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How I Found Strength Through My Hair Loss Journey With Alopecia

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As if a teenager doesn’t have enough to deal with, at age 14 I was diagnosed with alopecia areata, which is a hair loss disease.

I always had thin hair. I guess you could say it’s genetic but I started getting bald spots and slowly losing my hair. So I resorted to extensions. Not the greatest idea but I was young, wanted to feel pretty and have long/thick hair. I tried steroid cream and no extensions, but nothing seemed to work.

I decided to do a consultation with a hair replacement company that helps restore hair for people dealing with baldness and thinning. They told me I had dead hair follicles and my hair would never grow back. I was devastated!!

I officially started with the company in 2016, which I thought was the greatest thing (after cheesecake of course). It was $2,500 to join and after that, I made payments of $350 per month to get three wigs a year (that price also included a certain amount of style appointments). At that time, I would have paid and done anything to have hair and feel beautiful.

They shaved my head in August 2016 and placed my first wig on my head. I was finally so happy that I had hair I could feel confident and beautiful wearing!

Well, that is when it all began…

Within no time, my first wig started falling apart. It was shedding really bad, thinning at the hairline and was getting frizzy and unmanageable.  Each time I went in for appointments, they would shave my head again because the wig would have a more natural appearance and stick to my head longer. It always looked so natural and I got so many compliments, which made me feel beautiful and like I finally fit in.

I started noticing my hair growing back each time I went in for appointments, so I told them I no longer wanted to shave my head and I wanted to see how my hair would do. Well, my hair kept growing back!! I finally decided to stop using company. I felt like it was a scam. I was told my hair would never grow back due to dead hair follicles but sure enough, my hair was growing back. Slowly but surely.

With the support of loved ones, I was letting my hair grow back. I was buying wigs off Amazon and other websites until I was comfortable wearing my natural hair. I slowly started gaining confidence with my natural hair. Other people, as well as myself, were amazed at how well it was growing.

When I found out about my hair loss, I lost a lot of self-confidence. Having the support of loved ones helped me gain it back. I was down in the dumps and became depressed. I experienced anxiety going out in public when I would wear wigs because I was scared someone would come up to me and ask if I was wearing one.

It is now 2019 and my hair is still growing but has slowed down. I take Vitamin D, Biotin and Vitamin C to help continue the hair growth, which I believe has helped tremendously.

Hair to a woman is everything and without it, it’s really hard to feel confident and embrace yourself. I am so glad I finally have my self-confidence back and found the strength to pull through the hard times I went through with my hair loss journey. I am sure my hair loss journey is far from over and will always remain a part of my life, but I am fine with whatever path my journey takes me down.

If I lose my hair all over again, I will be OK. If I need to wear wigs again, I will be OK. If my hair grows well and doesn’t fall out, I will be OK.

We cannot let things we are going through eat us up and spit us out. Dust yourself off, find strength within yourself, confide in your loved ones and you will be OK!

Originally published: November 27, 2019
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