borderline balding baddie 🫩

TLDR at end (sorry not sure where i should put it).

hello! i will start this off by saying i USED to have thick hair that went down to my butt. after i graduated high school i wanted to cut 12” to donate, the hair “salon” i went to ended up cutting over 18” and since then ive tried out the shorter haircuts and preferred them for a little bit due to them being much less maintenance that i was ever used to. recently ive been trying to grow my hair back out but over the last few years (maybe about 4) i’ve noticed a significant decrease in the amount of hair i actually have on my head (and that’s not just from it being shorter haha).

my mom used to braid my hair at least weekly/monthly after i would shower and she would make the braids really tight, i wonder if this has anything to do with the thickness of my hair? because now (as im a little older) i don’t live at home and i can’t remember the last time my hair had two french braids going down each side. i unfortunately do not know how to braid my own hair and with the layers in my hair it makes it a little more difficult due to the various lengths. i have also lost a LOT of weight the last couple years (like 150lbs), would this be another contributing factor? like my body isn’t getting as many extra nutrients as it used to or something?

do you guys have any tips on how i can bring my hair back? i worry ill have bald spots in my wedding photos one day 😭 (yes i know that this is not at all the worst thing to happen, it’s just not my normal so id like to avoid it happening as long as possible).

are there specific shampoos you guys buy that actually seem to help? or specific hair products / routines you follow? my mom never really taught me about these things (she’s more of a tomboy and never cared too much for that type of stuff) and i feel like im at such a disadvantage.

i have straight frizzy hair when i brush it after the shower, and when i leave it to air dry or use oils/creams it usually has wave and a little curl under it (i think i’ve heard people refer to it as irish curls?) i don’t necessarily have a bunch of money to spend on my hair / products and would like to stick to more natural remedies. you just hear so many stories of companies putting chemicals in their products that cause hair loss, and there’s so many options and it’s honestly overwhelming “sulfate free” “paraben free” “silicon free” are these even things that matter? or is it just the new marketing gimmick?

i see people in other parts of the world have the most beautiful hair and i wonder how they take care of it. i want to learn how different cultures use natural remedies or natural shampoos. i hear rice water is something a lot of women use in other countries, things kind of like that. i also feel like natural ways are way better than whatever you can buy in the store. if you have any tips/tricks or even resources so i can dive a little deeper that would be greatly appreciated, thank you for reading this far!

💇‍♀️TLDR: i used to have thick hair, now it’s thinning and i want to fix it. i’d prefer natural remedies to expensive personalized shampoos, as natural remedies are usually tried and true vs. shampoo companies are just kind of guessing (imo). seeking worldly hair advice / resources for learning. thank you!

(copy and pasted from my other post in another hair group, incase you see it and think i’ve stolen it)