Your washing and fap habits? personal experiment starting

[sachalamp]

It took me almost 10 years to notice something that should've been obvious. Since 16, I started washing my hair more frequently. The more i washed it, the more greasy it got. It would appear that's how scalp oil production works. It produces back that which you strip away. By 17, i started losing hair. Nowadays my DSLaboratories treatment (shampoo+ conditioner) is supposed to be used daily. I'm losing more hair than i used to.

I've started doing some research on no shampoo and the more i read, the more sense it makes. Up until 70-90 years ago, people rarely washed their hair. It was usually once a week. But they did comb the hair, which means the oil on the scalp is applied to the whole hair length.

You can google "no shampoo", you will get many stories about it, including a test made in Australia by a radio anchor. This is the wiki page for starters: ">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_poo


My question is, could you think when did you change your washing habits, by how much, and how did the hair loss respond? How much do you leave the shampoo on? When did your hair loss start in the first place? Did you even change washing habits at all? Is it warm or cold water you use to wash the hair? I am aware the current correlation is "you have to wash greasy hair, because it's unhealthy otherwise", but i just think we're the ones disrupting a good system in the first place. I would also expect bald people to be washing/shaving their scalp daily, which if my theory is correct, would condemn them to "forever bald". And balding people washing hair more because hair thinning is more noticeable when hair is not washed. There's also that thing with homeless people not going bald that got me thinking too, they don't wash their hair either.

I know this is a delicate subject, but i'd also want to ask about your masturbation habits, if you would be so kind to answer.

I am 27 years old, as I mentioned earlier i started losing some hair by 17, it got worse over time, I initially wanted to use propecia at 23 but decided i don't want to risk my hormonal balance. I used minoxidil at 25 and had good results after 3 months, but i keep getting random arrhythmias on it, so i really want to use it as a last resort option only (if that). Also, my hair loss gets extremely bad if i go on masturbation binges ( some days i do 2-4). Nofap appeared to help every time i managed to stay clean for at least a month. So i will start doing that again too.

My plan for minimum 3 to 6 months is:

- stop using shampoo entirely, only wash hair with coldish water every 3-4 days and [i have yet to decide if on each 7th day use baking soda soap or diluted solution and then rinse with vinegar].
- not masturbate/fantasize, only sex 1-4 times/week.
- brushing hair once, max twice daily
- lukewarm first, finishing in cold water showers.
- generic vitamin complex, which i used before
- no hairgrowth medication
- exercise 3 times/week, 10 minutes meditation daily, stretching daily

http://imgur.com/a/MruGk#0

I went for a checkup to confirm MPB and get detailed scalp pictures, which should be available in a couple of days. I also have the official papers confirming MPB and seborrheic dermatitis (which is basically oily scalp+dandruff). The same clinic diagnosed me 2 years ago and I also have access to those records and pictures (pretty much the same as now, but more hair back then)

I will also check the link between gluten sensitivity and itchy scalp/dandruff ( http://celiacdisease.about.com...A-Gluten-Allergy_3.htm ). I will probably switch between gluten and non gluten to check when and if itchiness comes back. I will try to explain the reasoning in later posts.

If you have any suggestions, please let me know.

Obviously if you wish to join in on the test, you're more than welcome.

I plan to do a survery on washing habits, but i first need to figure out the exact questions to be asking. I will make a new topic for that one and i hope you could help on that.

[Mike K]

Personally I think not washing your hair is gross, and I have tried no fap several times and it made no difference whatsoever, but best of luck to you. Please keep us posted and take pics. The results will be basically worthless without pics.

[35YrsAfter]

It took me almost 10 years to notice something that should've been obvious. Since 16, I started washing my hair more frequently. The more i washed it, the more greasy it got. It would appear that's how scalp oil production works. It produces back that which you strip away. By 17, i started losing hair.

When I was 14, I noticed a tiny bit of recession and reasoned that I was not washing my hair enough. I began washing my hair every day and my hair gradually thinned. By the time I was 27, I was about a Norwood 4. I think that sometimes a coincidence motivates us to jump to conclusions. MPB is genetic. Now identical twin studies do indicate that lifestyle choices can cause the gene to swing more toward the good or the bad. For instance Sharon Keene MD wrote a series of Epigenetic studies related to twins. In a nutshell:

Bad for hair: Cigarette smoking, alcoholism, sunburn, stress, and excessive use of hair straighteners.

Good for hair: Coffee, diet and exercise and of course men with the MPB gene will usually benefit from Rogaine, Avodart or Propecia.

35YrsAfter also posts as CITNews and works at Dr. Cole's office
Cole Hair Transplant
1070 Powers Place
Alpharetta, Georgia 30009
Phone 678-566-1011
The contents of my posts are my opinions and not medical advice

[walrus]

You are barking up the wrong tree. MPB has nothing to do with how many times you wash your hair or fapping.

[greatjob!]

Like walrus said you're wasting your time, masturbation and hair washing have nothing to do with mpb. You can find bogus causes for every disease on the internet, it doesn't mean anything.

[burtandernie]

I dont know about some of these. Is coffee really good for hair then why does someone drinking a ton each day still lose hair? No one can quantify how stress or cigarette smoking contribute to MPB either. Does one good and one bad offset each other? No one can answer any of those. I just dont really agree some of these contribute much if anything. I knew people that smoked that never lost hair. I dont think its an concrete as one study might seem to indicate. I could just as easily toss air pollution or uv rays or radiation into that. Are these twins they studied do they have identical androgen receptor layouts, pgd 2 levels, and so on. Its not is simple as just measuring differences.

Bad for hair: Cigarette smoking, alcoholism, sunburn, stress, and excessive use of hair straighteners.

Good for hair: Coffee, diet and exercise and of course men with the MPB gene will usually benefit from Rogaine, Avodart or Propecia.

[Notcoolanymore]

I am not trying to be a jerk, I am really not. With the condition of your hair, you really don't have time to waste on your plan. I understand and have no problem if you do not want to risk taking meds, but your plan will not change the condition of your hair at all.



Like Mike said, not washing your hair is gross.

[35YrsAfter]

Is coffee really good for hair then why does someone drinking a ton each day still lose hair? No one can quantify how stress or cigarette smoking contribute to MPB either. Does one good and one bad offset each other? No one can answer any of those. I just dont really agree some of these contribute much if anything.

Bad for hair: Cigarette smoking, alcoholism, sunburn, stress, and excessive use of hair straighteners.

Good for hair: Coffee, diet and exercise and of course men with the MPB gene will usually benefit from Rogaine, Avodart or Propecia.

The differences are subtle. Nothing like Propecia or Avodart. Identical twins aren't identical in every way.

35YrsAfter also posts as CITNews and works at Dr. Cole's office
Cole Hair Transplant
1070 Powers Place
Alpharetta, Georgia 30009
Phone 678-566-1011
The contents of my posts are my opinions and not medical advicek

[Aphrodite]

Fist of all, in what way could masturbation or actual sex be connected to hair loss? I would like to see a study on this. This theory is bogus. If you want advice on treating hair loss, you many want to consult a medical professional or try some of the FDA approved hair loss treatments such as Propecia or Minoxidil. Also, not washing your hair will leave the DHT on your scalp and likely leave you with clogged pores. Moreover, dirty hair will probably deter female interactions and will likely limit your "real" sex to less than 1-4 times per week. If you aren't washing your hair, it's not going to smell very good. And let's be honest, most women appreciate a clean smelling men if they are going to do the deed with him.

As far as your itchy scalp, as your doctor to prescribe Nizoral(ketoconazole) shampoo. If that doesn't work, several topical steroids are also available to treat your condition.

Your regimen does have a few good things going for it: the multivitamin and the exercise. Both are proven to correlate with with healthy hair, but that doesn't mean they will help you regrow hair. If you've noticed that you have experienced an increase in hair loss from washing it every day, you are probably just be loosing more hair now. If you want to keep the hair you have, you should probably be proactive and start using some of the proven hair loss remedies vs. wasting time on the unproven theories you may have.

[sachalamp]

There is no study on this as far as i know. Just anecdotes and many stories of overall well being when one abstains from masturbation. It's a function of our body that we've (myself included) grown used to abuse in my opinion. I will explain all the correlations in greater detail once i feel i have a good grip on the subjects.

I appreciate your concern about my hair loss. You will notice that i described in the OP that i already had this clinically diagnosed for a while ( i think at ~21, now i'm almost 27). I had seen at least 5 different doctors, including a hair transplant specialist, which i will be seing again tomorrow (5/13/2014) so that he can confirm the MPB again. I already had the diagnosis though, but i guess more evidence can't hurt anyone. I was also diagnosed for seborheic dermatitis ( by different doctors) the years before, as i was diagnosed recently, on 4/30/2014 ( that's the part i added on my edited OP).

I was prescribed ketoconazole shampoo and i did use it for years. I was also recommended propecia by the hair transplant doctor 3 years ago ( the same i will be seing tomorrow) and i was also recommended Minoxidil.

I expressed my views on propecia or any hormone drugs in op and i described that Minoxidil, although showing good results, gave me tachycardia/arrhythmia and nose bleeds ( the latter might be because i have a deviated septum).

I did not mention that overall, at least in the last two years, i have mostly been in good health, for which i am grateful, and i had a relatively healthy diet ( i do eat sweets, maybe more than i should, and fast food sometimes, but the latter is definitely a treat, not a habit)

I exercise since i was 21, it's not rigurous nor strict, usually 1-2 times/ week on average, probably less. I didn't get out that much though (as in hiking on other outdoors acitivities, something that i plan to improve). I am 192cm (6'3) tall and weigh 76 kgs (167 pounds), i usually fluctuate between 73 and 80 kgs (169-176 pounds). So i am quite thin, but BMI is in normal range.

As for vitamins, i've been using them as well since ~20, so all in all, exercise and vitamis are more of a constant.

I did expect my hair to go on the wild side when starting this, which it did. The first week was very difficult, but sebum is starting to somewhat stabilize now. It's still miles away from a normal scalp though. Dandruff is pretty consistent but this is something that i expected. I don't expect to see an improvent too soon.

I already discussed this with my girlfriend and she's been supportive of me. I did ask her to let me know if things get unpleasant. She's been sniffing my hair from time to time and it smells exactly what you should expect hair to smell like, that is hair. She's actually trying to reduce her hair washing habits as well, which was every other day, as she also got the dreaded oily scalp. I want to mention that i don't dismiss the smell part, i would expect someone that has a bad diet or is in poor health, to smell, scalp included ( back when i was eating crap, i always smelled pretty bad, and deodorant was never enough. The same this for the periods when i was sick). Itchiness was also very nasty the first week or so, especially the first time i went 4 days without washing. On the last day, it started to itch very bad, i simply had to go wash, and i did lose a lot of hair that time. Ever since, i didn't get that, but it still gets a bit annoying on the 3rd or 4th day. But definitely in acceptable boundaries.

As i figure this post turned out to be somewhat of an update, i thought i should add that i've considered what i initially mentioned, that is using baking powder+vinegar. I decided against that. It's only coldish water every 3-4 days or so, i don't dry it, i let it dry by itself.

As the hair got extremely greasy, adding cold water does not remove that much, but it does remove dandruff. The first day it actually looks acceptable, the second it starts to get more visible, and the third it is noticeable.

[sachalamp]

I am not trying to be a jerk, I am really not. With the condition of your hair, you really don't have time to waste on your plan. I understand and have no problem if you do not want to risk taking meds, but your plan will not change the condition of your hair at all.



Like Mike said, not washing your hair is gross.

I know my hair is not in good condition, and i expect and hope this will change in a couple of months. It is possible it will take 1-2 years, even 6, but i will persevere. My current estimate on noticing some degree of improvement is 2 to 4 months.

Not washing is gross is a product of exceptional and persistent marketing schemes that resulted in shifts in people's views. There was no shampoo up until the last century. People probably washed their hair with homemade soap, if that, the day the went to church or sunday gatherings. Even in the 60s, women used to get their hair washed weekly at salons, not at home. I don't think washing hair every other day was even conceivable. The more you think about the nowdays normality, the less normal it sounds.

Rinsing with coldish water probably happened more often.

[fred970]

And so, what is your point exactly?

[walrus]

There is no study on this as far as i know.

Says it all.

[sachalamp]

And so, what is your point exactly?

My point is that not only are men balding but we are paying big bucks to speed up the process.

Says it all.

It doesn't for me.


______________________________

I want to correct a piece of information in the op. In a casual conversation with my mother yesterday, she remembered i did use a 5a reductase for one or two weeks at the age of 21-23. I had many mixed feelings about it though, but unfortunately this is the only information i had remembered while writing the op. I did some of my annual blood tests after that and tga or tgp markers were pretty high (i will look for the papers). I don't remember the exact timeline though, but it's very likely that i stoped because of that too.

As an update, i would like to bring into attention that going cold turkey on masturbation/sexual fantasy on people using 5a reductase could prove dangerous and could lead to sexual as well as general health issues. I do not know if this applies to minoxidil users, but as a rule of thumb, i would advise no hair loss medication on this regimen. Best thing, as i am fairly sure this is the case already, is to let me give it a go.

[Aphrodite]

You keep mentioning that people didn't wash their hair as frequently way back when. I'd just like to point out, men were still going bald then. MPB is not a recent finding.