Dealing With Hair Loss

So something amazing has been happening lately: I have been receiving compliments on my hair! Now this may seem like a superficial and boring thing to be excited over, and maybe I am superficial and boring. Who knows? One thing is for certain however, and I have always, as long as I can remember as a little girl, been on the crusade for perfect hair. My limp, fine, sometimes frizzy, flyaway hair has always been a source of anxiety for me, and anytime it is less than its best, my confidence drops right down. I know a lot of you right now are rolling their eyes and thinking how pathetic this mentality may seem, but we all have our issues. This is mine.

Part of the reason for my extreme elation over the hair compliments however, is because two years ago, I experienced something terrifying for many women. My hair started inexplicably falling out- at a rapid rate. Now, I understand that on a scale of 0-fatal illness, this experience is hardly cancer, however anyone who has experienced it, can vouch it to be traumatic in its own right. I have really hesitated writing this post as these experiences are so individualised that there is no one magical treatment to cure all. Some cases are stress related, some are a side effect of an illness, nutrition may be a cause, and countless other various scenarios where hair loss may occur. I am not a doctor, nor am I qualified in any way shape or form in the health, wellness realm of professions. I am merely somebody who had an experience and is sharing her story in hope that it may help someone, or make others feel like they are not alone. Lord knows how many blogs I trawled looking for answers.

After I realised my hair was actually falling out beyond the normal amount, I rushed to the doctor searching for answers. "You are probably stressed" I was told, and infuriatingly sent on my merry way. After two more weeks of hair loss bringing my tally up to 6 weeks, my hair was noticeably thin on top and my confidence was at an all time low having read countless terrifying articles on alopecia. Desperate for a solution, a colleague of mine suggested I visit a naturopath. To cut a loooooooong story short, the naturopath SAVED MY LIFE! Well perhaps that was a little dramatic. She saved my hair. For those of you who have never delved in natural medicine, the conclusions wellness practitioners draw are nothing short of amazing. Basically for my case, the naturopath explained to be that due to a severe life threatening illness I had suffered a few months earlier, my body had shut down non vital functions in order to heal itself. Non vital functions being hair, skin, nails. I was promptly prescribed an extreme cocktail of vitamins (around 20 pills a day!) and a fatty, clean diet, which I was extremely skeptical about. Low and behold within a month my hair stopped falling out. Within another month I had a fine crown on baby hair sticking up all over my head. I couldn't have been happier! Just a side note, I really wish that SOMEBODY had told me that a common side effect of the extreme case of Dengue Fever I contracted (Dengue Hemmorhagic Fever) is toxic alopecia. I find it so hard to believe that with the array of doctors visiting my room every hour, nobody thought to ever mention that "oh by the way, you might lose your hair".

Fast forward a year, and I was still unconfident with my hair. Obviously hair is slow growing at best, so while the hair was filling in at the roots, the lengths were still quite raggy and thin. I decided to experiment with hair extensions to help bulk it up. When I visited my stylist, he mentioned a product that was apparently creating quite the buzz for making hair grow. The Redken Intraforce System consists of a three step process that must be done every single day for 4-6 weeks, and then as per your normal shampoo routine after that. Is is a specially formulated shampoo, toner (but really a conditioner, come on Redken, just call a spade a spade), and a spray that is to be massaged into the roots post shower that apparently stimulates hair growth. Now, does this sound like a gimmick or what? Skeptical as I was, I handed over the staggering one hundred ish dollars for the treatment and decided to try it. I told you I am obsessive about perfection with my hair! I used this product exactly as it was intended to the letter, and low and behold, my scalp was full of baby hairs once again! Fast forward twelve months on this treatment shampoo and conditioner and my hair has never been in better shape. I couldn't recommend this treatment higher! The treatment also comes in a version 1 or 2. Be sure to pick Version 2 if you have colour treated hair.

So as you can see there was no one cure for me, but a combination of treatments and time. I highly recommend the Redken program as well as natural wellness if you are experiencing hair loss, as well as hair extensions for confidence, though I understand that these are expensive an not an option for many.

Feel free to ask me any further questions if you would like to.


Jen xox