Something New

Who remembers this? Head shaving party May, 2011. That feels like a LOOOOONG time ago.

But oh my goodness. That was a fun party. 

I have been doing battle with Alopecia Areata or AA since I was 18 years old. The full story is in posts from March and April, 2011.  In May 2011, I finally shaved my head since about 90% of my hair was already gone due to alopecia. My hair has fallen out and grown back so many times between 2011 and 2016, that I could have made "hair crafts" with all that hair and sold them to raise money to rebuild a village in Haiti. I am serious. 

One day in the fall of 2016, I was walking Lucy to school and I ran into another Amy...a friend who lives in our neighborhood who I met back in 2011 when I didn't have any hair. She remembered that I have alopecia and asked if I was wearing a wig...I was. She told me about her friend who sells hair products that are known for helping with hair re-growth. She told me the story of a girl who has alopecia and started using these products and got lots of her hair back. She also told me the products come with a 30-day money back guarantee. Amy later sent me her friend's contact info and several days later I called the friend. Well. Let me just show you what happened.

Just kidding.

This is where I was when I made the first phone call to Jen Hatfield who is a Managing Market Builder with Monat (Mo-nate)

Before Monat

2 months and a haircut after starting Monat

5-6 months after starting Monat

 Monat (Mo-nate). Maybe it's French....or Hebrew for MIRACLE. WTH? Y'all. I have not seen this much hair on my head since before Lucille Jane Doezema was born. That was in 2009. I'm just telling you, if you have ever complained about your hair and you want to get some results in less than 30 days, you have GOT to try Monat. Monat does not say all your problems will be solved in 30 days. I am saying I noticed a difference in less than 30 days. It is not just for people with Alopecia or people losing their hair. There is a little miracle in a bottle waiting for anyone who wants better hair.

Monat is a line of hair products that includes shampoos, conditioners, styling products, vitamins, a line for men, and a line for kids. Their flagship product is an oil called Rejuvenique- it has 101 uses. OH, and there's a lash and brow enhancing serum. It's all natural and most of the products are safe for color or chemically treated hair. Just tell me your hair problems and I will tell you what to buy.

Monat isn't really for sale through your salon or even on-line. It's sold through people like me who love the product SO much that they want to share it with all their friends. It's kinda like...Amway. Don't freak out. I don't even care if you sign up under me. I mean- it would be awesome to have a whole bunch of people I love selling this amazing product AND making money...kinda going into business together. But that's not why I'm telling you about Monat. I'm just telling you about it because these products have changed my hair life. I want you to try it if you want to- and buy it through me.

I am having a launch party April 9th at my house. It's going to be a "Wash-N-Wine" party. Come hear the Monat story from Jen, drink some wine, and wash your hair in my back yard. If you are a lady who has fabulous hair and you know a man who's got some male pattern balding...Monat has been known to help with that! I'm just sayin'. Monat's slogan- or tagline is: We Are Modern Nature. My slogan is gonna be: More Good Hair Days.

Love y'all. Here's to good hair!

Party pics. Part I

beautiful Elgin gals! ooooh. i love 'em.

wig mania for real!

who's the rock star i'm with?

i just don't know what to say about these two.

friends

who will shave their head?

kissin' kitchen

queen of margaritaville

true love

This is sorta what I said at the party

I want to thank everyone for coming tonight- it really means a lot to see you all- that you would take the time to make this event a priority. The reason I wanted to have this party is because I wanted to invite all my friends into this jou-hair-ney with me- I wanted to invite you into baldness with me. Now, you don’t have to be bald to BE with me. I invited you here because you have touched my life in a significant way.

I’m not mad about losing my hair- you would think I might be. I’ve been sad- because it’s a loss- but not mad. I attribute that to my faith- and my belief in a God who gives me a peace during this time that surpasses all understanding!

As I look out and see the familiar faces- I am happy and amazed and so blessed to count you as friends.  You are all gifts that I have done nothing to deserve.

 I have a friend who hates the word intimacy. I can sorta see why she doesn't like it. It can be used in a way that is cliche-ish. Maybe it's too vague. If I say I want "more intimacy" in my marriage, what does that really mean? I've heard a definition of intimacy that I liked and thought was clever: in-to-me-see. That's what I want. That is why I invited you here. I want to be known. And I want to know you too. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life hiding away because I don’t have hair. I want freedom. I need good people around me- to walk with me- because I know I will be sad sometimes that I don’t have hair. I know I will be sad if my eyebrows and eyelashes fall out. I don’t want to live in the sadness. I want my friends to laugh with me- and tell me bald jokes- and straighten my wig if it gets crooked- and remind me not to wear synthetic hair while I’m cooking. (Heat and synthetic hair don’t mix). And please let me know if I’m looking too wiggy.

I have some bad news. I already shaved my head. I did it because I was a little worried that I might get all freaked out- and I didn’t want to start crying and cause you to feel sorry for me when I am trying so hard to celebrate and not be sad. I didn’t want this night to be sad. The crazy and wonderful thing is- I wasn’t sad when Tad shaved my head. I wasn’t relieved either…I wasn’t…anything. To me, that means my hair or losing my hair, doesn’t have as much power over me as I thought it did.  I am thankful to know that.



the big reveal



So, I am still committed to freedom and intimacy…



Party On

My head shaving party is this Friday, May 6th, 2011. I am excited and a little nervous. I originally wanted to throw the party because I want to celebrate this new phase of my life with my friends. I still want that- but it's turning into more than that as the day draws near. See, I started worrying that I would not handle shaving my head in front of a lot of people very well...I didn't want to freak out and start crying and ruin the good party time. I asked Tad if he would shave my head early- so I could get used to the idea of being bald- and maybe get a little sun on my never exposed pasty white scalp.

So, my friends, I have already shaved my head. After it was done, I didn't cry- I wasn't sad...I wasn't...anything. There wasn't a huge sigh of relief or huge weight lifted off my shoulders (there wasn't that much hair left anyway. heehee.) I realized that I was giving my hair and the thought of losing it all- a whole lot of power over me. Now that it's done, I do feel some freedom. I know there is room for more freedom- and that is why I wanted to have a party. I want to invite all my friends into this experience of baldness with me.



Bald and beautiful? How can you tell?

 I have a friend who hates the word intimacy. I can sorta see why she doesn't like it. It can be used in a way that is cliche-ish. Maybe it's too vague. If I say I want "more intimacy" in my marriage, what does that really mean? I've heard a definition of intimacy that I liked and thought was clever: in-to-me-see. That's what I want. I want to be known. If I want to be close to God, then I've been told and I believe, that I have to start building closeness and intimacy in my relationships with people. Why would I want to spend my life hiding anyway? If things are hard, why would I want to go through it/them/whatever alone? This is why I am having a party.

I love my friends. Every person I invited has touched my life in some way- and I want to say thank you for your friendship. And for the new friends I haven't known very long, there is a light in you that I am attracted to. I am eager to know you. I want good people around me as I walk through this jou-hair-ney. I want freedom for me and for you. I want to know you too. Bald is beautiful...I am discovering. I am still Amy. I just don't have as much human hair as I used to. I may look different every time you see me. I will be sad about my hair-or lack of it sometimes. I will be sad if my eyebrows and eyelashes fall out. I don't want to live in sadness though. I want light, joy, and freedom. I want freedom to go out without a wig or a hat or a scarf. I want to move past the newness and excitement of new wigs and bald heads.

Here are a few pics of the process:



last day for pig buns





back side of pig buns



what can I say about this?



first round with the scissors. Tad should not be a barber.



second round with the scissors




clippers with no guard




top view after the clippers. that is classic alopecia areata.

Wig Shop part 2

My new bffs work at Parker's Serenity Wig SPA...so it's a spa not a shop. If you ever wanna jazz up your look and spend some money doing it...you gotta go to the spa. Or, you could come over and borrow one of my wigs for free- do a little "test drive" before making a big purchase.

I went to Parker's with Lucy and my mom. The ladies were very nice and helpful- they let me try on all kinds of wigs. Their selection of wigs is heavy on the synthetic hair- not a lot of human hair options. I wasn't really even offered a human hair option- I had to ask for them. As I am travelling along my jouhairney- I am learning so much. Apparently the way to go is NOT human hair. None of the ladies wear human hair. A girl I met on-line who has AA does not do human hair. Who knew?



all the single ladies

When you are going to the spa, you should make an appointment. If you have to drop in, go on Monday because they aren't as busy. When I got there, I looked around at all my choices. It was somewhat overwhelming- all the choices.  At least I knew I didn't want a grey wig- or a long one-or a blonde one. That narrowed down the choices somewhat. Something close to my natural color, something kinda messy...MESSY? they don't really make messy wigs. There are no wigs that even come close to my natural hair...in style i mean. What does that say about my style? hmmmmm. What else can I do? Something close to a way I used to wear my hair? This is what I chose:



after the "cut"

I was pretty excited with my new hair. It has nice hi-lights. The beauty of the wig is that you don't have to worry about your "roots" showing. HA. the irony of it all. I don't even have any roots anymore. OOHHH i am cracking myself UP.

So, the down side. Because there are down sides to every story. i mean, other than losing all my freakin' hair- the hardest part is that i can't really wear my bobby pin the way I like to wear it. The wig has a hump. It's like a hat made out of hair. So, if I want to pull the front of my hair over to the side and pin it- the hump could be more noticeble- OR worse, the wig could start slipping back and what's left of my hair will be sticking out. Too bad I still have that hairline- front and center. Here is me trying to wear the pin the way I like it:

the pin

Of course you can't really tell in this pic- but trust me, it just doesn't work. So, I have to leave a few bangs hanging down in front and put the pin a little behind them. Lame. Die to self...again.

Another thing I learned at the wig shop is that some wigs don't last very long. I was thinking that if I (or you) spend close to $300 for a wig, then it should last a while. Go ahead, guess how long a synthetic hair wig can last. You are probably way off. I'll tell you later. What happens is that some people are " harder" on wigs than others. My body heat, how I care for the wig (wash and condition), and whatever else is out there-dirt, sun, products-all impact how long a wig will last. I've had this wig for about a month. I wear it to work only- that's 3 full days of wear. It is already starting to act all weird. The hair is getting hard and a little piece is coming apart. There is the answer. Some women replace wigs every MONTH! I was told by sweet little Emily at the wig shop that the norm is for wigs to wear out in 3-6 MONTHS. That's right. I said months, not years. Hmmmm. What's a girl to do? Certainly would be cheaper to just go bald.

Here is a pic of my new favorite wig. I decided I wanted short for summer. If I have to wear a hair hat, at least it can be a little cooler than the first one I chose.


short n sassy



I have learned a few more things since I started writing this post. I met another woman on the AA social network site and she DOES wear human hair wigs. I'm going to meet with her tonight so I will let you know what I find out. In the meantime, check out freedom wigs...sounds right up my alley! cheers to freedom.

The Wig Shop....for real.

Some of the gals at the wig shop know me and Lucy by name now. I am now the proud owner of 3 wigs- 4 if you count the shocking pink wig I bought for halloween many years ago at Limbo. Just be ready the next time you see me- I may look completely different from the last time you saw me.

The first wig shop we visited was just plain creepy. It was small and CROWDED with wig adorned styrofoan mannequin heads. I wonder if there is a technical/official name for the little white ladies that wear the hair for display. I wonder if you go to a wig shop that sells wigs and hair pieces for ladies who are african american- if the little heads have darker "skin".

I tried on a few wigs at the creepy place and they were certain that I should have a wig made out of human hair. The cheapest one was $679.00. The human hair was nice and soft and pretty glamorous. I was told that human hair wigs are high maintenance. They must be washed and styled with products just like you would wash and style your real hair. They can be cut into any style you can dream up. But man- the pressure. If I paid $670.00 for some hair, it gets cut, and i don't like it- I can't just wait a week and let it grow out a little bit. I can keep cutting I guess.

 So, we did not walk out of the first wig shop with any new hair. Here are some pics from that experience:





mid length human hair



 As my friend Deanna pointed out when she saw the long hair pic, what's up with the lady stuck behind the trash can?

sassy long human hair

















The Wig Shop

First, i have to ask some questions. Since i'm new to blogging, what are the rules? If I had a weird and creepy experience at a place, can i write the name in my blog? If i had a great experience at a place, can i write the name of that place in my blog? Can I write the names of the people who helped me- who were AWESOME? Just how honest can i be?