an alopecia update, because (some of) you asked for it.

hi friends!

remember almost 8 months ago when i stopped wearing my wig? welp, i'm happy to announce that i'm still wig-free, although not bald spot free. i've got a few spots on the side of my head and one that's starting on the top of my head (that's probably noticeable to anyone taller than me, which is a lot of people).

i saw my TCM doctor about a month ago because i was getting nervous about my new spots. he reminded me that alopecia areata has no set path and unfortunately, there's noway to anticipate what its next, sneaky move will be. he told me to keep using that awesome 7 star hammer (LOVE that thing!) and keep taking the herbs he prescribed for me. i told him i'd been thinking about getting a cortisone injection in the spot on the top of my head, and he fully supported it.

so now, for the second time in my life with alopecia areata (15 years now) i've gotten a cortisone injection. the first experience (years ago) was not great. this experience, was much better. i went to my specialist (who's a dermatologist, i just call him a specialist because it sounds so special)... he also reminded me that alopecia areata is unpredictable, but that i'd never lose all my hair. he used the tiniest needles and basically circled the entire spot on the top of my head that's losing hair. it barely hurt (compared to the first time which hurt a lot). i'll go back in a few weeks for a follow up.

here are some things that had changed in my life, that might be responsible for the new bald spots:
i bought a house (a house that needed a lot of work, money and paint) so i might have been a tiny bit stressed. i started slacking on the treatment shampoo that a lovely woman in L.A. sent me (i have to sit with it on my head under a shower cap for 30 minutes and sometimes 30 minutes feels like a long time). i was also slacking with my vitamins (iron, biotin, magnesium bisglycinate). and was just generally busy, and didn't feel like i had a whole lot of time for myself (because any free time i did have, went into painting my house). i hate the idea of blaming alopecia areata on stress, but maybe it is a cause of it.

so i'm back to using my treatment shampoo, taking my vitamins and have stopped painting my house (thanks to a pinched nerve).

i've decided to not document this hair loss with photos, because i'm trying to ignore my bald spots as much as possible (which is a very tough thing to do). in general, i'm actually in pretty good spirits about it and am really just appreciating being able to get up and not have to put on a wig.

thanks to everyone who have sent emails sharing their stories, offering support and asking questions. i've never met anyone in real life with alopecia areata, but i sure have met a lot of amazing people with alopecia areata on the internet.

where the white hair ends.

welp, over a year ago when my bald spots started filling in with the whitest white hair i've ever seen in my life, 2% of me was disappointed, the rest of me was just happy to have hair that wanted to exist on my head (yay hair!). as the months went on and more of my hair started growing, i realized i had less white hair... was it that i had more dark hair growing in and it made the white hair less noticeable, or was it that the white hair started growing in brown? nobody knew. not that i asked many people. UNTIL ONE DAY i found this single hair, holding on for dear life to the tile in my shower.

(note: it's hard to take a photo of a single strand of hair. just ask my cousin whom i forced to help me.)

the darker portion is the root end. magic! science! hair! there's that mystery solved.

for the most part, my bald spots do start filling in with white hair, and eventually their darker pigmented friends join the hair growth party. i've got a few chunks of white hair that i actually think look kind of awesome. my hair dresser wanted to colour them, but my TCM doctor insists that my hair couldn't take it. so here i am, wig-free (yay!) with a few bald spots (no biggie) and some streaks of the whitest white hair, that make me look a few years older, but that's cool. i honestly don't mind.

thanks, hair! i'm happy to have you back.

alopecia. a haiku. warning: contains swears.

alopecia. a haiku:

you are so fucking
annoying, you little bitch
give me my hair back

lost and found (or: the case of the amazing disappearing and reappearing hair).

welp, it's with an immense amount of pleasure that i post an updated photo of my hair. last night, for the first time in over 15 months, i went out without a wig / hat / scarf / other random object covering my head. it felt pretty amazing (and a little scary) but mostly pretty amazing. it's not a perfect head of hair, but it's 100% mine and i'm not taking that for granted.

i wish i had a better idea of why my hair has decided to come back, but my hair refuses to tell me. i've been really good about taking the herbs my tcm doctor gave me (and using that damn sugar plum fairy hammer - name changed to protect its identity). i definitely think that could be part of it. i've also been using shampoo that a lovely woman in l.a. (who also has alopecia areata) kindly sent me, which might be helping too. but ultimately i think these results are simply due to the fact that auto-immune system disorders are fucking wack, have a mind of their own and are on their own path of destruction (and regeneration). there haven't been any major changes to my diet, exercise or sleep habits. i think it's just pure luck, and nature running its course. whatever it is, as long as my hair is growing, i'll take it!

i do have some small-ish new spots, but nothing compared to the craziness of the photo from june of last year.

shout out to my amazing friends, family and strangers from the internet for making this whole sack of shit experience much easier and a lot less lonely. you've helped me regain my confidence, learn how to put on a wig like a pro, chill the fuck out and get over myself. this blog has been super helpful for me to track my progress, but it's also been great as it's allowed me to interact with people in situations similar to mine. strength in hairloss numbers!

splitting hairs.

alright people, it's the moment most of you haven't been waiting for. see attached photo for how much ass my hair is kicking. i do not care what colour it is. i do not care what texture it is. all i care is that it is my hair growing out of my scalp and it's almost passable as a head of hair.

what have i done to earn / achieve this glorious hair? i'm not sure. this might sound horribly cynical, but i don't think i can attribute it to anything i've done. i think this is just time passing and an icky disorder running its course.

i'm torn as to whether or not i should attach the less celebratory photos of how much hair i've lost on the right side of my head. i think for today, i'll leave it at this positive post of recovery.

3 cheers for hair!

maintaining your high maintenance human hair wig.

my human hair wig is gorgeous. a work of art. the cadillac of wigs. i spent a lot of money on it, but the moment they mentioned the cost of up-keep ($60 every few weeks to have it washed and styled) i reverted back to my frugal ways. i told them it wasn't possible for me to make it in to have it styled every month and asked for tips on washing and styling it at home. i will now gift this info to you.

presenting (play drum roll in your head / on a nearby object) THE ALOPECIA PROJECT'S GUIDE TO WASHING AND STYLING YOUR HUMAN HAIR WIG. (end drum roll).

supplies required: human hair wig, towel, wide tooth comb, matrix colour care shampoo, redken all soft conditioner, moroccan oil, running water, spray bottle with water, somewhere to dry your wig (i use a doorknob or clothes drying rack), round styling brush, hairdryer / flat iron.

1. make sure your wig is free of knots (i use a wide tooth comb to get those bad ass knots outta there). 
2. i wash my wig under running water (synthetic wigs are fine to wash in a sink, running water is key for human hair wigs). always keep the water running in the direction your hair hangs - this keeps the knot monsters away. 
3. hold wig under running water until it's soaked. with one hand, hold the wig, with the other hand, begin gently applying shampoo by lightly rubbing fingers back and forth over hair focusing on the cap of the wig. i also wash the inside of the cap. 
4. rinse wig (with water flowing in the direction your hair hangs). 
5. apply conditioner to the ends (not required on the cap). 
6. rinse (say it with me: with water flowing in the direction your hair hangs). 
7. gently squeeze water out of the length of your hair (do not squeeze the cap). 
8. use a towel to gently pat off excess water. 
9. apply moroccan oil to the ends as a leave-in treatment.
10. hang wig on a door knob / lay flat on a clothes drying rack to dry (if you put it on a wig stand to dry, you risk stretching it).  
11. when your wig is completely dry (mine takes approximately 12 hours) you can comb it with a wide tooth comb. make sure it's dry before you brush / comb it so you don't stretch your wig. 
12. i find it easiest to put my wig on while i'm styling it. i spray my hair with water one section at a time and proceed to blow dry each section until it's straight. when i'm done blow drying i sometimes use a straightener or set it in velcro rollers to give it some body.
13. leave house wearing wig and feeling like a million bucks.

easy! and a lot cheaper than paying someone to do it for you every month. maybe i should start a side business washing wigs.

i wear my wig 5 or 6 days a week and wash it ever 4 weeks or so. when i bought my wig and had it cut and styled the first time, i watched them use high heat hair dryers and straighteners on it. this is definitely going to damage your wig a bit, so be mindful of that while you're styling it.

if any of you are interested in step by step photos or a video of me washing and styling my wig, let me know and i'll make it happen.