Got Hair? How I Got My Good Hair Back!

Hair. We’ve got good hair days and bad hair days. We make plans around when to wash our hair. We try different shampoos, supplements, oils - you name it - all in the pursuit of good hair. 

If this isn’t you – we are not the same. I bow down to you. I mean it – good for you. If this sounds foreign to you, trust me when I say a TON of us think about our hair more than we would like. So, when I lost two-thirds of my hair, I was shook. It was scary and awful and shook my confidence like you might shake a polaroid picture. (Hey now) 

Why in the world does someone lose so much hair? Two words - telogen effluvium. It’s the technical term for what happens when stress and illness come to call. You may have experienced this after having a baby. Your body was focused on all the right things – not silly hair growth. 

Losing my hair after having children felt like a rite of passage. Losing my hair due to illness felt like a kick in the gut.  You see, the underlying illness that triggered my telogen effluvium was Bell’s Palsy. Bell’s Palsy is when one side of your face suddenly becomes weak or paralyzed. I woke up one spring day in March of 2002 and looked like I had had a massive stroke. I’ve never looked like myself again. 

I haven’t gotten complete control of my facial muscles back yet (I’ll never give up) but I have gotten my good hair back and I’m beyond grateful. Look, I’m not athletic. I’m not tall. I believe I mentioned that half of my face took a vacation. One thing I could always count on was good hair – until 2002. So, I researched, asked experts, and experimented with products until I found what worked for me. 

In case it can help you - I’m sharing what I do and what I use. If you’ve got great hair - great! If you are struggling with your hair, I’ve been there. I get it. It’s not just hair. It’s about so much more and it’s emotional and hard. 

The first thing isn’t sexy – it’s time. Especially if you are experiencing hair loss, it takes time to turn things around. Our hair grows in three different cycles. Some of our hair is growing. Some of our hair is getting ready to move along but is holding on. And last but not least, some of our hair follicles are resting, so no hair there. Hair growth takes time. It may take weeks or months before you start to see hair regrowth sprouting all over your head! 

Amidst my illness and the chaos of life, I resisted the urge to make drastic changes like coloring my hair or getting extensions. I stayed consistent. I regularly saw my hairdresser. I stuck with the products I used. Consistency allowed my hair to slowly but surely regain its strength and vitality.

In my journey to reclaim my good hair, I learned the importance of restraint. I avoided drowning my hair in hairspray or piling on styling products. Over-washing was another big no-no. Instead, I learned to embrace the natural oils on my scalp by spacing out my washes, allowing my hair to breathe and recover. 

I also avoided a lot of heat. I let my hair air dry as much as possible and didn’t pick up a heated tool for a while. Listen, I’m Gen X. We IRONED our hair. And I'm not talking about using curling irons. No, I'm talking about using real, bona fide "let's get the wrinkles out of your clothes" irons on our hair. Today I use the best most gentle curlers – you heard me I said curlers – did you forget I’m Gen X? 

If you only take one piece of advice, let it be this. All hair dryers are not, I repeat, are not created equal. Trust and believe I held tightly to my faith in the $25 hair dryer I grabbed from Target was just as good as the others, but friends, I was wrong. Years later I took the leap and purchased this BaByliss Pro and I’ve never looked back for one second. It’s a game changer for a couple reasons. It takes me 1/5 the time to dry my hair. Giving me back time in my day is one of my love languages. It also smooths my hair while it dries my hair. I don’t know what magic this is, but it works. I used to look like an electrocuted Q-Tip after I dried my hair and only a head full of curlers could tame it. Now I can just dry my hair and go if I like. 

I cannot stress this enough - quality matters! I found a fantastic hairdresser who not only understands the science of hair health but also uses top-notch products. Finding the right hairdresser is a journey. It will cost real doll hairs (pun intended – duh). Invest the time, energy and money into this and your hair will thank you. 

My hot take is that the right hairdresser will not be available for walk ins. They will not be able tomorrow either. Their “books” or schedules are full for a reason. They are friggin good at what they do, and they are worth it. I'll defer my rant about how industries predominantly employing women are undervalued and respected, but can you imagine picking a hairdresser who's just as clueless as a Gen Xer attempting to iron their hair?

Let’s talk products. For me, Bumble and Bumble Gentle shampoo and conditioner became a holy grail. My other ride or die product is Lanza’s Neem Plant Silk Serum. These quality products are concentrated, so the last a looong time. I’m not knocking what you use if it works for you. Do what works! I had to learn that investing in quality products was important for me and it made a world of difference in the long run. I threw my affiliate links in there to make it easier for you to figure out what I’m recommending. Hope it is helpful. 

In 2020 my husband was extremely ill and lost a ton of his hair. That’s when we found DIVI - a revolutionary product that transformed his scalp health and brought his hair back. Investing in scalp care wasn’t even something I knew existed before and I'm so grateful we found such an effective, affordable fix. Bonus points that DIVI is female own and invented. You can save $10 by using my affiliate link if you’d like to check it out. They have a ton of amazing products – we use the OG Scalp Serum and have continued to see incredible results. 

 

I hope you never lose your hair. I hope you always love your hair. If you are impacted by hair thinning or hair loss – I see you sister. I hope these suggestions help. I’m learning more about hair as I age, and what I’ve learned is helping me navigate that fun journey. At the end of the day, we are who we are, with or without good hair. Hell, we are who we are with or without hair – just ask The Rock. 

 

Cheers, 

Amy