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  1. #1
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    Smile So, I shaved my head

    Scarring alopecia had taken out about 65% of it and everytime I looked at it, I wanted to cry. My, once super thick, hair was a sad rendition of a nappy comb over.

    I had a sleep study coming up and I knew it would be too embarrassing to lift my wig and expose the mess that used to be a head of hair. So I took my clippers and Buzz, Buzz, Buzz. Less that two minutes and it was over.

    I thought it would be traumatic or melodramatic, but it wasn't. It was more freeing than anything. Since I wear wigs anyway, it wasn't a huge change.

    My husband knows that I did it, but he has not seen my bald head yet. I'm still getting comfortable with it. I'm not ashamed, just protective. I don't miss the little bit of hair that I was hanging onto. As a matter of fact, i often run my hands over my peach fuzzy/smooth skin head and wonder why I didn't do it sooner.

    It would have saved me a lot of money on all last ditch, desperate attempts to grow something (ANYTHING) with those snake oil products.

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  3. #2
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    Cool Good for you! Congratulations!

    I too am having problems. I think that stress and too tight sisterlocs have contributed. I am putting steroid lotion on my bald spots but they are not growing! I am older (52) and afraid of wearing my hair so short due to it being so thin. I am not sure if I should keep my locs...which are still thinning and falling out...or cut them off and switch to a weave or wig. Very disappointing when you pair that with menopause and gaining weight and everything else that comes with getting older...


    Quote Originally Posted by slappynapps View Post
    Scarring alopecia had taken out about 65% of it and everytime I looked at it, I wanted to cry. My, once super thick, hair was a sad rendition of a nappy comb over.

    I had a sleep study coming up and I knew it would be too embarrassing to lift my wig and expose the mess that used to be a head of hair. So I took my clippers and Buzz, Buzz, Buzz. Less that two minutes and it was over.

    I thought it would be traumatic or melodramatic, but it wasn't. It was more freeing than anything. Since I wear wigs anyway, it wasn't a huge change.

    My husband knows that I did it, but he has not seen my bald head yet. I'm still getting comfortable with it. I'm not ashamed, just protective. I don't miss the little bit of hair that I was hanging onto. As a matter of fact, i often run my hands over my peach fuzzy/smooth skin head and wonder why I didn't do it sooner.

    It would have saved me a lot of money on all last ditch, desperate attempts to grow something (ANYTHING) with those snake oil products.
    May the road rise up to meet you...may the wind be ever at your back...(Irish Prayer)

  4. #3
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    For me, it was more about coming to terms with the fact that it wasn't coming back and holding on to what was left was not making me happy. I'm not going to lie and act like I'm totally empowered and I'm all out and about with my baldy, but at least I'm not living in denial.

    One day I might come out of my wig and show the world. What I want to do and get a really cute tattoo on it. My husband isn't quite down with that idea, but we'll see what happens in the future.

    All I know today is: 1. it was just hair. 2. Not having it does not make me any less woman or beautiful. 3. It feels better to be free than to be holding on to a few strands of vanity.

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  6. #4
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    I was under a lot of job stress for past 2 years & my hair was thinning at nape & temples. I'm also post menopausal. The nape had been a problem a few years back when I still had a curly perm. It would " come & go". Hair there is super fine & different texture. Anyhow I saw a derm January 2013 & got steroid treatment & shots for 6 months. Started getting better then hair broke off & thinned in the fall. I discovered this essential oil mix on blackhairinformation.com & other sites: 3 drops lavender, 3 drops rosemary. 2 drops thyme, 2 drops cedarwood. 1/2 tsp jojoba oil, 4 tsp grapeseed oil. Mix all together & shake it up. Keep in dark colored bottle. Apply at night before bed & massage into scalp. I usually quadruple the recipe so I don't have to keep making it every few days. I started this last July & have gotten wonderful results. Much better than the steroids. Also since this winter was so dry & snowy I just added the oils to extra dark JBCO instead of jojoba & grapeseed oils which are lighter. JBCO holds moisture better. Still getting great results. I'm also trying another treatment which seems to be working well but I have to wait another 2 months to evaluate it properly. Other things I keep hearing about hair growth is to exercise , drink plenty of water, & eat protein at every meal. For me, due to this harsh winter I've gone back to old school hair care : shampoo, condition, leave in , & GREASE ( Blue Magic & Dax products) to seal the moisture in. I also use S Curl as a moisturizer .Really helps keep my hair soft & healthy like when mom did it in childhood ,retain length & prevent split ends. I can seal over my usual Qhemet Biologics with no problem.

    Sent from my iPhone using Forum Runner
    Did BC Feb 2009 after 28 yrs of curly perms. Ditched wig June 2010 ,wearing flat twists & puff.Avatar me & my new BAA. Use Kinky Curly in summer & Qhemet or Shea Moisture Yucca in fall & winter. This winter is very harsh & caused dryness & breakage so I went back to wigs as protective style & using grease for first time since the 70s : Dax & Blue Magic.

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    I've done the EO concoction mixes. I've done JBCO. I've tried going back to old school remedies. I've spritzed, sealed, and massaged. That is a part of my past now...

    There are different types of alopecia. The one that I have is irreversible. My hair follicle has been replaced with scar tissue. You can't massage your way back from that. I say that to say this. Part of being natural is about acceptance. It has taken me a long time to get to this place. I have accepted my situation. My next step will be to embrace publicly. I'll get there.

    Ladies, please understand that this is a thread about conquering the fear and shame associated with hair loss. I did not post my story to get "remedies". I am happy for anyone who has found a cure for their particular form of hair loss, but I don't want my thread to be taken over by them. I appreciate the time taken to respond...I just don't want the original message to be lost.

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    I too have shaved my head. Probably for the 5th or 6th time. I went back to the doc. Have a new derm at the Cleveland Clinic. Found out so many things my previous didnt do or maybe didnt know. I now have one who specializes in african american hair concerns. For some reason the traction alopecia had begun to take out more hair, even though I wasnt wearing any styles that would further contribute. Ive been getting steroid shots for the past four months along with a host of other things. But the doc said that now there is scar tissue in some places. So the hair at the top that is gone, is just that...gone. I cried profusely when I heard that four months ago. I thought that if my prior derm would have just handled my case better this would not have happened. Two weeks ago, I realized that I was obsessing over my hair. I just dont do that. So, I said enough is enough and I cut it off. The end. Shaved it as low as my clippers allow. Ive been natural for 13 years. No heat. No chemicals. So I thought I had healthy hair guaranteed. But, its just hair. Not the end of the world. Ive accepted this second bout and Im moving on......

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    @slappynapps

    Your courage is commendable. Sometimes sharing our journeys is therapy-as we all grow to levels of acceptance at our own rate/pace.
    I see healing in this thread…
    Last edited by Miss T; 04-05-2014 at 11:02 AM.

  12. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by ya~akua View Post
    I too have shaved my head. Probably for the 5th or 6th time. I went back to the doc. Have a new derm at the Cleveland Clinic. Found out so many things my previous didnt do or maybe didnt know. I now have one who specializes in african american hair concerns. For some reason the traction alopecia had begun to take out more hair, even though I wasnt wearing any styles that would further contribute. Ive been getting steroid shots for the past four months along with a host of other things. But the doc said that now there is scar tissue in some places. So the hair at the top that is gone, is just that...gone. I cried profusely when I heard that four months ago. I thought that if my prior derm would have just handled my case better this would not have happened. Two weeks ago, I realized that I was obsessing over my hair. I just dont do that. So, I said enough is enough and I cut it off. The end. Shaved it as low as my clippers allow. Ive been natural for 13 years. No heat. No chemicals. So I thought I had healthy hair guaranteed. But, its just hair. Not the end of the world. Ive accepted this second bout and Im moving on......

    I love this post and congratulations to the OP! My partner has scarring alopecia. After a few years of wearing wigs she shaved her head. A few years after shaving her head, she started wearing her baldness out, at work, in public everywhere. She found it extremely freeing and I'm happy to see that the OP has found it freeing also.

    Her baldness is what caught my eye, it was so beautiful.

    My bout with hypothyroidism and Lupus reinforced the fact that being natural was not a guarantee against all hair problems, not a grant of immunity. I thought I had gotten rid of all of the mental blocks associated with hair until I woke up with a huge bald spot that I could only cover with a pony tail...
    Accepting that it really is "just hair" is a whole 'nother step in my napptural journey so I totally understand where ya'll are coming from.
    For at no time are any events predestined. There should be no such word in your vocabulary, for with every moment you change, and every heartbeat is an action, and every action changes every other action - Seth, channeled via Jane Roberts in the Early Sessions Book 5, page 49.

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    Yes! This is very healing. There is a lot of courage shared here. I deal with a thinning crown which I believe I'm winning the battle over. I also deal with thinning edges that are a constant issue for me. I decided to try locs to get away from the creamy crack. I hid under a wig for so long because just as you are not yet ready to present publicly your new look, I had a T-Totally different look and I had to get there too. So even though our plights are different I can relate in a small way. Finally with a little push from my Mom I just took the plunge and wore my self proclaimed unattractive locs just as they were. It was so freeing My locs needed air to grow and thrive and I needed more self acceptance. This is how I present now. I would not have chosen locs back then but now I'm glad I'm here and would certainly choose to be. Sometimes life deals us an unexpected hand. We have to play the hand we are dealt. Usually we eventually thrive as a result. I pray you will find your first day out very comfortable and liberating and that you will soon embrace your new normal. Peace and Blessings.

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    Google Sidra Smith, Alisha Hinds, Danai Gurira and Andrea Plaid They are 4 examples of Black women who are bald and aren't afraid to own it.

    Here are some picks of Danai: http://makho-ndlovu.blogspot.com/201...r-essence.html
    No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. -Eleanor Roosevelt

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