Help for bald patches…
Over the past few weeks I’ve had a lot of readers email me about randomly occurring bald/problem patches. Here are some excerpts:
“My hair is 3 textures, the front- wavy, middle- tightly coiled and back- loose coil. I have been natural for about two years and the middle is still a piece of work and it’s not growing like the rest of my hair. The middle seems to be thin and not as full as the rest of my hair, so when I wear twists it looks uneven. I am contemplating cutting off my hair and starting over.” ~Delani
“So I was going through my hair and noticed a nickle sized bald spot. OMG! Then as I went through my head I noticed a lot of thinning (darn near bald) in the front of my head. The right side of my head is thinner than the right side and I’m afraid to know if there’s more. I know henna can dry the hair out. Maybe I was washing too much (I would wash/co-wash sometimes 3 times a week), or using to many new products without waiting to wean the old product out. Maybe the henna did dry my hair out and make it brittle. So now I don’t know where to pin point the problem. This scared the daylights out of me, and so it’s back to the basics.” ~La’Tesa
For a long time my ‘problem patch’ was a couple inches above the nape of my neck. It just wouldn’t grow. As my moisture and strengthening/conditioning regimen improved, it started to grow out and I don’t even notice it anymore. Covering my head at night helped things drastically too.
What about you guys, do you have problem patches? How do you work with them?
This time last year, a large area at the back of my scalp, on the left side, was completely bald (like a vulture). This was caused by stress from my previous job. Stress can cause your hair to fall out, or bring about bald patches. I didn’t notice this for a while until one day I was styling my hair and found an area which felt silky to the touch, this was the completely bald part of my head.
Now, once I had left that organisation, my hair started to recover, miraculously, even the texture changed. Sometimes you don’t realise how stressed you are until your body becomes affected in one way or the other.
Another thing is stress on the hair, continual pulling and tension on some hair folicles can lead to bald spots. This can be caused by braids and other hair styles that constantly pull on the hair’s roots.
Hair fall or bald spots are known as alopecia. There are different forms of alopecia. Some can be caused by chemicals damaging the hair follicles, others can be caused by stress to the hair and scalp, post-pregnancy hair shedding, emotional stress, weather, hereditary factors etc
I think the best thing to do is keep the area moisturised, particularly if the hair in that area is coarser than other parts of the scalp. A few years ago, I used to massage my scalp when applying hair oils, in order to increase the blodd flowing to the hair follicles.
I have heard that henna can dry hair only if you use acids with it. You could add a lot of olive and coconut oil and use plain water to make your henna and nothing else: many people say it works as long as you you the kind of oil that penetrates the hair shaft (=olive and coconut). Vinegar, lemon and so on dry hair out if used often or with henna and they are not necessary. A DC with a good deep conditioner right after henna is also very helpful. Dryness from henna is also often due to the fact that the product is not completely removed from the hair when people rinse it out. Some people use 1 full bottle of cheap conditioner to make sure to rinse it all out.
I have also heard that henna should be used max. every 2 weeks, with a wash in between.
Another thing that could help is oil rinses and less manipulation. I wash / detangle / deep condition once a week and that’s it. The rest of the week I moisturize every night section by section and I never use a comb.
The top of my head is a major problem! It is very thin compared to the rest of my head. I have veen doing protective styling all winter but the twists up top are so spread out due to the thinness. I have been using castor oil all winter but no major changes yet.
Focus only on applying diluted shampoo to the scalp when I wash, and co-wash the length. Massage daily, especially at night, with natural oils and 1-2 essential oils that stimulate the follicles. Rosemary and peppermint are most popular.
Limit washing to once a week, increase deep conditioning to at least once a week also.
If you are using henna, cowash the henna out (may need to cowash 3-4x) to make sure all the paste and residue has been removed. Do a deep condition post-henna or within 10days of using it to make sure you restore the moisture, especially if its your first henna application. Hair condition usually improves with successful henna treatments.
Try to reduce any or ALL tension on the scalp. No braids or cornrows. limit use of accessories that require tension application, even some types of scarves and headbands.
Castor oil massage on the areas has done the best recovery for me thus far.
Hope this was helpful!
Blessings
Lina
I have a problem patch on the left part of the back of my head. I actually cut off all my hair hoping things would get better by just starting over completely – didnt work. But I’m focusing on keeping my hair moisturized so hopefully I will see some improvements soon.
I know a lot of people are going to say their hair isn’t growing as fast in these spots but in most cases it’s growing just fine; it’s just not retaining length. I have a problem patch in the back right of my head that’s about 2″ shorter than the rest of my hair, and that’s because the strands there are extremely fragile and really need to be left completely alone. Fat chance, lol…though I’m thinking about putting in small twists this weekend.
If I were in your shoes, I would see a dermatologist. If they don’t diagnose you with any serious problems, then check your haircare methods. Are you combing/brushing too roughly? Perhaps you might be allergic to a particular product ingredient. I personally advocate natural products like coconut oil, shea butter, etc. You can’t go TOO wrong with those. Drugstore products work for some, but also contain man-made chemicals that may not be good for everyone.
Last time my hair started thinning and falling out, I knew the perm was the culprit. With natural hair, it’s not that easy to pinpoint.
Castor Oil, helped me greatly!!
Castor oil, rosemary essential oil, glycerin, and water mixed is great for stimulating hair growth and thickening. I did this everyday for 3 months and noticed changed. Hair elixers with sulfur and serums from Bee Mine Products, Sweet Nature By Eddie, and Boundless Tresses really get the hair growing. Especially bald spots, I cannot rave enough about these products.
Thank you ladies so much! The input is soooo helpful.
@ BlaqInfinite, I was thinking maybe I was allergic to an ingredient too. And you’re right it’s hard to pin point with natural hair. I have NEVER had problems with bald spots while permed.
I just purchased most of the all-natural items you ladies just mentioned. And I am now wearing my second week of mini-twist. I plan to spritz, massage, and moisture away. I love my natural community. Muah
Last year October I noticed a small, sunken bald spot on the crown of my head. I pannicked at first but then remembered that I had a similar situation 7 years ago, which the dermatologist diagnosed then as alopecia areata. At that time, she had told me that in my case, it was as a result of major worry and stress. Last year, prior to my noticing the bald spot, indeed I underwent major emotional stress for several months on end. I did some online research on natural remedies for hair loss and was determined to try anything natural even if it seemed ridiculous. I learned that cutting an onion or clove of garlic and massaging the area with this about an hour before shampooing (or overnight)was one treatment. Apparently, these too spices are highly sulphuric which counters hair loss. Also,capsicum was another recommended herb. I used a suggested mixture of organic cayenne pepper (sold at the grocery) and extra virgin olive oil to rub on the affected area every night and within months my hair has gradually filled out the patch……I no longer have the bald spot…last month I realized that it had completely filled out! I also would steep some rosemary in boiled water for half hour and then cool and spritz on the spot and massage. Prior to my exercise I would also occassionaly rub onion on the scalp. To be honest, I’m not sure which remedy was responsible for the re-growth. I say it’s Jesus because I prayed and whenever I’d doubt the re-growth, i’d just pray whilst massaging the cayenne pepper in. Give it a try and see.
I had almost similar problem, although I dont think it was caused by Henna, genetically baldness runs in my family. I went online and did some research and found the wonders of fenugreek http://hubpages.com/hub/How_to_Fight_Hair_Loss_and_Balding_with_Fenugreek. Its a herb used mainly in Indian cuisine and I figured what do I have to lose. So I asked my Indian coworker for the hook up and she gave me some seeds. I have not looked back sense. I apply the following mixture twice monthly and have gotten outstanding results:
Feungreek paste
Olive Oil/Almond Oil
Castor Oil
I apply and leave on for 1 -2 hrs.
Then deep conditioner. I then oil my scalp with Black Castor Oil mixture (black castor oil, castor oil, jojoba oil, lavendar oil) and twist.
I also boiled the fenugreek seeds in coconut oil and apply that to my scalp during the initial onset of baldness as my scalp was very tender and itchy.
Im telling you I have see a vast improvement and everything is natural and inexpensive. Now this could work for me and not anybody else but I just thought I would share. Good luck
Oh I forgot to add to make the paste ( incase you are interested) I just soak the fenugreek seeds in water overnight, drain off the water and then blend. It takes some washing out when you are done to get the little pieces out and it has a slight ‘curry smell’ but once you DC it all goes away and it is so worth it.
I developed a bald patch from the netting circle in too tight wigs, made a circle rub spot.
I just started using Omega Gold Shea and 6 Plus Growth Cream, No. 2 by Nature’s Naturals (an all organic and natural formulation). AND my hair is growing, even around the edges in teh front that had been thinning. Prior to that I had used Castor Oil but did not get the effects that I do with these two combincations.
You can look at the site at http://www.chatto.com for more information about the alopecia products.
I have female pattern baldness that was made worse by birth control pills. every time i washed my hair i would see about thirty strands in each hand from the top of my head. it was so thin i had to wear a comb over and scarves to hide it. my mother and grandmother also have thinning hair but not as bad as mine was so I went to the doc and switched my pills to a low hormone pill and my hair is growing back. when i touch the top i no longer feel skin i feel fluffs of hair. a lot of doctors wont tell you that a side effect of BC can be hair loss untill it is too late so it may be something to consider. thank god im not a total baldy anymore i got sick of ppl at work touching my bald spot and asking what happened.
After reading the question of the day on “bald pathces” I decided to check my head to see what I would find. Sure enough, I have a bald patch in the middle of my head. I am natural for four months now and I am still trying to figure this out. I did however, put color in my hair which probaly was a mistake and I am a product junky. Now that I have found this patch in my head…I’m sure my stress level has just doubled because I want to be successful and grow my hair. I will try not to stress about it and just continue to keep it moisturied with shea/coconut oil & castor oil. I have been massaging that area as often as I can to get the blood flowing. Wish me luck!! I love this website…you guys rock!!!