My journey with alopecia has definitely been long, hard, and lonely. As an African American female (which I am sure this may be true for other cultures) I have found it very hard to find a beautician who actually understands the considition of alopecia itself. I have been through my fair share of beauticians and most of them I have found do not understand the condition/disease itself. I have had numerous Africann American beauticians ask me how this happens, what am I doing to damage my…

In an effort to be authentically me, I began a process of going natural with my hair about five years ago. This means that I no longer get my relaxed. Initially it was great because my alopecia was in remission (if that's a correct term). Now that my alopecia areata has reared its ugly head again, going natural isn't as carefree. Alot of the hairstyles make me self conscious or don't turn out right because I am missing a significant amount of hair in certain areas. I have dabbled in wigs,…