My Hair Loss and Regrowth Story

For most people, hair is such an important party of our identity. For women, our femininity, security, and sense of self can all be wrapped up in those strands that fall on either side of our face. It’s one of the first things that people see when they look at us, and it’s also one of the things that we can mostly control about our appearance. We can use products, styling tools, cuts, and colored dye to express ourselves through our hair.

For both men and women, hair loss can be very traumatic. At some point in our lives, we all expect to lose our hair or at least for our hair to change. But when those changes occur outside of what is expected, that can be even more devastating.

My Hair Loss Story

I had my daughter in November 2020. I knew and was prepared that I would probably lose some hair as all those lovely pregnancy hormones left my body. It came out sporadically at first, and I wasn’t too alarmed. Honestly, I was much more wrapped up in caring for a newborn, trying to heal, and dealing with all the things that come with having just had a baby. Then, six weeks postpartum, I had an emergency cholecystectomy after nearly going septic (that’s another blog post…), and my hair started falling out even more rapidly. I asked my doctor about this, and she said it was probably still typical postpartum issues, or the anesthesia from the surgery could also cause hair loss.

My hair continued to fall out until we were approaching my daughter’s first birthday, and then it seemed to slow, and almost stop. So, I thought that was pretty much the end of it and my hair would start to grow back.

Well, my hair never really grew back. A strand here and there would still come out. I wasn’t really worried about it though, and honestly, I wasn’t paying attention. After my daughter’s birthday, my husband and I both went through major job transitions. My daughter had a not-so-great 15 month milestone appointment with her pediatrician, and she was starting physical therapy. Needless to say, I wasn’t too concerned about a strand or two of hair at the time.

More than Hair Unravels

Fast-forward to September 2022. That’s when things really started to unravel. My grandmother passed away, and then days later, my dad was diagnosed with Acute Amyloid Leukemia. I was four months in to my new job with lots more responsibility, my husband had been in his new job for even less time, and while my daughter was doing so much better, we were still keeping a close eye on her physical development. The hair starting raining off my head.

I remember sitting at my desk and I could just pull a strand right off my head as I was talking and throw it in the trash without a second glance. My coworker sitting across from me would look up at me in alarm, but I just laughed it off because ignoring the problem was easier than dealing with the issue. Through friends, I knew that COVID caused hair loss. I’ve never been diagnosed with COVID, but maybe I had COVID and I just didn’t know it. That surely was the problem.

I was also feeling so lethargic. I remember feeling like I couldn’t wait for my daughter to go to bed so I could just sit on the couch and do nothing. My house fell into chaos I didn’t want to clean up anything or try to do any chores. I didn’t want to even watch a show with my husband. I wanted to be in bed as quickly as possible.

The Turning Point

In December 2022, I was at my 5/6 week appointment at the hair salon. Lindsay and I were chatting away. My mom was having her gallbladder taken out days after Christmas, so this was my last opportunity to see Lindsay before I needed to take care of my parents. Lindsay asked me, “Have you ever had COVID?” I said, “Nope, not yet, at least not that I know of.” She didn’t say much more.

When I sat back in her chair, she looked at me in the mirror and said, “Have you had any blood work done lately?” “Who… me?” I said. “Yeah, you,” she said, “You’re clogging my drain with all the hair that’s coming out while I’m washing it.” “Oh I’m so sorry…” I trailed off. The fact was, the amount of hair I was losing was not normal two years postpartum, even with all of the things I was going through. She advised that I ask my doctor for a thyroid, hormone, and vitamin panel. She said I needed to insist on it. “When you come back to me next time, I want to hear about your appointment and how you’re taking care of yourself,” she said.

My Test Results

My test results showed nothing exciting with my thyroid or hormones, but it did show that my Vitamin D levels were extremely deficient. The doctor told me that a normal range for Vitamin D levels were between 20 and 40 nano grams/milliliters. My level was 12. She asked if I had felt depressed, and I explained everything that was happening with my dad. I learned that Vitamin D deficiency does cause hair loss, and has a strong correlation to depression. My doctor told me that studies have shown that there is a correlation between people who experience suicidal thoughts and Vitamin D levels in the single digits. That is still wild to me!

My Hair Regrowth Journey

Since starting treatment, I now take Vitamin D, Biotin, and Fish Oil every day. I felt such a drastic difference after I started taking the Vitamin D. I can even tell when I forget to take it. While I still struggle with sadness and depression (I take an anti-depressant too – no shame here!), I have so much more energy and am feeling so much better. My hair regrowth is noticeable – I have baby hairs all around my face. I am interested to see how my Vitamin D levels have improved at my next appointment.

Products I’m Using:

If you are experiencing hair loss, please consult with your doctor before starting any kind of supplement regimen or over the counter treatment. This post contains affiliate links. I do receive a small commission if you choose to shop from my links.

• Nature Made Vitamin D3 5,000 IU
• Nature’s Bounty Fish Oil
• Amazon Elements Vegan Biotin 5,000 MCG
• AM/PM Weekly 7-Day Pill Organizer

Remember friends – take care of yourselves. If something is off, take the time to get it checked out. I give you permission to do what you need to do to make sure that you are okay!