A Community For Women Dealing With Hair Loss – Help, Hope and Understanding
Dear Gracie -I mentioned earlier in reply to your comment that I would post a youtube video that showed some women wearing hair, in particular the second woman (blonde) featured in the video is wearing a “topper.” Different things work for different people and sometimes it takes a little searching to find the right thing for us. I’ve been thinking about you all day and what you went through, I’m so sorry you had that experience.
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Hi, I was happy to stumble across your site. I’ve been living with hair loss since I was 16 and have finally begun steps to healthfully and happily “deal” with it.
My mother, father and younger sister are all faced with baldness. It’s most definitely genetic for me. Through out high school I dealt with the rude remarks from other kids and never felt entirely pretty. I started on rogaine when I was 16 and saw very little response, finally stopping it at 18.
I then began wearing my hair pulled back in a pony tail, but as my hair continued to thin I had to cover my hair with an additional folded scarf or bandana to cover my hair on the top of my scalp where it was thinning the most. I was extremely self conscious and had trouble being in public with out my hair strategically covered. When I turned 25, just this last March, I decided that I needed a change and bought my first wig because I wanted to wear my hair down. I’m not trying to fool anyone, and there’s still a lot to get used, but it seems natural enough that I can pass as a woman with hair. It’s just hard considering I don’t know any other 25 year old women who wear wigs. I just needed to take control and I felt I deserved for once, as a young woman, to feel pretty and feminine.
No swimming, no wind in my hair, no warmth of the sun on my head and face.
Those are things I really miss and hope to one day gain the self confidence
to enjoy again. I’m contemplating shaving my head completely and hope to one
day feel confident enough to do that.
I look forward to reading your’s and others’ stories and hope to find strength in the knowledge that there are other young women out there dealing with the same issues.
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Dear Larissa,
Thank you so much for writing and sharing your story with everyone. You wrote that you hope to find strength in reading other women’s stories, I found strength in reading yours. I admire women who find the courage in themselves to move forward and take whatever steps necessary to make them feel good, like buying a wig, adding hair or shaving their head. I haven’t reached that point myself, but I feel like I’m getting closer…Baby steps.
Like you, I also didn’t have any success with Rogaine. Is your family supportive? Are you able to talk to them about your hair loss. It is hard for my family to truly understand my hair loss no matter how hard they may try because most of them have all their hair. It seems I was the only one left without a chair when the music stopped… or dare I say, left without my hair 🙂 But seriously, it’s hard and I hate feeling uncomfortable around my own family. My mother’s hair started to thin when she went through menopause, but she still has more hair than me, and while it bothers her she doesn’t understand what it is like to be to start losing your hair at 21 and devastation it causes.
For myself, suffering with hair loss has taken so much from me and left me feeling alone. Being able to communicate with other women and read their stories has helped me tremendously. I want more than anything to be able to put a period on this part of my life and move on and I want to help other women to be able to do the same. Part of that healing is reading the hair loss stories of other women, knowing we are not alone in this. So thank you again Larissa for sharing your story with us.
~Y
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CINCINNATI, Nov. 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Two-time Oscar winner Hilary Swank cut her hair for Pantene Beautiful Lengths in a powerful declaration of support for women with cancer. This national campaign encourages people to come together and share their strength by giving their healthy hair to create free wigs for women who have lost their hair due to cancer treatment.
“As a woman who has seen friends and family battle cancer, I understand how deeply upsetting their loss of hair can be. I was overwhelmed by their need and wanted to help,” explained Hilary. “That’s why I am partnering with Pantene to raise one million inches of hair to make free wigs. Pantene Beautiful Lengths truly lets us do something beautiful with our hair — give it to a woman who needs it more.”
Cancer touches the lives of every American. About one in three women will develop some form of cancer in her lifetime* and studies have shown that nearly 60 percent of women regard hair loss as the single worst side effect of cancer treatment.** Despite the deep impact cancer has on a woman, one meaningful way to help restore her spirit — a real hair wig — can be difficult to get. Unfortunately, real hair wigs can be as expensive as $1,200 and are often only partially covered by health insurance.
To fill this need and help people transform their healthy hair into a heartfelt gift for other women, Pantene collaborated with the Entertainment Industry Foundation(TM) (EIF) to create Pantene Beautiful Lengths. [click to continue…]
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By: Liz Hull
A schoolgirl has described how she went bald in three days after developing an extreme form of alopecia.
Jordana Seville, 15, spotted the first bare patch among her thick blonde locks last Wednesday.
The same day further large clumps of hair started falling out. Within 72 hours she had lost nearly all the hair on her head.
“It was really scary when my hair just started coming out for no reason,” she said.
“At first I could cover the front with a bandana, but then the back started falling out too so I had to shave it off.
“People have been really shocked to see me but people have reacted much better to it than I thought.
“Last week I had a full head of hair and now I have none.”
It is not clear why Jordana developed alopecia although it can be triggered in teenage girls by hormonal changes or stress.
Jordana’s mother, Ashley, 43, took her to see their GP who has referred her to a specialist dermatologist.
“I’m a qualified hairdresser so as soon as Jordana showed me the bald patch I knew to take her to a doctor,” said the mother-of-three from Poulton-le-Fylde in Lancashire.
“At this stage we don’t know whether or not her hair will grow back, but I have to say I’m very proud of the way she has coped.
“I actually think her new look is quite striking. Many people have commented that it looks nice.”
Jordana, who has been off school since her hair loss began, said: “I’m a bit worried about going back. A lot of my friends have long hair like I had, so I’m not sure what people will say.
“I wanted to speak out because alopecia is more common than people think and often occurs in teenage girls.
“It isn’t all that bad, the doctor has been brilliant and I have looked into the possibility of wigs.” [click to continue…]
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I am actually going for a consultation for Reprieve hair on Monday. I have also been to 2 other consultations for hair replacements. I am sooooo lost right now. I am currently using provillus (5% minoxidyl) and Toppik. I am not too thrilled with shaving my head for bonded toppers, but I am done with not having hair. Any advice for me??? Does anyone know if you have to be shaved for the Reprieve system – just curious since I haven’t had my consultation yet.~Alicia
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Hi Alicia,
Unfortunately I have so little information about wearing hair because I haven’t thoroughly researched it for myself yet. I am glad you are taking the initiative to have consultations and educating yourself so that you can possibly wear hair in the future. I know Julie has worn Reprieve Hair (here are her pictures) and absolutely loved it. She probably could answer your questions best about that system. I am going to email her to let her know this question is on the blog. But based on the little information I have read about the system I don’t think you have to shave your head for it. How did your two other consultations go? I am interested in learning about the different processes myself since that my be an option in the near future.
If anyone has experience with wearing hair, bonded toppers etc, please let us know your thoughts. Alicia, please keep us updated with how your consult goes with Reprieve and what you learn.
~Y
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So a few weeks back I purchased two wigs (synthetic) on ebay. A week after that I purchased another one (supposedly human hair). I was hesitant to make online purchases of wigs for obvious reasons. One, I didn’t have the ability to see the quality of hair or thickness of the cap, and Two, I wasn’t able to try the hair on first. But I went ahead anyways with eyes wide open, knowing that I may end up getting a bag or rocks in the mail… or worst nothing, or worse what I got in the mail… Horrible wigs. I should mention the wigs are quite photogenic and take a much better picture than they actually look like in person. I couldn’t help myself, I had to throw it on my dog and take a picture. He looks much better in it than I did.
My first set of wigs arrived promptly and I anxiously ran out the door to pick up the package like a little girl on Christmas morning…tearing at the box to get to the inside. I open it and was shocked at what stared back at me, it looked like rubber hair. I have no idea what the wigs were treated with, perhaps a preservative or maybe it was the dye used, but I was horribly allergic to it and instantly started sneezing, the watery eyes followed suit. There I was, standing with rubber hair on my head, a cap so thick it felt like 3 baseball caps and an allergy attack. What a disappointment! I would have preferred the bag of rocks. 🙂 My fiance was very sweet and didn’t make any initial reaction to my rubber hair cap, he was just silent. As soon as I screamed in horror after seeing my reflection in the mirror he was quick to jump in and casually mention that they weren’t very good quality. Not being good quality is an understatement. My childhood cabbage patch doll had better hair.
The next wig (human hair.. yeah right) arrived the following week. At least I wasn’t allergic to it, but still poorly made, so now I have 3 wigs that cannot be worn and will never see the light of day. Thank goodness for that. I am not discouraged though, it was a big step for me to order them and to try at least start thinking about wigs as a possibility. After this experience, I definitely think wigs are something that have to be seen and tried on in person. Very important. There are several large wig retailers in my area so perhaps I’ll get up the courage to visit one soon. I’ll keep you guys updated.
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Wow, I’m so happy I just found this site…I’m 20 years old, have had been genetic hair loss for four years now. About 2 years ago I had a biopsy done and my derm told me it was probably genetic, he put me on Rogaine, Spiro and Yasmin. I was on those meds for about a year… and they did absolutely nothing. Last year in the fall my hair loss was getting really bad and I was getting so desperate for something, so I spent over $1000 on getting Invisible Hair extensions. I was assured by so many people that they would be safe, and definitely the perfect solution. The extensions were great! I loved having so much hair and planned on having the extensions put back in. Well when I got them removed for the first time I was SO devastated, more than half of my already thin hair was gone.
Its been since January now since I’ve had them out and I feel like I’ve hit the bottom. I’m in college and can’t concentrate on anything. I’m always way too focused on everyone else’s hair and I feel like I’ll never feel normal again…I haven’t been able to wear my hair down since I got the extensions taken out. My poor hair is
still falling out like crazy… it’s so thin I can’t even wear it in a ponytail, I feel like I will be bald soon.
I’m so scared, nobody seems to understand. My best friend and my family just tells me to cope with it like its no big deal. I feel like I have no where to turn. That’s why I was so glad I found this forum…I really sometimes feel like I’m the only one experiencing this and it’s comforting to hear everyone’s story. I’m not sure what to do with myself, I hate going out, even going to school because I just feel so ashamed…I don’t even know where to start looking for a wig around here (I’m from Portland, OR). And I feel like seeing another doctor would also be pointless. Anyways, Thanks a lot for listening to my story.
~Veronica
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Dear Veronica,
Thank you for writing and sharing your story, I’m so sorry you are having to go through this. It probably is of mild comfort, but know you definitely are not alone and there are A LOT of women who start to lose their hair at young age. Who knew? I definitely didn’t until I started going through it. Here comes my usual disclaimer I provide on every question I respond to. I am not a doctor and cannot provide medical advice or treatment, this is just my opinion. Ok…
After reading your story I have so many questions. Did your dermatologist put you on Rogaine, Spiro and Yasmin all at the same time? You said you are 20 and have been experiencing hair loss for 4 years, so you started losing your hair at 16 and saw your doctor at 18. Did he provide any explanation as to what might have trigged your hair loss at such a young age? You stated that after a year the medications did nothing, but you didn’t say whether or not you stayed on them or took yourself off. I’m curious because if you took yourself off after a year and the following year noticed a rapid decline in your hair, then perhaps the drugs were doing more than you thought. Sometimes all the drugs can do is slow the hair loss process down and help you maintain the hair you have,. Not all women experience a phenomenal regrowth after treatment. Even after I started treatment, I never regained the hair I had and was pretty convinced the treatments weren’t working so I eventually took myself off of aldactone around 2003… I think. The dates get fuzzy. Anyways, my hair loss increased dramatically. That could have just been from getting off the drug and it may have re-stablized eventually, but that scared me enough to get back on. Not only did I get back on aldactone, but when I got back on, I had my dose increased from 100mg to 200mg a day.
If you would have asked me then about my hair, I would have complained about the hair I once had and that it was so thin and continuing to fall out. But looking back it was doing fairly well after the 200mg increase. [click to continue…]
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Accept yourself, let it go and laugh. You’re not “suffering” from baldness. You’re suffering from sadness brought on by your attitude towards being bald.
I first exhibited Alopecia Areata in 1984 at age 10. My hair all grew back by age 14. At age 26 it all fell out again. May 2006 all my body hair fell out and that is where I stand today. (Pretty convenient on my legs and bikini line).
The biggest challenge that I’ve had since first losing my hair is learning to like myself despite my baldness. I still struggle with that sometimes. But learning to laugh at your baldness and allowing others to laugh at it
makes it so much easier to deal with.If you are bald with no life threatening conditions, count your blessings. Yes, it sucks that I have to draw on eyebrows daily and that my head sweats when I wear a wig, but thank GOD I’m healthy.
So much of your hair loss is driven by your attitude. Choose happiness and choose peace. And don’t worry about hair – you get to sleep in 10 min. more because you don’t have to blow dry or curl it! 🙂
– The Bald and The Beautiful
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Dear The Bald and The Beautiful,
Thank you for writing and sharing your incredibly positive attitude with everyone. Everyday I work on accepting myself because I know with that, I will be able to take back control of my uncontrollable hair loss. It’s very hard, but I’m better than I was before. It’s so important to hear positive stories like yours. What you have achieved is so invaluable, you seem to have reached a place that so many of us strive for… self acceptance.
~Y
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After years of driving myself crazy, using all sorts of products, including polysorbate 80, on my hair, I got a wig. The woman was wonderful, she put me at my ease and came in with styles and wigs that she felt would work. I kept with my natural hair color, very dark brown. It was 1987 and I was 49. Some of my hair showed at the sides of my face and under the back of the wig. That added to the natural look. About five years later, I was fully coloring my hair, my problem was on top, and decided to try a wiglet. I had a beautician cut my hair to fit and she showed me how to use it. Wiglets are lighter than wigs and you feel better because more of your hair is uncovered. The color of my dye and the color of their dye matched perfectly.
Now I am 69 and almost a year ago decided to stop coloring, even tho I knew getting a match would be difficult. After several mistakes, one too dark, one too light, to be put away for the future, I have found something that is fairly close. When I went for a haircut today, the girl did not know I had a wiglet on until I began taking it off. She was nice enough to cut my wiglet to match my haircut. [click to continue…]
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I am noticing a lot of new traffic coming in from different places and I wanted to welcome all the new reader’s to The Women’s Hair Loss Project and to write a little about our community. I started this blog to basically start journaling my life with hair loss. I write my daily thoughts as they come to me with all my quirks and sadness too. I write about my past regrets in treating my hair loss, the daily dealings of living with hair loss and some more lighthearted things such as my quest for the perfect hair thickening shampoo and my silly idea for a bumper sticker that says “Be Nice To Me, I’m going Bald!’
This is my life with hair loss.
I really would like to touch the lives of more women to let them know they are not alone. I’ve come to realize that a lot of women suffering with hair loss experience much of the same feelings as I do. Everything I thought was just me being crazy turned out to be more normal than I had imagined. For women I think that once you become a hair loss sufferer, no matter what steps you take to treat it or improve it, you are always still missing a little something, a little part of yourself. When women have the chance to read other women’s stories it can be healing, I know it is for me. You can read my hair loss story here.
Already we have a lot of great supportive women who share their stories and their lives.
Read Julie’s Story and see her pictures and read her wonderful put together wig buying tips.
Read Taylor’s Touching Story. She has endured so much at only 17, yet she is so strong and I admire her greatly.
Also Read Amy’s Story and Mira’s Story along with her story on how her husband (then boyfriend) reacted when he found out she had hair loss, along with another comment she left about an inspirational hair loss story
Finding all the Posts
There is so much to read on this site and it seems that some of the articles can be difficult to find, [click to continue…]
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*Welcome
- New? Start Here
*My
Hair Loss Story - How Did I Get Here?
*Low
Iron Stores: A Risk Factor For Excessive Hair Loss
*Medications
That Can Cause Hair loss
*Endocrinologist
or Dematologist- Which Doctor Should I see For My Hair Loss?
*Does
Nutrition Affect Hair Loss? Is There a Hormonal Connection?
*Is
Shaving The Head Necessary For Bonded Toppers?
*Spironolactone
- Hair Loss Story and Question
*Hair
Loss at 20 Years Old - Sarah's Story
*Synthroid
and Hair Loss - Leah's Story
*A
Bittersweet Light at The End of The Tunnel
