Losing hair fast...at 18

That kind of hair loss would be temporary. At worst, you could have Trichotillomania. Permanent hair loss is strictly genetic, despite what the hair regrowth companies and any other beneficiaries would have you believe.

try rogaine. other than that, there's nothing you can do, its in your genes. just be happy with who you are, what you were born with, otherwise youll just be mad and bitter.

Hair loss/thinning can be caused by your diet, is your diet high monosodium glutamate(most if not all fast foods and packaged foods contain some form of this excitotoxin for extra flavour)?You should reduce consumption of hydrogenated oils of any kind(packaged foods etc), artificial sugars such as aspartame(you find these in foods that claim to be sugar free) which is toxic to the body and is carcinogenic, dextrose, fructose and sucrose should be limited. Also the way you style your hair can have an effect on hair loss, if you style it against your natural hair growth direction it can limit blood circulation in your scalp and hair thinning occures. I had this problem, I went to cut my hair once and the barber told me I should not style my hair against my natural hair growth direction for this reason. I noticed my hair got thicker again after taking this information into consideration.

Hey kid,
I am appalled that someone recommended Rogaine - Rogaine, Minoxadil, Propecia, Finsteride etc are all terms that you might hear. They are all medications for Male Pattern Baldness, not Traction Alopecia. I think that you should consult your physician. Starting a new course of study is stressful, university is a big upheaval! What you have sounds like Traction Alopecia, where you pull the hair out. If this is the case it should resolve itself if you stop doing it and leave it alone. I would suggest getting a haircut so that it is too short to pull* even subconsciously and wear a comfortable hat in class or during the times that you would feel stressed, self-conscious, or tend to do that habit. I'd let it grow back under the hat! Hopefully in the next weeks or even months when you feel more settled and secure, you will have curbed that habit, the stress levels will be reduced and your hair can grow back in peace! In summer 2006 I was very stressed with my new PhD and was casting a lot, as well as having a major psoriasis flare-up. I prayed about it (I'm a Christian) and didn't feel like life was overwhelming me so much, I put things into perspective. Anyway, I was less stressed, didn't really think about it and the shedding stopped before i really paid attention to the fact. So thank God I'm back to normal and pray that you will be too. Do please talk to family, get settled and even have a chat with your doctor. I trust that in a few weeks you will be in a totally different place.
Very best wishes and prayers,
David.

*(I ask my barber to cut my hair so short at the back that i can't pull it, because I have inherited that same habit from my dad, i tug at a curl behind my right ear in the same place. My sister does it too and didn't even realise until she was at a psychology class in uni and the habit was mentioned, everyone turned round and looked at her and she realised she was twiddling her hair at the back like dad! I think we subconsciously picked up the habit watching him!)

Get a very short hair cut