Chronic Hair Puller/Fondling

**DigitalRain** · 10-18-2010, 02:55 PM

I have a nervous habit of pulling my hair. It wasn't so bad when I was relaxed, but now that I'm natural, I can't stop. I'm not pulling the hair out each time but I like to feel and pull the coils and occasionally I will pull out single strand knots. But I do it so much know I think it will start to hinder my hair growth. Any suggestions on how to curb this habit?

**Ms-gg** · 10-18-2010, 03:25 PM

Think about all the length you are losing by damaging your ends when you yank the knots out. Or if your hair is long enough, just wear it in styles where you cannot access your hair. Wear updos, tuck the hair away. Out of sight, out of mind.

When I was a teen, I use to yank my hair out of my head from the root. It just felt so good to me. But I quit doing it one day.... I'm sure you can get over yours too, good luck

**Vavoon** · 10-18-2010, 03:45 PM

get that hair wrap and make that your default style (don't tie to too tight - that will inevitably lead to breakage!) i wouldn't suggest this to anyone, but once my hair was so oily, and every time i touched it, my hands would get greasy - this discourage my hand-in-hair syndrome.

**Cutie McPretty** · 10-18-2010, 04:16 PM

Hey there Digital Rain

.

There are a few threads on us hair tuggers/hair pullers/trichotillomania over in the hair loss/Alopecia Forum. Do a search using either of these terms and you should pull up several threads.

I'm a hair puller as well; my SO was just getting on me about tugging out my hair the other day; she doesn't understand how hard it is for me to just stop. For me it's just really, really hard to stop doing it completely

. I have very thick dense hair so the patches that I create from doing this are not noticeable but I still hate that I do it. I have an entire ritual that I go through each time I pull out a strand.

On the good side; although I do still tug I do it much, MUCH less now.

Anyways, good luck.

**clover** · 10-18-2010, 04:43 PM

I had a really bad habit of pulling out my strands on occasions when I was either bored or nervous. I would ball up the loose strands each time I pulled them out...it was quite freaky seeing all my hair in this state

. I stopped wearing my hair out & now wear it up in a bun about 95% of the time. I have really thin hair so I had to force myself to stop otherwise I would be partially bald.

**kottonkurlz** · 03-01-2011, 04:25 PM

having a really hard time right now. mortgage, college, money, work (and the lack of people not coming in to work), babies. I am embarrassed to talk to anyone and show anyone. Even my husband doesn't know the extent of this one.

**Olahh** · 03-23-2011, 05:35 PM

I like to twirl my hair sometimes. Like now. Im wearing finger coils and cant keep my hands out of my hair.

**deecoily** · 03-24-2011, 11:09 AM

If you are pulling your hair OUT then there is a problem. Hair pulling is a compulsive disorder that requires professional help. Playing in your hair is one thing, pulling is quite another. I am always fiddling with hair to some extent when my two hands are not on a keyboard, which is another reason why I wear scarves quite a bit when I'm out. Our hair rewards us with a wonderful tactile response, which is why so many of us suffer from "hand in fro" disease as we have named it.

If you find yourself pulling out the single strand knots (which we all get), try to get a handle on not doing that regularly. As long as you are not doing any damage to your hair, it should be OK.