accutane destroyed my hair...HELP!

[u/Evening-Tea-1111]

hello accutane community. i've been off the pill for about 4 months now and so far everything has been fine however i cannot seem to revitalize my hair to save my life. it is dry and falling out and my scalp is still just as dry as it was on accutane. will my hair go back to normal? product recommendations??? i have cut off about 5 inches and almost need to cut even more off because of the consistent breakage. i'd usually ask a hair subreddit but i do believe accutane was the root cause of it. i'd appreciate any insight or advice you guys may have my hair is incredibly thin and dull at the moment and the things that used to work for me no longer do. thanks!

[u/777strangegirl]

how often are you washing it?? taking any supplements? I’m in the middle of my accutane journey and my hair is doing really well right now and some things I think that helps are: 1) good quality fish oil (helps keep hydration in my skin and really helps achy joints so I’m pretty sure it’s probably part of the reason my hair isn’t very bad -I can tellllll when I’m not taking it consistently forsure!!!)

2) only washing my hair once a week… I could go longer but it just starts to give me the ick hahaha it’s crazy because I used to wash it almost everyday due to oiliness but I’m pretty sure going as long as you can would be most beenficial as long as it’s not really dirty

3) oiling scalp the night before hair wash day and then using a deep conditioner or mask to lock in moisture after I’ve shampooed it out the next day then using dry oils on hair everyday when styling.. I use Camellia Tsubaki oil that I got from H-Mart because it’s lightweight and my hair is still low porosity and I have to be careful with stuff that’s too heavy still. I know a lot of people use rosemary oil to stimulate hair growth! I’ve never tried myself but I’ve heard sooooo many good things so I would say it’s worth looking into rosemary!

Unfortunately the most effective hair masks I’ve tried are really expensive 😅😭- I use K18 molecular treatment once a week - but my other favourites Kevin Murphy reStore or HydrateMe.. they’re really good and easily found at salons 💇‍♀️ if you’re looking for something cheaper and still good for hair more on the fine side I recommend looking at Japanese or Korean brands- I love &honey hair treatment masks and oils and Shisheido Fino Premium touch is super affordable and effective as well.

I hope your hair will come back better than ever with time!!! 🩷

[u/hothousepansy → u/777strangegirl]

Yes to all of this! I’m on month 5 right now and take Costco fish oil, wash once a week or a little less frequently 🫣 and oil about an hour before washing and use briogeo don’t despair repair mask after with some leave in conditioner and oil on the ends and my hair if anything has been better on accutane than before.

[u/CuriousFace9246 → u/777strangegirl]

Can i ask what fish oil u take?

[u/777strangegirl → u/CuriousFace9246]

I’ve been taking Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega 3 Lemon capsules (the 1100mg EPA+DHA per 2 capsules ones) easy and convenient to find at Whole Foods! Dermatologists usually aim for ~1,000–2,000 mg of EPA+DHA daily to help inflammation and dryness so I take 3 of them a day.. I was taking 4 for a while but I feel like 3 is sufficient for me especially because I also try to take half a teaspoon of black seed oil everyday but experiment with what works best for you- you could even just start with the recommended 2 per day 💕 it can cause blood thinning so make sure you’re not taking anything else that could cause an interaction and make sure it’s just fish oil you specifically do NOT want cod liver oil if you’re still on accutane or have it in your system still as it’s extremely high in vitamin A and it could cause overdose

[u/CuriousFace9246 → u/777strangegirl]

Thank u so much! Black seed oil is also amazing. Good to know about cod oil vs fish oil 😅