Expert: Melanie Vonzabuesnig - 10/24/2009

Question
I am 57 years old, but for many years have had very thin hair, especially on the top of my head. It seems to be getting worse over the years. I do have my hair permed just to give it some body and thickness and it does look a lot better when I perm it. I have tried different things like massage and other formulas like honey, olive oil & cinnamon. That only has a "bandaid" affect. I have gone through menopause and one naturopath told me it was hormones, however my doctor checked 13 hormones through blood tests and told me there is no indication in any of the hormones that the levels are low & are causing the hair thinning. The thinning is right in front of my head and the top. You can actually see my scalp through my hair. I have tired things in the past like kelp & zinc & other supplements. One thing I didn't try that the naturopath recommended to me was something called MSN (I think, not sure if I got those letters in the right order)... it was a type of Sulphur. I didn't try that yet.
Also, I do feel I am very badly in need of vitamins & minerals for many years. My nails are also very soft and very thin & break very easily, so I feel the nails & hair problem might go together.
The kelp didn't do anything at all, so I am trying to find other things that might work. I have not had a lot of tests, as my doctor just thinks it might be stress. My blood test last week showed I am very low in iron. My daughter has ITP with low platelets, and also has very low iron & she has started taking Spirulina several months ago. She told me that her iron levels have elevated and she has so much energy after taking 1 teaspoon a day for a couple months, that now she has to cut back & only take 1/2 teaspoon a day. I heard that Spirulina is good for iron and hair. I can't take the powder, as I tried hers and nearly vomited.
My question is do you think that the Spriulina will help my hair thinning problem? If so, how much should I take, as I read about overdosing and having the opposite problem happening i.e. losing your hair. Would it help to put a spirulina formula on my hair itself? Are the tablets & capsules just as affective as the powder. What about the extract?
I live in Australia, and the Spirulina here is very expensive, about $100 for 500gms of powder or capsules, so seeing that I can't afford to lose money, dont' want to spend it on something that won't work. If you could give me any help, I would appreciate it. Thankyou. Donna

Answer
Hello Donna: Spirulina is a wonderful natural sources of many valuable nutrients(including iron) for healthy hair growth and overall health. Because they are not synthetic, the nutrients they contain are are easy to digest and absorb. I use spirulina on a daily basis. You can use capsules or tablets if you don't like the powder. Because you mention that you hair is thinning (not shedding) in certain areas, it sounds like it may be androgenetic alopecia. This condition causes the follicles in certain areas to gradually shrink, producing thinner, weaker hairs that provide less scalp coverage. This condition progresses slowly over a prolonged period of time. As long as the follicles are still producing hair, the condition can be improved. Feel free to browse my website for more information on female hair loss and using essential oil scalp treatments for female hair loss.
Sincerely, Melanie Vonzabuesnig
http://www.vzbotanicals.com