Back in January, I shared some fairly shocking news: I was suffering some pretty dramatic hair loss which seemed related to my use of a shampoo from TRESemme. A reader recently reached out having suffered a similar experience – which made me realize that it is time for a hair loss update.
Jarring
No matter your age, sudden hair loss is unnerving. But when:
- you aren’t even thirty yet (soon, though) and
- even your spouse notices that your hairline is a bit sparser and your part is wider and
- you continue shedding hair at a ridiculous rate
Your concern turns to fear.
Cancer-surviving fitness instructor and entrepreneur Linn Lowes asserted in a recent Instagram Story that our hair isn’t just frivolous vanity. She would know: she lost hers to chemo (but now has a beautiful head of her own hair again).
I threw out the TRESemme. Then, I switched to Costco’s salon quality Kirkland Signature Moisture Shampoo after scrutinizing its label for things that concerned me. It passed my test and is (un)surprisingly good (review).
Hair Loss Update
Two weeks after stopping use of the shampoo, full-shaft hair shedding started to slow. More of my loss was midshaft breakage. This is a marked improvement, but is still wild as hell to me. My hair wasn’t even damaged to that point from my balayage highlights.
Since then, I’ve been trying to reverse the damage.
Flip it and Reverse It
At the ~2 week our point, I started using The Ordinary’s Polypeptide Serum for Hair Density ($18). I was desperate, and it has good enough reviews from enough places that for under $20, I bought it. I used it daily for about a month, but now I use it every time I wash (every 2-3 days). More on that soon, too.
After about 6-8 weeks out from stopping using TRESemme, my shedding retreated back to what I’d call normal. Thank heavens that I can include that good news in my hair loss update. I hope those of you going through the same thing courtesy TRESemme’s chem lab negligence experience faster stabilization.
No Fast Fix for Fullness
That isn’t the end, though. Even though I’m not losing what seemed like 5% of my hair every time I wash it, my mane is not as full now. Naturally, when you lose a ton of hair over a period of time, hair volume is going to take a hit. Mine certainly did, so I’m still using the serum (and probably will for some time) to accelerate return to an equilibrium.
The Bottom Line
On the order of everything 2020-2021 has taken from us, this is trivial. But it is yet another fucking thing, and when everything feels so out of control, it certainly doesn’t help how we see ourselves.
Happily, I’m seeing progress.