Thread: My Hair Loss Paranoia

So this past year I have been really paranoid about losing my hair. Last year I just got a job where I have to wear a hat all day and since then I felt like my hair was somewhat thinning. My dads is starting to lose his hair and my grandfather is completely bald. So when my boss is off and not around I take my hat off. And just in case it is not the hat, Ive stopped doing something that Ive been doing all my life. Ive stopped shampooing my hair. Maybe those harsh chemicals cause my hair to thin. Its been a couple of months now and I could feel my hair thickening, but it has gotten really oily and I have dandruff now. Stopping my shampoo regiment a smart idea? I have been looking into hair tonics and Ive been hearing good results. I want to get the clubman hair tonic. Anyone else have any other suggestions and where to get them?

I guess I'm lucky as I don't worry about my hair, it's gonna do what it's gonna do... Funny thing about it is that my younger friends are worried about their hair, one is shiny on top now and the other is completely grey now... This year my wife says I have white hairs popping up... Ok.. And??

Maybe worry burns more hair out??

AFAIK, using shampoo or wearing a hat wont affect your hair growth (unless you start using a really harsh shampoo or something). Its going to do what its going to do I guess.

If you're wearing the hat for safety reasons, I'd keep wearing it. Taking the hat off might give you some peace of mind, but I wouldnt risk serious injury for peace of mind!

In terms of the hair tonics, all I can suggest is trying a few out and seeing what you like.

Good luck and keep us posted!

Don't know if this helps (or is what you want to hear), but here's the Wikipedia take on baldness:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baldness

(Assuming you haven't done massive Googling on the topic already).

All the best,
Michael.

I'm a Barber. Maybe I can help.

-Wearing a hat will not make you lose your hair quicker. This is a wives tale.
-Your hair seems thicker when you stopped washing it because its collecting dirt, dead skin and dead hair. Thus looking fuller.
-Every human loses 100-150 hairs off their head EVERY day. Even people who are not thinning..... its natural.
-The is no cheap fix for male pattern baldness if there was, there would be no bald people anymore.

My suggestion is go back to washing it. Keep what you do have, healthy. Maybe speak to you Barber bout a haircut for you which can help mask your loss. Please under no means does this mean a "comb-over". I know this may not be what you wanna hear, but hair tonic is as good as snake oil.

AFAIK whether or not you're going to lose your hair is an issue of genetics. Depending on whether you got your father's or your mother's genes and what the hereditary baldness factor was within their ancestors is going to determine how old you'll be when you begin to lose your hair. I used to be very worried about that when I was younger but @ 61 it isn't a big issue for me. A bit thinner than it was when I was in my twenties but I'll probably die with a full head of hair save the skull cap if I live to be 100. Don't sweat it, the older you get the less it matters to you. Now go wash your hair.

I say you shouldn't worry about losing your hair. My hair is getting very thin on top and the only thing I do is keep it very short. At the moment it is about 1cm long and it is time for a hair cut.

Another reason why I'm not worried about hair loss is that I stumbled upon some secret women's knowledge that us men are not supposed to know. Women actually love guys with a bald head. They just pretend that they don't like us shiny head guys to hide the fact that we make them think naughty thoughts.

Of course this doesn't excuse the comb over, or as my wife calls it, the bar code.

Originally Posted by DwarvenChef

I guess I'm lucky as I don't worry about my hair, it's gonna do what it's gonna do... Funny thing about it is that my younger friends are worried about their hair, one is shiny on top now and the other is completely grey now... This year my wife says I have white hairs popping up... Ok.. And??

Maybe worry burns more hair out??

I'm lucky too. Genetics conspired against me and most of my hair on top is gone and I just have fringe. The good news is I quit caring about being bald long ago. Besides giving me an extra shave every week, I'm saving a bundle on haircuts as I haven't been to a barber in at least 15 years. It use to worry me a little when I was younger but I figured out it was one of those things that was going to happen no matter how much I stressed about it so I just quit worrying about it.

I'd say if you wanna try the no poo thing go for it. Just don't get your hopes up that this is going to defeat your genetics if that is the reason you are thinning.

This was a big scare for me as well, especially being a younger guy with over two feet of long, dark, curly, hair that used to be thick also. I began to notice that my hair wasn't as thick as it used to be and it worried me terribly. I let it bother me for well over a year or more. Then finally about 3 months ago I got to thinking about it and thought about how my dad looked when he was going bald and was doing whatever he could to get around it. He had dark curly hair too and by the time he finally decided to stop screwing with it, he looked like crusty the clown. Finally he decided to shave it all off and afterwards he looked and felt much better about it. He wears it proudly too. Well about 2 months ago I finally decided enough was enough and chopped all my hair off and buzzed it so I wouldn't have to worry about it anymore anyway even if I do go bald. I'm happier now, hell I don't sweat nearly as much, my scalp is much healthier, and showers are no longer a pain and neither is being on the road with my band; I no longer have to worry about trying to take care of my hair or even bringing a brush for that matter. Plus I get a lot of compliments on it. Something to think about...

I don't know if you ever heard the story about how Bas Rutten (former undefeated MMA champion) got bald?

What made you shave your head and when did you first do it?
Oh, this is a good one. I did it when I was 21. Believe it or not, I used to be a model, the Zoolander type. I was always taking care of my hair because it was very important. One day it didn’t work—my hair wasn’t cooperating and I had to be somewhere. I got really stressed about it and I wet it again and I started putting gel in it—something I never did—and [that] didn’t work, either. I tried three or four times, and I saw my ex-wife’s purple hair dryer [sitting] there, so I grabbed it. I never used a blow dryer, but I aimed it at my head and turned it on. I looked in the mirror and saw myself standing there with a purple hair dryer and thought, “This is so wrong.” And that was it. I put it down, walked out, and my [ex-wife] asked me, “What’s going on? What are you doing?” I said, “I’m going to shave my head.” She started laughing. She thought I was kidding, but I went straight to the barber and said, “Cut it off. Everything.” When he cut it off, I looked in the mirror and said, “OK, that’s it. It will never grow back.” That’s how I [became] bald.