Alopecia is a bit like aggravated hair loss. Each situation is different, so I suggest you tell me my story of alopecia, you might find yourself in it and decide to try natural products. Here is a little timeline to summarize the situation of my alopecia and my hair, then the details just below!
The diagnosis is: androgenetic alopecia
I lived in the United States for several years and I was losing a lot of hair. My hair mass had diminished. However, I had to return to France for 6 months and my hair had come back, phew. It must have been a difference in nutrition or even the limestone in the water. A year later, I returned to France for good, except that now, my hair is not growing back. It is growing in length, but I no longer have the same volume of hair as before. I simply do not have as much as in the photo below.
Where did my hair go? I was then diagnosed with androgenetic alopecia in 2012. My hair specialist at St-Louis Hospital then prescribed Minoxidil for me.
I ask her how long I will have to take minoxidil to treat alopecia. She tells me, "For life! You will never get back your previous hair mass, but you should not lose any more."
What a surprise. This worries me greatly. I then took my treatment with monoxidil without fail, every day, for years. A pipette or two of minoxidil on the scalp every evening, then I massaged the scalp, or double dose every other day the day before shampooing because the hair became a little too greasy.
The Chemical vs. Natural Dilemma for Treating Alopecia
Over the next few years, I swapped my chemical and polluting cosmetics for solid cosmetics that were respectful of our health and our planet, most of which I made myself. Then there was minoxidil. This very chemical product that I used every day on my very sensitive scalp was disturbing me.
What's the point of gorging on natural products if you're going to continue using this product that doesn't seem very clean?
I couldn't stand the thought of putting those few chemical drops on my scalp and then massaging it to really get the minoxidil into my skin... Argh, this had to stop, but how?
Research into natural treatments for alopecia
Alopecia was not very publicized in France in 2020 but naturalness was very popular. So I managed to find quite a few DIY recipes to fight against hair loss, which remains a common problem for everyone after all :)
Certain vegetable and essential oils appear to be an obvious way to combat hair loss and therefore I hope alopecia, for example vegetable oils of castor, mustard, calophyllum inophyllum and essential oil of Bay St Thomas.
Getting Started with 100% Natural Alopecia Treatment
I'm going for it! I'm first using natural products alongside minoxidil.
- I completely replace my industrial shampoos with my own shampoo recipe adapted to my scalp, my alopecia and my needs
- I replace minoxidil once a week with pipettes of natural oils ("oil bath").
- I replace chemical hair colorings with henna made by myself (white hair)
The revelation: natural products replace minoxidil to treat alopecia
About 5 months after starting this concrete program, I noticed the first positive effects: my hair around my face began to grow back, whereas it had stopped growing for years even when using minoxidil! They thus formed a small crown of hair a few centimeters long.
It was a revelation. Natural products could actually make my hair grow back!
I then stopped minoxidil in July 2020 to only use natural cosmetics on my hair.
And guess what? Since 2020, my alopecia has been stable, even improved. My hair is stronger, more beautiful than before. However, I had to stop henna because my hair had become too dark, that's another story that I will tell you about in a future article :)
In the meantime, I created my soap factory. I am launching my solid shampoo for sensitive scalp and alopecia from the start of the 2023 school year.
