Some people have suggested – to my face – that I’m a high maintenance kind of girl. First, I don’t give a shit what other people think. Second, It’s my money, and I worked damn hard to get it. So, if I am high maintenance…GOOD FOR ME.
However, I do think examining the accusation will make for an excellent series of blogs.
So, let’s dig in, shall we?
If the title didn’t give it away, this first post is all about the hairs on my head.
Ahem. Body hair is a whole other situation, so stay tuned!
Pre Summer of 2017
Like most women, I get my hair done. By done, I mean, highlighted, colored, cut. I used to go to the salon every six to eight months. This is NOT often enough to maintain an attractive or healthy head of hair, but at a cost of approximately 150 to 250 dollars per visit, maintaining my do was expensive.
So, yeah, even though I used good quality products to wash and style (every day), I didn’t follow the eight-week schedule recommended by my stylist. My bad! You would think delaying going to the salon would mean healthier hair, right? NOPE. Split ends. Brassiness. Dullness. Not to mention major roots!
But whatever, I was cheap (my husband even cheaper, leading to more than one hair-care-spending domestic). As a result, I wore my hair in a wet ponytail for most of my adult life. If my hair wasn’t in a ponytail, I was taking a straightening iron to my natural curls because we have hard water, and I didn’t know how to make my curly hair look good.
So, to summarize, at this point, I am:
- Going to the salon every six to eight months for a full color, highlight, and trim
- Washing my hair daily (with good (not great) products)
- Slicking back wet hair and tightly securing with an elastic, or
- Using hot tools on color-treated hair
Yep. No surprise, my hair was damaged, but it looked decent enough, and I had enough of it to cover my head.
Post Summer of 2017
The summer of 2017 was a rough time in my life. My stress sharply increased, my diet changed significantly, and my autoimmune diseases went on the attack. Over the next year, my hair fell out in clumps. CLUMPS. No…it didn’t break off because it was damaged. It fell out. At. The. Root.
I had bald spots on the back of my head and around my temples. BALD SPOTS! Even Roy noticed my hair was thinning, and that’s saying something.
By 2018 I was convinced I would lose what little hair I had left. Seriously, when gathered in an elastic, my ponytail was the diameter of a school pencil. By this point, the stress of stressing out about losing my hair was causing me to lose even more hair!
I went to my stylist; he’s been my go-to guy on and off for about fifteen years. I expressed my concerns, we didn’t find a solution, and I left the salon with the same cut and color as always.
Months passed. My head continued to shed. Seriously, I stuck handfuls of hair to the tiles to avoid plugging the drain when I showered. GROSS!
By summer 2018, I couldn’t take it anymore, and I – gasp– when to another stylist. She cut five inches off my hair. Had to be done, and while the shorter style was cute, I was still dealing with bald patches and ongoing hair loss.
In January of 2019, I figured this was my life now, and I began to look for ways to hide my thinning hair. Traditional hair extensions looked damaging to me, but Halo Couture hair extensions, while expensive, seemed like a reasonable option. I went to the only affiliated salon in Ottawa I could find, and the first words out of my mouth when I sat in the chair were, “My hair is thinning. Will Halo extensions help?”
Long story short the appointment didn’t go as planned. The stylist suggested she cut and color my hair first, and then we would talk extensions after. Hoping for a miracle, I stupidly agreed. Let’s just say, after 3 hours in an uncomfortable chair, the stylist never – not once – discussed Halo extensions with me, and I left the salon disappointed, angry, and with red hair.
RED HAIR.
It was not a good look for me. Don’t get me wrong. I love red hair. I envy women with beautiful red hair. Red hair on me…is not pretty!
Worse, my bald spots were even more noticeable, my hair was in the worst shape ever, and now my self-esteem was taking a hit.
The Turning Point
Hair, and lack thereof, had now become a primary mental preoccupation, and not in a good way. So, what did I do? I hit the Internet hard, did some research, and ultimately broke down and dropped some serious cash on Rogaine.
Say what?
Yep. Despite the expense, I started using Rogaine on my scalp to promote hair regrowth.
Did it work?
Yes. Yes, it did. After four months, I started to see some baby hairs sprouting. Here’s the deal, though. Rogaine or minoxidil is not a one and done product. You need to keep using it to continue seeing results. Basically, it’s a use it or lose it situation (the new hair that is).
Now here’s the kicker…women’s Rogaine is more expensive than the men’s Rogaine (same product descriptions), which is super annoying but waaay typical for the beauty industry.
Okay, rant over. Moving on…
First goal achieved, I now have hair growing where previously I was bald. Yippee!
Now I have to deal with the color. Trust me; red does not fade well, so, if you don’t plan on keeping (and maintaining) the red – DON’T do it!
Also, there’s no going back to blond without help.
A lot of help!
Before rushing in headfirst (hardy-har-har), I did further research. Watched more YouTube videos. What I learned was, there’s no safe way to go from red to blond in one salon visit, and any “expert” who tells you otherwise is wrong!
As you can imagine, by now, I’m a little salon weary, and salon wary. Still, there was no question – I needed professional help. Happily, I found it by accident. Late one night after a dinner date with Roy, we were full, happy, walking on the sidewalk hand-in-hand in the crisp fall air, and that’s when I noticed the beautiful new storefront downtown.
Turns out, it was a fancy new salon.
That night I Googled it. The owner/stylist trained in Italy, made a career out of working on models, and did not come cheap. The next day I called for an appointment. I was invited for a free consultation that very evening instead.
Given the hair-anxiety I was experiencing, I’m sure you can imagine my trepidation when I walked into Nick’s salon for the first time. Well, let me tell you, he said all the right things.
More importantly, he did all the right things.
It Ain't Over, 'Till it's Over
My first appointment was all about hair health. The red had to go (Nick’s words), but it would take several appointments to get me back to blond. So brown it was. First, he did a bonding treatment, then the all-over color, then a keratin treatment, and finally a cut. He gave me additional keratin treatments for home, with strict instructions to follow, including no more ponytails.
Yep. Traditional elastics were forever banned.
Not gonna lie, my Visa card damn near caught on fire when I paid the bill, but already I could tell it was worth it, and my anxiety lessened.
My second appointment was four weeks later. This appointment was all about color. I got a full head of blond highlights, another keratin treatment, a trim, and new shampoo and conditioner. Again, my Visa spontaneously combusted, but my hair was looking fuller and healthier.
Eight weeks later, I went for my third appointment. My hair was alive and doing well, and this visit was all about maintenance. A bit of root color, a few more blond highlights, toning, another keratin treatment, and yeah, my Visa already knows the drill. Burn, baby, burn.
During this period, I also changed my at-home routine:
- Now, I wear my hair naturally curly, and I wash once or twice a week – tops.
- I also invested in quality shampoos and conditioners for damaged or color- treated hair (Olaplex 1, 2 & 3, Biolage Raw, Verb).
- I deep condition regularly (AG Keratin, Briogeo Don’t Despair Repair).
- I use quality styling products (Olaplex #6, Aveda Be Curly, AG Mousse Gel, Verb Ghost oil).
- I invested in a Dyson hairdryer/diffuser combo.
- I bought a satin pillowcase.
- I (sometimes) wear a bonnet to sleep in.
- I (try to remember to) keep up with the Rogaine.
Yeah, I spent a lot of money on hair products and professionals in 2019—a LOT of money. But guess what, I don’t regret a single dime. My hair has grown back. It’s healthier, shinier, curlier, longer, and fuller. Bye, bye bald spots.
The Bonus
I’m not stressed out about losing my hair anymore.
Will I continue with the expensive salon visits, the Rogaine, the products.
100% yes!
In fact, like many women impacted by the closing of non-essential services, I’m overdue for a salon visit. My roots are showing, and my gray hairs are taking over! Yep, I have COVID hair, but I don’t care!
Why?
It’s simple, really.
Because I have hair.
How about you? Have you experienced hair trauma or hair loss attributed to an autoimmune disease? Any tips for haircare during the COVID-19 quarantine?
My advice is…this too shall pass…don’t give yourself bangs out of boredom, ladies!
Special note: plastic coil or spiral ponytail holders are Nick approved – you can get ’em at the Dollar Store.
Also check out Manes by Mell, if you have curly hair. She saved my curls life, and she’s fucking hilarious.
Until the next blog – peace out pain sufferers!
Current pain level 7/10.
Grrrr! My hair is awful and falling out so much so that I had to buy those basket thingys for the drain from the $$ Store,
So ya, I hear you on the GROSS thing.
My curls look great when I first get out of the shower then… boom… fuzz!
I haven’t touched it with a curling iron or straightener in years. I went to a salon about 4 weeks ago, to a new girl who worked magic on my hair and made it look fuller… however I can’t reproduce it.
By the way I look a walk down memory lane and was looking at pics from when I was younger and holy shit I had hair!
Damn you auto-immune disease!
Check out Manes by Mell. I was fighting the fuzz too. Having the right products and applying them in the right way has helped so much!
Agreed on the whole curly hair regimen. I also only wash my hair once a week, have the satin pillowcase (which is also better for your skin too). I only go every 6-7 months for a cut, my stylist believes in not colouring, so I’m 12 months into embracing my wisdom highlights….which has made a ton of difference in hair shedding and healthier scalp. Good products are a must….currently using Earthtones Naturals, their whole line. Never ever brush or pic my hair when wet, and my spray bottle is my secret weapon! Just snuck the Dyson into the house 2 months ago…I love how quiet it is.
YES! Water bottle for the win. It’s one of the things I learned by watching Manes by Mell. Curly hair needs to be wet when applying product (she has a three step process for products – prep, style, finish). Laughing out loud at the sneaking of the Dyson! My purchase got me the pinched face look from Roy, but it was worth it!