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| Is your hair your best accessory? Or is it your smile? |
Hair Romance is all about the hair and I believe your hair is your best accessory. I think great hair frames your face, showing off your best features and can make you shine. Healthy fabulous hair can make any outfit, even jeans and t-shirt, look like a million dollars.
But what if you don’t have any hair?
I have received several candid emails recently from some remarkable women that are dealing with hair loss. On Friday, an amazing friend of mine found out she has cancer (again). She’s undergoing surgery today and my thoughts are with her. She’ll receive radiation treatment afterwards and shouldn’t suffer any hair loss, however it prompted me to finally post about this delicate subject.
Did you know hair loss affects over 55% of women? This can be caused by genetic or hereditary pattern balding, but also due to illness and environmental factors.
Chemotherapy often causes temporary hair loss, but auto-immune diseases such as alopecia areata cause partial or sometimes total hair loss. In fact, more women than men are susceptible to hair loss caused by illness, nutritional and hormonal imbalances.
What hair loss is ‘normal’?
We have approximately 100,000 hairs on our head and it’s considered normal to lose about 100 each day. If you’re losing more than this, it may be time to speak to your doctor.
Nutrition plays a big part in hair growth. Your diet should include high levels of protein and foods rich in iron as this is important for hair health and growth. Your doctor can check if your levels are normal and if this is a factor for you.
What to wear if you lose your hair?
I was going to write some tips on what to wear if your lose your hair but I found this beautiful post on Fox in Flats – 10 ways to look lovely if you’ve lost your locks – and I think that this post sums it up perfectly in a fun way and with some really useful advice.
I think tip number one is the most important – A smile is your best accessory, and trumps a good hairdo any day.
Hair-raising event
The Alternative Hair Show is a fantastic event that has raised over £8 million for leukaemia and lymphoma research and charities since its inception in 1983. This year’s Alternative Hair Show is being held in London on October 16 and you can buy tickets directly from their website.
Note, I am available to fly to London at short notice if you would like me to cover this event!
And I would love to know if you or anyone you know has been affected by hair loss. How have you coped and what are your tips for looking and feeling great when your hair is not coming to the party?
Image by Hair Romance
Hair is the most important part of the body. An asset to look young and healthy. Thus, we need to have extra care on hair because too much using shampoo, dye and any hair treatment can cause damage and hair loss. It is the best to have natural alternative for hair treatment.
Thanks everyone!
@foxinflats – I really loved your post and couldn't have said it better myself xx
Thanks for linking to my post at Fox in Flats. I've seen first hand how hair loss from illness can impact women first hand (my mum lost hers when she had chemotherapy), so sharing around tips and ideas for dealing with this is the least we can do. x
What a great post and a great point!
xoxo
http://bresbaubles.blogspot.com
I have a friend who's hair has always been thin, but has become more so as she approaches 30. She finally came to the point where she bought a wig. It's very nice and looks natural, so I think that was a good option for her.
My sister had an operation where part of her head had to be shaved and she just wore a lot of hats while she waited for her hair to grow back.
@Kimberly & @Emily – thanks so much for sharing your experiences. I feel like it's one of the last beauty taboos for women. We basically shout out about where we are waxing and lasering our hair off, but never talk about losing hair from our heads.
Like anything that changes about our appearance, accepting it is so important. A smile and your personality really outshine what you look like.
Kimberly, I'm having the exact same problem. In my case, my doctor (finally!) discovered that I have severe anemia, and we're treating that and hoping it helps with the hair loss problem. But acceptance is important, because otherwise how would we keep walking out the door in the morning? I've had to realize that my friends will love me anyway, and so will my family, and that just has to be good enough.
I'm really, noticeably, thinning out right above my temples. My Mom has this too. It's getting harder and harder to cover up. I think my next step is as your post, and referring links, state, to accept and not worry or fret about it.
Great article!