Chopped and Cried: Life after hair loss...

Jaechoklatchik · #1 03-07-2013, 01:52 PM

so at no point did i wake up and say im done with relaxers. i didnt transition, had absolutely no clue what my natural hair looked like and no desire to find out lol. I've been a lurker/ occasional commenter for quite sometime now, but a conversation with a fellow naptural convinced me to share my journey in the hopes that someone else dealing with what i did may be encourged my apologies in advance if it gets a lil' bit wordy..

at the age of 14, I was diagnosed with Polcystic Ovarian Syndrome. Nobody knows what causes it, theres no real treatments and definitely no cure. basically what happens is the body doesnt respond well to its own hormones or lack thereof. there can be too much insulin, too much testoterone, not enough estrogen, or in my case, a combination of all 3. symptoms include Amennorhea (very few to no menstruation) hirutism (hair where there aint supposed to be!) weight gain and inability to lose weight (the catch 22 from hell)skin tags(dark blotches on face neck chest and arms) hair loss and high risk of diabetes, heart disease and high cholesterol.

I managed to go a whole 12 years without too much incidence with the symptoms. with the right combo of meds, I had finally gotten my first period at age 25 (why hadn't anyone warned me!?) using bentonite clay had cleared up my face and I was down 40lbs...Then the unthinkable happened. A Bald spot, and I mean BALD spot. Talk about devistated! at no point did I think my hair would actually fall out! well i refused to take that lying down. I tried everything under the sun. Lady Rogaine, Biotin, some whale palcenta mixture I found on the internet (yes i put whale placenta in my hair) and nothing worked. in the midst of all this, i had come across a young lady on a PCOS forum who boasted about how going natural worked wonders for her after her bout with hair loss, but even after all of that I wasnt ready to give up the creamy crack monkey on my back. My hairstylist suggested cutting my hair into a short bob to hide the thinning. I hated it, and it didnt work, so i invested in a couple of lace front wigs and called it a day

fast forward three months of wig wearing with weekly conditioning and expensive a** rogaine treatments. on October 10, 2011 at approximately 1pm, i had had enough! i took my dads clippers and skipped my own head. and then i cried. boy did i cry like a 3 year old lost in the mall. but i kept shaving..and crying until the sink was full and my heart was empty. i thought that that wouldve been the saddest day of my life, but i eventually came to relish in the face that i was set free that day.

two months later i wore my TWA out for a quick run to the store that didnt warrant a wig and OMG the amount of compliments i got on my hair!! shock and awe! i went home that very day and trashed my entire wig collection.
Now here i sit almost two years later, a self proclaimed naturalista who makes her own moisturizers and deep conditioners will a head full of springy coily "do whatever the hell they want" HEALTHY Curls...and I love it!

so if any of this helps anyone out there anywhere at anytime, there is life after hair loss...im living proof of that! pics are at the bottom if anyone is curious! First is Before the hair loss, 2nd is my TWA, 3rd is my 1st nappiversary and last is from about a month ago...thanks for letting me share.

Peace, Love, and Shea Butter (cuz grease clogs!)