I am a member of many organizations and sit on the board of several non-profits in my community. I am taking the time at each meeting to discuss my...well...baldness. Everyone loves my wig, and so comments are always made about my "great new hair." That's the perfect time to mention that while it IS my hair (bought and paid for, thank you very much) it isn't exactly MY hair in the true sense of the phrase.



I explain what alopecia is, what little is known about its origins, treatments… Continue

Okay, so it's only day 3 and I'm still floating on the pink cloud of empowerment. But I had fun in the shower today shaving my stubble instead of bemoaning the loss of hair. (I bought a Headshave and am slowly getting the hang of it.) Last night I went to my writer's group meeting and "flipped my wig" for them. I've sent pictures to lots of my family and closest friends and have gotten a really positive response. I love the feel of cool air on my head. I love my new wig but I love being without… Continue

I shaved my head because I was tired of looking at one hair falling out at a tim. I was tired of assessing how big the pateches were or were not getting. I was tired of worrying about if my bald spots were showing. Look out, World! I have a bald spot showing! It's called my scalp. LOL. It took longer than I thought (a friend and my husband both helped) and my hair held on like a pit bull. But we won at last. I feel so much better. I have a wig I… Continue

My first wig came today. It is Sassy by Revlon and the color is Autumn Glow. I followed the recommendations from my friends here at Alopecia World and they did my right! It is a mono cap, synthetic, and it was well under $200 from Wilshire Wigs. I must admit it's redder than it looked on my monitor, but I absolutely ADORE it. It fits perfectly and needs no thinning or trim. In fact, it is almost identical to the cut I have right now, only the… Continue

Here is the story of a Bad Hair Day. It was Halloween, and my husband was taking my daughter around the neighborhood, leaving me to answer the door and shovel sugar to the monsters, princesses, and other assorted Trick or Treaters.



Most of the kids travel in packs, but towards the end of the nights' visitations a single girl, around 12 or so, rang the bell.



"Trick or Treat!"



She took a piece of candy, smiled at me brightly and said, "Hey, that's a great fright… Continue

HAIR TODAY, GONE TOMORROW



Whoa, doggies. It’s finally the end of 2008. I have to say, I’m not sorry to see this year go. What I am sorry to see go is my hair.



I am in the two percent of the population who has alopecia. “What is that?” you might ask. Alopecia is an auto-immune disorder of unknown origin which causes one’s body to think its hair follicles are a foreign body and begin launching scud missiles to destroy the enemy. It is not hereditary, it is not contagious. It… Continue

It has been said that grief is the good-bye you don't want to say. Last evening, my beloved cat came home with a huge hunk chewed out of his lower left quadrant. I knew immediately there was nothing to be done. Because of shock, he wasn't in any pain. So we let him lie on his favorite Persian rug. We scratched the back of his neck and the side of his ears, and told him we loved him. And we also told him it was okay to go, that he had done his job… Continue

This is not the first time my hair has caused me trouble. That happened with my best friend, Libby Wyatt. She was just my age and lived down the street from me. I remember we had matching red shoes...little Mary Janes with a t-strap and 3 petal cut-uts at the toe. I still have a pair of that type of shoe...now they have high heels and are more maroon than red, but everytime they come back into fashion I buy a pair! I don't know where she is today...or if she's still buying those shoes as… Continue

The last few nights I've been having vivid dreams in which my hair (slowly disappearing) takes some dramatic way of falling out. Each time it's different, but each time it's horrible. It has been bumming me out, so I decided to be prepared. I went to Ebay last night and bought (actually, bid on auctions in their last seconds) two short dark, brown wigs, not unlike my current hair cut. They were REALLY cheap ($20 each delivered to my doorstep). I really have no intention of wearing them, but I… Continue

The morning sun crept over the Three Sisters peak of the Gabilan Mountains and shone down on a glorious New Year's Day gift for Quicksilver Farm: Two Navajo Churro lambs stood heathy and strong next to their mother. One is pure white, which is good if it's a female because I need more white wool for the fabulous rugs I'm crafting, and the other is Three Grey Hills, which means it has what looks like a white skullcap on an all-black body. (Perhaps it has alopecia under the cap?)



These… Continue

I can't really say I'm sad to see this year go. My life took on the tune of a Country Western song...my husband had heart failure as he was recovering from cancer (He's great today, thank heaven!), my cat Brian who was my familiar was hit by a car and killed, my golden lab died suddenly, the real estate industry sank deeper in the slough of despond and my hair decided to begin its Exodus.



I am looking forward to next year. Lots of great stuff on the horizon, and plenty of sunshine… Continue

I have always loved having my hair cut and styled. From the exotic, yummy scents of shampoos and potions, to the total luxury of a scalp massage, to the feeling of sitting back and being pampered, I have wallowed in it all. Now it's more of a pain because I am anxious and uneasy.



At home, shampooing my hair is no longer the delight it once was either. I wash my hair in the shower, and I used to love to stand in the warmth and feel the dirt disappearing. (Since I live on a farm with… Continue

This is a true story: I have always had the weirdest hair in the world. First of all, it has different textures in different parts. Secondly, it has been hard to control FOREVER. So I have always had a love/hate relationship with it.



I was a platinum blonde as a young girl, turning to light brown for my young adult years. When I had my daughter, it turned really dark brown.



It was always incredibly thick and at age 55 I've been lording it over my friends for the past few… Continue