Alopecia World
www.alopeciaworld.com
AA & thinning hair - looking for tips & tricks!
Hi Everyone!
My name is Natasha. I was diagnosed with AA 15 years ago.
For most of my life, I kept my hair very long to ensure that I could pull it back and hide any spots that might have popped up. After not seeing spots for a couple of years, I took the risk of cutting my hair short.
Over the past year or so, my hair has been noticeably thinner. My dermatologist suggested that I use Rogaine to replenish it, but I don't like the idea of spending the rest of my life using over-the-counter hair loss foam. So, I thought that maybe I would cut my hair again to pump up the volume. I'm only 22 and my hair looks like it belongs to a much older woman.
The problem with cutting my hair short? I just discovered a new spot right on the back of my head about a month ago. Now, I'm undergoing treatments for regrowth (steroid injections) and if my hair was any shorter in the back, I might not be able to mask it. I'm also concerned that because I haven't had a spot in a long time that another one could show up at any moment.
I'm so discouraged right now because I don't know what the best solution is to make my hair look nice but also keep it practical to ensure that I can hide my AA as much as possible. Should I get layers? Extensions? I'm at a loss.
Does anyone out there have any tips on hair styles, products, or other ways to make thinning hair look more voluminous? Ways to successfully hide AA spots with short hair?
Thank you so much for your help!
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Jennifer Krahn on
-
I totally understand your frustration and insecurity about this. Here is what two potential clients have used which I thought looked really good when I met them. One had extensions braided throughout her hair and they looked fantastic. She was contemplating a full wig at the time, but I encouraged her to stick with the extensions as she still had a lot of hair and masked all her alopecia spots extremely well. This might be an option to try.
Another client's friend was experiencing hair loss at the top of her head only so she had a small topper cut to match her cute cropped haircut and I had NO idea and I have extremely good wig radar. I know the major issue with a topper is that they tend to fade faster than your bio hair due to natural oxidization so it is something to be mindful of.
I thought I should share as these two women looked fab and found a solution that worked for them. I think once you find a solution that suits your lifestyle and needs then the hair loss becomes "background noise" to your life and you will think less of it all the time and more about what adventure you are going to take on next.
I hope this helps.
Warm Wishes
Jenn
-
Permalink Reply by catsmama on
-
Jenn could you share a little more about the topper your friend had cut...on line piece? Custom??
Thanks!!
-
-
No problem. The friend had purchased it from a local wig salon and the topper only covered her missing hair at top and clipped in to her existing hair. She had her hair along with the topper cut in a short haircut and the match on cut and colour for her was flawless. The tricky part is definitely maintaining the colour to match existing hair but I think the toppers could be a great solution for covering up spots of hairless and creating fuller look. I hope this helps.
Jenn
-
Permalink Reply by mardy on
-
when my hair started thinning I used a spray color that filled in the spots to make my hair look fuller but then it got so thin I couldn't use it anymore
-
Permalink Reply by Tovah on
-
Hi Natasha:
I've had alopecia for over 20 years. I had always pretty much been able to pull my hair up into a bun or ponytale. Never, ever, worn down. That would just show how much of my scalp you could see. My enemy? The weather. Getting caught in a rainstorm without a hat or something to cover my hair.
About 6 months ago, I was on a new medication and now the small amount of hair I had became too noticeable to do anything about it. Even when I put it up, the sides were so transparent that I couldn't avoid the fact that I was headed for full blown baldness.
Over the years, things I've used:
A very expensive real hair piece that was glued to my head. It drove me nuts. After about a week I had to say 'get this thing off of me".
Joan River's scalp powder - I don't remember what it was called. Not very good for me. It just dulled my hair color and it took forever to pat it in.
Bumble & Bumble hair powder: Again, it didn't work well and again, dulled the color of my hair.
Toppik: The best before I found something better. It really did give body to my hair and colored in the patches, however, it seemed like it just didn't look great.
Caboki: I love this stuff. This was sooooo good. You can see this on my blog where I took pictures, etc. and really, really looked good.
Hair Extensions: I bought human hair clip in extensions that have saved me. I bought them from the Raquel Welch collection and they are really comfortable and as long as I still have some hair on top and sides, this has worked best for me.
Wigs - I really hate to wear wigs because they're so hot and if anybody could tell me what they do about that, I would love to know. However, since I never had thick hair, I find them awkward. I bought some thinning scissors from Sally Beauty and I've thinned them out alot. I don't necessarily advise doing that with an expensive wig. It could really screw it up.Have a stylist that really knows what she's doing thin it out for you.
Also, on my site, I just found a great product called Gray Away that I have fallen in love with and it costs about $10.00.
Anyway, here's the link to my alopecia as I've written about it from when my hair first really started falling out:
http://www.hautecurvywoman.com/7/post/category/my-alopecia/
I know how hard this whole process is. I really hate when people say, "it's just hair". No.....it's not. It's just such a part of the way we see ourselves.
I hope I've given you some new ideas and let me know if I can help in any other way.
© 2024 Created by Alopecia World.
Powered by
