Listen to Lena

Perfecting the Art of Conversuasion

Bad Hair Day? Yeah, Me Too.

By

The first time it happened, I was 21 years old. Having just been dumped by my high school sweetheart, I was understandably under a *little* stress. What is it about heartache that causes your body to fall apart? I lost 5 pounds without trying, stopped enjoying just about everything in life, and had trouble concentrating on even the most simple tasks. And I suppose I could have soldiered on, except for one thing: my hair was falling out.

Nioxin 1(Seriously? I was just dumped by the supposed love of my life… and was rewarded with a bald spot?)

I should have known that I wouldn’t be able to escape the breakup unscathed – after all, it’s a widely known fact that stress can cause significant hair loss. But why?

“Typically, people shed about 100 hairs a day,” says Carolyn Jacob, MD. “Most people don’t even notice.” Sometimes, a significant stress of some sort may spark a change in your body’s routine physiological functions, and cause a disproportionate number of hairs to go into the resting phase at the same time. Then three to four months later, sometimes longer, all those resting hairs are shed. The effect can be alarming. The types of events that disrupt the normal hair cycle, Jacob says, can be caused by the substantial physiological stresses on your body.
– Source

Okay, so we’ve established that I was under physiological stress. Break ups suck! But while complaining to my then-stylist about my thinning hair, she suggested the NIOXIN system of products. Fair warning: they weren’t as sexy as they are now. Packaged in a brown bottle with a similarly forgettable scent and consistency, I figured something so blah had to work, as it wasn’t trussed up in sweet-smelling peachy commercialism. And you know what? It did work. With consistent use over a few months, and a heart on the mend, I started to feel my hair return to its natural texture and density.

Nioxin 2The second time it happened, I was 26 years old… and it was yet again after a breakup. Honestly! Four years with a guy who couldn’t commit, and my perky, bouncy hair started falling out in chunks. I had flashbacks of my first battle of the bald spot – and was ready to swear off men for good – when I remembered NIOXIN. The packaging had changed, but the results were the same: a noticeable decrease in hair loss after 3-4 weeks, and after 2-3 months, thicker, healthier hair.

So what’s the deal with NIOXIN?

The NIOXIN approach began in 1987, when the founder experienced thinning hair and began to investigate the idea of treating the scalp with skincare methods. NIOXIN uses advanced technologies to deliver thicker, fuller, denser-looking hair. The three parts of each NIOXIN system – cleanse, optimise and treat – work together to help create an optimal scalp environment.

Today, my hair is thinning – and I can’t blame it on a break up. That’s right, good ol’ genetics, hormones and age – combined with a handful of medications – have started their assault on my naturally fine hair, making it lack body, lustre and strength. As a P&G Mom, I had the awesome opportunity to visit a NIOXIN salon – P&H Salon in Toronto. There, the talented Fabrizio (call him! He’s fab – pun intended) took me through the ins and outs of the NIOXIN system, and we settled on the correct one for my hair type (System 3) and what to expect. 

So here’s what you need to know:

1) NIOXIN has shown to be effective in more than 50% of people with thinning hair. Using the system and complementary products correctly ensures you’ll get the optimal results from your 3-part regimen.

2) NIOXIN results cannot be seen overnight – or even in a week or two. Anyone who tells you otherwise is selling something. Hence, this isn’t a post of me gushing about how NIOXIN changed my hair dramatically after a few uses (apologies to other reviewers you may have seen stating this – sorry, it’s just not possible), and you won’t see a before/after photo in this post. Truth is, you likely won’t see an after photo for at least 3-4 months. But I HAVE used this system before – twice, in fact – and I am a believer that the results WILL happen; I just have to give it some time.

3) NIOXIN’s effect is cumulative – that means, the more you use it, the better results you’ll see. It’s hard sticking with a program, but in Fabrizio’s experience, most of his clients were able to slow down hair loss only as long as they used the products religiously. Stop the system, and they’re back at square one! Of course, if your hair loss is temporary, as in my case with post-breakup trauma (rolls eyes), then you can safely stop the system once you have stopped shedding (or meet a new man).

hair_system_kit_3_450x430_2At P&H Salon, I was also treated to a scalp massage and haircut, courtesy of P&G. It was divine! Thank you for the special Moms Time Out treat; it was much needed after a long winter with excessive heat styling.

So here’s the scoop. I’ve been actively testing the NIOXIN System for normal to thin-looking, fine, chemically treated hair for just over a month now. At the moment, I haven’t seen a noticeable difference in the texture or fullness of my hair, but I’m patient and am hoping I’ll have a good ol’ before and after for you in the upcoming weeks.

Until then, P&G is giving one of my readers the awesome opportunity to WIN a NIOXIN System valued at $105! To enter, simply enter the form below with your qualifying entries.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Reader Interactions

Comments

  3. With my lupus, I suffer from periods of hair loss during flares, and then my hair slowly comes back again, but never as much as before – hopefully something like this would work for me.

  8. Try biotin supplements. Biotin shampoo is available in the organic section of Loblaws. I started taking it and my hairfall had stopped in 2 weeks. Google and do your own research before taking it.

  9. I am entering your giveaway.
    It would be great to win the NIOXIN System.
    In response to your question of
    What are your current hair woes?
    My hair woes are dry thinning hair.
    Thank you for having this giveaway!!!!!!!!!!

  14. I’ve used Nioxin in the past but haven’t repurchased (not sure why?), it was recommended to me when I live in Ontario and my stylist suggested I buy it due to my fine, thin hair – he said it’d thicken it up. Not sure if it worked since I only use 1 bottle of it. I’d be up for trying it again (and shipping it to my parents in NL lol)

  15. i want to win this for a young man in my family who should not be thinning yet at his age. Hopefully this can help him.

  23. I went through a few periods of hair loss as well between my teens and mid-twenties, and honestly, my hair has never recovered.

  25. My hair is very fine and fly-away, I want to cut it shorter but I think I will look bald!

  30. Dryness, and thinning.
    I used to have thick beautiful hair, but since becoming a mom, my hair has changed.

  37. Right now it is dryness and dullness, trying to grow it out so it is not happy right now

  39. I have polycystic ovarian syndrome and as a result, I have thinning hair :(

  40. my hair loss too I pick so much out of drain after shower I think I am going to need a wig

  46. It got damaged following a reparation of a bad bleach from hairstylist, I’m trying hard to rejuvenate it !

  47. My current hair woes are: 1) frizz and 2) it’s falling out after the birth of my second child.

  50. I used Nioxin in the past as it was recommended for my scalp issues (something like psoriasis). I was happy with the results. The only other “cure” has been pregnancy, although I won’t be using that method again. I’m currently 10.5m postpartum with my 4th, and hair loss hasn’t slowed down. I’m sick of finding hair e.v.e.r.y.w.h.e.r.e!

  58. oh where to begin…

    let’s see…

    thinning
    dry
    frizzy
    unmanageable

    i think that’s all.

  63. LOVE the smell of Nioxin products when I tried it while staying with my sister once. That was years ago…would love to try it again to see how well it would work on my thinning hair!

  68. I cannot find a shampoo that will get rid of my dandruff and it is very frustrating.

  74. My hair is thick but flat as a pancake i wish i had more volume i have to use a ton of gel and hairspray to keep it where i want lol