How can you tell if your hair is going to grow back from traction alopecia?

First, if you don’t stop damaging it, you won’t be able to tell.  So let it go natural for a while and then see what grows back.

Tips for growing hair back from traction alopecia

1.) Use scalp/hair oil.

2.) Eat plenty of healthy foods or consider taking multi-vitamins with iron.

3.) Don’t smoke or be around smoky areas.

4.) Relax!  Stress can cause hair loss and it won’t help your hair grow back.

5.) Find a new hairstyle you’re comfortable with.  The easier and more comfortable your transition to natural is, the more likely you will be to stick with it!

If you’ve already let it grow for 6 months and it’s not coming back, it could be permanent hair loss.  Either way, see a doctor who is familiar with hair loss to make sure that traction alopecia is the cause.  And don’t spend tons of money on so-called miracle oils, creams, etc. – check out this video explaining more on hair products that help women (or men) go natural.

Having known for a while about the connection between weaves, braids and hair loss, I’m more impressed by the fact that finally someone has taken a look at African American women’s health and the connection to hair loss.  One of my biggest pet peeves is that people are so quick to accept the most common answer for their hair loss and therefore miss important medical checks.

The bottom line is that even if you have braids, weaves or ponytails and suffer hair loss, you should not be complacent about having a proper medical check up.  Check out our newly updated pages on traction alopecia.

The first two are of Naomi Campbell and it seems like this hair loss is from weaves and lace front wigs.  You can see she’s got a chance to grow it back in some places, but possibly not in others.  When the skin is bare, it could mean permanent hair loss.  You can also see the difference between hair loss from a weave (hair is missing in the front and sides) and from a ponytail (hair loss is in a different pattern.

Before You Decide on a Hair Transplant

1.) Get blood tests.  The cause of your hair loss could be reversible with vitamins, minerals or diet change.

2.) Visit your regular medical doctor.  It’s possible some kind of medical problem is causing your hair loss, so until you have a full bill of health, it’s not a good idea to get a permanent solution to what might be a temporary problem.  Also do an assessment of any medications you may be taking that could cause hair loss, such as antidepressants, hormones or other medications.

3.) Assess your hair loss changes with a specialist doctor in hair loss.  Once you have determined you are otherwise healthy, you can look into other problems that may be causing your hair loss.  Once the doctor determines that it’s irreversible hair loss, then you can move on to getting a hair transplant.

4.) Find a hair transplant specialist.  Look online and get recommendations and pictures.  Visit and then decide.  If you don’t feel comfortable, change doctors.  A hair transplant is a sensitive procedure.

Consumers who relied on Dr. Lee’s Minoxidil will have to find another source for their minoxidil.  Hopefully, they will do the right thing and go to their doctors for consultation.  With a prescription, you can by 15% minoxidil in the US, so maybe this will give people the motivation to consult their doctors.

BUY Azelaic Acid online!

Image: graur razvan ionut / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

1. Your minoxidil might be fake if did not buy it from the manufacturer/maker – e.g. you bought Kirkland brand Minoxidil on e-Bay or got some other store brand, but not from the store (Costco).  You can buy generic Minoxidil at reputable sites, even if you want to ship to the UK from the US.  E-Bay and Amazon.com are not recommended.
2. Your product is inferior.  Some signs that your product may be fake are that foam may turn to liquid, liquid may seem watered down, the product has a different smell, consistency and texture than Minoxidil you bought from a store.
3. The effects of the Minoxidil dramatically change when switching between brands.  Given that they are the same (or should be) exact formula, there’s no reason that switching should increase hair loss.
4. Be particularly wary of 15% minoxidil sellers.  In many places 15% minoxidil is illegal to sell without a prescription.  Sellers of Minoxidil know this and deliberately offer people inferior (or just plain fake) product since they know that the person is less likely to pursue legal recourse.
5. Foam minoxidil DOES NOT COME IN GENERIC.  If you have purchased “generic foam minoxidil” you have probably purchased an inferior product.  As of late, Indian pharmacies have not begun producing this product, so if you have generic foam minoxidil, there’s a good chance it’s fake.

If you want to use minoxidil, it’s fine to buy generic minoxidil or get discount minoxidil be wary!  Order minoxidil or purchase minoxidil only from reputable sites.  Getting “cheap minoxidil” is not worth putting yourself at risk.  You can always Google the name of the site you are looking to buy from to see what other consumers say!

1. Hold the bottle of minoxidil foam upside down.
2. Press the bottle against your head (the nozzle part).
3. Gently and slowly spray.
4. Move it around your head slowly.
5. Don’t use too much, it’s Minoxidil, not hair mousse.
6. It should come out thick & foamy and then be absorbed, if you have white residue, try spraying slower.
7. Foam Minoxidil shouldn’t be drippy – if it’s drippy try shaking your bottle more or even stopping during application to shake again.
8. Don’t put it in while your hair is all the way wet.

If you find that it’s too tricky to use, try switching to liquid minoxidil, it’s cheaper anyways and you can buy that in generic.

Thanks to Steve P. (Akron, OH) & Hunter B. (Fullerton, CA) for the tips!

Aussie **Didn’t like**
Leave-In Conditioner, Hair Insurance – 8 fl oz

TIGI Bed Head
Superstar Volumizing Leave-In Conditioner – 6.76 fl oz

KMS California
Moistrepair Leave-In Conditioner

Alberto VO5
Daily Weightless, Leave-In Conditioner – 10 fl oz

Avlon
KeraCare Leave-In Conditioner – 4 fl oz

Sexy Hair Concepts
Healthy Sexy Hair Soy-Tri-Wheat Leave In Conditioner – 8.5 fl oz

Rusk  **I liked this one a lot**
Sensories Brilliance Grapefruit & Honey Color Protecting Leave-in Conditioner – 8.5 fl oz

Biolage by Matrix  **I liked this one a lot**
Daily Leave-In Tonic – 13.5 fl oz

Infusium 23 **I liked this one a lot**
Leave-In Treatment 3, Repair & Renew

Rusk **I liked this one a lot**
Sensories Calm Detangler, Leave-In – 8.5 fl oz

Nexxus
Dualiste Dual-Benefit Leave-In Spray, Color Protection + Intense Hydration – 7.5 fl oz

Hair conditioning spray is useful for a number of conditions.  It is useful for the following situations: dry hair, hair breaking off at the roots, traction alopecia (that is curable), preventing traction alopecia, hair thinning/loss due to dietary issues (vitamin b deficiencies, iron deficiency (anemia), hair loss from smoking cigarettes or marijuana, hair loss from a chemical (once exposure to toxin ends),  and male or female pattern hair loss.

How does leave-in hair conditioner or work?

For each condition, there are components of the hair conditioning spray (or leave-in conditioner, or shine enhancer).  Here’s a few examples of ingredients and what they do (just some I have used before).

Some Hair Conditioning Ingredients & What They Do:

Panthenol – Conditions hair and prevents breakage due to fragility.

Wheat Proteins – Protect hair from the outside and smooths out breakage or split ends and also prevents split ends.

Keratin – Works in a similar way as wheat proteins to strengthen hair.

Borage Oil (& other Omega 3 oils) – This oil is an Omega-3 and can help people with male pattern baldness or other hair falling out issues.  It can prevent hair loss and even encourage hair regrowth.

Vitamins – Watch out for vitamin B, biotin, vitamin E and other assorted vitamins in hair conditioning sprays.  Vitamins applied directly to hair don’t work on the root, but they can help.  However, it’s important to remember that if you are having a problem with the absorption of vitamins (being sick), then adding them topically isn’t fixing the source of your problem.

If your hair oil comes in a bottle, put some into your hands about the size of a quarter.  Rub your hands together and apply from the back of your neck and up.  Try not to apply it from the front to back because it tends not to reach the roots.  Just like the spray, you should put it on areas where you want hair to grow.  If you’re balding, it can also weigh down your hair and make it seem greasy if you are not careful to apply just a little bit at a time.