalp.
So if you think about your scalp as partof your skin, and if you think about
skincare and particularly think about theskin on our face, we look after that skin
on our face generally pretty well.
We're keen to do what we can from an anti-aging perspective.
(24:56):
And we need to think about our scalp inthe same way.
We need to keep our scalp clean and
Therefore, we're going to have to wash it.
And also washing your hair stimulates yourfollicles.
And if you've got a scalp massager, allthe better.
And if you don't have a scalp massager,massage your scalp while you're washing
it.
But I know what happens with women withhair loss, and that is that they find when
(25:20):
washing their hair that a lot of haircomes out at that time.
And it is scary.
It's happened to me.
It clogs the drain.
It actually makes you feel a bit sick.
So I really do understand that.
But the thing is, hair in the restingphase will fall out and it will fall out
probably when you wash it.
It's more likely to fall out when you washit than any other time.
(25:43):
So it's going to fall out anyway.
So if you wait a week to wash your hairbecause you're scared of looking at how
much hair falls out, then you'll have aweek's worth of hair fall when you wash
your hair.
If you wash your hair every day, then youhave a day's worth of hair loss and
actually just in terms of how it makes youfeel.
a day's worth of hair loss is not as hardto look at as a week's worth.
(26:08):
So that's one reason why I would suggestyou wash your hair every day, as well as
keeping your scalp clean.
You know, there's a lot of buildup on ourscalp from just daily grime from the air,
and you need to wash that off the same asyou do with your face.
You wash it off and you should wash it offyour scalp as well.
I mean, you need a healthy scalp to growhealthy hair.
And actually, a couple of years ago, Inoticed that
(26:30):
Although I had recovered from my variousbouts of hair loss, I didn't have a lot of
new regrowth, you know, that sort oflittle bits of hair sticking up.
And I noticed that over a couple of weeks,I kept thinking, Oh, there's not a lot of
hair growth happening here.
So I thought what am I do?
I was watching my hair every second day atthat time and probably had mostly during
(26:54):
my hair loss months and years.
And I thought, okay, I'm going to wash myhair every day.
for six months.
I'm going to commit to it.
It's a big job, washing your hair everyday for six months because there's a lot
of styling and drying and things to doafterwards.
But I thought if I use a really goodquality hair shampoo, and I did use one
that that Boost and Blend makes, and thereare others out there of similar quality,
(27:18):
good quality shampoo, kind to hair.
And I thought, okay, I'm going to use thatevery day for six months.
And so I did.
And
During that time, I would lose maybe oneor two hairs after washing my hair.
So, you know, I'd comb my hair throughwith a wide tooth comb and a couple of
hairs would fall out, which is normal.
And then about four to five months in, Irealized that, yay, I had some new hair.
(27:45):
I had new growth and it was sort ofsticking up like new growth does.
And I'll tell you what, I was very happyto see that.
And I thought, okay, well, that's anexperiment on me and an experiment of one.
but it was the right thing for me.
It really stimulated my hair growth,really set me back up with some good hair
thickness, which I'm still enjoying now.
(28:07):
But I also want to say with shampoos andwith shampooing your hair, you're not
shampooing your hair to make it squeakyclean.
You're just shampooing your hair to cleanyour scalp.
And it's really important that you don'tuse harsh detergents.
which really dry your hair out, especiallyif you're going to dry your hair every
day.
You need to be very careful that you useproducts that have nourishing ingredients
(28:29):
in them.
And on that topic then, expensiveshampoos.
That isn't always going to give you thebest results.
Quite a few years ago now, when I wasreally in the thick of my hair loss, I
tried a shampoo that was costing $100 abottle.
I know that's too much and ridiculous andyou probably know where I've been.
(28:52):
where we've tried anything.
And I had to drive to the other side ofSydney to pick up this particular product.
And I continued to do it thinking, oh,it's a hundred dollars a bottle.
It must be great.
But actually over time I realized itwasn't making any difference.
And then when I learned a bit more and Ilooked into the ingredients, oh my gosh, I
realized they were terrible.
(29:14):
So don't think that an expensive shampoois a great shampoo.
But I would also say, no, this is a reallycheap one.
I'm sorry, but some of the ingredientscost a lot of money and the super cheap
ones probably aren't that great either.
And there's a hell of a lot of money putinto marketing of hair products and it can
(29:37):
be confusing.
So my advice is to avoid nasty chemicals.
And there's quite a few of those, but thecommon ones to avoid are the parabens and
the sulfates.
There is an ingredient called DMDMhydantoin and I would definitely avoid
that.
There are some very well -documented legalcases about that ingredient.
(30:02):
MEA, DEA, petrochemicals, and also have alook at the order of the ingredients on
your shampoo bottle.
I hope it's not a really long, long, longlist.
And just do look at those ingredients.
Put your glasses on ladies, if you needit.
Get in tight and have a look at thoseteeny weeny little ingredients.
It's worth having a look.
(30:22):
So look for natural ingredients likeessential oils, rosemary oil, lavender
oil, chamomile, jasmine.
And actually while we're on the subject ofingredients, can I please suggest that you
don't use dry shampoo?
Dry shampoos in the main are full of harshingredients, but not only that,
(30:46):
If you're using dry shampoo to avoidwashing your hair, then by its very
nature, it's going to build up on yourscalp.
It's going to sit there much longer thanthose ingredients should be.
So if you're trying to avoid washing yourhair and you're using dry shampoo, then
you really are doing double the harm.
And then the final thing that I'd like tosay about hair washing is be gentle,
(31:09):
particularly with wet hair.
Wet hair can be quite elastic.
it can break really easily.
So the first thing I would suggest is getyourself a microfiber towel or a towel
wrap.
Wrap your hair in a towel as soon asyou've washed your hair and just leave it
there for about five minutes so it cansoak up the majority of the water and then
(31:29):
you're not rubbing your hair and yourscalp really harshly trying to dry it off.
And then use a wide tooth comb.
Don't use a brush on wet hair.
Use a comb, use a wide tooth comb.
So they're my tips for hair washing.
Please try it.
Try washing your hair every day or ifyou're too scared to wash it every day,
every second day, but increase the amountof hair washes you do in an average week.
(31:52):
And I think you will find that you willhave a better outcome and your hair will
look better as well.
It always looks good when it's just beingwashed.
And just a reminder, when I was washing myhair every day, that was after...
the various acute phases of my hair loss.
I just want to mention that I was only asample of one.
(32:15):
I'm not saying that no matter what'scausing your hair loss, if you wash your
hair every day, it will grow back.
No, I'm not saying that.
What I'm saying is washing your hair everyday can help to stimulate growth by
keeping your scalp clean.
It also stimulates your follicles justwith the simple act of washing and
massaging daily or
(32:35):
As I said earlier, even every second dayis at least better than once a week.
So let me know how you go.
If you give it a try, wash your hair moreoften, preferably daily, as I said.
If you'd like to give that a go, maybe youcould send me an email and tell me how you
go.
I read my personal emails every day andI'll give you my personal email address
(32:57):
actually.
It's bambi at boostandblend .com.
And so if you'd like to share your storyon the podcast, well, I'd love to talk to
you.
I'd love to have a chat with you and hearyour hair loss story.
And I think all the other ladies out therewould love to hear your hair loss story
too.
So pop an email to me if you have aquestion that you'd like me to answer, or
(33:18):
you'd just like to comment on how you'regoing with your hair, or if you'd like to
share your story, all sorts of things youcan do.
Just send an email to me, a personalemail, and I will read it.
Can I also just say,
that I'd like to encourage you to rememberthis one thing which I like to mention.
Kindness is beautiful.
So wear it every day.
(33:41):
Thanks for joining me on the Hair Loss inWomen podcast.
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,
Please subscribe to the podcast and if youlike what you heard, why not leave a
(34:03):
review?
Positive reviews will help other women tofind this podcast too.
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.
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