Create The Best Me

What I Did When My Hair Started Falling Out in Clumps

• Carmen Hecox • Episode 134

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Have you ever found yourself in the shower, shampooing your hair, only to discover clumps of hair between your fingers? In this episode, “What I Did When My Hair Started Falling Out in Clumps,” I take you through my very real and sometimes overwhelming hair loss journey as a woman dealing with menopause, stress, and unexpected illness. If you’re experiencing sudden hair shedding, wondering if your hair will ever regrow, or just feeling lost about where to start, know you’re not alone.

I candidly share what triggered my own hair loss, the emotional rollercoaster of dealing with thinning hair, and the critical steps I took to get answers, including switching doctors for a proper referral, documenting my hair loss, and learning about telogen effluvium and androgen alopecia. From oral and topical minoxidil, red light therapy with the iRestored helmet, Nutrafol, and prenatal vitamins, to focusing on protein intake and ferritin levels, I break down what worked, what didn’t, and why patience is key in any hair regrowth journey. Tune in for practical advice, hard-earned lessons, and empowerment for any woman navigating hair loss.

What You'll Learn:

  1. How stress, menopause, illness, diet, and genetics intersect in women’s hair loss and regrowth.
  2. The importance of advocating for yourself with insurance and medical referrals, and why a female doctor can make all the difference.
  3. Tips for tracking your own hair shedding, taking photos, and making your case to a dermatologist.
  4. Understanding key diagnoses: telogen effluvium, androgen alopecia, and why comprehensive lab work (ferritin, thyroid) matters.
  5. The real experience with minoxidil, red light therapy, Nutrafol, and prenatal vitamins, plus the surprising pros, cons, and side effects.

Call to Action:

👉 Drop your story or questions in the comments, your voice matters! And don’t miss next week’s episode for another amazing episode created just for you. 

📕 Resources: 

https://createthebestme.com/ep134 

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https://www.buzzsprout.com/1949561/episodes/15987105

https://www.buzzsprout.com/1949561/episodes/15737765  

https://www.buzzsprout.com/1949561/episodes/16068420 

⚖️ Disclaimer:

The information in this episode is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Please consult a qualified healthcare provider for personalized guidance tailored to your individual needs and circumstances.

#HairLoss #WomenHairHealth #Menopause #Minoxidil #RegrowHair #TelogenEffluvium #AndrogenAlopecia #HairRegrowth #CreateTheBestMe #DHT #MinoxidilSideEffects 

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What would you do if while you were shampooing your hair in the shower you found large clumps of hair stuck between your fingers. Well, after freaking out and crying, you would vow that it's the last time you'd ever wash your hair because you'd fear that another large batch of hair would fall out. So last year on October 24th, 2024, I recorded an episode called Can You Regrow Your Hair After Menopause Find Out. In which I discussed my hair loss journey and what I believe led to my hair loss based on the limited information I had and tons of research I had done for answers to find the magic cure. If you haven't watched or listened to that episode, you can click right here on the link or I'll include that in my show notes. I know some of you are probably looking at me and saying, ' This lady has so much hair what is she crying about?' Take a look at these photos. I took one on March 25th, 2023, the other March 10th, 2024, and the following one, May 23rd, 2025. If you look closely at all the pictures, you will notice my hair was much thicker on March of 2023. And here's the shocker. It was fuller before I even took that picture in March of 2023, but I asked my hairdresser to thin out my hair because it was so heavy and it took too long to dry and style. Some of the information I provided last year was based on the advice of my primary doctor who tried his best to help me and tried to get referral to see a dermatologist. Unfortunately, at the time, my primary doctor was an out-of-network provider who was trying to refer me to an in-network provider, therefore, his referral fell on death's ears. Don't get me started on insurance because that's another story for another day. In that episode, I received a lot of great advice from viewers and listeners like you. And I just wanna say, I sincerely thank you for sharing and I love you all for caring and sharing what worked for you. Hair loss, especially as a woman, does happen in many different stages of our lives. And it's a beautiful feeling to know that together we can help each other out when it's challenging to get an appointment with the right medical providers. Again thank you for sharing or even just commenting your support is very encouraging. So here's what changed. I had to change health groups and my primary provider because of my insurance. Again, don't get me started on insurance. Once I made the change, it took about three months to finally see a dermatologist, which I saw about February 4th, 2025. So those of you who are still struggling, don't give up hope, keep fighting for the referral. It took me really nine months to get there, and that's from the time my original provider attempted to send those referrals. And to be honest, that's not a long time. I've had conversations with some women whose medical providers or dermatologists have told them that their hair shedding is normal. Because I've had those conversations with women, I wanted to make sure I had proof that my hair shedding was not normal. So I started taking pictures after every hair wash, the hair caught in the bottom of the drain, and what got caught in the brush after gently brushing my hair or staling my hair. During my first dermatology visit, I explained my hair loss journey. I shared photos. She examined my scalp and did a pull test, diagnose me with telogen effluvium, with superimposed androgen alopecia. The doctor recommended I continue to use the topical minoxidil, a compound formula I obtained from an online pharmacy back in October of 2024. She prescribed, Ooh, I know I'm gonna mess this one up, fluocinonide for two weeks to help me with my itchy scalp. She also recommended that I use Nizoral shampoo. Leave it on my scalp for about five minutes, then rinse it off and use it about one to three days per week. There's an important ingredient in this particular shampoo. I won't even try to pronounce the word cause I can't do it, but it helps reduce the level of DHT, in your scalp, inflammation and improve scalp health and hair density and thickness. She also asked me to try to eat 40 to 60 grams of protein per day, and most importantly, eliminate or control whatever stressor is going on in my life. She asked me what was my current stressor that I was dealing with. I told her my life is pretty good. Everyone is healthy. We're all doing good. I'm doing good. My marriage is good. I don't have any known stresses in my life. So let's break down my diagnosis. What is telogen effluvium? Telogen effluvium is the type of temporary hair loss caused by a stressor or change in the body.

The three stages of hair growth are:

Anagen, which is the growth phase. 80 to 90% of your hair is in the anagen phase at any given time. Catagen resting around 5% of your hair is in the catagen stage. Telogen, that's the shedding stage. It's the resting stage. About 5% of your hair is in the telogen stage. Acute telogen effluvium lasts less than six months. Hair loss typically occurs two to three months, after the stressor or change in your body occurs, in most cases, 95% of causes usually resolve within six months after the change in the body or the stressor no longer exists. Chronic telogen effluvium can last longer than six months. You may lose handfuls of hair during an early stage, but it won't cause total baldness. Most healthy individuals can lose between 50 to a hundred strands of hair per day. If you have telogen effluvium like I did, you can lose up to 300 strands per day. It's kind of scary. In my case, I changed my diet in June of 2023, which involved eliminating beef, pork, eggs, carbs, refined fats, oils, and gluten. This was during the beginning of the detox phase before I started reintroducing certain foods back into my diet. Then I endured the stress of wondering if we'd survive the Maui fires on August 8th, 2023. Then I caught that pesky flu that was circulating during that time, and I had a fever for about 10 days, which started around August 18th, 2023. And of course, let's not forget to add menopause, which consists of decreased in estrogen and progesterone. So these were all of the triggers that caused the telogen effluvium because my hair began to shed about two to three months after the illness, high fever and infection, stress and change in my body through diet and weight loss. That didn't occur. My weight loss was not due to the diet. It was because of the illness and my good old buddy menopause. Now let's talk about the second diagnosis. What is superimposed, androgen alopecia. The use of the word superimposed is not a medical term. Rather, it's a way of describing a condition as occurring alongside another condition. Androgen alopecia is a genetic predispose combined with androgen hormones like testosterone. Testosterone converts into DHT. DHT is also known as dihydrotestosterone. It's a byproduct of testosterone. DHT can shrink the hair follicles resulting in brittle, thinning hair, shedding, and even complete hair loss. So in my case, male pattern baldness runs in my family, therefore making me genetically a higher risk to inherit this gene. And it's also makes me more sensitive to testosterone. And then you throw menopause in there, which also caused, change in hormones. Also makes me more susceptible to DHT. So when I tried to manage my hormone levels by trying bioidentical hormone replacement pellets and I received too much testosterone in my body, my body responded by converting it into DHT, which led to more thinning hair and a bunch of other problems. If you are interested in learning about the other additional problems, you can watch or listen to 'My Postmenopausal HRT Hormone Replacement Journey... Did My Symptoms Go Away?' I will make sure to link that episode in the show notes below. So during my first visit with my dermatologist, she informed me that if I was interested in trying a different compound topical, she would write me a prescription. I decided to discontinue the formula I had purchased from the online pharmacy and tried the one she recommended instead. After 50 days of using the compound topical formula she prescribed for me, I contacted the dermatologist and told her, I can't take this product anymore. It is causing my scalp, to itch. I felt like a dog, to tell you the truth, and I was getting large scabs on my head. On April 10th, 2025, I started taking oral minoxidil since I had reacted to the minoxidil, which was prescribed through the online pharmacy. I ordered that when I ordered the, topical. She recommended that I cut one pill into four pieces, take one fourth each day. This is about 0.625 milligrams After one month, if I have no adverse reactions in increase to taking half a pill, from the original pill. That makes it to 1.25 milligrams. So as of mid-May, I have been taking 1.25 milligrams of oral minoxidil. I've been using minoxidil now for about a little over four months, and I'm still shedding hair. There's something I've heard before, but I feel like I need to say it again. When you start taking minoxidil, you will see more hair shedding. Honestly, when I first heard others mention that my hair would be shedding, I honestly thought it would last about six weeks, and then the shedding would stop. No! I've been on it for four months or more, and I'm still shedding, but it has slowed down. This is also true with the iRestore professional helmet, which I use. I've been using the iRestored helmet three times per week for almost one year, and the shedding is now slowing down. The reason you experience an increase in hair shedding is that your scalp is shifting from the telogen stage to go into the growth stage, the anagen phase. But here's another thing my dermatologist told me. If your hair loss is due to stress, the shedding will not stop until three to six months after the stress has been removed. I forgot to mention that during my visit with my dermatologist on June 24th, I asked when should I expect to stop shedding or see a reduction as it wasn't slowing down back then. That's when she explained that if my ferritin levels are within the low normal, she has seen hair loss in older patients. She also wanted to take a look at my thyroid levels as it could also potentially be an issue. She ordered labs to check my ferritin, TSH, with a free T 4 flex to ensure that there were no underlying issues that she was not addressing. She was most concerned with my ferritin levels and said that if they were within low normal, she would begin treating me to get me within the high normal range, at 50. My labs came back normal. In fact, my ferritin levels were 82. If you want to learn more about ferritin, I've got you covered. You can watch or listen to 'Ferritin Secrets Your Doctor Isn't Telling You' by clicking below in the show notes. During my follow-up visit with my dermatologist, on August 26th, 2025, she examined my scalp and gave me the good news. She says she sees tiny hairs growing. She explained that the hair is very fine, like baby hair, but the good news is that it will thicken up and appear fuller over time. The key word here is time. So let me share the pros and cons.

Pros:

My hair on my head is coming back. Yay me! Cons. As I mentioned, I've been taking oral minoxidil for over four months, and I personally have seen hair growth on my eyebrows, my eyelashes, which is great. However, I've also experienced hair growth on my legs, face, armpits, and other areas that I'm not particularly fond of. However, it can easily be taken care of by shaving, waxing, or laser removal. As long as I regained the hair on my head, I'm okay. I can't sleep with my wedding ring on because there have been occasions where my ring finger swells up causing my wedding band to cut into my skin. And that's okay, my husband knows I love him and the ring is missing sometimes for a good cause. To see visible results, it's a waiting game. My doctor isn't like the amazing commercials you see, which gives you false hope that take this product and you'll have amazing locks in just three months. That's right, you heard me right! Three months! It's not gonna happen with minoxidil. She told me, realistically it can take nine to 12 months, or more, and that's taking it daily. Another con is to maintain the result, I will need to take this product for the rest of my life if I wanna keep my hair. The same applies to the iRestored light helmet and Nutrafol. I suppose I could stop using these products, but I know the red light does reduce inflammation in the scalp and help stimulate hair follicles promoting growth. As for Nutrafol, it's filled with vitamins and minerals to support my hair health. And I'll give you a little bonus secret here. About 13 years ago, I started taking prenatal vitamins, and you're probably wondering ' What do prenatal vitamins have to do with hair loss?' But stay with me here. I started taking them before I got pregnant with my daughter. Due to my age, I would be considered a high risk and I just wanted to have the best possibility to have the best pregnancy. Once I got pregnant, my OB suggested I take, prescription strength, prenatal vitamins. He had a lot of samples because the reps are always dropping them off, and the retail cost for them is I think about $80 a month. Well, I will say those prenatal vitamins changed my hair. My hair became shiny, strong, thick, and that's when the compliments started rolling in about how beautiful my hair was. So I started retaking just regular over-the-counter prenatal vitamins since March of this year, and I will go back to my ferritin levels. If you watched or listened to my ferritin episode, my ferritin level was taken on June 14th, 2024, and it was a 27, which is a low normal. When I took my new labs, my dermatologist requested that I discontinue taking all vitamins, including Nutrafol for at least five days prior to getting my labs done. I believe prenatal vitamins made a difference in my labs taken on June 30th my ferritin level was 82, which is within the high normal range. And if I'm being really honest here, I don't think I stopped taking my vitamins before I took my labs in 2024. So I'm not sure, that 27 may have been my actual ferritin value. It may have been lower. By the way, I mentioned to my dermatologist that I am taking prenatal vitamins instead of a regular multi-vitamin because I feel it's helped me maintain healthy hair. I asked her if that was okay. She said there's nothing wrong with it. My labs look good, so it must be doing something right. However, if you choose to follow this advice, please consult with your doctor first. So that's what's going on with my hair. It's coming back, but it's coming back slowly. It's a waiting game, and I'm okay with waiting because I'm encouraged that I'm finally seeing less shedding. When I curl my hair, as I get closer to my scalp, I notice it feels thicker, and it's harder to roll, but I'm okay with that problem too. So my advice to you is that if you don't know what to do and your doctor won't listen to you. Or, if you are like me and your doctor's, referrals are being ignored because he's an out network provider, you might have to change doctors. If you do change doctors, I strongly recommend you find a female doctor. You might ask why a female? Because we understand each other. We know that it's not cool to lose our hair. A female doctor will put herself in your shoes and will advocate for you to get the results you need right away. If worse comes to worse, then you might have to choose an online dermatologist. However, I encourage you, find one who can conduct additional labs that are necessary to determine the root cause of your hair loss. Don't select a provider who will only prescribe minoxidil, which costs two to three times what you'd pay at the local pharmacy. And if you have any issues or adverse reactions, they can't address them except tell you, stop taking minoxidil. And when it comes to hair loss, you need to act fast before the hair follicle dies, because once it's dead, it cannot grow hair. So there you go, my friend. Thank you for sharing this moment with me. If you have any questions or would like to share your own experience, please feel free to do so in the comments. I think next time I will share some tips and tricks I've tested and used to help you camouflage your hair loss while you're waiting for your hair to return to the anagen stage. And I just wanted to say before I close, this episode was not sponsored by Nutrafol, iRestore or Nioxin. I am simply providing you information so that you are informed of what has worked for me. If you'd like any additional information, please visit createthebestme.com/ep134. Thank you for watching. Catch you next week. Bye for now.