I copied this from the ingredients at their site. (DHT Block proprietary blend (saw aplmetto berries, beta sitosterol, pumpkin seed extract, quercetin) They mispelled palmetto, but anyway, saw palmetto is used to treat enlarged prostrate and at another site I read that it "may" help with hair loss. I'm skeptical. I'm trying B vitamins. Biotin seems to be helping my nails so today I decided to start the B complex and see if helps my hair.

Sorry to read about your hair problems. I am not a hairdresser by any means - hair challenged if anything. But I owe the state of my hair at almost 56 to not over-processing during the years. I greyed in my 20's (iron grey unfortunately - natural shade being auburn). I single processed it over the years to its natural auburn. Note that I have dry, coarse, naturally wavy, extremely thick "Irish" hair. I did not do highlights - actually hair is porous as it is due to coarseness so I appear to have highlights. What is your natural colour - can't tell from your post if it is indeed blonde. Frankly, I think at age 16 you need to give your hair serious rest. I know you won't want to hear this, but I think the best alternative is to cut your hair - as short as possible to still look feminine and to suit your face shape. The fact that your hair is thin makes over-use of the chemicals harder on your hair. I know a woman my age who also had easy access to hairdressers thoughout her life but at age 50 she was told enough was enough - perms, highlights and drastic changes in hair colour - had taken their toll and basically her hair was toast. I would hate for this to happen to you. I see 8 year old kids at the hairdressers having their hair highlighted - by my age, despite the gentler formulas available these days, hair will not be in good shape. I would start first with the haircut and then work from there. And I would steer clear of the black - if it is too start against your skin now, it will be even more so later in life - many black haired ladies go dark brunette. I too am very pale but with a serious yellow undertone. My sisters inherited the gorgeous Irish blue-black hair - how I wanted it - but during 50s and 60s they peroxided it blonde - well they ruined their hair. Actually they didn't even suit the blonde. I once tried on a black wig and laughed so hard - this is when I realized I had such a yellow undertone so had I been born with the black hair, it would not have suited me. So then I tried on a blonde wig - and I thought the black looked bad. This was during the days when everyone wanted hair like Farrah Fawcett's - but did not have the basic necessity - the proper hair type. I have the proper hair type - but don't suite the colour/styles. I really hope you can sort your hair out - it will take some time - this is for sure - but a year from now things won't seem so bad. Just too bad about your prom - so I would do whatever is necessary to start the fix-up now. When I was 5 I had a Toni permanent - my hair looked like Shirley Temple's before the perm - hairdresser should have refused to do it. Had to have it because my cousin with the straight hair refused to have one unless I had one too. My hair, which had been to my waist had to be cut to about 1 inch in length - while my cousin of course was pleased. I have hated going to the hairdresser ever since. And Saturday is hair dye day - can hardly wait. So best of luck to you - and since it is always on my mind - please watch what you use on your skin as well - take it easy on the acids/retinols as they are not for everybody - especially me.

Does your hairdresser have you sit under a dryer to heat your hair and make the color develop faster? That heat has caused my hair to frizz and break off, so now I just wait at room temperature until I'm "done." Does your hairdresser keep checking your hair every couple of minutes to make sure it's not overprocessing? Natural Instincts is a home product that works reasonably well to temporarily cover grey, is not harsh and comes with a good deep conditioner. BTW, biotin has made my hair (and nails) grow faster, but it hasn't given me more hair. My thyroid hormone was found to be low, which is a common problem, and the replacement hormone I take now has given me a bit more hair -- might be worth checking.

I was a beautician & any perm should easily last 3 mos so she is getting the perms way too often. I have friends that get perms & they last about 3 months so 6 weeks is taking advantage of a client(patron-your wife) Hair should not be washed for 3 days after a perm or you relax the curl & it will get straight too soon. Most older folks heads sweat at times if they get overheated, wear heavy crocheted or woolen caps on their heads(or wigs) & the head can get very smelly- I call it old people smell. I know some people get used to it on their spouse or on themselves & no longer notice it or could be their sense of smell is terribly diminished. I was called to hospital or nursing home in the past as you have to be licensed to cut hair & wash it in CA. Some hair smelled really bad, relatives never mentioned that, probably to be polite to their relative or they had gotten used to it. I think caregivers appreciate taking care of folks with clean hair(& showered) I received many compliments about how good my dad smelled & what a pleasure it was to care for him. Also a clean head has another advantage as not nearly as likely to get infection from scratching their head & breaking open the fragile skin. A clean head just makes a person more comfortable & even if your wife can't express it I'm sure she would not want to smell around her friends. You are a wonderful hubby to care about her & take this step. About hair length if she usually wore it fairly short about to the neck or inch below then that is probably what she would prefer. 3 to 5 inch long hair is easier to keep looking nice & with a perm & weekly washing all she should need is just a comb or brush threw it to look presentable. If you don't remember how long she wore it few years ago Just look at pics of her.