Part 2: My Hair Loss Story (and what actually helped)

The moment I realized something was off…

I remember it so clearly. 

It was December 2024. We’d just made a cross-country move. Life was full of SO MANY good things, but it was still stressful in the way that quietly stacks up and then (apparently) suddenly shows itself. 

I pulled my hair up in a pony tail (I usually do a messy bun), wrapped my hair around it…and my stomach turned. 

Where did all of my hair go? 

This wasn’t a dramatic, overnight thing but in that moment it felt like it. 

I’ve never had problems with my hair. I’ve always had thick, healthy hair that people comment on. 

What is going on with me? 

How did I miss this? 

What was going on? It was the kind of stress that just felt “normal”given the circumstances:

• A cross-country move

• Harper changing schools

• Packing a house in Kentucky and unpacking a house in Florida to make it feel like home.

• Learning my way around a new place,

• No local friends yet and missing my friends in Kentucky

• Trying to keep my own healthy habits consistent

• Taking care of my clients and keeping all of the pieces of my business moving

• It was the holidays

It wasn’t just the month of the move. It was the months leading up to it. Nothing looked like a crisis on paper. In fact, I was SO excited for the changes. I wasn’t falling apart. I was functioning. 

But my body was keeping score. 

The labs that made sense…later.

Earlier that year I’d run blood work and had a few markers that were out of whack. I’ll spare you the deep dive today because it’s a rabbit hole (and a long one). But this is exactly the kind of thing I walk through with clients when hair loss is on the table. If you want to know the most common triggers for hair loss, check out part 1. 

At the time, I wasn’t worried about my hair. I generally felt okay. So it wasn’t even on my radar.

And that’s the tricky part with hair loss: You usually notice it after the trigger.

What I learned (and what I want you to remember):

When you notice hair loss and you want to fix it, finding the root matters. Because like we talked about last week, it’s never ONE thing.

In my case, it was a stack:

• Chronic stress (even “good stress” counts)

• A slightly under active thyroid

• And an iron issue tied to a genetic factor I didn’t even know I had

That last piece was huge – because it wasn’t being managed well… simply because I didn’t realize it was there. Another vote for deeper blood work, and not just what your doctor typically pulls at an annual physical.

What I did to support regrowth (and why it works)

Once I connected the dots, I focused on two things:

1. Correcting the underlying imbalance

2. Supporting regrowth with targeted tools

Tools I used to support regrowth

1) Red light therapy (photobiomodulation)

I used red light therapy 4–5x/week for 15–20 minutes.

The simple version of how it works:

• Specific wavelengths of red and near-infrared light can support cellular energy production

• It may improve circulation and signaling around the follicle

• In some people, it helps shift follicles back toward the growth phase

The wavelengths most often studied for hair growth are in the red light range around 630–680 nm and the near-infrared range around 810–850 nm, with 650 nm being one of the most common wavelengths used in hair growth devices.

The strength matters too. Research on hair growth devices generally falls into the low-level light therapy category, with enough power to deliver a therapeutic dose to the scalp without just creating heat. In plain English: the right wavelength matters, but so does getting enough light to the scalp consistently.

I chose Hooga because it’s research-backed and uses the evidence based wavelengths & strength. (just a quick head’s up - a lot of the cheaper options on amazon are not the research backed wavelengths and strength.) 

2) 5% topical minoxidil

I used 5% topical minoxidil.

And yes-I used the “men’s” version because it’s more concentrated and there’s no magical reason women shouldn't use it. Do your research and you’ll find the same answer. 

Minoxidil works by:

• Extending the growth phase of the hair cycle

• Supporting follicle activity over time

• It is a vasodilator so it helps increase blood flow to the scalp which can help hair grow.

  
  

Important note: this is not a quick fix. Consistency matters, and it’s something to consider carefully depending on your situation.

3) I stopped bleaching my hair (and started treating it like it mattered)

This one was humbling.

I stopped bleaching and got more serious about hair care:

• Weekly collagen/hydrating masks

• Using heat protectant more religiously 

• Less heat overall

• Better brushing and less aggressive styling
  

This doesn’t “fix” root-cause shedding, but it absolutely helps reduce breakage and makes your hair look and feel healthier while you’re addressing the real issue.

4) Correcting the imbalance (my big mover: iron)

This was the needle-mover for me.

For many women, iron is too low and that can contribute to hair loss. In my case, it was the opposite: I had too much, and it wasn’t being managed well. Different problem but same outcome.

And this is why “just take biotin” misses the point.

If the issue is thyroid, iron, inflammation, under-eating, stress load, or something else entirely… a random supplement isn’t going to correct that. A random supplement might make you feel better but if you don’t know WHY you are struggling with the hair loss in the first place, you won’t fix it. 

What I can’t do in a blog post (and what I can do with you)

I can’t go into every lab marker, every test, and every step I took here. Not because it’s secret, but because hair loss is individual and multi-factorial.

And if you’re dealing with significant shedding or thinning, you deserve more than generic advice.

Hair health is part of optimal health. But because hair isn’t required for survival, it’s often one of the first things your body deprioritizes when something is off. It’s a sign, and it’s worth paying attention to. 

So no, you don’t need to keep collecting supplements and hoping.

If you’re suffering from significant hair loss or shedding, you need to:

1. Find the root issue

2. Correct the imbalance

3. Support your body back to balance so hair can flourish again

If hair loss is part of your story right now and you want help finding your root cause (and building a plan that makes sense for your body), click here to schedule a free discovery call with me.