PCOS AND HAIR LOSS – Make the Most of What You’ve Got
Note: Since this article was published 5 years ago, I have found an even better solution than the ones I describe below. PCOS Diva’s mission is to resolve PCOS symptoms by treating the root causes. If you want to heal your scalp and stimulate regrowth of shiny, thick, beautiful hair, try Morroccan Method. I have been using this all-natural line for quite some time with fantastic results. For a complete review of the products and an informative interview with the Founder of Morroccan Method, follow these links. You will be glad you did!
Hi my name is Amy, and I’m a hair product addict. If you could only see my bathroom cabinet, it is filled with half empty bottles of volumizers, root boosters and anti-humidity hairsprays. I am always on the hunt for the latest and greatest body building hair formula. When you experience hair loss, you feel like you need to make every hair on your head count. So, I wanted to share my favorite tried and true hair products, that give big hair challenged ladies like me, lots of volume.
KMS California Add Volume Line
Shampoo: This Shampoo adds volume and body. Ideal for fine or lifeless hair. Gives you 
added volume and body.
Conditioner: A light weight gel conditioner, that doesn’t weigh down.
Root & Body Lift: A light weight spray foam, that lifts roots, builds body and texture and gives targeted lift at the crown.
Mousse: A lite as air foam provides texture and body while protecting from heat. Ideal for fine or all hair types. Gives you all over volume and support.
Goldwell Unlimitor is a spray wax that creates incredible texture and volume. I use it before I spray with hairspray.
I think the best hairspray for fine hair is Back to Basics Flexible Hold Green Tea and L’Oreal Elnett Extra Strong Hold. Both have super fine mists that don’t weigh down hair and they add texture.
If you are beyond big hair challenged and are really dealing with PCOS hair loss and thinning hair, I have found two wonderful products from Folica.com. DermMatch is a hard-packed, colored powder that comes in 8 shades (they can actually be blended). The powder coats and thickens your hair. You rub DermMatch using a sponge applicator directly on your scalp to color areas exposed by hair loss.
Then you can sprinkle MegaTHIK Hair building fibers over the area you just covered with the DermMatch.
This info is straight from the website, “Simply shake MegaTHIK Hair Building Fibers onto thinning hair and see a fuller, thicker head of hair. MegaTHIK instantly rebuilds your hair with natural Keratin Fibers. Your hair will appear thicker in seconds. The fibers are available in five natural shades to make both men and women’s hair look and feel full and natural.” I can attest that it does really work. Just sprinkle, pat it down and spray with hairspray and no one will ever know.
And if all else fails…..get a wig. I’m not kidding. I experienced severe post partum hair loss after my 3rd child during the spring of 2009. The hair loss became so bad that I went from using these concealers to going to Salon 10 Newbury in Boston and getting fitted with a partial hair piece made with real hair. It clipped in right at the crown and blended with the hair I had left. It was expensive (around $800) but was worth every penny. It saved my sanity. My hair has grown back and hair loss now is minimal a result of the regime. But, if you are still really struggling with PCOS hair loss, you don’t need to suffer, you can still look and feel beautiful. Don’t be afraid to look at all your options, and if you have a favorite hair product please share!
This is me wearing my hair piece in August 2009 with my baby girl.
Great ideas! Thank you!
Hello Amy!
This is my first post, and first time on this website. I’m a 20 with PCOS and I just recently started experiencing hair loss in the male balding pattern.. its very distressing, to say the least. Your article made me feel very hopeful about reducing the hair loss or helping the volumizing process! I love the website layout and how you include pictures and everything in your articles.. so excellent! I will definitely be a regular on this website! 🙂 Thank you! <3
Thanks Gloria! Make sure to sign up for my newsletter and facebook page too!
I never used hairspray when I was younger, but it’s now my best friend! It makes my hair appear thicker, and it keeps all the falling out hairs in place (instead of all over the back of my shirt). I haven’t used DermMatch yet, but I’ve been using Joan Rivers Great Hair Day, and it works well to fill in my thinning part. I was using Toppik before that, but it made my scalp look orange:( Ooh, I should look into MegaThik.
Bumble and Bumble has a product that has seriously changed my life. Hair Powder. It comes in several colors and is in an aerosol can. I have tried different sprinkly products and they are hard to use in my opinion. Hair powder is really easy to use, you should try it.
Thanks for the tip Monica!
Amy, I have a question. You said that you used the wig and then your hair grew back. What did you do for your hair to grow back? The only product I have used is Nioxin and all it really did was make my hair a little thicker. I’m wanting to have a full set of hair like I did before or at least as much as i can get back. What should I do?
Melissa-
My severe hairloss was due to postpartum. I knew eventually it would come back. Stick to a healthy diet and try what I recommend for hairloss. Don’t let it consume your life. If you have to get a wig it really wasn’t the big deal that I thought it would be.
I was wondering where you can purchase KMS California. I have not scene it at any salons in my area. Do you order this online? Would love to try it but can not seem to find it. Thanks : )
I use Ovation Hair therapy which helps with hair loss and growth. I find it to work very well after about a month of use. The more you use it the better your hair feels and grows. Hope that anyone that needs it or is having trouble gets the results I have gotten. My hair seem to stop right before my shoulders not its about 1/4 down my back. I love it!
Amy, I was wondering if your post partum hair loss was different than what you usually feel like AGA is. I’ve never had any hair issues before until three months ago it started coming out by the hundreds. I did prior to that experiment with a few birth control pills because I was bleeding so severly for a month. I have an appt w another dermatlologist to see If I can possibly get a more definite answer but in the meantime my endo suggested I try spiro incase it is AGA. I’ve been on that for about a mOnth but it still sheds so much. I’m just looking for someone who has experience in both departments of hair loss. If it’s AGA would it just start so abruptly and fall out bu the hundreds? Or does it seem like it’s more of a triggered telogen effluvium type thing from the hormones?
My favorite thing to do, just for hair loss not for volumizing or anything like that, is to wash with borax and rinse with citric acid. Then I use an aloe/EO blend for hair growth. My hair still falls out because the main cause is not taken care of (high DHEA/testosterone being converted to DHT), but it is minimized and new growth is coming in. Also, my hairdresser says there is no longer any dandruff on my head–hooray!
BORAX SHAMPOO: 2 tablespoons borax, 2-3 cups water (put into a squirt bottle like the kind you can buy for ketchup and squirt onto your scalp/hair, let sit 3 minutes, then rinse thoroughly). This 3 cup mixture lasts about a week. SO CHEAP!
DANDRUFF BORAX SHAMPOO: just put in 5 drops tea tree oil and 5 drops peppermint EO to the borax mix and shake well before applying each time.
CITRIC ACID RINSE: After the borax, mix 2 cups water with 1/8 teaspoon citric acid powder and pour over your scalp/hair. Let sit 3 minutes, rinse well. One bottle of citric acid lasts about a year…seriously.
ALOE/EO BLEND: 5 drops lavender, 2 drops rosemary, 1/2-1 tablespoons aloe gel. Mix well, apply to the scalp like medication (part hair, rub into the part, then part next to that part and rub into it again, repeat all across scalp, and massage well into BALDING AREAS). Only do this 3x/week to slow hair loss (after the initial “dread shed” which lasts 1-4 weeks) and grow new hair. Rosemary brings blood to the scalp and lavender kills mold/fungus that causes dandruff and acts as an estrogenic (estrogen is what hormone used to grow hair).
AS A CAUTION: I know tea tree oil is really popular for dandruff, but please only apply it in the shower, let it sit, then rinse it off. Do not put it onto your scalp and allow it to sit there. It’s just too caustic for that on a scalp that is already losing hair!
FOR HARD TO TREAT DANDRUFF/MOLD/FUNGUS SCALP INFECTIONS: 1/4 cup Bragg’s ACV, 2 tablespoons 3% hydrogen peroxide, 1 cup water. Pour over scalp after the citric acid rinse and allow to sit 5 minutes or until any tingling stops, then rinse out. Only do this 3x/week for a week.
If it does not clear up the infection, you have a massive pH imbalance stopping your scalp from healing and will need to address that first. Drink the standard recipe for ACV/bicarb (I think it’s 1 tablespoon ACV and 1/8 teaspoon bicarb in howevermuch water it takes to get it down), take a large amount of vitamin C everyday (more than 1,000mgs, whatever dose does not give you diarrhea), and take a good amount of manganese. Do this for one week, sometimes two, while doing the ACV rinse for that week and see if the scalp infection doesn’t clear up.
When this fails, it’s usually candida. Follow whatever protocol works best for your to get rid of it.
ANOTHER OPTION is to use original Listerine (the gold kind) on your scalp/hair and brushes/combs. Douse everything with it and let sit 5 minutes, then rinse thoroughly. Do this once a week.
LASTLY: Don’t share your brushes/comb with other family members, disinfect them often, and wash your pillowcases more often than your sheets. If you can afford it, change it everyday as long as you have dandruff issues.
IF YOU REALLY WANT TO USE A SOAP SHAMPOO: I would make your own using 1 part liquid castile soap to 1 part water (or HAIR TEA: which include nettle, rosemary, burdock, and calendula) and EOs (peppermint, tea tree, lavender, rosemary, sage, thyme). I’ll post a recipe for this if people are interested–it include glycerin and lots of good things!
OR you can purchase my favorite alternative: Camamu’s “Nettle/Rosemary” bar shampoo. Excellent stuff! I only quit using it because borax is cheaper! Rinse your hair with 1/8 cup ACV to 2 cups water after shampooing (NOTE: do NOT use the citric acid rinse unless you’re washing with borax!). You can still use the aloe/EO mix after the shower.