It's been four and a half years since I shaved off my hair and the above picture was taken today. I used Henna to dye my hair back in March because I wanted to cover my grey hair. I was initially happy with the results, but I soon noticed that the Henna made my hair feel drier and more brittle. The Henna turned my Black hair into a dark brown colour, which made it look dull. A few weeks after using the Henna, I used Adore Plus semi-permanent Jet Black dye on my hair. The semi-permanent dye doesn't last long, so I used it at the front of my hair a few more times. On the last occasion, my ends started snapping off after I rinsed out the dye. I've used Adore Plus semi-permanent dye for years with good results, so I suspect that the Hydrolyzed Collagen in the dye is incompatible with the Henna.
This picture was taken in August after I installed crochet twists with afro kinky human hair. I had noticed that the top of my hair was becoming finer and thinner so I did some research and realised that my hair was showing signs of androgenetic alopecia. Earlier this year, I increased my weightlifting and I began building upper body muscle in addition to lower body muscle. After noticing the signs of androgenetic alopecia, I cut back on the weightlifting. I suspected that the weightlifting was leading to increased levels of testosterone, which can cause higher levels of Dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Androgenetic alopecia is caused by increased levels of DHT. I read that Evening Primrose Oil can help women to balance their hormones, so I began to take it on a regular basis along with a Multivitamin, a Vitamin D supplement, a Vitamin C supplement, a Magnesium supplement, Marine Collagen and an Omega-3 supplement.
This picture was taken today. I decided to make a hair and scalp oil, to massage into my scalp. Many of the growth oils on the market contain Rosemary oil, but I get a headache when I use it a lot. Lavender Oil helps to reduce stress and it may help with hair growth, so I created an oil blend containing Organic Sesame Oil, Organic Castor Oil, Organic Lavender Oil and Vitamin E. I'm going to massage the mixture into my scalp a few times a week and wash my hair twice a week to prevent build-up.
This picture was taken after I removed the Flat Twists. Last week I noticed a few split ends, so I used the search and destroy method to cut them off. I'm now on a mission to grow out my Henna coloured hair and reverse my androgenetic alopecia symptoms.