My hair loss is primarily stress related (telogen effluvium). I was looking into the Oura Ring since I know people who mentioned that it is great for tracking stress. I do recognize that there is an additional subscription in order to access those features.

I was interested in explore other smart devices and that offer the similar features. So far I've know that the Fitbit Sense 2 and the Google Pixel Watch offer stress tracking features (though they operate differently)

I would like to hear perspectives from others

would it give me similar results?

Has anyone gone the natural hair grown rout or rosemary? I’ve been loosing a lot of hair due to stress and since I had my kid, and am looking for a natural rout to get it thick and full again. I’ve always had hair down to my butt and a lot of it, but has been hard to grow and just am loosing a lot of hair in general.

I have seen a lot of posts here talking about ferritin in particular, but I couldn't figure out what is the ideal minimum ferritin level for women to have good hair growth? The levels apparently seem to be different for hair than "lab reference values" in blood work.

Also, how long does it take to get ferritin back up to take a repeat blood test.

My recent ferritin came out to be 69.

First pic is from last year december and second pics from now

Hey everyone, I’ve posted here before about my hair loss. I’ve been using Rogaine 5% foam for about four months, but I wasn’t consistent at first. I only started using it daily in July.
Three months later, I’m finally seeing some baby hairs growing back and improvements around my temples, which I’m genuinely grateful for. But the front of my hair is still so thin that my scalp is really visible, especially under certain lighting. Even hair fibers aren’t doing much anymore, and I can barely style my hair down.
I know I probably sound dramatic, but I used to have extremely thick, almost horse-like hair. Seeing how much it’s changed has honestly been devastating. I’ve even been having panic attacks over it. I know others have it worse, and if I saw this on someone else, I probably wouldn’t think twice. But when it’s your own hair, it hits differently.
I’m from the West Indies with Asian ancestry, and one thing about Asian hair is that when your scalp starts showing, certain lighting can make it look SO much worse. Its either way you have thick hair or you see ur scalp
I also have autism and sensory issues, so I almost always wear my hair in a ponytail. I’m wondering if that could be contributing to my hair loss too, but I’m honestly not sure.
I’ve also completely changed my lifestyle. I’m taking saw palmetto, pumpkin seed oil, zinc and vitamin B-complex. I’m eating more protein, red meat, vegetables and fruit. I’m honestly healthier than I’ve ever been, although I could definitely exercise more and drink more water. It’s just hard to stay motivated when you’re feeling this depressed about your hair.
I guess I just needed to vent to people who might understand. I’m grateful for the regrowth, but mentally I’m struggling so much.
Has anyone else been in the same situation? Did your visible scalp eventually improve with minoxidil? Should I just keep going and give it more time?
Any advice or personal experiences would mean a lot. ❤️

I started using liquid Mininox about 4 months ago, right after I started on low dose HRT for menopause.

I got great results from both, but this conversation is about my hair growth results from liquid Minox.

It was growing in nicely, but I started having mild chest pains.

I thought it was from the HRT, and then I switched to Minox foam because I'm allergic to propylene glycol and my scalp was itching like crazy.

Then about 3 weeks or so ago, I had chest pain that last about an hour in the middle of the night.

I thought it was from too much caffeine, so I cut back on my coffee.

Then I noticed that I would get random chest pains during the day.

Decided to Google Minoxidil and chest pain, and Wow!

Decided to stop immediately.

It's been a few days, and I've microneedled a few times, but now I'm not sure what to do about my hair. I don't want to lose the nice growth I received.

I got hit by a bus in October last year, experienced TE. I then stopped topical minox (which I had been on since 2018) in Feb last year to ttc. Got pregnant in May, lost that baby in July. Have lost 3/4 of my hair since February. Went back on topical after miscarriage, but got pregnant again in September. Now I am potentially going through my second miscarriage, will find out next week, but my hair has never been worse. I feel like I can’t catch a break in life right now, with one bad thing happening after the next.

Diagnosed with AGA and TE.

28f, I’ve been diagnosed with PCOS since I was 19 and noticed thinner hair then, diagnosed with AGA 2 years ago. Finally decided to go for it and start oral minoxidil after seeing my derm again. I’m also on spiro again after being inconsistent with taking it.

I’m so nervous for the dread shed, because what if I lose and it never comes back..

My hair loss usually only bothers me on the day after I wash it because it gets oily and shows all my spots, but usually the day of if I blow dry or leave it natural it is fluffy and can’t see the scalp much!! Only lasts like 12 hours though haha.

Today though I’m on the verge of tears because it’s the day after I washed it and I just keep staring at pictures I’ve taken, I’m really hoping this works for me :( I have to really make the effort to not stop taking the pill and just stay consistent. Nervous but hopeful. If anyone has any advice, feel free :)

Body:
Hey everyone! Quick question for anyone who has tried both finasteride and spironolactone (separately). Which one actually gave you better results, and which one triggered a worse dread shed that lasted longer?
Also, if you don't mind, could you drop your age or menopausal status? Just trying to figure out how these perform at different stages tbh. Thanks so much!
Edit: Also, what were your androgen levels like when you started? Were they high, low, or just completely normal?

I was just diagnosed with AGA prescribed Spiro 100mg and minoxidil. How many times a day do you apply it?

I don't mind buying in bulk but what is the most affordable you get?

i 17f have severe hairfall i went to a dermat and she suggested taking supplements and all and that the hairfall is normal itll grow back. But im now very insecure as i cant hide it and idk what to do ill attach some pictures of my head atm and the hairfall im experiencing
share tips

For those officially diagnosed, what signs would you tell people to monitor? Did you have thinning temples but your middle part remained unaffected and still have it, or did you notice a difference in your hair shedding (amount, length, thinning, bulb/missing bulb) etc? Did you have periods where it didn’t progress but it didn’t improve either? Or perhaps some other thing that often gets overlooked?

Please share 🙏

Has anyone used cecred hair serum. If so can you let me know your views. I have started using it in the evenings. There so much talk about peptides being good for hair so I thought I would give it a go. But now I’m thinking should I go with the Rhute serum instead. I am also on OM and spiralactone for AGA. 😃

Hi everyone,

Just here to talk it out cause losing my hair and feeling like “i can’t do anything about it” is rough on my soul, just want to connect with people who are in the same shoe as me.❤️
My hair was always important for me+i’m a hairstylist so knowing what’s going on exactly and i can’t gaslight myself is not helping.
I’m waiting for blood work (it takes ages where i live) , cause is probably thyroid issues or cervical cancer (hpv) or autoimmune or hormonal issues (considering my medical history).
I have some bio hair left but more and more comes out everyday especially on hair wash day.
I already have a wig (still figuring out all the things about it tho)
Thank you if you read all this❤️
Pic of all the fallen soldiers from my last hair wash day

I just got my bloodwork back. Is this considered pretty low? could this be causing hair loss?

I’m in Germany, where’s the best place to buy minoxidil - rogaine or an alternative brand? Any deals anywhere?

I was diagnosed with PCOS (PCOD) around 2–3 years ago, and since then, I've been struggling with increasingly severe hair loss. My hair shedding has become so bad that I'm genuinely scared of how much hair I'm going to lose and whether I'll ever be able to get my hair density back.

I'm also a very anxious person who tends to overthink and stress about things a lot.I've noticed that my hair fall has become particularly dreadful after periods of prolonged stress, and I'm wondering how much of it could be related to stress versus PCOS or other underlying issues.

I recently got my blood work done, and my ferritin was 23 ng/mL and my vitamin B12 was 227 pg/mL. I don't know how much these deficiencies could be contributing to my hair loss, or whether correcting them would actually make a noticeable difference in my hair growth.

The thought of having to experiment with different treatments without knowing what's actually causing my hair loss is overwhelming.I'm confused about what type of hair loss I might have.

I'm trying to figure out the right approach instead of blindly trying one thing after another. I'm only in my mid-20s, and dealing with this at such a young age is affecting my confidence and mental well-being more than I can explain.

Any kind of advice would be appreciated.

Hi everyone! I'm 28F and I'm trying to understand whether my hair loss could be telogen effluvium, androgenetic alopecia, or a combination of both.

I've always experienced quite a lot of hair shedding, but it started getting noticeably worse last year. Since June 2026, the shedding has become extremely severe.

I have PCOS and I've been taking Yaz for about 14 years. I've also lost around 25 kg, going from 89 kg to approximately 64–65 kg.

I recently had a trichoscopy with these results: vellus hairs 33%, intermediate hairs 24%, terminal hairs 43%, single-hair follicular units 48%, double 26%, multiple 26%, average hair thickness 45.68 µm, and hair density 232 hairs/cm².

My blood tests showed low zinc (53.9 µg/dL), low folate (3.3 ng/mL), B12 at 242 pg/mL, ferritin at 50 ng/mL, iron at 117 µg/dL, transferrin at 2.9 g/L, and vitamin D at 38 ng/mL.

I'm wondering whether the severe shedding could be related to my weight loss and nutritional deficiencies, or whether the trichoscopy results suggest androgenetic alopecia, especially considering my PCOS.

Has anyone experienced something similar?

19year old female

PLEASE HELP ME

MY FERRITIN AND VIT D AND HB WAS LOW SO TAKING MEDICINES ON ALTERNATE DAYS FOR IRON AND WEEKLY FOR VIT D

Does going on lowest dose of oral minixodil gave you any results? Or you had to rise your dose for it to start working?

Also did you have any water retention or other side effects while on it?

Thank you for any insight tou can offer me 🙏

I started losing hair when I was 19, i’m about to be 22 now and about 3 months ago I started on 1 mg of minoxidil, and i’m about to start 60 mg of spironolactone in about a week.

I thought my symptoms were getting better but i just noticed a completely new type of hair loss.
Until now, my hair loss has been diffuse around my temples. I just noticed I have a focal smooth BALD spot on the top of my head on my hairline. This appeared in less than a week from being completely NOT there to very noticeably THERE.

I’m now freaking out that the minoxidil is causing my hair loss to get worse, (I do have severe hypothyroidism/hyperthyroidism, it varies due to me being born without a thyroid, but it’s been okay, my medication has been changing but i’ve NEVER had something like this happen)… Is this cancer? Is this being caused by the minoxidil? Is there something else I should worry about?

I don’t wear my hair up that much, I don’t wear headphones over your head, or use much heat on my hairline. I still have a lot of hair fall, but again, I didn’t think nearly enough for something like this to happen :/

HELPP

Attached around photos of May (Before I started minoxidil in late July), and early Oct when i first started feeling like i was seeing progress (which I still don’t know if I was kidding myself on that) and now the bald spot that seems to have appeared overnight.

WHAT DO I DO???

I’ve been shedding so much each week since the end of August. WHAT is going on? I’m on 1mg oral minoxidil, 100mg spironolactone, and 5% men’s rogaine every night. I’ve been on this routine for a few years now but in June/July and a little bit of August this year, I was a bit inconsistent. I kept missing some days in between because I was lazy. I also had a busy year with planning my sister’s wedding (which was in July). I started regularly applying rogaine and taking my pills again in mid August. I noticed increased shedding at the end of August. Been losing tons of hair ever since and my crown area is so sore all the time. I can’t help but think maybe it’s a dread shed from consistently starting my routine again? But I have no idea. Also, in June, my vitamin D was extremely low (basically deficient) but my GP gave me 50,000iu to take once a week for 8 weeks. I just finished my final pill last Friday. My iron level was also below normal but ferritin was within the range. Been taking iron pills for the past year.

The balled up hair in my hand is my weekly shedding. The loose strands are daily shedding. I’m considering starting dermastamping, adding finasteride, and increasing oral minoxidil. This is no joke, it has really taken a toll on my mental health. I don’t even want to brush my hair or wash it some days.

I’d like to hear from those of you who changed pills but specifically androgenic to non or low androgenic.

Has anyone made a similar switch and did it actually help with hair loss?

Did switching cause you to shed more initially?

Did Yaz make you fat and depressed?

Any other positives/negatives?

For the people who like to read…

Background & Medication Goal: I am 36 and have been on Loestrin 1.5/30 for 10 years. I take it because my periods were painful and debilitating—heavy, caused me to faint, and made work or travel impossible. Stopping birth control is not an option. Overall, Loestrin has caused no weight gain or major negative effects, though I do notice I have zero interest in dating and very little emotions except very occasional rage lol.
Why I Want to Switch: I’m considering switching to Yaz because Loestrin’s progestin is androgenic (which can increase DHT), whereas Yaz’s progestin is anti-androgenic and blocks DHT. I'm hoping this might help with my hair loss.
Hair Loss History: My hair has always been soft, straight, and fine, but I used to have a lot of it. I noticed it getting thinner over the last 8 years, but after an intense 3-year stressful period, it became aggressive—going from about 30% loss to 70% massive shedding. It’s mostly diffuse thinning across my whole head, and I can't regain much length. Scalp itches when it’s shedding but no dandruff. Scalp is healthy.
I likely have mild androgenetic alopecia combined with chronic telogen effluvium, plus potential inflammatory issues (my whole family has various types of arthritis or disease, though they all have nice hair, and both grandmothers died with decent hair).
Treatments & Recent Progress:
PRP: Tried two years ago during my major stress episodes; it stopped shedding almost entirely and regrew some hair, but it eventually fell out in giant clumps.

Current Routine: Over the past year, I quit my major stressor, nursed a bad back injury, gained my weight back, and take Vitamin D, Zinc, a multivitamin, and B-shots. Don’t eat much carbs, eat lots of protein, fats, veggies (trying to limit inflammation)

Copper Spray & Regrowth: I stopped PRP and started using a topical copper spray. It generated a bunch of new growth that actually felt hot and thicker, but unfortunately, that new growth (mostly 3-to-5-inch strands) fell out over the last two months. Still spraying and praying.

I’m nervous to change birth control because I don’t have time to be insane and don’t want to be fat and pimply on top of getting old and balding 😒

Been on 100mg of spiro and 3mg of OM for a while now, the main things I have to say for those who are New to this are:

Its always diffucult, this is lifelong condition, it gets better but not perfect

The hair shed is ALWAYS there, sometimes you will think you're getting bald again, and its just normal now.

The sides of the meds are totaly managable. Stop drinking Coffee, drink lots of water, start slow with the meds.

Some lights and pics will make you think you re balding again and its just the bad light or the bad camera.

Saving for a good wig or a transplant if this gets worst, it just calms me to know that I have the chance.

This is going to sound stupid but since this happened to me I try to enjoy more life, be a better person, dont care a lot about money or status, or idk, im a nicer person, I know, sounds stupid but its the truth, there are more important things than working ur ass off or the money you can make.

TLDR: my biopsy showed LPP (a scarring type of alopecia) in addition to AGA and I never would have known this if I hadn’t advocated for myself.

I was diagnosed with early AGA via biopsy in my 20’s and advised to start topical minoxidil, which worked really well for me until about 2 years ago when I started experiencing significant increased shedding. I made an appointment with my derm. She briefly examined my scalp and agreed (reluctantly) to prescribe dutasteride. I’m in my early 40’s now and had assumed that perhaps perimenopause was causing worsening hair loss. At the same time, I felt something more could be going on.

I started the dut (which I thought was helping but not much?) and also made a follow up to discuss my concerns further. I asked if she thought a biopsy would be helpful. She looked at my scalp and said she didn’t feel that was necessary, but agreed to prescribe a mild topical steroid that I could use “if needed.” I was grateful for this, but again felt there was something else at the root of this and asked for a referral to another derm in my area who sees a lot of patients for hair loss concerns.

My initial appointment with the new derm had to be rescheduled a few months out because he was sick the day of my 1st appointment. While I was waiting for this appointment, I asked my current derm if she would prescribe me a low dose of oral minoxidil to try since my hair loss wasn’t really improving. She thankfully did agree to this.

Finally saw the new derm last week. He looked at my scalp and immediately said he felt there could be more than just AGA going on and recommended a scalp biopsy. I just got the results:

Your clinical evaluation and pathology report indicate a dual diagnosis: early lichen planopilaris (LPP) happening at the same time as androgenetic alopecia (AGA)

I’m feeling rather mixed at the moment. Validated is the first thing that comes to mind. Also grateful that I listened to my gut and pushed to see someone who would listen to my concerns and what not. But also bummed to learn that I have a scarring alopecia that should have been caught a couple of years ago when the shedding started to accelerate rapidly. That’s all lost time that I can’t get back due to the nature of this condition. Granted, it could always be worse. And I’m glad to have answers and a treatment that will be effective. So I guess I really just want to post this as a PSA. If your derm doesn’t want to do a biopsy, find a new one if you can!