Trees of AGA

Funny how you can't see the forest for the trees!!!

 For 3.5 years I have taken Omega 3 fish oil, specifically Barleans Omega 3.  Fed up with taking pills for my hair loss and not being able to "see" results, I ended this supplement back in September of this year.  Since then I have noticed my strands getting more and more limp when I hadn't changed anything else in my regimen.  Each week I have watched my hair change texture, resist my trusted roller set and just hang limp with no vitality.  I was reviewing video of my hair from late August and was just in awe of the thickness I saw and asked myself...what the heck happened!!! I have not had breakage or long strand loss, so where did the hair go.  

The hair hadn't "gone" anywhere.  Thanks to my blog, I went back and noted that I ended both purvana, wheat germ oil and fish oil in early September.   Of these three, I felt that I still had the benefits of both wheat germ and purvana in other supplements I have moved on to....but not the fish oil.  My hair was still there but it just wasn't as vibrant, thick or healthy.

I went to the Barleans website and read the label for the product I'd discontinued taking....and sure enough.... among the exepcted ingredients fish oil, and vitamine e...... in the products is soy lecithin and rosemary.  Both of these products have been shown to increase thickness and boost the vitality of hair. Not only does this product help with the general wellness of my body, omega 3 has been shown to increase heart health, lower cholesterol levels and increases eye health!  EYE HEALTH??....I have been having problems with my eyes since September.... Carastasis is dramatic dryness that makes it painful to open the eye  in bright light. I'd seen two doctors and have been taking various steroid eye drops for months to ease the symptoms.  Light bulbs went off!! Fish oil was working for me in more ways than one.  I was so focused on the bald spots that I hadn't noticed the effect of the product on the overall appearance of my hair or my complete well being.  I literally ran out to vitamin shoppe and purchased my old faithful and I'm back on it to stay. I hope to see some return of both my eye health and my hair shine soon.

Being in the forest of AGA has a way of blinding me to much more important things. Not that AGA isn't important but its not the ONLY thing.  Lessen Learned!

Hair weird-ness

For several months I have had weird texture change in the lower back half of my hair.  The entire area has become extremely fine and curly.  Now, my family has a trademark curly patch in the rear of our head of hair, but this is extreme.  Due to AGA  I have noticeably thinner  hair month by month over the past three years, the last year the hair has become very fine and curly.  I wondered if this is the real reason I've been able to stretch my relaxers? There is almost no kink. I dare say its like the regrowth of a cancer patients hair.....it grows in fine and curly despite the fact that I do not have "3" anything hair.  Maybe that's the normal I will have when my " AGA hair fall process"  is done?

This has been a good week.  Very soft bouncy hair, no heat needed and no breakage.  I've been happy with it, but find that the bouncy roller set Ive worn for almost years...isn't really working anymore.  The curls are so long they stretch out and hang low.  Good for those without AGA but it makes my hair look weird.  I don't know what to do but get a hair cut....which I really cannot bring myself to do. A bun has never worked for my large head but I need to find someway to protect my ends as my hair is growing out. That's a work in progress for me.

I never cared about my having long hair..not the bra strap length kind anyway.  Since I've changed my focus and habits my hair has grown longer than it has been since I was a little girl.  Too bad it took having AGA to figure out how reckless I was with it.  

Honestly I would give up the length in a heartbeat to have re-growth on the bald spots.  Funny how that goes huh?

later~

Mullet love and other forms of acceptance

I've had a pretty good week with my hair. I'm still very happy with the  relaxer under- processing. Someone asked me how I managed to do it  and honestly it was just a lucky outcome of my desire. I love straight hair, but I've accepted that I can't wear my hair that way as it emphasizes my thinning. So at 12.5 weeks I had to relaxe my hair to prevent long strand breakage but I realized I could control how much I processed.   I parted my hair in sections according to the amount of new growth and I started my process there. For me that's the top- middle of my head, then moving to the front, top and nape. The total processing time was 8 minutes with my nape getting only 3.  My texture feels like it does at about 6-8 weeks and I am very happy with it.  This process won't change my 12 week relaxer schedule so I am interested to see how happy I am at the actual 8 week mark.

Every since my disastrous hair cut of December 2009 when my hair loss accelerated and a stylist cut off my hair into a mullet ( photo below) I have hated trying to tend to and grow out the awfulness.  3 years later I still have the mullet but its significantly longer and much healthier.  It's still a mullet but I have just come to accept that's just how it's going to be for me.

The new found health of my hair has also helped me to be more brave to accept the end of nioxin recharging complex? Yes, three times a charm I hope. No matter what I have to stay firm in getting off this supplement, both for my wallet and my peace of mind. An honest look at things shows me that in three years.... It really hasn't helped with my AGA.  Vellus hairs ( peach fuzz) are not a sufficient reason to keep up with this supplement any longer and I get it now.  So in 30 days or less I will have thinner, stringier and less vibrant hair than today, but honestly, I am ready to accept it.

Getting seemingly closer to accepting my AGA,


Later~ JKPS

Look back to keep looking forward.

Things are looking and feeling better this week. I relaxed my hair and successfully under processed it to my satisfaction. No super straight roots that show my thinning, just gently relaxed roots that have kept enough texture to mask the smooth spots.

My hair grew a bit during this 12 week stretch. It's bra strap in the back, just past armpit on the sides and shoulder length bangs but most importantly it's healthy.  I am very happy with it for the most part and feel very good about my chances for controlling my AGA.  At this point I realize that all I can do is hold AGA back as long as possible, protect my ends and work on my hair loss from the inside out.

Sometimes I need a reminder of my journey and my success so a look back is order.

The top photo is of my hair my last October 2011. The second photo is from October 2012.

October 2012

These photos show me outstanding progress and give me a real reason to keep my focus and keep  believing in my goal. I will keep looking forward as  I believe I will prevail over AGA!

Later~ JKPS

Uggh... I have too

This year has been filled with so much discovery about my hair. I've spent countless hours researching black hair, AGA, and products that I honestly can say I am an expert on my hair.  That makes me happy to acknowledge.

I've been stretching my relaxers from the every 4 weeks that I use to do.  Now I have worked my way up to 12 weeks and I feel both excited and sad.  Excited because I achieved my goal.  I can control my hair to my satisfaction for the most part regardless of the condition of the week. Sad because the reality is, there isn't that much to relax at 4-8 weeks like I was doing.  I'm not joking.  There is literally no noticeable growth in my hair until 10-11 weeks. Interesting that I felt the need to relax ever 4 weeks.  What was I relaxing? My nerves apparently.  Any way my hair at 12 weeks has about 1/4" of new growth in some places, and much less in others.  My hair appears noticeably thick and healthy.  No breakage ( this week) and no shedding.  I am nervous to  push the relaxer past 12 weeks as I do not want to temp fate.  I really don't want to relax my hair because I absolutely hate how it feels without the new growth.  hate. it.   yes my hair is longer but the straighted roots also highlight the thinness of my hair.

So, I will relax this week.  I am not looking forward to the process, but I understand my mission: " Protect my ends first, the roots will grow when they are ready" I will section off my hair and process it in stages according to new growth thickness.    I washed, and treated my hair with protein today so that I can straighten my hair and leave it that way until my relaxer at the end of the week. That way, I won't confuse wrinkled roots with new growth and relax it unnecessarily .

a better day today,
~JKPS

I'd better figure something out

This is my hair yesterday after my mega wash session. It's growing pretty well and I'm glad I take these photos so that I don't miss it. It's growing steadily in some places and not at all in others. Right now with this mullet,  I need to figure out how to get it off my shoulders without looking "mangy".  I've not been able to wear my hair in a protective style that is able to both protect my ends and hide my thinning. Right now, my curly sets still work but as my hair grows longer I know my ends are rubbing my clothes, chairs and everything else my back touches.

 I actually need to decide weather my goal is to keep it growing or cut it to a thicker length. I know this sounds crazy but I feel as if the longer it gets the thinner it looks. It's beyond me how the same head of hair can be thriving and balding at the same time.  I'm 11 weeks post relaxer and I barely have a 1/4 inch of growth. So sad. I get it more and more each day that my focus is to keep working (even if in vain) on the bald spots but try my all to retain the growth

Looking at this photo I see progress and secrets. My focus and dedication is working where it can. The rest is hidden away behind the shine and health.  You'd never know by looking at me that I'm balding and for those thriving follicles I am deeply thankful.

Wars, Battles and messages from the universe

A war can go on for years, decades and centuries... Battles are short and are usually decided by quick action one way or another.  The war between me and AGA rages on and I'm losing. I have an iPhone and I'm addicted to taking photos of my hair from some of the craziest angles. This week I zeroed in on the nap and edges of my hair. Both areas are strangely different texture than the rest if my hair. Armpit length sparse, and baby fine,  the nape is so stringy it can barely hold a roller.  It's hard to look at and hard to touch.

My edges are not too too bad but still very unnaturally fine. At this point, only the very middle all the way around my head is the only part that grows. It's so healthy that it's growing enough to cover all of my balding.  So far, it's 1 inch from my bra strap in the back and armpit in the front. I just don't feel much like celebrating the lenght when there's no undergrowth. I can only imagine if I weren't balding.... Sigh.

On top of the war between me and my hair follicles ... I still have "normal hair" problems. This week battle is breakage and dryness. Strange too is that the breakage is localized and fierce. I look at that section of my hair wrong and it snaps. The battle to hang on to what I have hinges on me stopping the breakage and additional damage.  I purchased and used new products that are supposed to curb this condition, but so far....

In "universe news", my co-worker who is Greek and addicted to lifting her dark tresses red told me today that I "have such great hair"  She said its "always so thick , and healthy and I love your curly sets".  After I thanked her, I Thought... I'm not losing, I'm still in the war and I'd better start listing to all the messages that the universe is sending my way and appreciate what I have left.  I keep getting these messages from the universe, always so positive and encouraging. 

 Acknowledged.

later~