Losing hair is not about hair loss, its about face gain...one day I may have a whole head of face!
Monty Python lyrics tell you to, "Always look on the bright side of life". Well, that’s all fine and good, but it‘s kind of hard to see the positive when your hair is deserting you and you’re staring at potential baldness in the mirror. I don’t want the top of my head to look like a silvicultured forest. I’m a woman, I can’t lose my hair! There should be a universal rule that protects the female gender from hair follicles going AWOL! We suffer enough through child birth, menstrual cramps, pap tests, plucking, shaving, waxing and squeezing our feet into uncomfortable shoes....geez, don't we deserve a break?
I've heard the word Alopecia in passing but it meant nothing. I know illnesses can thin hair but it hasn’t happened to anyone I know or then again maybe they don't talk about it. My mother passed away in her 50’s, so I’ve no one to ask if there’s a dysfunctional hair gene in the family. Like any condition, I don’t need to know or understand its ins and outs until it becomes personal to me or someone I know. I learn things through experience, once it's applicable then I knuckle down and do the research. Up to now I’ve been ignorant I guess, I’ve only associated hair loss with men. They say it’s from too much testosterone. Balding guys claim that only manly men lose their hair. We’ve all heard the jokes about men rubbing their head on the bedpost…..booyah!
So I wonder....maybe that’s part of my problem, too much male testosterone. A gynecologist once told me that I was overly hairy, that I probably had a hint of Y in my X. I thought it great at the time, estrogen can be a back stabber if you get certain cancers because it speeds up the progress. So as early as 35 I shaved my legs more than most females, plucked my chin, tweezed the old man eyebrows and accepted the cards I was dealt.
But now, I’m learning 55 is packing a new bag of tricks. Sure I can get discounts at various stores, but things are sliding downward, getting softer and falling out. I’m starting to look like a piece of jerky and that's fine, but please universe, balance that out by allowing me a full head of hair! I feel ashamed now. Over the years, I complained about all those bad hair days. Now, if only I could have them back I’d be ever so thankful! My imagination is working overtime, worrying about extremes. What if most of my hair falls out and I can’t let go of those last few strands? What if that bit of testosterone forces me to entertain the comb over with slick, to hold it down? There’s nothing like those last five strands glued together, lifting in an afternoon breeze...we've all seen it. About as useful as grasping a cotton thread as you fall off the roof, it does nothing for ya!
I noticed things were looking thin the first part of December. I read the average person looses 50 – 100 hairs a day from normal hair maintenance so I must be somewhere at 300 or so a the rate it's dropping. I noticed a lot of hair clinging to the walls of the shower and pieces woven around my fingers after shampooing. That never happened before, but I dismissed it with a shake of the head; too many other things to focus on. It was only after Christmas that concern crept in, when my ponytail, that was always the size of a small twig was now barely bigger than whipping cord. I stood in front of the mirror to examine the top of my head and was horrified to see, through my thinning bangs, the entire arched top of my skull!
Now I never would have won any hair prizes. No one ever looked at me and said, “Gee, what beautiful hair on that woman!” In the words of my hairdresser, my hair was fine but there was a lot of it. Was?......how quickly things can turn past tense. I'm no Rapunzel, my hair has always been silky, shortish and straight as a pin, sitting on the fence between dirty blond and reddish. Despite yearning for curly hair for most of my life, I lived with what I was given and felt proud that it would never go grey. My Norwegian ancestry predicts that it’ll turn a mousy sandy colour, not the salt and pepper of darker pigmented hair. My 90 plus grandfather had light silvery, sandy hair, with just a hint of rust, so I would imagine that would be my fate if I have any left. I always thought I’d get out of this life somewhat intact. Except for tonsils and that piece they removed during my tubal that I requested be thrown into the middle of the harbour to ensure it never found its way back, I thought I’d leave much the same as when I arrived. My dentist assures me that my teeth won’t be in a glass by the bedside, my eyes should serve me well enough and despite a bit of diabetes, I’m hoping to hang on to my toes.
People assure me that it’s probably menopause, that their hair is falling out as well and apparently not just on their head but in other areas….at some point there might not be any carpet to match the drapes….. Some people have told me their leg hair didn’t grow back after reaching a certain age, definitely a perk, I'm still waiting on that one!
I’ve researched a few things that could be causing the problem. The serious illnesses don't fit. I have none of the symptoms of anything life threatening. I'll bet the farm that menopause is the trigger; the gun being something I'm lacking through diet and exercise.
It could be one or a combination of several things....stress, too much blow drying, sluggish thyroid (hypothyroidism) or an iron deficiency. I’m a self medicator with natural remedies and I plan to initiate a plan to turn this around before heading to a doctor that will undoubtedly refer me to a dermatologist and then take a trip down the drug route. If it comes to that, I’ll opt for the wig or implants but at this point I might be a bit premature, just sayin that's all.....
I’ll work on the problem, make changes to my life and diet and if I fail then I’ll seek out the professionals. I’m the complete opposite of the hypochondriac, I avoid doctors like the plague and I’m not sure if that is the reason for my good health because if you go often they find stuff and that starts the wheel rolling downhill, or if I’m doing things right with prevention and attention. Whatever happens, I’m prepared to take full responsibility, it’s my way and I’m not about to change. If I break my arm, I’d seek help, but I am one of those annoying people who think there is a reason for why the body is out of balance, not just an opportunity to take a drug to mask a symptom. Drugs cure nothing, they just provide comfort from the symptoms. I like to search for answers as to why things happen and then try to fix it. If this doesn’t work, I’ll buy a wig and go for a blood test. I don’t want to waste my time and the taxpayer’s money to be told “Go home, it’s your age” as one friend was told over the loss of hair.
I must say I was stressed over the holidays so I’m thinking that’s the #1 culprit. I’m practicing breathing and trying to laugh at things that might have bothered me before. I don’t know why I wear stress like a miss fitting coat. Probably some past conditioning coming back to haunt me, but the buck has to stop here and if I have to Yoga or Tie Chi my way out of this, I will. Massage never worked, I couldn’t relax enough to relax. A stranger’s hands all over my body clashed with my personal space allowance.
So I'm upping the consumption of seafood, red meat and spinach. A bit more iron and iodine in my diet and foods to boost my thyroid. It’s all good. So I have a plan. I’ll give it a month and if I don’t notice a new stubble of baby hairs I’ll go outside my bubble for help. I’m optimistic. Only three days in and my energy level is up so maybe my hair will return to roost. If it does, I’ll caress my precious locks and promise to never say “I wish you were curly” ever, ever, ever again! Anyway, I’ll keep you posted on my success or lack of. If anyone has any helpful tips I’m all ears…especially now that they stick out between the thinning stands!
I've heard the word Alopecia in passing but it meant nothing. I know illnesses can thin hair but it hasn’t happened to anyone I know or then again maybe they don't talk about it. My mother passed away in her 50’s, so I’ve no one to ask if there’s a dysfunctional hair gene in the family. Like any condition, I don’t need to know or understand its ins and outs until it becomes personal to me or someone I know. I learn things through experience, once it's applicable then I knuckle down and do the research. Up to now I’ve been ignorant I guess, I’ve only associated hair loss with men. They say it’s from too much testosterone. Balding guys claim that only manly men lose their hair. We’ve all heard the jokes about men rubbing their head on the bedpost…..booyah!
So I wonder....maybe that’s part of my problem, too much male testosterone. A gynecologist once told me that I was overly hairy, that I probably had a hint of Y in my X. I thought it great at the time, estrogen can be a back stabber if you get certain cancers because it speeds up the progress. So as early as 35 I shaved my legs more than most females, plucked my chin, tweezed the old man eyebrows and accepted the cards I was dealt.
But now, I’m learning 55 is packing a new bag of tricks. Sure I can get discounts at various stores, but things are sliding downward, getting softer and falling out. I’m starting to look like a piece of jerky and that's fine, but please universe, balance that out by allowing me a full head of hair! I feel ashamed now. Over the years, I complained about all those bad hair days. Now, if only I could have them back I’d be ever so thankful! My imagination is working overtime, worrying about extremes. What if most of my hair falls out and I can’t let go of those last few strands? What if that bit of testosterone forces me to entertain the comb over with slick, to hold it down? There’s nothing like those last five strands glued together, lifting in an afternoon breeze...we've all seen it. About as useful as grasping a cotton thread as you fall off the roof, it does nothing for ya!
I noticed things were looking thin the first part of December. I read the average person looses 50 – 100 hairs a day from normal hair maintenance so I must be somewhere at 300 or so a the rate it's dropping. I noticed a lot of hair clinging to the walls of the shower and pieces woven around my fingers after shampooing. That never happened before, but I dismissed it with a shake of the head; too many other things to focus on. It was only after Christmas that concern crept in, when my ponytail, that was always the size of a small twig was now barely bigger than whipping cord. I stood in front of the mirror to examine the top of my head and was horrified to see, through my thinning bangs, the entire arched top of my skull!
Now I never would have won any hair prizes. No one ever looked at me and said, “Gee, what beautiful hair on that woman!” In the words of my hairdresser, my hair was fine but there was a lot of it. Was?......how quickly things can turn past tense. I'm no Rapunzel, my hair has always been silky, shortish and straight as a pin, sitting on the fence between dirty blond and reddish. Despite yearning for curly hair for most of my life, I lived with what I was given and felt proud that it would never go grey. My Norwegian ancestry predicts that it’ll turn a mousy sandy colour, not the salt and pepper of darker pigmented hair. My 90 plus grandfather had light silvery, sandy hair, with just a hint of rust, so I would imagine that would be my fate if I have any left. I always thought I’d get out of this life somewhat intact. Except for tonsils and that piece they removed during my tubal that I requested be thrown into the middle of the harbour to ensure it never found its way back, I thought I’d leave much the same as when I arrived. My dentist assures me that my teeth won’t be in a glass by the bedside, my eyes should serve me well enough and despite a bit of diabetes, I’m hoping to hang on to my toes.
People assure me that it’s probably menopause, that their hair is falling out as well and apparently not just on their head but in other areas….at some point there might not be any carpet to match the drapes….. Some people have told me their leg hair didn’t grow back after reaching a certain age, definitely a perk, I'm still waiting on that one!
I’ve researched a few things that could be causing the problem. The serious illnesses don't fit. I have none of the symptoms of anything life threatening. I'll bet the farm that menopause is the trigger; the gun being something I'm lacking through diet and exercise.
It could be one or a combination of several things....stress, too much blow drying, sluggish thyroid (hypothyroidism) or an iron deficiency. I’m a self medicator with natural remedies and I plan to initiate a plan to turn this around before heading to a doctor that will undoubtedly refer me to a dermatologist and then take a trip down the drug route. If it comes to that, I’ll opt for the wig or implants but at this point I might be a bit premature, just sayin that's all.....
I’ll work on the problem, make changes to my life and diet and if I fail then I’ll seek out the professionals. I’m the complete opposite of the hypochondriac, I avoid doctors like the plague and I’m not sure if that is the reason for my good health because if you go often they find stuff and that starts the wheel rolling downhill, or if I’m doing things right with prevention and attention. Whatever happens, I’m prepared to take full responsibility, it’s my way and I’m not about to change. If I break my arm, I’d seek help, but I am one of those annoying people who think there is a reason for why the body is out of balance, not just an opportunity to take a drug to mask a symptom. Drugs cure nothing, they just provide comfort from the symptoms. I like to search for answers as to why things happen and then try to fix it. If this doesn’t work, I’ll buy a wig and go for a blood test. I don’t want to waste my time and the taxpayer’s money to be told “Go home, it’s your age” as one friend was told over the loss of hair.
I must say I was stressed over the holidays so I’m thinking that’s the #1 culprit. I’m practicing breathing and trying to laugh at things that might have bothered me before. I don’t know why I wear stress like a miss fitting coat. Probably some past conditioning coming back to haunt me, but the buck has to stop here and if I have to Yoga or Tie Chi my way out of this, I will. Massage never worked, I couldn’t relax enough to relax. A stranger’s hands all over my body clashed with my personal space allowance.
So I'm upping the consumption of seafood, red meat and spinach. A bit more iron and iodine in my diet and foods to boost my thyroid. It’s all good. So I have a plan. I’ll give it a month and if I don’t notice a new stubble of baby hairs I’ll go outside my bubble for help. I’m optimistic. Only three days in and my energy level is up so maybe my hair will return to roost. If it does, I’ll caress my precious locks and promise to never say “I wish you were curly” ever, ever, ever again! Anyway, I’ll keep you posted on my success or lack of. If anyone has any helpful tips I’m all ears…especially now that they stick out between the thinning stands!
Hmmmm....I wonder if these are still available?
And this one is just pure silliness!
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