Hello,

I am new and as you can see from my avatar (I hope it's there, lol) I have a short pixie chop. I was growing my hair a few years ago but discovered that much of it had fallen out. I was unsure of the reason, there were several candidates: stress, bereavement and age (I was fortysomething). Although I got to bsl, my hair was sad, stringy and had absent patches, especially at the front. I went to the salon where the stylist suggested cuts to take it up to a blunter look. In the end, in despair, I went for this chop.

I put my boar bristle brush, my coconut oil and hair sticks in a bag in the spare room and tried to forget about it but I used to look around me at women older than myself who had at least shoulder length hair and very thick looking! I thought why me?

Time passed and I have become less stressed. My father's death is now 4 years ago and I have had a moment of realisation. I had been taking Cimetidine, a drug which has the rare side effect of hair loss - could this have been my problem?

I am daring to try and grow again as I have been off the drug for a couple of months and have put myself on a good multivit. I am now almost 46.

How do you reckon I should attempt this? Should I risk regular trims (scissor happy stylists??) or part it down the middle and let mother nature take her course?

I'd be grateful for all your help, my hair is so important to me and I am a sad pixie although I will stay short if it doesn't work out in the long term. I know that people think an older woman shouldn't grow her hair but surely that can't be right - can it??

Beaky