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I wrote a blog post in August about the struggles I’ve had with hair loss in the months following my likely-COVID.
While the whole post-viral situation has been awful, this is by far the worst.
I’m no longer crying every time I’m in the shower at the handfuls of hair that I lose each time I wash my hair, while I still lose handfuls at a time it’s certainly not as bad as it was.
I mentioned at the time that the only hair loss treatment my doctor could suggest was Nioxin, this isn’t something on prescription nor is it something with any medical backing.
Nioxin claims to be the ‘Number 1 Salon Brand For Hair Loss’, I generally don’t pay attention to claims that are emblazoned across the boxes of beauty products as I tend to judge them myself, but given that my GP was so certain of its effectiveness I thought I'd give it a go.
The Nioxin site has a consultation tool designed to help you navigate the systems they offer – I’d recommend that you give this a look if you consider trying the system as it makes it much easier to decide on which set to go with.
For the options I selected it recommended Hair Loss System 2 – I went with natural hair as I hadn’t had my hair coloured since February.
The product suggestions I got were;
System 2 / Deep Protect Density Mask / Night Density Rescue / 3D Styling
I’m trying things out one by one, and so far I’ve used System Two.
Being completely honest, it’s a love/hate kinda thing.
When I bought it, I was determined to hate it because I was so annoyed about buying it, but I persevered.
The shampoo is a deep-cleansing product, my mum always talks about your shampoo giving your hair a ‘squeak’, if that’s what your after, then this is the shampoo for you. Before using this shampoo I actually struggled to get my hair wet in the shower, it was a real effort to properly clean my hair as getting my shampoo through my hair was really hard.
Now, when I get in the shower my hair is wet and lathers no bother, I don’t know whether it’s to do with the silicones that my hair was used to or whatever. I generally lather up twice, I wash my hair once a week if I’m not going anywhere and don’t feel too disgusting – twice if I can be arsed, so this makes sure that I don’t have any oils left on my scalp, I have dead greasy hair to start with so this makes sure that any of this is cleansed away.
The next step in the three-part system is conditioner, though it isn’t conditioner as we use it normally. The conditioner helps to retain the moisture in your hair that’s often stripped after shampooing while removing sebum to stop follicle clogging (gross) and helping to improve thickness and strength from the root. It’s like using The Originals Tea Tree Shower Gel on your scalp.
Given that this works so hard from the root and in such a cleansing manner I use my favourite hair mask as a step 2.5 – the Garnier Ultimate Blends Hair Food Papaya, this helps to replenish all the oils that have been lost from my hair and makes it feel super-soft.
The third step of the Nioxin system is where I have my problem, the foaming scalp treatment is hands-down awful. After rinsing the conditioner and hair mask from my hair I towel dry and brush it out. Surprisingly I lose less hair in brushing than I do in washing my hair.
After sectioning off my hair I use the foam along my scalp, this is then rubbed in and blow-dried out after applying my other hair treatments.
Given that the lengths of my hair are so heavily bleached and treated, I have a couple of products I use before blowdrying.
I got a sample size of this Ouai Leave-in Conditioner in my Debenhams advent calendar a few years ago – but honestly it lasted forever! I picked this up on one of LookFantastic’s deals – and it is one of the best products I own, it’s a great treatment for my hair and is definitely one I’ll keep buying. The other product I swear by is Milkshake Hair and Scalp Care, it boasts 12 transformative properties including protecting hair from UV rays, creating body and shine, controlling frizz and smooths the cuticle. This combination helps me to smooth even the most unruly of my hair without even considering straighteners. I was gifted this by my hair salon and will 100% be repurchasing.
Really in my experience, the Nioxin system isn’t one you can use alone to tackle hair loss – I think you need to back it up with other treatments to stop your hair becoming too stripped and frizzy - because if I'm being totally honest, it's enough of a hit to your self esteem without living like a frizzy-haired mad woman.
The foaming treatment is one that I just cannot get along with, no matter how carefully I apply, massage or blow dry it just turns my roots rock solid and makes it difficult to get a brush through my hair. I’ve purchased a spray rather than the foam this time as I’ve repurchased the full-size products instead of the trial size and it really does seem to be getting along better with me.
Do I think that Nioxin has stopped my hair loss? Telogen Effluviam has a 100-day cycle, so I think it’s coming the end of it naturally. I do think that it’s been a great product for ensuring my scalp is clean and free from build up which can prevent hair growth. I would need to buy a different system when I’m able to go back to colouring my hair as the products do feel quite harsh on my lengths
Have you tried Nioxin or dealt with hair loss? I’d love to hear from you!
Remember you can save 20% at LOOKFANTASTIC with my code 'LFTFLUCYMCOUAT'