I’m losing hair. Again. This my friends is no easy event/process to handle. I’m 20, I’m at the start of my life and here I am ageing like a 40 year old. The top of my head has been difficult for me. Throughout childhood it wasn’t so bad, although the back was always growing funny and I didn’t realise that till high school. During my younger days the only real problem I had was keeping my hair down and the part going as my hair was super thick and just refused to stay in place. After changing schools in late yr 5 to early yr 6 I developed a horrible bout of dandruff which lasted me right through till year 10. It was horrible, and brought much embarrasment, itchiness and overall sadness. I had worn a hat for many years throughout my youth all the way through to year 7 when I started to do my hair. I still recall Adrian Cricelli’s face when he saw me with my hair for the first time, I believe he mouthed the words “he’s done his hair”. But due to dandruff it was difficult to expose my hair, and a hat only worked until I took it off and all the dandruff fell down to my soulders. I recall one moment when I was sitting in english class in yr 7 with Mr. Finn as teacher and I looked back onto my shoulders and just saw dandruff littered across them. I was shocked and petrified, had others noticed? Surely. I went to see Doctor Hislop about it and she offered no help as my hair was recently washed and signs of dandruff were limited. It took a second time with my father and she caved to the pressure and gave me a referal to see a dermetologist. That was horrible as right after school I went in only to find that he could see nothing as mum told me to wash my hair the night before, dad was pissed stating “I told her not to wash his hair” in front of the dermitologist. Nevertheless he gave me two bottles of some funny but nice smelling brown shampoo which didn’t end up working. In year 8 there was a misunderstanding at the barber and I had my head shaved to a 1 and boy oh boy was there embarassment. Put aside the fact that I looked like a twig and was laughed at insestantly, but now my head was exposed with no hair to hide the dandruff. The insults ran like a river, in religion class Randle help up a piece of paper saying “It’s snowing” refering to my dandruff, I was pissed off. Two years later my dandruff was pretty much under control and only appeared very randomly, now it is completely gone. I now love Nizoral 1% shampoo.
During the course of yr9-mid yr 10 I avoided going to the barber has I had been made fun of with the cutting of the back of my hairline and the fact that I had dandruff, so naturally I was quite embarrased. This led to me cutting my own hair for a bit as Omar did the same, the hair didn’t come out great but it was alright, kinda had the rough edged look about it. My mum took over hair cutting duties not long afterwads and it has been like that ever since, only three times have I been to a hairdresser between that. I did experiment with hair styles during this time and the one I most remember was the one most popular hairstyle consisting of a shaved head and just a fringe, it was horrific, but I learned then and there for the second time that I look horrible with a shaved head. Mid year 10 I believe that it was the 2002 soccer world cup and many soccer players had long hair, so naturally I decided to grow my hair long. What a huge mistake my friends! My hair is not made to be grown long as it is too thick to even consider staying in place, not to mention that it was cut by my mother. So as time went on I had split ends, my hair had not been cut to fit the middle part and it made my large nose stand out more. That hairstyle lasted 2 years! I suffered so much humiliation, I didn’t go out, and the amount of products I used in my hair had damaged it for many years. At the start of year 11 I came to school with it slightly trimmed and was mocked by Randle stating “you didn’t cut it” and then the same day the Miss Leahy humiliated me in front of class saying that I have to get my hair cut, standing right in front of me. I eventually got it cut later that year and when i walked into admin I recieved a huge round of applause.
gOT UNDERCUT IN YEAR…? AND WAS MOCKED BY PEOPLE SAYING IT LOOKED LIKE A BOWL CUT. dIANA CATCHING ME WITH ELASTICS
kfc GREW HAIR LONG
cORNROWS
EVENTUALL LOSS OF HAIR.
As I sit here this morning completing the aspect of my life I try to stifle tears of anger, frustration, hate, jealousy and downright unfairness. I have woken up dejected, witnessing the amount of hair on my pillow, then brushing out even more strands, eventually seeing the the middle left of my fringe is hopelessly exposed. This time round baldness is attacking hard and mercilessly, he wants revenge and he wants it fast. There is a part of me the just wants to say “fuck it” let it go, as I find the many months it takes to regrow my hair is a difficult, depressing and lonely time. Yet for all I have suffered I still battle on and I believe that to be one of my defining traits, my perserverance. Not to say that I haven’t wallowed in self pity, as I have, for many many years. But I see them as learning experiences, where I have learnt the value of friendship, of relationship of loss, emptiness, depression and lonliness. I know what I need in life to succeed, and I need my hair. So no matter how hard the hairloss process becomes for me, or how much I lose, I will find the strength and courage to pursue life, to pursue my passions and to regrow my hair indefinitely. I’m hoping Advanced Hair Studio has an alternative method to the laser treatment as I feel that is not going to work in the long term, although the short term will work I believe. A long term solution may be continuos use of the laser or the strand by strand procedure, which I hope I may recieve as once it’s done and post 6 months of hairloss and eventual regrowth, well then that’s it, it is done, no more worrying. I would love that, no more worries, justto put this behind me and move forward with life. I don’t see laser treatment allowing me to put this stage of my life behind me permanently, but I still have hope hat it shall work.
Right now my life is about getting through this period of pain that I am to suffer today, tomorrow, and all through till Monday evening, then from there it all matters on what Tim has to say. Good news will lift my spirits to heights I haven’t experienced in many many months, bad news will mean I must continue on with life, my head down and marching forward, with the knowledge that I have toughly 2 months free of any physical pain, but 2 months of emotional and mental suffering.
I will not allow myself to go through my teenage years again, staying at home only venturing to my cousins house to play, never experiencing life, rarely doing anything with friends, staying home of nights especially during year 10 when kids were out having fun. I can feel that pain in me now and it is horrible, I want to use it as a platform to get me going with life. I’ve just begun it and here I am faced with probelems which can effectively limit my chances of succeeding. Although it requires a strong person to overcome it, and believe me it can be overcome, right now I am in no position to do so, I’m weak, depressed and lonely. I am to have laser hair removal on my body tonight and that is going to kill, if I survive that without crying, which although initially my tears will be over the pain, my tears would ultimately originate from all the problems that I have in life, as every cell in my body will recall all those horrible moments in my life and scream out in pain as each laser smashes into my defenceless body. If I had hair on my head, then that would act as a shield to the pain, one less problem to worry about, I could deal with it better. I will make a promise to myself here and now, tonight during laser I will not cry, I will go in there tough it out, complete payments, get into the car with mum and drive off. I will do my hair, and during the coarse of the day I shall do much thinking and preperation. If I decide that I want to go out and walk around for a bit at the Cross, then I shall do so, consider it my reward. But I don’t think I would do that, I’m sure another plan will come to mind, as the rain would ruin my already ruined hair:p
I think that I’ll use that boy for inspiration whom I say at Meadowbank station standing all by himself with a shaved head, which I presume was because of baldness. I sensed a quite confidence about him, yet he was standing in complete anxiety. Was it just me finding confidence that another person could do it, so I can do it too?