Hey There!
I’m Kim, and I created this site to share my hair and skin journey.
As a kid, I had curly hair and a lot of it. I hated it so much – it was a frizzy untameable mess.
In my late teens, I discovered hair straighteners, which became an absolute game changer for me. Not really ever being in the loop with hair and makeup, I was just happy to have found something to tame my frizzy nightmare of a hair.
As I progressed into adulthood, I then got heavily into the world of hair colouring. It started with a few foils through my part line, and slowly but surely progressed to more and more blonde foils with each visit to the hairdresser. The obsession with dyeing my hair blonder and blonder became very real, to the point where I could even see the damage it was causing to my hair. Although I did at one point cut back on the bleach blonde foils, and opt for low lights instead, I still never missed a hair appointment.
I was an 8 week regular for 7 years straight, going to the same hairdresser every time, even though it was an hour long drive. Such a creature of habit, but also terrified of going elsewhere, due to the state of my hair – which at the time, I believed was solely due to colouring.
Through the year of 2017, I started to cut back on hair visits, extending the time between up to 12 weeks apart. I’d started noticing my hair wasn’t in the best shape, but thought if I just pushed out the time between appointments that it would get better (and I’d save money!).
At the end of September, I decided to stop taking the birth control pill. I didn’t really think all that much into it, being incredibly naive, I just assumed I would stop taking it and that would be it.
The reality check hit hard in January, when I started noticing how thin my hair was getting and how much was coming out during washes. I decided to take a video of the back of my head, to see what was going on…. this was the point where the reality of hair loss really hit home. I panicked and started madly Googling hair loss, reasons why hair falls out and how to stop hair from falling out. Remembering male hair loss campaigns I had seen and heard over the years, I did a quick search for “Hair Loss Clinic” and within minutes had booked an appointment to see them as soon as I possibly could. Meanwhile, made an embarrassing (and expensive) trip to the chemist, to get myself some Rogain. My Google search told me this would stop my hair falling out, and I was desperate for a quick fix!
I think I used Rogain once, and realised that this wasn’t going to be a long term solution. It made my hair feel greasy, and disgusting! It wasn’t even worth using…So as my journey continued, I spent progressively more hours on the internet searching for a way to stop my hair falling out.
My appointment with a hair loss clinic soon approached, and to say I was nervous was an absolute understatement. They investigated my scalp with a machine that looked older than my parents, and quickly started the sales pitch, telling me that I needed to act fast as my hair would likely all fall out within the next 6 months. The sales person talked me through the treatment options, and gave me information on the payment plan which I would be locked into for a minimum of 12 months. All up, the treatment was going to cost me upwards of $7000, at a minimum. I left the clinic and got in my car, crying for the next hour before I felt okay to drive home. I felt absolutely defeated, knowing that this treatment plan wasn’t within my budget, after just purchasing a house not even 6 months prior.
I’d already found Facebook groups for hair loss, joining every single one I could find. I had seen that some ladies were wearing wigs, and these things called “toppers” which I associated with the male “toupee”. Being told all my hair was going to fall out was devastating, and I knew that a wig was going to be my only option going forward. Seeing how quickly my hair was falling out, I did a quick search online and found a local wig salon.
After finding this salon, I searched all over their website to see reviews and photos of women in similar situations to myself. I then found their Instagram page, and noticed how the salon and their approach to hair loss was so easy going and relaxed. I’d imagined that it was going to be the back room of some wig makers house, and that the wigs I’d be trying on would be like the ones you find in costume stores – when in fact it was the complete opposite. After following their page for a couple weeks, I decided to book in a consultation appointment in March.
I was really nervous leading up to my appointment, as I still didn’t really know what to expect. At the salon, they showed me some small pieces that I could blend in with my own hair, and would be easily disguised as the last thing I wanted was to have anyone know I was wearing a hair piece. I took a few photos, and posted to the Facebook groups I was a part of – the responses back from everyone were really positive, and that made me feel a little more confident.
But I still wasn’t completely sold on the idea of wearing hair, I wasn’t ready to accept defeat to hair loss. I was determined to get to the bottom of it.
I decided to find a different doctor, a female doctor who would perhaps work with me to find some answers. The doctor I saw ran some blood tests, and at my follow up appointment she advised that everything was normal and that I was probably just stressed and should consider doing yoga to relax. This to me was an unacceptable diagnosis, and so I decided to book in with a dermatologist that I had a referral for from a previous doctor.
It was a 3 month wait to see this dermatologist, so in the interim I continued my investigation and research into hair loss.
Over the next 3 months, I tried various different approaches to getting my hair to grow back.
I saw a naturopath, who tried eliminating dairy and gluten from my diet in isolation, as well as putting me on some herbal concoctions that made me want to vomit every morning when I had to take the recommended dose. It got to the point where I wasn’t seeing any real changes, and my hair was falling out even more rapidly at this point. My anxiety was at an all time high, and I was absolutely terrified about losing all my hair and not having anyone to talk to about it.
It was around this time that I ended up finding girls on Instagram, ones who were going through the exact same thing as me! They were wearing toppers, and absolutely rocking them. I decided I was ready to take the plunge and get myself a topper. So I booked back in at the salon.
At my appointment we made the decision to wait until I had seen a dermatologist, to get a proper diagnosis and to understand how much hair I may lose. As a topper may not be a suitable option if I was going to lose all my hair. I felt incredibly low at the point, as I’d finally worked up the courage to commit to getting a topper, only to be told that a topper might not even work, since I could lose all my hair.
The next few weeks passed, and I continued to research daily, spending my nights trying to find a diagnosis. It was through my own extensive research that I linked the pill with everything that was going on with my body. Not only was I experiencing hair loss, but my skin was breaking out like crazy and it had nothing to do with diet. My anxiety was at its absolute worst, which I just presumed was because my hair was falling out, along with numerous gut issues and sensitivities to certain foods. Along with all this, my period was about 7-8 weeks apart!
I’d seen some women recommending to read a book called The Period Repair Manual, so I thought I’d track it down online and purchase so I could see what it was all about. I am so glad I found this book, it absolutely opened my eyes to the women’s health and helped me to understand what was going on with my body.
By the time it came for my dermatologist appointment, I had already self diagnosed and felt confident in what I was going to be told. I was right, the diagnosis was Telogen Effluvium which was due to a disruption in my hormones from when I stopped the pill in 2017. The dermatologist also suggested that there was evidence of Female Pattern Hair Loss, judging by the pattern of hair loss across my scalp.
Walking out of that appointment, I no longer felt defeated, I actually felt relieved that I finally had a diagnosis and a reason behind why everything was happening. The next day, I booked in an appointment back at the salon to get a topper!
I tried on a number of different toppers, until I found one I was comfortable with and picked the colour I wanted. It was a 3 week wait, but it timed in so perfect as I was able to pick it up the day before my birthday! I had this fear of having awful hair on my birthday and not feeling comfortable, so I was so incredibly happy to finally have my cover up solution!
The day after my birthday, I met up with a group of girls from Instagram who I had never met before. It felt so good to be around people going through similar situation to myself, and to openly talk about what was going on. I didn’t feel alone, like I had felt the entire year.
A week later, I decided to start my own Instagram page, which evolved so quickly!
It made me realise how NOT alone I was, and the importance of sharing my journey with the world.
So please, join me in:
- Breaking down the stigma of wearing alternative hair
- Eliminating the taboo around female hair loss
- Dealing with acne and skin issues
- Speaking up about mental health
And most importantly….
- Not giving a flying f**k about what anyone else thinks
xx Kim
Kimdubs_ 