Phoenix Visions a good salon?: Urgent :((

Sometimes extreme stress or a change in medication can cause hair loss. My hair fell out after my mother passed. You might want to consult a doctor. It could be a medical reason.

That was my first thought actually. Then I noticed its only blonde, my roots and TYE underneath of my hair are natural and very dark, almost black. It's gotten damaged somehow over the last 2 days (changed nothing). On recommendation I am going to slather it in olive oil and leave it for a couple days. So sad 🙁

hair is falling out at the roots, can be cause by stress (physical, emotional, hormonal), lack of iron (ladies), poor diet.
Hair breakage is more likely the result of an eviromental change. Wash only your scalp. Keep hair out of the sun. My daughter (competive open water athlete) puts a combo of Banana Boat for babies SPF 50 and aloe gel in her highly processed ponytail. She thinks it works. I do the olive oil and shower cap thing. Before long you'll be buying those cotton house dresses at Kmart. and sleeping with tube socks on your hands. The sun, the clorine, the salt, the high price of quality products wrek havoc on high maintence style routines. Welcome to the VI!!

Yeah, sun and salt water are usually the biggest culprits for damage. If you swim, do a fresh-water rinse as soon as you can afterwards. I don't like putting gunk in my hair before swimming because all those chemicals wind up in the water (and on our coral reefs) -- but I know plenty of women who slather on hair conditioner before going in the water.

I also use a shower filter (Aquasana) because my skin and hair aren't always happy with the cistern water. You might try that too.

As blu noted, this is a place where less is more, on a lot of levels. Less personal alteration (cosmetics, hair dye, etc.) is one of those things. The sun gives salon-quality highlights for free!

it could be your water. try using bottled water and see if that helps

To answer your question- Phoenix (formerly known as Monica's) is a well-established salon. You initially asked for color specialists. Sharon Moore at Studio Hair and (I understand, not by first hand experience) Amanda at Goddess Salon in Tillett Gardens are color specialists.

Did you just have your hair bleached?
A great tip to know. Anytime before getting into a pool or the ocean rinse your hair with fresh water. Your hair acts as a sponge when it is dry when entering the water. If it is already wet it won't suck up the salt or chlorine.

Thanks everyone. I called Sharon Moore and talked to her for a while. She is super sweet. We both are racking our brains to figure out what happened. I haven't had my hair bleached for a month and a half. Even more so important I had my hair bleached right before I did my PMV to STX last July and I was in the ocean and washing it with cistern water 3 times a day. I mean we practically lived in the ocean that month. This wasn't a little hair that broke. It's two large handfuls!

Here's the whole story: we went to dinner at 13 on Tuesday. I showered and washed my hair as usual. I have naturally curly hair and if I over condition it, then I can't style it. Couldn't get it to look decent so I said screw it and twisted it up and put a clip in it. The next day I worked around the house, cleaning and doing laundry. My hair was still up in the clip. Went to bed. So now it Thursday, I go to get in the shower and noticed when I took the clip out, my hair smelled really bad. I've never smelled that smell before, like a mix of mold and sour towels? Just way "off". I didn't think much about it, just the humidity and that it didn't dry so I wash and condition like normal. When I get out I brush it and half of my blonde breaks off and comes out. PERSONALLY I think there is a bacteria or something in the cistern water. It's really the only thing I've changed.

Fdr: I am going to put a filter on the house, I've decided. I have no clue what I'm looking for, is there a company that will come see what I have and make recommendations? My brother in law runs an industrial plumbing company so he can get me a good deal but I don't know what I am looking for.

Speedy: I did do 2 subsequent washes with bottled water just in case.

This sucks. Guess I'm gonna roll my hairstyle au naturel for a while. 🙁

I go to Liz at Phoenix Vision - and I come from STJ (ferry then and Safari if that tells you anything) so a haircut takes me between 4 and 5 hours - love her 🙂

Pia

So sorry. that really sucks. IF bacteria is present in te cistern then a partical or charol filter won't help. You'd need a UV filter or water treatment. Befor doing anything. Call your land lord. Talk openly about the situation. I'd want to know the last time the cistren system was checked/cleaned? What type of filters/treatments is in place? Was water delived recently.? Did the pior tenents ever have an issue? These are good questions to ask before signing a lease.

Did you spray bug replent before going out to dinner?

The smell (wet dog?) is pretty common. When my kids were littel and wore braids , the braids would deveolp a wet dog oder from time to time.

No wet dog smell, like a stink bug / moldy smell. Not like old sour towels but just really weird. I will call the landlord. I did ask about the cistern before we moved in. He said there's no filter, no one has lived here for 4 months before us and that no one had bleached the system or added chems that he knew of. He said its been a while since it was cleaned, he couldn't really remember. I have a nose like a dog and can't smell anything funny in the water or in the cistern when I open it and its crystal clear. Smells like nothing. I still have the olive oil on lol. It's still falling out thou. This blows. 🙁 ah well, I guess it'll grow back lol. At least it not at the root, I would be worried that I was sick or something.

I would definitely add a bit of bleach to the cistern. Just because you can see it or smell it doesn't mean that something isn't funny there.... It doesn't take that much ( like the old saying just a dab 'll do ya ) bleach and it works wonders on killing anything that might be wrong but doesn't make the water unsafe at the same time.

Add a gallon of bleach to your cistern!!

I think you ask your land lord to have the water professionally tested before adding anything.

Definitely have the water tested to eliminate or confirm it as the source of your problem.
Is your SO/boyfriend having any similar problems or rashes?
Many people have NEVER cleaned their cisterns since their houses were built but I have never heard of this particular problem or reaction.

Have you seen a doctor?
Maybe you should do so to be on the safe side instead or just relying on information from a hair colorist.
Good Luck for a fast resolution.

I knida doubt it's an organic bactria in the cistren. Maybe there is some sort of wacked-out reactive sediment left over from a prior problem. Since it's a rental and empty for months, noone to ask. A good test should tell. Hair breaking is wierd. Becasue hair and nails are usually mch stronger and grow faster in the tropics.

Yea were taking it to be tested on Monday. I think it was the just my hair products mixed with cistern water and the put up for 48 hours and not allowed to dry. It got all funky and the hair just said no more! Idk. Weird for sure. I'm gonna let it do what it's gonna do. It's damaged for whatever reason. I'm not worried about something physically wrong with me, it's breaking only the blonde. If it was stress or something more major it would be the dark too as half my hair is dark underneath and at the roots. It's breaking in the middle. Really a downer but hey, rather it be breaking in the VI than in AZ! Hahaha! I'm going to work with Sharon mentioned here before. She was so very sweet and mentioned she has some great high end sulfate free products that are better for bleached hair.

Thank you all for the help!

A simple water test by Ocean Systems Lab will only test for a few common problems to tell you if the water is safe to drink, which is a great thing to know. They test for pH, coliform bacteria, turbidity, and total dissolved solids. They don't test for the hundreds of other things that might be in the water. The test is not designed to find things that might damage your hair, except by coincidence. For example, pH.

My hair is doing the same. Although I have dark brown, virgin hair, it is breaking off and falling out. I have tried the pre-conditioner trick, the rinsing right after swimming in the pool, wearing it in a bun so that it doesn't really get wet in the pool, all to no avail. The ends are probably a level 2 color now while the roots are about a 5 or 6. I blame it on the sun, the chlorine in the pool and the cistern water (which is tested regularly). I have come to terms with it as a compromise for living here. Beautiful weather, beautiful beaches, crappy hair.

Try Coconut oil ... I bought some at our farmers market. I slather it on my hair before I go in the pool and on my skin after showering ... Truly awesome stuff (tu)

I read that too Jill. I am going to pick some up on grocery day! Thanks.