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Losing My Hair

I have been raw for about 7/8 months now and I am currently losing hair in a massive way. My hair is falling out in chunks and I am beginning to see bald spots. As a result I am freaking out which is not helping the situation….

Does anyone have any advice in regards to this? I have recently bought MSM but would like further information in regards to this.

Has anyone else experienced this? Is it lack of protein? Lack of Iron?

Help me please!!!

Comments

  • alpdesignsalpdesigns Raw Newbie

    There are several threads about this. I think the problem is lack of iodine. I eat a lot of seaweed and take a seweed supplement for mercury detox, Modifilan. The iodine has helped me with the hair loss issue and with other health issues.

  • I had the same problem, but as soon as I got pregnant I didn’t eat all raw, and my hair didn’t fall out anymore. So I don’t know how to go about fixing the problem. Someone once told me to eat lots of kale (make it in smoothies daily). She said that she had the same problem when raw, and it had to do something with being too alkaline and not able to absorb enough nutrients. But I thought being raw meant you get more nutrients? I want to eventually be raw again, but being too thin and losing my hair concerns me.

  • NuttgirlNuttgirl Raw Newbie

    I am having the same problem! I recently started a thread about it. Check out this link:

    http://goneraw.com/forums/3/topics/1831

    I have noticed a small difference since I started a new regime. My hair is falling out a little less since I started the following a few days ago:

    1. I increased my intake of green smoothies. I try to have at least 2 a day. 2. I take iron supplements 3. I take biotin supplements 4. I take B12 supplements 5. I take a very small amount of msm liquid every other day. I put it into my smoothie. 6. I include flaxseed oil in every smoothie I drink.

    HTH!

  • stylistchickstylistchick Raw Newbie

    i don’t understand the MSM thing. i read about it, and what i gathered was that it is naturally occuring in vegetables, but it seems like we’d have plenty in out systems eating this way.

    i’ve seen alopecia on clients, it is usually small,(sometimes large) roundish bald spots, i mean smooth bald spots. if it looks like that, there is no dietary problem, the problem is stress. dermatologists can treat it, but they use chemicals. if it is dramatically thinning, it could be low thyroid, which is very common, usually not too serious. or it could possibly be dietary.

  • Thank you all for the plethera of information. I have gone out and purchased 1500 mg of MSM, 28mg. iron and 100mg of a B complex.Vitamins are something I have been entirely opposed to but at this point I am willing to try anything if it keeps the hair on my head. In regards to balding areas, the spots are more or less just thinning out.

    I will update with my progress on these supplements in another week… keeping my fingers crossed!

  • queenfluffqueenfluff Raw Newbie

    MSM is VERY easily destroyed and because of our modern farming methods – there is not enough MSM in our food which leaves us with a deficiency. Even using the blender can destroy the MSM in your veggies. Humans were meant to forage for wild foods which have not been tampered by modern farming methods and that grow in undepleted soil that has more MSM in it. If the soil that your food grows in is low in MSM, your food will be too. The wild foods that grow in good soil areas probably have the most MSM.

    If you grow your own food, something you can do is to water your plants with water with MSM in it! Of course it would probably do you better to just ingest the MSM directly. Rain water also contains MSM – or at least, it used to in some degree. Our rain water- unless you live in a pristine area – is probably not very pure anymore.

    I copied this quote from an article:

    Since the advent of inorganic fertilizers, our bodies are not getting enough nutritional sulfur. Due to the over-farming, chemical fertilizers, long term storage, pesticides, and the over processing of the foods we eat today, much of the sulfur content of these foods is either destroyed or missing completely.

    MSM occurs naturally in many fresh foods but is lost during processing.

    tobizarre, have you considered what you are using on your hair and scalp as possilbe culprits too? Shampoo really dries out your hair and can make it weak – not to mention that your scalp absorbs all those chemicals (yes, even the “natural” shamppos and conditioners have chemcials in them) Consider stopping it altogether or use a very diluted solution of it and not as often. Don’t forget scalp massages to help get the nutrients up to your scalp.

    If you take your MSM through a smoothie, put it in last and blend it in manually or use a lite quick pulse as to not risk it being destroyed by the blades or possible heat.

    FYI, too – it will take at least 2 months to see any results – either from taking the MSM and taking your supplements. Hair does not bounce back immediately from a deficiency. Your hair will probably not start falling out immediately.

  • LucyLucy Raw Newbie

    If you are loosing your hair in the center of your head,might be liver and gallbladder stones problems.

  • I’ve been raw 6 months and I started losing my hair a couple months ago. I cured my rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia, lost 60 lbs and now feel great. But I went from having overly thick hair to thinish hair. I’ve been taking MSM for a month and B12 and complex for two months. It’s not really slowing anything down. I’m losing it all over, more like thinning. I thought it was because of menopause (I quit wearing my estrogen patch, hysterectomy, when I went raw). Let me know if anything works for you. Nothing seems to be helping me. I even quit pooing my hair two months ago too.

  • okay. i just read something of this in the book ‘the raw life’ by paul nison. in this book, the author interviews people who have done the raw lifestyle for many years, asks them about pitfalls, their beliefs, blah blah blah.

    anyhow, under the interview with gil jacobs, the author asks about ‘hair loss and the raw diet’. here was the reply:

    “i am so against people going for hair analysis. the body knows what is most important. there is something called Herrings Law of Cure that speaks about this. the most important organs in the body are the ones in the belly. the ones behind the belly button, the colon, the kidneys, the spleen, the liver, the lungs, the small intestine, the stomach, the pancreas, the prostate, and the uterus. the body worries about these organs first. it is going to feed them first. then it will come up to the heart, the lungs, and the thyroid. when it gets all the vital organs, it will then got to the extremities. when people lose hair, it means there is something imperfect, but it does not mean they are toxic. the body knows the hair is less important, so it feeds the hair last. therefore, when a guy starts losing his hair, yeah, it means his cells are not 100% clean, but it does not mean he is toxic at all. hair loss simply means that the body does not have enough chi-energy to get to the hair. when you get into raw food, what often happens is you lose all your hair because the system is going to get rid of the old. it has too much protein and it is too acidic. it is going to give you new hair. seven years ago, i had very little hair. i was almost bald. now i have a full head of hair. what is going to happen is you are going to lose it and then it is going to come back. it happens with women also. it’s funny, they scream, “i’m losing my hair.” what the body is doing is it’s getting rid of the hair that is too acidic, and it is going to grow new hair. that is what hair loss is all about on a raw food diet.”

    so, i hope that is helpful in some way because now my fingers are pooped from typing it! lol

    taking a spoonful of blackstrap molasses (not raw, but it’s only a spoonful!;-) ) is a great way to get enough iron, if that’s the problem. it may be worth a try.

    also, maca root has been used for- like- ever to help balance hormones…sometimes, hair loss is caused by the follicles being attacked by dihydrotestosterone, which speeds up the life cycle of the bulb and essentially burns it out. sometimes it’s just a hormone imbalance.

    i know quite a few people who encounter psoriasis- dry, itchy, flaky, white scales (yuck!)- from using shampoo that is too alkaline. the alkalinity lifts the hair cuticle slightly and removes dirt…and it also dries your skin out. i see no reason why this would NOT be the reason…acid-balanced shampoos such as jhirmack seem to be the ONLY thing that works for anyone battling scalp disorders- when even prescription creams and oral medications didn’t work. you can acid-balance any shampoo yourself too, by adding a little apple cider vinegar or other mild acid that is stable at room temperature to it, such as ascorbic acid (vitamin c).

    i’m sorry that’s happening to you. it can really ruin your self-image. i will keep my eyes wide open for more information.

  • I have been 100% raw for one month and began to have significant hair loss. I’ve added a kelp supplement for thyroid, nutritional yeast (I know, not raw) for the B complex, more meditation to cut stress, flax oil in the smoothies, and a daily scalp massage of 1 T witch hazel, 3 drops rosemary essential oil and 3 drops lavender essential oil. I have much less hair loss, and my hair is feeling healthier. It was pretty scary to have handfuls of hair come out in the bath. I’m trying several things, so I don’t know which is helping. Hopefully these ideas will also help some of you.

  • queenfluffqueenfluff Raw Newbie

    jamestheraw -

    that is very intersting information that you posted. I seem to recall reading that elsewhere online – it think it might have been Doug Graham – he said said when he went raw, he lost all his hair and was pretty much bald (I don’t think he had a full head of hair prior though – can’t remember for sure) but that he hair grew back in thicker and better than it was before he was raw. He gave sort of a similar explaination that you have given.

    This is makes sense to me in a way that the hair on your hair would have too much protein and be too acidic if you are coming of a SAD diet. Those people who eat a meat-eating SAD normally get about 5 times over the amount of the recommended daily allowance (not that I believe in the recommended daily allowance but just to have some standard) of protein needed. Since hair gets its nutrition last, I believe the hair is one of those places where that extra protein may go. So, if you were a eating a typical meat-eating SAD diet and than went raw vegan with no transition, I could see how the hair would start suffering. You no longer have all that extra protein that goes to your hair. Not that this means that you need to start eating a bunch of protein to get the same amount you were getting before because I don’t think the body needs that much protein.

    Once the body has decided to shed certain hairs, whether it during a normal shedding phase or to ‘detox’ off old overly acidic as jamestheraw was stating, there is nothing you can do to save them – they are on their way out.

    aleta-

    although I am not an expert on the raw diet and how the body works, I used to be hair dresser so I know hair for the most part. In you profile you stated you went raw cold turkey, I am wondering if you were a meat eater before that? If so, I am wondering if posssibly all of the nutrtion that you are taking in is going towards your “important organs” right now and to healing what was wrong with you before and that none is going towards your hair and that once your problems are completely healed your body will start to not need as much of the nutrition to go towards healing and there will be some leftover to fed your hair.

    If I were you, even though I know it is frustrating and scary, I would not worry so much about those hairs you lose (if you body wants to shed them, you can’t really do anything about it) but focus on growing new healthy “raw” hair. To help get the nutrients in your blood to your hair follicles, start getting the circulation in your scalp going with some scalp massages.

    When I first became a vegetarian about 18 years ago, my hair thinned. It has sort of stayed at that thinner state for the most part. I think that the hair I have now could possibly be still acidic but does not have too much protein in it. I think have already shed any hairs that had too much protein in them. (although, I was never a big meat eater anyhow). When I became a vegan, my hair got a bit thinner and although I am not 100% raw right now, I did notice that off and on I would shed a bit more hair than normal when I was 100% so I believe I still have some acidic hair to get rid of but maybe not as much as someon who is not coming right off a meat eating SAD diet since I had a slow transition of many years.

    Anyhow, these are just my theories on it based on the information we have here and what i know about hair. It sounds like you going raw cold turkey might have kicked your body into a definate healing and detoxing mode – which is a good thing since you have healed your big problems you wanted too but it sounds like your body has more too to do than what you might have had planned. This is will be a good thing in the long run – I have heard of many stories of people saying they lost a lot of hair when going raw and it eventually grew back. I think that some people will lose more than others and your body knows best and when will grow back better hair when it has completed its cleaning task. It is good you healed your major problems – hair is not necessary for life even though we love to have it. :)

    It is good you gave up the shampoo. You don’t want your scalp to absorb more toxins that your body needs to deal with. Just make sure to keep your scalp clean. :) Scalp is skin too and it needs to breathe. I have been shampoo free for 8 months and although it can be a challenge to keep it looking fresh sometimes, it is better than when I was using shampoo so I stick with it. :)

    I really highly recommend the scalp massages – I am trying to get back in the swing of doing them daily again myself – and honestly, when in my life, I was giving myself scalp massages on a daily basis – I had the best hair and it grew in faster and softer and thicker than without doing them – no matter what sort of diet I was following. Without them, my hair doesn’t grow very fast and can grow on the more fragile side too. Or least try to get some good exercise where you really get the blood going to the scalp. In our modern lives, with all the stress and tension we experience, some of that tends to go to the scalp and tension in the scalp can effect the feeding of the follicles – you want to make sure you have a “loose” and relaxed scalp. So, if you feel any tenseness or tightness in your scalp at all, you definatley want to start the scalp massages (my scalp tends to be tense and it always feels better if I do the massages)

    Also try to keep include all the raw foods that are good for hair like cucumbers etc. The MSM will take longer (i read at least two months) to see some results. Try to take as much as possible. I have heard from people taking it that they get better results (hairwise) if they have a higher doseage per day – do it gradually though if the MSM upsets your stomach.

    Anyhow, I hope I helped shed some possible light too along with jamestheraw’s post. Hair is one of those subjects that doesn’t really have a lot of ‘research’ for those on a raw diet. There is plenty for those on a SAD diet so it is hard to not want to think that ‘I am deficient in protein” or “I am deficient in ‘whatever’ Vitamin” because that is the advice of doctors to people on SAD diets who are losing hair. Hair that is studied now is NOT the hair of raw foodists – it is the overly proteined, acidic hair of people who use shampoo and conditioners and other hair products.

    David Wolfe says that what doctors call a “protein deficiency” is really an MSM deficiency – so something to think about.

    As raw foodists, our bodies are different so it makes sense our hair will be different too and not all the the same rules and diagnosis will always apply. It hard to keep thinking ‘outside the box’ when you are faced with problems on this diet.

    While your body does the cleaning it needs too I would focus on growing in new and better hair. All those old hairs that are shedding can only grow in their place new healthy raw hair.

    I would do the following:

    Keep taking the MSM (increase the dosage if you can) Eat as many raw foods that are know to be benefical for hair as you can (david wolfe covers which ones are good for hair in his Eating for Beauty book – I have the book I can go through it and write down the list here if you are interested) Start those scalp massages or increase blood flowing exercise Keep your scalp clean with water rinses (I use a shower head with a massage setting to keep my scalp clean) If you think your hair is getting to the point where you don’t want people to see it and you feel self conscious, try inventing in some cute hats or scarfs to help get you through this time until your hair starts getting better – or if it is long enough – tie it up but keep it loose though as tying it up too tight can break off more hair.

    Another is (unfortunatley) not to expect results overnight – hair is one of those things that will take time to regrow itself so just keeping doing the all the right things and you will see results – it will probably take several months (normal hair growth is 1/2 half a month – with the MSM and scalp massages you may be able to increase that) but it will come.

  • wow, thanks for the backup, queenfluff! lol ;-)

    what you said about the doctors on the SAD diet telling others what to do about their hair loss struck a chord with me…i just realized that i haven’t been to a doctor in nearly 7 years! it’s like we’re dealing in another dimension or something…lol

    if you don’t shampoo, try using arrowroot powder as a dry shampoo…make partings and sprinkle it all over…then massage it in and brush it out vigorously. the powder absorbs oil and dirt and it gives your hair volume to boot.

    here’s my suggestion: give the raw diet six months to work. don’t stress about your hair! if you stress too much you’ll only lose more, if anything! get creative with cute ways to cover it up if you feel self-conscious…that was a great suggestion. eat what you feel your body is asking for, get plenty of msm (after a month or two it doesn’t taste so much like copper pennies anymore…lol), get plenty of good-quality sleep (going to sleep with food in your belly is not a good idea, i’ve found it DRASTICALLY reduces the quality of your sleep WHILE lengthening the duration), drink plenty of fresh juices, and perhaps try fasting. i fast fairly often, and at first it SUCKED. but after the third or so fast, it became magical. i slept four or five hours a night, awoke refreshed, and noticed that after the third or fourth day of each fast, i had hundreds of new hair shoots that had sprouted up in the night, while i slept on an empty stomach. i’m not saying it will happen to you because i’m not a doctor (thank GOD), but it may be a worthwhile venture for you.

    at the end of the six months, if your hair is still falling out and hasn’t thickened up at all, then worry about it. but, as long as the follicles haven’t been burned out for more than about four years, in theory they will still grow back. but i have a feeling that this is simply a detox symptom and should probably be allowed to happen. maybe you should be GLAD it’s happening! ;-)

    bodies are a funny thing, and i think we put too much stock in what we’re ‘missing’ because that’s the method the meat and dairy and supplement industries have used to keep us in fear, and keep us buying their product, since any of us can remember. i say relax… see what happens.

  • NuttgirlNuttgirl Raw Newbie

    I didn’t realize how common of a problem this is with raw foodists.

    I just wish there was a quick fix!

  • oh, trust me! i’ve had to dredge a WIDE, WIDE river to find information on this topic in regards to the raw lifestyle…it’s almost as though people are too ashamed to say it! (which i find unlikely: in my experience, raw foodists are relatively peaceful, grounded, and accepting of the truth. but there are exceptions! ;-) ) any texts i did find referred to the problem basically as ‘very common and something people freak out about during transition’. maybe most people who write books on being raw would rather forget the whole experience, so that’s what they did!

    think of it this way: most people who have cancer are coerced by SAD doctors to get radiation treatment. shooting radioactivity into your body to get rid of something your body made ITSELF! needless to say, they become weak, violently ill, and they more often than not lose every darn hair on their heads. sometimes, they defeat the cancer. but again, more often than not, for reasons that are quite obvious to me, the cancer comes back. but, their hair almost always grows back, unless they’re too far gone.

    it doesn’t grow back right away. it takes time. your body has no energy for that with all the work it has to do to get rid of the radioactivity! now think of all the ddt, pesticides, poisons, and whatnot you’ve been exposed to (they still find ddt in the soil and it hasn’t been used in ages!), especially when you were too young to know the difference or to understand the meaning of the term ‘long-term effects’. your body stores all of that. when it’s cleaned up all of the easy things, it goes for the hardcore things. it takes them from their secure hiding place where they’ve stayed for most of your life and, as with any type of detoxification, it dumps it into your bloodstream to get rid of it. i don’t KNOW that that could cause your hair to fall out…having years and years’ worth of poison dumped into your blood in a relatively short time…but i think it’s a valid deduction.

    unfortunately, when you fix things the RIGHT way, it’s not going to be a quick-fix. and it sucks.

    although, i suppose one could invest in a wig if it got bad enough! ;-) would it be considered vegan to wear a wig made from human hair? lol

  • Wow! Everyone has so much information to share, this is simply wonderful. Now I don’t feel quite so bad about losing my old hair if I’m growing new, healthier hair.

    Yes, I was a big meat eater, actually I used to be a big Atkins follower. And, I colored my hair a couple times a year. Grew up blonde but age and kids have have darkened my hair. I’m also dealing with really long dark roots that I’d love to color but I’ll never do it again.

    I DO have little whispies growing in. Sometimes I look in the mirror and I look like I have a halo. I’ve always had really long hair but a month ago cut it shoulder length to try to hide the thinning. I think next I’ll layer it and go even shorter to give my new hair a chance to catch up and get rid of the bleached blonde. My family has never seen me in short, non-bleach blonde hair, this should be interesting.

    I’m just grateful this doesn’t seem permanent!

  • Wow! Lots of great info here. Another good thing to take for healthy hair is silica. You can get it in all different forms. It’s good for hair, skin & nails. Here’s an article I found about it: http://www.holisticonline.com/Remedies/Hair/hai…

  • aleta- i love the little wispies. i know they’re not ‘good’ in the eyes of my fellow stylists, but, they show me that new hair is growing. they make me really happy! lol

    being a stylist- and you may already know this if you had your hair professionally colored…but layering it will take a lot of the weight out. many times, in thinner hair and ESPECIALLY in visibly thinning hair, it can leave the hair toward the bottom very thin. if you do want some layers, i would tell whomever cuts your hair to use no more than a 45-degree elevation (they’ll know what you’re talking about!); this will build a little volume; it’s the least amount of layering. any more and you risk taking too much hair off the top, and you need that weight toward the bottom to hide the thinness. of course, if you have it done by a professional, they will look at your hair and make a much better assessment than i ever could, being that i don’t know what you look like! lol

    what seems to be best for thinner hair types, in my opinion, is the razored bobs we are seeing everywhere right now. they are actually thinned at the bottom on purpose and have light layering throughout; they are perfect for this hair type.

    just some friendly advice for you to think about…;-) i hate to see people disappointed in their hair. it’s in my blood…lol

  • JoescJoesc Raw Master

    I think I heard alfalfa is good for hair growth and nails. I don’t quite remember. I saw this recipe in Jay Kordich The Juiceman’s Power of Juicing for hair loss prevention. I don’t know if it works, it is not tasty either. 5 to 6 carrots, alfalfa sprout, 4 lettuce leaves juiced. Try it out for awhile and see if it helps.

  • NuttgirlNuttgirl Raw Newbie

    I found this interesting article by a dr. that goes into detail about hair loss and vegan diets. Here is the link:

    http://www.vegsource.com/articles/harris_hair_l…

  • Hi there,
    It is not that I am an expert or anything, but I have been through this. Though I never had really bad alopecia, but it was certainly some heavy-duty hair-loss. I developed an RSI in my hands 3 years ago, suffered for a year then 2 years ago from one day to another I gave up my old diet and started fasting. First I only drank fruit juices, then vegetable juices. After about 5 weeks I started eating again but only raw vegan stuff. Obviously I have been through a lot of things since beforehand I ate everything that people usually do… maybe that is why I had problems with my hands. There is something that we call ‘healing crisis’ in complementary therapies. Remember that with a fast or a raw diet it is not the symptom that you are treating but you are trying to eliminate the bad factors that might be causing problems to you. E.g. my healing crisis presented me with acne, hair loss, diarrhea, bloating… I knew I should start my lovely new healthy life systematically and gradually, but I knew that if I didn’t stop eating and drinking rubbish once and for all, I am never going to change anything. So my body was sending me these messages that “Oy, Bee, u r not being very sensible now!” I simply had to ignore – during the healing crisis a lot of toxins get released , even things that were dormant and happily relaxing… now all this was flushing out at a mad speed, of course the body cannot handle it easily. I don’t take supplements, but I eat an awful lot of greens, seeds and nuts. I receive at least 1 scalp massage a week – often from myself, but sometimes from fellow therapists. So if you don’t want to spend a lot of money on head massages, then DIY. If you need help just let me know. I would really keep up the good work going – what I mean is that I wouldn’t turn away from raw food! Probably I would freak out if I lost an awful lot of hair, but before my raw life I never had a lot of hair anyway. To be honest I have more hair now than ever before. I do apologize for my English, I am new to English, new to raw food and new to this site…
    I hope ur hair will soon be nice and plenty.
    God bless!

  • JoescJoesc Raw Master

    Thanks Nuttgirl, at least I know why my hands are taking on a orange tint. I was beginning to think I had jaundice, it’s the carrots. lol

  • NuttgirlNuttgirl Raw Newbie

    The idea of losing a lot of hair or even seeing bald spots makes the whole situation uneasy. I try not to stress about it but every time I look down I see a more and more hair on my shirt. :(

    I just started adding hemp protein powder and raw maca powder to my green smoothies in hopes that it will decrease the amount of hair I am losing. I’ve been thinking about making a dermatologist apt. too in the next few weeks if I don’t see an improvement.

  • I’ve heard coconut milk and rosemary oil will help grow hair. Put it on then sleep on it.(with a shower cap of course)

  • I was just doing some research on 80/10/10 diet and remembered a theory I heard a while back in regards to fat intake. I know this doesn’t seem to have much to do with this topic but I found something that seems VERY relevant (this is from dietbites.com):

    Fats and oils are a concentrated source of energy and are necessary for good health and fitness. These are some of the side effects that can occur when too much fat is trimmed from the diet:

    1. hair can fall out faster than fleas off of a turkey’s back;
    2. if one is lucky and manages to keep their hair, odds are that it will lose luster and sheen;
    3. nails can become so brittle, or so hard and curly that they can be used as next year’s Christmas ribbon;
    4. without fat, vital organs will lack cushion;

    Fats make up part of all body cells, help us maintain body temperature, and even delay hunger pangs.

    Fats in the form of monounsaturated fat help raise levels of protective HDL cholesterol. Some of the foods that are a good source for monounsaturated fat are the almond and the avocado.

    Polyunsaturated fat is valued for its ability to help lower total cholesterol. Safflower oil has the highest amount of polyunsaturated fat of all the common varieties of oil.

    ....

    Is it possible that your fat intake is actually too low? Maybe adding some coconut oil or more nuts/seeds would be beneficial.

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