Husband’s Hair Is Very Fragile

My husband has had long hair all his adult life, usually well past shoulder length. In the last couple years, it is getting noticeably shorter and shorter. Nothing seems to make it grow. But not only will it not grow, It is now barely comes down to his neck. He is 42 years old and doesn’t have any other problems such as bald spots or noticeable amount of hair coming out when brushing or washing. His hair is very fine but otherwise does not look dry or unhealthy. Split ends are not obvious. He has put his hair back in a pony tail for many years and has colored his hair a handful of times through the last 20 years, but not multiple times in a row. We have tried different shampoos to no avail. Recently he has started a vitamin B complex to stimulate growth, but it hasn’t helped yet. Any idea what might be the issue(s) and what we might do to remedy it?

I really couldn’t give any advice without examining your husband’s hair and scalp. What you are describing could be damage from the use of coloring agents. The short hair may reflect a shortening of the anagen phase of the hair growth cycle, something that occurs as people get older. The anagen period is the actual time that the hair is growing and as it generally grows out at about 1/2 inch per month, a shorter growth period will limit the length of the hair. There may be components of genetic balding, so an examination of the scalp, looking for patterned thinning, is critical to understanding what is going on.