Why are we losing our hair?

[Gaucho Sam]

The water here is very hard(.i.e. high mineral content) and probably is the cause of the hair loss problem the folks are mentioning. Doesn't have anything to do with the water you drink but what comes out of the shower head.

It could be hard water. I've lived in a hard water area all my life (albeit perhaps not quite as hard as Capital - I'm from south-west England), and haven't had any change at all in the thickness of my hair since moving to BA last April. It's as thick as it ever was (and those posters on here who've met me will confirm that that's very thick indeed - I'm the Gibraltar regular with the massive blond afro). That being said I don't put anything at all in it apart from water - I don't even use much shampoo when I wash it, just enough to get the smell of cigarette smoke out.

The above of course means it is possible to still have thick hair in hard water areas, of course, but the fact I've always had it, and it's not changed here, certainly leaves the possibility open for that being the cause.

I've not noticed much change in my skin either, but it's possible my fingernails have got a little softer and smoother again in the 6 weeks I've been back in Somerset for Christmas...

(Incidentally the above about my lovely thick mane no longer applies since I had it all cut off the other day. But it'll be back.)

 

[Johnny]

I've noticed little difference in my hair since moving here five years ago. I have the hair of that wanker Fabian no matter how much, or what, I smoke, and despite years of swimming in whiskey and the demimonde.

It's the genes folks. Always the genes.

 

[ghella]

It's good to see people thinking about possible causes of symptoms and thinking about their health. Genetics is always the biggest factor and then you have the environmental factors, nutrition & air/water quality, exercise, emotional/mental health, sleep hygiene. When we move or travel the change in environment presents an interplay of so many different factors that affects the stress levels on our organism on physical and emotional levels. BA is not that bad on a universal scale but certainly could be challenging depending on your personality and lifestyle habits.

 

[PhilipDT]

Well this thread is back, so I'll chime in.

1.5 years living here
1.5 years drinking the water
1.5 years using the shampoo.

Still have a veritable shitton of hair.

 

[Postmodernchild]

so you all don't feel that bad, my hair was falling apart with the pollution and horrible water in Los Angeles...glad I am here just for my hair

 

[Celia]

I found a cure for the effect of hard water on my hair, which is using a silicon based hair serum after washing (John Frieda or L'oreal). Had dry breaking hair here till I started using this. Now it's fine.

 

[MeghanLS]

then why do argentines have such gorgeous hair???

 

[cruizes]

Besides the hair thinning a little bit how about skin rashes? Since summer arrived my skin continually breaks out with a skin rash. My first reaction was that is was a heat rash but I think that besides heat the pollution in the air and buses contributes. Anybody else having the same problem?

 

[Lamb]

But people here have the most beautiful hair in the world i think, so how can that be if apparently the place makes you lose all of it?

 

[NYKate]

It looks to me like a lot of women here have thin, stringy hair, not the most beautiful hair in the world by a long shot.
My husband and I are suffering the same issues and believe its due to the sulfates in the shampoo. Sulfates (sodium lauryl sulfate and/or ammonium lauryl sulfate) are used to make shampoo sudsy and are also used in bathroom, floor and dishsoap in order for them to be able to attract and get rid of oils. They are inexpensive to add to cleaning agents however they are very powerful chemicals. I believe that the amount that is used in shampoos here is greater than in the US. We have tried a lot of brands here and come with the same problem.
Our problem is, after shampooing, we both have very very dry itchy scalp and I have been losing my hair and suffering a lot of breakage. I only wash every other day and do not use heating implements on it.
Does anyone know of a sulfate-free shampoo that they like or ideas where to find some?