Anemia vs. Growing Healthy Natural Hair.

On my journey of being my natural self, I have made some discoveries about my health. I have been natural for almost five years and I have constantly struggled with my looking and feeling weak. The hair around my hairline would seem to have the slowest growth or not grow past one or two inches over the course of five years. The hair wouldn’t really curl and would shed easily with the white bulb attached. This would still occur after using castor oil and products with whatever is supposed to help reduce or prevent shedding.

Before I became natural, I wouldn’t notice shedding and thinning too much because my hair was straight and would lay closer to my scalp. Especially, after I would smooth it down with gel or jam.

I’ve briefly mentioned before that I am anemic and that I felt that it contributed to my current problems with my hair.

Well, I was right.

Reduced hair shedding during washing and styling.

I’m sure that there is more to why my hair sheds the way it does and I will find out the more I make more visits to the doctor and dermatologist. However, it’s been over ten years that I have been dealing with anemia (low hemoglobin). Doctors would say to me, “Your hemoglobin is a little low, but you should be fine.” How Sway?! It makes me angry because I always feel that “little low” with lightheadedness, fatigue, mood swings, dark circles around my eyes, cold hands, and feet, hair thinning, et cetera. I do not feel good when my iron is a “little low”.

Last year, I was prescribed iron tablets at 65 mg and to take one twice a day. While I was taking iron supplements along with two 1,400 mg flaxseed oil capsules, I had reduced the shedding of my hair by 50% to 60% within six to eight weeks of taking them every single day without missing a dose. In addition, my scalp was less dry and flaky.

At the beginning of taking the iron supplements and during.

In the above photo, you can see my hair looking extremely sparse. It doesn’t help that I have an indented hairline, but any hair loss is noticed there first. I also looked very tired. Then, in the bottom half of the photo my twists and my hairline looks healthier and not as sparse. I also look more energetic. Both photos were taken right after a wash or co-wash and applying the LOC method.
Related Post: It Was Time For Change. So, I Cut My Hair. My Mission to Self-Heal.

Unfortunately, I stopped taking them about two months ago because iron supplements are tough on the stomach and I wanted a break from taking them. Plus, I got tired of taking pills after what I went through this summer. And of course, the shedding returned along with the persistent low energy with cold hands and feet. However, my edges don’t look as sparse like they did back in May.

So, I am back on the supplements at the same dosage along with the flaxseed oil at the same dosage. With this, I’ve been including flaxseeds in my oatmeal, drinking homemade kombucha, and eating more vegetables, not only to fight stomach upset and constipation from taking iron but to also provide healthy nutrients that help my hair grow to be as healthy as possible. When those don’t seem to work to reduce constipation (sorry to be so graphic), I occasionally take Swiss Kriss to get me back on track.

                                      

Supplements I take for anemia, hair growth & health.

I am determined to grow my hair as healthy as possible but I can’t do that unless I get my health together. Healthy hair begins on the inside. So, I plan to stay on the supplements, eat more iron-rich foods, possibly obtain a cast-iron skillet, and tell you all about how they are working for me. So, subscribe to my blog to stay updated.

Thanks for reading!

Ebony/ CoilySue86