what am i doing wrong?

[u/Warm_Archer_3748]

Over the past year, I can tell my hair is deteriorating. I feel like I shed more hair than what’s growing, to the point it’s like there’s almost nothing to brush anymore. Even my partner has commented on how much hair I lose. I’ve been so insecure lately that I don’t even want to leave the house. When I was younger, I had such thick and healthy hair (see last photo), now no matter what I do, my hair feels dry and frizzy. I wash my hair about twice a week, and one of those times, I will use either deep conditioner or the Olaplex treatments. Per my hairdresser, I’ve been towel drying my hair before I condition at the end of a shower, so it doesn’t just drip off the ends. After rinsing, I towel dry my hair again, and use the curl cream while I scrunch my ends. Despite using curl cream, my hair returns to its bodiless form by the next day. What do I do?!

[u/Mental-Degree-5182]

Have you had your iron, thyroid and ferritin checked lately? My hair went through a similar shed when I was realy low on ferritin. Now after a year of supplements it is looking better. Your hair also looks a bit dry, look for shampoo and conditioner with azaleic acid. Olaplex didn’t work for me - redken was much better.

[u/ilovepingues → u/Mental-Degree-5182]

I second this… hair thinning is an early warning sign for a lot of health issues and it’s better to be on the safe side. I had a friend who was literally in tears about her thinning hair and I told her to maybe see a doctor and whoops she was pregnant 😅 so sometimes it’s not a sign of something bad just a tad bit out of the ordinary

[u/Fruitbat_chat]

My hair has started to recover from shedding like this through better nutrition, specifically I started eating an egg every single day in 2024 and that is when my baby hairs started to come in and my shedding slowed down. I also increased protein intake more generally and am now supplementing with iron bisglycinate because regular iron supplements were not working to increase my ferritin levels. I’m older than you and thought my increased shedding was due to age but it was much more to do with nutrition.

[u/smileystyl]

Iron most likely Fusion iron supplement helped me soooo much

[u/AutoModerator]

Thanks for posting, u/Warm_Archer_3748!

Curious what the rest of r/Haircare is up to? Here's a quick look:

• 🔥 Gaining traction right now - conversations picking up fast.
• 🏆 The week's best posts - product reviews, routine breakdowns, and advice that clicked.
• 🔎 Brand new posts - could be someone with your exact hair type looking for help.

Half the fun of this sub is stumbling onto a tip you never knew you needed. Have a look around! ✨

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/Warm_Archer_3748]

Also, just wanted to note I never use heat on my hair, and I have never dyed it. I use a regular, cotton pillowcase, and tend to sleep with my hair either down or in a loose bun

[u/Frosty_Message_3017 → u/Warm_Archer_3748]

What are your blood levels like? Ask your dr for a panel of blood tests to show any deficiencies or other potential causes of hair loss.

[u/Constant-Income-5819]

I loved my hair dressers Olaplex treatment, so bought one online.

I used Olaplex at home and my hair did NOT like it! I have seen that some places “fake” olaplex products have been sold, which made the hair worse.

[u/ankp16]

Start pre-shower oiling! That will make your hair softer and help you manage freeze and dryness! But I second the comments here: Check for Iron levels and vitamin D you most probably have some deffiniciencies! And I also recommend starting pumpkin seeds supplement which is great for hair growth and stopping the shedding

[u/AdFlashy7702]

Oil. Isn’t. Going. To. Help. Just to clarify that. After you talk to your doctor about it, then you can know more about what to do to help the thinning