Sunday, June 8, 2014

Hair Health | Anemia Damage

Hi Curlies!

In the past year I had some health issues with a fibroid and anemia.  My hair got really thin from excessive shedding due to the anemia.  Fast forward to now and I am no longer severely anemic and my hair is growing back! Yay!  However, it is like growing out a perm all over again.  I have thick curly healthy hair for about 4 inches then its thinner for rest of my hair about 8 inches or so.  

I have decided to document my return to healthy hair as it may help someone else!  There is so much information out there about transitioning from relaxers and/or growing out heat damage, but nothing about dealing with other hair traumas.

I plan on growing my hair for another year and then cutting off the thinner ends.  I will post my progress every 3 months or so and update my weekly routine, if needed.

My current routine is as follows...


  1. Prepoo and gently detangle with coconut oil
  2. Cleanse with either Shea Moisture Moisture Retention Shampoo OR Shea Moisture Coconut Hibiscus Co-Wash
  3. Deep Condition with Shea Moisture Deep Treatment Masque for 30 min with heat
  4. Apply Shea Moisture Transitioning Milk OR Curl & Style Milk as leave-in
  5. Apply Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothing Cream
  6. Twist or Braid and allow to dry
  7. Untwist or unbraid, fluff, and style

Here's my re-growth so far..

December 2013




 May 2014




June 2014




Stay tuned! Next growth check is August 2014! :)

16 comments:

  1. May 2014 I had a blood transfusion because of low blood count brought on by low iron. Believing the symptoms I was experiencing were because of weight gain, it took a bit of time before I recognized that something other than weight was causing my fatigue, fast heart rate, and a slew of other issues. I'd noticed for months that I'd been shedding a great deal of hair, last weekend, after washing my hair the amount of shedding was overwhelming. Growing my natural hair since 2009 has been a labor of love that has been set back with my, what I consider, extreme hair loss. After looking at your photos and reading your story I have faith that my thick, long and gorgeous hair will return with a vengeance. Thank you for being willing to tell your story and your success.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Tiffany,
    Thank you for reading my blog. I'm am so glad it has given you faith; that's exactly why I'm doing it! YES! Your hair will come back when the anemia is treated. Your story sounds just like mine. A large fibroid was causing my anemia and I had to have surgery...which was a success! Thanks to God and my surgeon! I take iron twice a day and see a hematologist every 6 months. I was so worried my hair would not return thick like it used to but it is! Again I'm so glad to have helped you! :-). ~Chara

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. MsCurlyBarbie
      How long after you started taking your iron supplements did you start to see your hair recuperate from iron deficiency? I've been taking iron twice a day since the end of May. Since the shedding I was experiencing wasn't as intense as what took place this weekend, I thought I'd dodged a bullet in the hair loss department. With this past weekends drastic hair loss I know now that the hair loss must have been delayed for some reason. As you can imagine, I am a bit sick.

      Any information you are willing to provide will be greatly appreciated.

      Delete
    2. Tiffany,

      I had a transfusion in Feb 2013. My surgeon put me on a medication to stop my periods and iron 2x per day in May. By August I had 1/2 inch new growth. It's been steadily growing since the surgery and even having my periods back.

      Do you know the source of your anemia and low iron? Fibroids?

      Delete
  3. Thank you ever so much for your information. I am grateful! I've been trying to get back to you for over a month but...Anyway, I know that my body does not process iron well plus, I do not eat iron rich foods ever. I should have been taking iron regularly for years but didn't fully understand the seriousness of iron deficiency. My blood levels had been gradually falling over the years but I didn't recognize the symptoms of my condition until after they were pointed out to me; in hindsight it all makes sense.

    Since my transfusion, I have been diligent with my iron, vitamins, and calcium supplements. Lesson learned!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad to hear you are taking iron and improving! And your are welcome! This is exactly why I put this in my blog; I knew I wasn't the only woman suffering and gong through this.
      I go see my hematologist in Monday for my six month check in; hopefully this will be my last visit and maybe I can do iron 1x per day instead of 2.

      Keep in touch!
      Chara :-)

      Delete
  4. Hi Chara,
    Thank you for your post. I have been anemic for over 4 years (vegetarian diet and being a woman.) Last December, 2014 I found out my HB was 5 and my ferritin was 3. My doc didn't want to order transfusion because he said treating the underline problem was better. He put me on a 3-times a day iron supplements, vb12, and folic acids, multivitamin. I only took the iron because I really hate taking pills. Well 3 months later, my hair started shedding like crazzzy. It was so scary that I called my pcp the a week after the shedding began. I was of course told it was due to iron deficiency. so since February up until now the shedding is still going but it has decreased in amount. what bothers me the most is the texture change in my hair. it's like I don't recognize my hair. its so hard to take care of. it has come to be so dry and brittle. so my question is, did you experience change in your hair texture? if so what did you do to help it and does it get better?

    Thank you for all your encouragements!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi Chara,
    Thank you for your post. I have been anemic for over 4 years (vegetarian diet and being a woman.) Last December, 2014 I found out my HB was 5 and my ferritin was 3. My doc didn't want to order transfusion because he said treating the underline problem was better. He put me on a 3-times a day iron supplements, vb12, and folic acids, multivitamin. I only took the iron because I really hate taking pills. Well 3 months later, my hair started shedding like crazzzy. It was so scary that I called my pcp the a week after the shedding began. I was of course told it was due to iron deficiency. so since February up until now the shedding is still going but it has decreased in amount. what bothers me the most is the texture change in my hair. it's like I don't recognize my hair. its so hard to take care of. it has come to be so dry and brittle. so my question is, did you experience change in your hair texture? if so what did you do to help it and does it get better?

    Thank you for all your encouragements!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Hope!

      You're welcome! Thank you for reading my blog! Yes, I experienced texture change in my hair for a while; it was really dry and shedding. However, after my iron level came back to normal my hair started regrowing healthy. I don't like taking pills either but I need to for my health. It took a year to get my levels to normal. Now I only take iron during my cycle and a multivitamin every day (at least when I remember). I deep condition once per week and do protein treatment once per month.

      Your hair won't recover unless your iron levels are increased to normal. You have to heal from the inside as well. Hope that helps!

      Delete
  6. Thank you for your response! And yes, I'm taking all my supplements and vitamins as I'm supposed to. And I am following up with my doc to make sure my iron level is going up to normal. Hopefuly with time, my hair will go back to being healthy too.

    Thanks again and I will keep you posted with my progress :)

    -Hope

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Great to hear! It will get back to normal just takes time and patience. Keep me posted :-)

      Delete
  7. Hi Chara,
    As I promised, here is an update ( hopefully it will help someone out there, as your story has helped me)
    My diffuse hair shedding started in February 15. It was shedding excessively and didn't stop until April. I lost lot of hair, but what made it so much more worse was the change in texture. My hair had nice texture with nice curls. All of the sudden it became lifeless, very brittle and dry. Fast forward to now (October 15) shedding has completely stopped. Lots and lots of new growth. Texture is still kind of off, it is better though. It feels like going natural after having relaxed hair. I don't want to do a big chop to make it even because I would literally have an afro and I don't know how I would style that. So I have two different length and texture and dealing with it... well, it is not fun. But I'm letting it grow a little and I will cut it. So for anyone going through something similar to this, don't worry it will get better with time, and be patient.
    Btw, Chara, did you have what seems to be like crinkle split ends during the recovery period?

    And thank you for all the information and support you have provided!!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hi Hope! I'm so glad you updated me! Thank you! I'm glad to hear that your hair is growing back in thick and healthy.

    Yes, my ends were scraggly and awful looking; I was so happy to cut them off. During my transition phase I learned so much about my hair. It's low porous meaning hard to moisturize and its protein sensitive. I've been reading a lot about using steam when you deep condition your hair to lock in moisture. So that's my next adventure. Lol.

    I'll be updating my blog more over the Christmas break. Thanks again for staying in touch, reading my blog, and being an inspiration! ����

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hi MsCurlyBarbie. I was diagnosed with anemia in February and was in the hospital for 3 days and had to have a blood transfusion. I'm taking my iron pills, increased my water intake, co-wash and deep condition every week, use castor and other hair growth oils and hair, nails and skin pills. With everything I'm doing I still don't notice any new growth or hair difference. My hair is really thin because of the anemia and I'm getting discouraged that my hair won't go back to how it used to be. How long did it take you to notice any type of growth. I'm so afraid I'll be stuck with this thin hair.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Laketa!

      Thank you for reading. Your story sounds exactly like mine. I will tell you it does get better. It's a slow process. It took 2 years before I had enough thick healthy new growth to cut the damaged ends off. I haven't been great at updating my blog. Sounds like you are doing everything right just be patient; which is the hardest part. I will say that my hair is 100% the same thickness before the anemia damage buts about 80%. I'll take that over what it was like with the damage. I hope that is helpful! Thank you for reading!

      Delete
    2. Thank you. This gives me hope. I'm tired of wearing only wash n go styles just to make it look fuller than what it really is. Yes being patient is the hardest for me. Thanks again!

      Delete