I am new to Alopecia World. The story entitled BALD AT WORK is most encouraging and has led me to share highlights from my journey. I noticed bald spots in my scalp, on the side of head (above my ears) in 2007, attributed to years of stress on my scalp from wearing micro-braids. I started wearing a wig to cover the spots (and did so for 4 years), which made the problem worse, resulting in a large bald spot in the crown of my head, one about the size of a quarter on the left front and right front of my forehead. I changed my diet, and tried many hair products and just about every home remedy that was recommended or I read about on various Internet websites. I maintained 6-8 weeks checkups with a dermatologist off and on for 3 years (received scalp injections, used tropical solutions and took prescription meds) and had my hair treated by a professional hair stylist, all to no avail.

In March of 2012, I started having dreams of myself being in public without a wig and people not even noticing I had spots in my scalp. I wondered how this could be possible. The dream that captured my attention the most was the one I had, in which my wig fell off in public. Err! I was convinced that God was trying to tell me something. I wanted desperately to comply and stop covering up the spots and my natural beauty with wigs, but I didn’t have the confidence to bring myself to it. So I committed to praying for God’s strength to help me release my wig on June 6, 2012.

I had another dream on May 23, 2012. In this dream, I was with my brother and sister when we visited a barn were turkeys were raised. [As a kid, I’ve always been terrified of turkeys and my sentiments in the dream were no different]. In this dream, my brother and my sister showed no sign of being afraid of a turkey. They faced the turkey head-on. I, on the other hand, wanted to run from the turkey, but I sensed that if I ran, the turkey was going to attack me. I boldly approached the turkey and began rubbing its feathers. I remember thinking – this isn’t so bad after all. At that, the dream ended.

When I got to work the next morning (May 24), one of my coworkers shared a situation that she was dealing with and stated that she knew the answer to her problem was to GO COLD TURKEY. Wow! I had not said anything to her about my dream. Her words were noteworthy! It’s like she was speaking directly to me about my dream. Yet, I still hadn’t made the connection to my hair and letting go of my wigs.

Later that night, I had a phone discussion with my friend Mary, who suddenly decided to share her hair loss story with me. She began losing her hair after consistently swimming without washing her hair. She says it was disheartening seeing her hair shed in hand-fulls. She made a bold move and cut all of her hair. Boldness came on me! I made a decision right then and there, and told Mary that I was going to work the next day without a wig. I said, “I’m sick of this wig and I’m done with it!” After I got off of the phone with Mary, I looked up the term cold turkey and found it means: Actions of a person who abruptly gives up a habit or addiction rather than gradually easing the process through gradual reduction or by using replacement medication.

What a revelation! It was time for me to go cold turkey, leaving my wig behind. Wearing a wig had become an addiction to me. Instead of going with my initial plan to gradually ease into letting go of my wig on June 6, 2012, I gave up my wigs sooner than later. On April 25, 2012, I went to work without wearing a wig. I wore my hair in an afro with a scarf to cover the balding areas on the sides and the middle of my crown. I continued to wear scarves for the first week. To avoid the risk of giving up one addiction for another, one week after giving up my wigs, I had my hair shaved - no more wigs, no more scarves, no more covering up. It was the first time in years that I experienced this sort of freedom around my hair. AMAZING! The accolades and praises that I have received from the people at work (and others) have been most encouraging. Many people have said they have never noticed how beautiful I truly am until now. Getting connected with others (indicative of being with my sister and brother in my dream) who are boldly facing Alopecia, is a kiss from God. I look forward to hearing your stories and sharing more highlights from my journey…