I was loosing my hair by the handfulls too and my hair had always been somewhat thin. Now I had about 5 spots that were nearly bald. I went to my family doctor who did bloodwork and he said it was alopecia and I knew it was not. He gave me 1 milligram tablets of Finisteride and said it should start producing hair within six months. It didn't help at all. Then I went to a dermatologist and he assured me I would not loose all of my hair and that it was alopecia. I knew there was no family trait of loosing hair so that wasn't it. I found a highly recommended dermatologist and he said he thought it was alopecia but that the 1 milligram tablets of Finisteride wasn't strong enough. He gave me five milligram tablets and told me to come back in eight months. The meds didn't help so I went back. He said just in case it was an infection he gave me an antibiotic called Doryx. Within 4 days of starting the Doryx my hair quit falling out and grew back in. I'm still taking the Finesteride and it's never grown any hair. If your family does not have a history of hair loss do not take "Alopecia" as a diagnosis. Keep going to dermatologists until you find a good one.

Hmmm...my first attempt didn't post. I love this one. Very mod. Link won't post, so.... go to www.knitty.com and look for calorimetry. If you can't find it, let me know and I will email you.

Like others, I'm dependent on blow dryer for a smooth and controlled look and will not even consider a camping trip unless it includes a hotel room and hair dryer. :-) To all you frizz balls out there... At my last haircut I was commenting on how any hair that has turned gray is also courser and curlier causing no end of styling frustration. My hairdresser suggested a Keratin treatment. At $350 (really? REALLY?), I was not willing to go that route. The next day I Googled Keratin and found an instruction video for Sauve's new Keratin Infusion kit by a young gal. It was convincing enough for me to go out and buy one. Cost, $12. So, last night I did the three step process which took about 40 minutes. Today my hair feels and looks smooth and shiny and far less frizzy. It's supposed to last 30 days. It may be a viable option for some of you. At $12, it's really worth a try. Jodi-

Funky I have thin hair and started using the Redken 6 after hearing about it here. I also like Paul Mitchell Thicken Up lotion. Hair color makes my hair much thicker feeling. I color my own roots because they need to be done about every 3 weeks, but I have my hair dresser do the over-all permanent color about every 4 months to even things out and keep it vibrant looking. It ALWAYS feels thicker then. Another thing I use at home is Redken Shades semi-permanent color. It is SO EASY to use and lasts about a month. I am a chestnut/brown, love some red in my hair, and use a color called Cherry Cola. My daughter also uses the Shades, but she mixes colors. It basically coats the hair, making it thicker and adds a lot of shine. You can't mess them up - so easy for the DIY'er to do at home. I have a hairdresser friend who gets mine or you can get it from Amazon.