Horrified by my own reflection, I fell to the cool tile of my bathroom floor and sobbed uncontrollably. "Why God, why are you doing this?" I demanded. It was now impossible to conceal my baldness with the few strands of hair remaining on my scalp. It was inevitable...soon I would be completely bald.
I was advised to get a good wig and get on with my life. My friends and family urged me to count my blessings and concentrate on my strengths rather than my weaknesses. I felt guilty and vain to worry about something so trivial as hair when other people were faced with more serious, life-threatening problems. "It's just hair" I told myself over and over. But hair is more than just hair. Why else would it be referred to as our "crowning glory?"
When we have hair, we can style it one way to match our mood; or, we can style it a different way to change our mood! We can tell the world who we are by how we wear our hair. We can look elegant or conservative when it's appropriate. Within minutes, with a few products and styling tools we can look fun and spunky. Without hair we lose an important tool for expressing who we are or how we feel.
Many women feel guilty for caring so much about their hair when there are bigger problems in the world. Women with hair loss should not feel guilty for mourning their hair loss. As we lose our hair we feel like we're losing part of ourselves.
Mild to severe depression is common for women experiencing excessive hair loss, especially when it is dismissed as a cosmetic problem; and the only advice they are given is to "learn to live with it."
Although I was given the same advice, I didn't follow it. Instead I decided to do something about it. Believing that "knowledge is power" I armed myself with information, learning as much as possible about the types and causes of hair loss.
Taking control of the situation helps to alleviate the associated depression. Learning how other people helped their hair loss creates hope and determination. It changes the focus and creates the confidence needed to help restore physical and emotional help and to find the right treatment, based on individual needs to improve the quality of one's hair.
Melanie Vonzabuesnig is the author of Hair Loss in WomenÂ…Getting to the Root of the Problem [http://www.lulu.com/content/417641/] She is passionate about empowering women with information and solutions involving female hair loss. She used aromatherapy to overcome her own severe hair loss problems and has been able to maintain healthy hair for many years now. She went on to study aromatherapy and massage therapy, specializing in female hair loss issues. For more information visit VZ BOTANICALS or email at vz1@verizon.net