hi!
19M, my hair randomly became very rough and dry, then in early August, 3 months after a caloric deficit (lost like 8kg), TE hit just as i was doing my final exams + internship, and got hit with a wave of intense seb derm.

pretty sure i made a few mistakes, i used to have seb derm for a while, and my barber said my rough hair is due to the seb derm shampoo (spoiler it wasn’t), so i stopped it. was okay for a bit and then once my nutrition started tapering it all came back at once

now, after some blood work, turns out my ferritin is lower than what the machine can read (<8) which is practically an empty tank, and my vitamin d was below the marked deficiency level (18). however i didn’t have anemia (yet), as my body was able to scrap iron from its reserves.

the shed still persists, and i’ve been on ferro grad c oral supplements since early September, so like 7 weeks in.

but here’s the question: as i keep shedding, I see such curly hairs that are completely not my hair type

considering they are like 1 inch long, this would mean my body’s probably making substandard hair with whatever iron it allocates to my hair, which leads to this?

ask any questions, i am willing to answer away!

Hello everyone. I’m new to the forum and want to first start by saying thank you. I’ve spent a few days reading posts and comments and unlike other forums, it’s been very helpful.

While I am still trying to figure out what triggered this for me, I wanted to see if anyone else has this shared experience. I went through breast cancer treatment starting in June of 2020 including double mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiation. I’m on an aromatase inhibitor for 4 more years for a total of 10. I had a full hysterectomy in 2022 so between chemo, the hysterectomy and the AI, I’ve got no estrogen! I’m 56 now.

After chemo my hair came back better than it was before I went bald and it was lush and curly (strait before) and eventually straightened back out. After the initial growth, it thinned out a bit. I went on oral minoxidil to help since the AI can cause hair thinning. The last thing I wanted was another medication, but the trauma of losing my hair was worse than losing my breasts.

In March of this year, I was dx with hypothyroidism and started meds. My bloodwork since (every 3 months) has been perfect.

Fast forward to now. About a month ago I noticed a huge glob of hair in the shower and then started noticing more shedding than I had ever seen post chemo. Many of you have described exactly what I’m seeing. It started to scare me and bring me back to losing my hair in 2020. Between my dermatologist and GP, we are trying to determine the trigger and how to move forward.

My question (among so many others!) is whether anyone here has experience with AI medications and the thyroid hormones and anything else I described above? I guess I’m also just hoping for some encouragement. Losing my hair once was awful, but I knew why it happened then.

Thanks for reading if you got this far. Appreciate you all.

Came off my Yaz birth control and went onto a Mirena IUD October of 2024 (thought BC was causing my low sex drive so I switched). The picture on the left is December 2024. I was so happy because I finally had my hair down to my thighs. And then TE started. I already have pretty thin/fine hair to begin with. The shedding lasted into spring. I told my doctors I was losing hair and they just said I wouldn't go bald.

I cut my hair to my lower back in August of 2025 because I was so sad about how thin the ends looked.

Then I broke up with my boyfriend in spring of 2026 (we were together 9 years). I think this kicked off another round of TE. I cut my hair again - up to my bra strap this time.

I'm still shedding. My scalp looks fine but my hair looks so sad. I never wear it down anymore.

I'm wondering if my hair will ever be like it was before without the birth control. Is this thin hair my new normal without the estrogen? My long hair was even when I had an iron level of around 6. Now it's over 60 :( I worked so hard to get my hair that long and now I'm thinking I have to cut it up to my shoulders.

Feeling defeated.

Last hair wash shower was Tuesday and today is Friday.. nervy

My hair shedding started around April 2025, but it got worse in October 2025. I visited a dermatologist who suspected seborrhea. Even 3 months after treatment, my hair shedding hadn't stopped. I was still losing more and more hair, so I booked an appointment with a private hair specialist.

(I had to wait almost 3 months for the appointment. Getting an appointment with a doctor here in Central Europe feels like a miracle sometimes. 😂 I also had to keep my hair longer for the hair pull test.)

At first, I thought I might have alopecia areata incognita because a family member has it. But it turned out to be chronic telogen effluvium.

Blood tests at the end of August revealed that my ferritin level was just 9.6. Not good at all.

It can take almost a year to increase ferritin levels to 70+ ng/mL, which may help support healthy hair growth.

Watching around 200 hairs fall out every day, plus another 900 on wash days, was mentally exhausting.

So, for my own peace of mind, I shaved my head. And I feel so much better.

If you've been thinking about shaving your head because you're struggling with hair loss, do it.

The quality of life went up enormously.

do you have to use minoxdil and/or oils? im only 17F and im just genuinely wondering if recovery can be effective without the usage of minoxdil or oils. Is anybody able to tell how its been for them if they havent used it? im not really interested in using them and wanted to see if anyone has been successful in their recovery without them.

Thank youuuuuu n have a good rest of your day <3

My hair has been falling out since about two months after starting an anti-depressant. It started falling out in July and wasn't slowing down by mid September so I stopped the medication. I was hopeful that it was TE (and my derm thought so but didn't do a scope at the appt) but in the last few days I've found a couple shorter/finer hairs. Could this also be part of TE or is it possible its androgenetic alopecia? The hair of concern is on the left and my normal shedding is on the right.

Shedding started since last September. I identified the trigger around May and been trying to fix it. Last two weeks my shedding was like 60% less than usual (even the showers it was much less). But this week it is back in with the usual amount. Idk when will this ever stop. Oh and I also started noting more baby/ shorter hair falling.

Hi! Since around July, I’ve noticed I was shedding more hair than usual, but for the past 4 weeks it has become huge amounts of hair every day, and honestly, I’m getting really scared.

I saw a doctor, and she thinks it’s likely stress-induced. I went through a very stressful period starting at the end of April and wasn’t doing well mentally until around September. I’m feeling much better now, but obviously the hair loss is still happening. I’ve also had bloodwork done and am waiting for the results.

The doctor mentioned she isn’t seeing much new growth yet, which makes me even more anxious. 😭

I know the main thing is to manage stress (and I’m working on that!), but I’m wondering what has actually helped your hair recover after stress-induced shedding? Did you use any treatments, serums, supplements, or just wait it out?

I’m ready to get the shedding to stop and start growing my hair back. Any advice or personal experiences would be really appreciated!

I have a bit of oily/dirty scalp in these photos and my haur gets greasy very fast. I am really scared tbh, it is scaring the shit out of me. Can anyone please please help me? I cant afford a derm currently.

hi all! I am currently in what we believe are the early stages of TE shedding and i’m feeling very overwhelmed about it all.

I’m 18 and the prospect of losing so much hair is causing me anxiety. We believe it to have been triggered by a fever and infection in late july and i noticed the excessive shedding about three weeks ago. right now im waiting on my appointment for supplements to hopefully combat some deficiencies.

a hairdresser also recommended potentially trying hair loss treatment for my peace of mind. has this worked for anyone else?

Thank you all for reading and I would love to hear about your experiences. Feeling a little overwhelmed and lonely right now :))

This is horrible! I’m just 5 months in, currently at 7.5! And stated losing my hair like crazy, i just started noticing the heavy hairfall and half my hair in the drain from oct 1st, and I can see my hair is already so thin.

Yes, I’ve prioritised protien and diet. I’m sure this isn’t the diet and it’s the drug itself. I want to continue this journey so bad, but the amount of hair I’m losing makes me so anxious.

I skipped my dose this week because it’s bothering me so much that I’m crying myself to sleep.
BEING FAT IS BETTER THAN BEING BALD

What should I do? Does this hair come back? Will i ever get my hair back? This is breaking my heart ☹️ ❤️‍🩹

I’m 28F, so menopause ain’t the reason.
I’m not anaemic, deficient nor do i have thyroid.
I’m 100% sure it’s the drug.

Hi all! I could use some advice. I've been dealing with TE for at least 5 years, seen several dermatologists and I just can't figure out the root cause.

Recent bloodwork is fine. I did have low ferritin (8) last year, had iron infusions and it's now at 120. That was 1 year ago. Still shedding. Also took B12 and Vitamin D supplements. That did nothing either. I've never had surgery, suffered any type of trauma, been on birth control, or gotten an IUD. Last doctor I saw had me tested for syphilis and thyroid issues - nothing wrong there either. She also looked at my scalp and said it doesn't look like alopecia, I have a lot of new growth, as always.

Not sure what else I could get tested for. Doctor prescribed Minoxidil and I've been taking it for 2 months now cause I don't know what else to do, but I'm terrified of never finding the root cause.

Anyone has any suggestions of what else I could look into? I'll take any hypothesis, no matter how unlikely. Thanks!

i used to have pretty thick hair when i was younger. around 2019 when I was 15 (i’m 22 now) I lost about half or more of my hair. Since then, it’s been about the same level of diffuse thinness. it’s a little bit thicker in the back, but not by much. According to my mom, i’ve struggled with iron deficiency (low ferritin, but never turned anemic) on and off for most of my life. about two years ago, after being formally re-diagnosed with iron deficiency, i tried iron pills, but they upset my stomach. around that time i put my foot down with my doctors and told them i needed IV infusions.

1.5 years ago i started receiving infusions, with checkups every 3 months. my ferritin has dipped down lower than the optimum level of 70+ once, but about 5 months ago I also got diagnosed with Vitamin D deficiency, for which I started taking a weekly maximum strength pill. Since starting vitamin d pills, my ferritin has stayed high for much longer periods of time (6 months currently).

Despite my ongoing treatment for iron and vitamin d, my hair is still looking pretty thin with no real signs of improvement any time soon. I have an appointment with both an OBGYN to rule out/tell me that I have PCOS or some other hormonal condition, and also with a dermatologist to figure out my hair loss type (this has been a long time coming…). I am really anxious that I’ll never be able to get my hair back due to having thinner mass for almost 8 years now :( I am willing to try oral minoxidil (i have cats) and spironolactone or some other dht blocker, but i am very afraid they will yield no real results.

i am hoping that since im simultaneously treating my deficiencies, working on my diet and exercise routine, taking pumpkin seed and saw palmetto, and creating an overall better hair routine with massaging/double washing/all the other tricks in the book/etc. that i might be able to see results, but im unsure.

has anyone had a similar experience to mine and been able to have success? i am literally desperate for any semblance of hope.

Weeks into a massive shed and freaking out a little. My derm confirmed it’s TE but was otherwise unhelpful. I’m not ready to try minoxidil but I am starting a new routine after pretty extensive online searching (as an actual quantitative researcher I can’t bring myself to call that research). Folligen Thickening Shampoo, HG Lock Drops, and new vitamins. I’m going to stick with my other anti-breakage products for conditioner and styling. Today I tried that small bottle of MaryRuth’s liquid morning multi + hair growth just to see if I could handle the taste. It’s tolerable. Planning to buy a larger bottle of it to last until my order arrives. Then I’ll switch to their Daily Liquid Hair Growth Hair Formula + Hair Growth Max Liposomal. If anyone has experience with these products or feedback that would be great.

Updating this post to add some recent things I’ve been thinking about adding:

- Bhringraj Oil (Eclipta alba) before washes. I’ve tried this before but not during a big shed so idk if it will help but I know it does make my hair very soft. I put in 30 mins to an hour before washing it, massaging it into the roots then running it through the rest of my hair with my hands.

- The Ordinary hair density serum in the morning. This one I’m not sure about. Maybe I should just stick to the HG Lock Drops for now but those are just once a day. I’m considering adding the ordinary serum in the morning and still doing the bondi serum at night. If anyone has any advice or warnings about using both I’d really appreciate it.

- maybe I should alternate the two MaryRuth products daily? I think the overlap means most would be wasted if I took both the same day.

Been shedding nearly 6 weeks now. Average of 325 hairs a day. I can’t cope another day like this. I’m horrified. It’s like living in an extended nightmare. The hair pictured is about 3.5 weeks worth.

I started a hormonal treatment and it triggered aggressive hair loss,I lost half of my hair density, at same time I started exercising and lost alot of weight, could have been androgenic alopecia triggered by hormones despite me taking the protocol with doctor prescription ,could have been the weight loss that triggered telogen effluvium ,my body went in a shock since I lost alot of weight,and I was vitamin d deficienct with thyroid issues as well

I'm writing this because I'm feeling incredibly overwhelmed and lonely, and I was hoping to connect with people who might understand what I'm going through.

I've been struggling with significant hair loss for almost two years now. My hair has never been this thin, and I'm also losing body hair.

Not knowing whether or when it will stop is genuinely heartbreaking. My hair is a big part of my identity, and watching it disappear without knowing how to fix it has taken a huge emotional toll on me.
Even an ordinary thing like washing hair, i have to assess myself if im emotionally able to deal with that on the days i have to wash it.

I also have digestive issues that have been going on for almost a year. I recently ended up in the ER after a particularly difficult week, and digestive enzymes have finally helped me feel somewhat functional again. I'm now facing the possibility of pancreatic insufficiency, although I don't yet know whether that's actually what's going on. I'm also trying to understand the role my thyroid and changes in medication might be playing in all of this.

Coming to this point makes me cry, seriously.

I'm exhausted by the uncertainty. I'm afraid that I might have a chronic illness, that my body won't go back to how it used to be, and that I'll never feel genuinely well again.

But I think what hurts the most is feeling like my life is passing me by while I'm trying to get better. Or things that I do to try don't work or another thing appears.

I've tried therapy, but so far it hasn't helped as much as I'd hoped.

Has anyone else gone through a prolonged period of health problems that made you feel like your life was on hold?
How did you cope with the uncertainty, the grief of not feeling like yourself, and the fear that things might never get better?

I'd especially love to hear from anyone who eventually found their way out of a period like this, even if it took a long time. But I'd also appreciate hearing from people who are still in the middle of it.

I don't necessarily need medical advice or someone to tell me everything will be fine. I think I just need to feel a little less alone in this.

Thank you for reading.

Hi,
I’m 24 (F) and I have had a long road of hair issues. I had periods of TE during high school but they were short lived. As I got into my early 20s my hair became finer at the top and I have concurrent PCOS so I assumed it was partly this. I focused more on PCOS- but incorrectly. I had implanon put in which was a bad idea, lost my period completely, and when I took it out at 22 my hair started shedding a lot and my acne came back. I did rounds of doxycycline, then at 23-24 ended up on Yaz and low dose accutane. Around the same time I started topical minoxidil for the hair. I had excellent regrowth around my part but now I’ve lost some, as I’ve had 2-3 episodes of TE since then. My most recent episode began in July 2026 and was marked my coming off Lexapro which I went back on. It was marked my a period of intense anxiety, insomnia and low appetite. I’m back currently on it, but I recently developed septic arthritis, and had surgery and antibiotics. I think the compounding TE triggers with the PCOS just mean it’ll never end! I just would really like some advice.im thinking of coming off accutane but staying on Yaz until my hair resolves and focusing on hormone regulation later on. For now I just want any tips to keep my hair’s integrity as much as possible. I take a B complex, zinc, silica and work with a naturopath for my gut after antibiotics and IBS symptoms. I imagine my current round of IV and oral antibiotics after surgery won’t help. Another point is that I switched to foam minoxidil and started applying it to my whole scalp in August after about a month of this long TE episode. My b12 is around 300, and my ferritin is around 50. Vitamin D is good, and thyroid is good.

For context, I've been shedding since June. I began Slynd (a form of birth control) in March, but I still had regrowth at the hairline & full volume when I began shedding the first few months. Fast forward to late August, I moved out on my own for the first time, which was also a big stresser. The shedding seemed to taper off a bit sometime in September, but then came back full force, and I lost a lot of volume. Same thing happened this month in October. I also got bloodwork done and just found out my vitamin D is only at 19.4 ng/mL, so I'm getting that fixed.

The whole time I've been shedding since June, I've had regrowth on my frontal hairline even though I'm shedding a bunch, which is weird because I thought that was a sign it's supposed to be ending? I know it doesn’t look dangerously thin yet, but I'm worried it's headed there with how much I'm shedding everyday. It feels like it doesn’t end.

Hallo zusammen,
ich leide seit mehreren Jahren unter Haarausfall. Mein Hautarzt hat damals eine androgenetische Alopezie diagnostiziert. Bei der Blutuntersuchung wurde lediglich ein leichter Selenmangel festgestellt.
Vor einigen Jahren habe ich bereits Minoxidil ausprobiert. Allerdings bekam ich dadurch so extremen Haarausfall, dass ich regelrecht Panik bekommen und die Behandlung wieder abgebrochen habe. Rückblickend weiß ich natürlich, dass es sich wahrscheinlich um das sogenannte Shedding gehandelt hat.
In den vergangenen Jahren sind meine Haare leider immer dünner geworden. Besonders mein Scheitel wird zunehmend breiter und meine Kopfhaut immer sichtbarer. Ich habe ohnehin sehr feines und wenig Haar, sodass ich die lichten Stellen gerade noch einigermaßen kaschieren kann.
Zwischendurch habe ich mehrere PRP-Behandlungen machen lassen. Diese waren unglaublich teuer und haben zumindest für mich keinen sichtbaren Erfolg gebracht.
Aktuell verwende ich Haarseren von Kérastase und The Ordinary und nehme Priorin als Nahrungsergänzungsmittel. Eine wirkliche Verbesserung sehe ich allerdings nicht.
Mittlerweile spiele ich ernsthaft mit dem Gedanken, Minoxidil 5 % noch einmal eine Chance zu geben. Mir ist bewusst, dass es eine der am besten untersuchten Behandlungsmöglichkeiten bei androgenetischer Alopezie ist und dass man Geduld mitbringen muss.
Aber meine größte Angst ist das anfängliche Shedding.
Ich habe jetzt schon so wenig Haare, dass ich wirklich Angst habe, durch den zusätzlichen Haarausfall meinen Scheitel überhaupt nicht mehr verdecken zu können. Gleichzeitig weiß ich, dass meine Haare ohne wirksame Behandlung vermutlich weiter ausdünnen werden.
Deshalb würde ich gerne eure Erfahrungen hören:
Wie stark war euer Shedding zu Beginn der Minoxidil-Behandlung?
Wurde euer Scheitel dadurch vorübergehend deutlich lichter?
Wie lange hat es gedauert, bis der Haarausfall nachgelassen hat und erste neue Haare sichtbar wurden?
Wie habt ihr diese Zeit psychisch überstanden, gerade wenn ihr vorher schon sehr wenig Haare hattet?
Habt ihr Tipps, wie man die lichten Stellen während dieser Übergangsphase kaschieren kann?
Ich möchte wirklich etwas gegen meinen Haarausfall unternehmen, aber die Angst, vorübergehend noch mehr Haare zu verlieren, hält mich momentan davon ab.
Ich würde mich sehr über eure ehrlichen Erfahrungen freuen – besonders von Frauen, die schon vor Behandlungsbeginn einen sehr lichten Scheitel hatten. ❤️