Soft Headscarves from Nini's Niche

Check out a short video showcasing soft, comfortable, beautiful headscarves from Nini's Niche:

http://animoto.com/play/wqzd94jTeL14J3sWtJW89g

Soft Headscarves from Nini's Niche

Soft Headscarves from Nini's Niche

Just added some beautiful Tencel knit headscarves to my Headwrap of Marin collection from ninisniche.etsy.com. Check out the video.

A Dermatologist Says It Best - Be Wary of Weaves!

I wanted to share this article written by a New York Dermatologist,  since it fits in with  my last blog about appropriate hair pieces for women.  Here's the link:


http://www.dinastrachanmd.com/blog/general-dermatology/the-viscious-cycle-of-braids-hair-weaves-and-hair-loss-musings-of-a-nyc-dermatologist


My motto is "Every hair is precious!  Don't camouflage your hair loss with any hair piece which will do further damage!"

Headwrap Guru

www.ninisniche.com

www.ninisniche.etsy.com

#alopecia, #hair loss, #female hair loss, #female hereditary thinning, #auto-immune hair loss, #hair replacements

Hair Pieces Appropriate For Women With Androgenetic Alopecia

Any woman who has experienced hair loss may eventually consider purchasing a hair replacement (I hate the word wig!) to camouflage that loss.  Whether the hair loss is due to Androgenetic Alopecia (also known as female hereditary thinning), Alopecia Areata, or is a result of chemotherapy treatments, there are different types of hair pieces suitable for each kind of hair loss.

In this blog, I’d like to talk about the hair pieces particularly appropriate for women with Androgenetic Alopecia (AA) which is the type of hair loss that I myself have.  My favorite happens to be a full cranial, net base human hair piece, but I have also worn other types of hair pieces through the years.  A few years ago, I worked in the hair replacement field with the famous Charle Dewitt, and during that time I learned a great deal about different types of hair loss, and which hair piece offered the best solution for each of our clients.   

Women who have AA, can, of course, wear a full cranial synthetic or human hair piece, which can be found with a net or breathable cap. Although synthetic hair pieces are good as an interim hair piece, I always found that I was far happier in a human hair piece, aesthetically as well as for comfort and security.   Some women opt for a custom made, full cranial vacuum type piece, which, while designed for women who have no hair at all, can still be worn by women who have some hair.  They would just need to wear a bit of double stick tape just below the front hair line for security. These custom made vacuum style pieces are expensive, but they are designed to fit very well and look extremely natural.   And best of all, they don’t damage the existing hair.

Depending upon how much hair a woman has, she may want to consider wearing a partial, or integration hair piece.  These are pieces which are usually custom-made, and may be attached with the use of clips, combs, double stick tape (below the front hair line) and/or by pulling existing hair through openings in the wig cap. 

A word of caution (and I’m going out on a limb here):  it is my belief that hair extensions are not a good solution for a woman with Androgenetic Alopecia (AA).  With AA, the woman experiences diffuse hair loss, i.e. hair can shed from any part of her scalp.  Any additional stress on these fragile hair follicles can cause what is known as ‘traction alopecia’, and in some cases this type of hair loss will not correct itself, even when the extensions are removed.  Hair extensions were originally intended for runway models.  With extensions, these models would have ‘thick and/or long glorious’ hair to show off the larger-than-life couture fashions, then after the fashion show they’d have the extensions removed. 

You can imagine what happens to hair that is put into horizontal sections of tight cornrows starting at one temple, around the back of the head, and ending at the opposite temple.  Onto these cornrows, lengths of hair extensions are attached horizontally until the scalp is covered.  Regardless of the expense (and time!) to have these extensions put in, most women wear them for at least several months and in some cases, years. Periodically, they need to return to the stylist who originally put these extensions in to have them tightened (which is usually not free!).   Wearing them 24/7 is very damaging to your own hair.  You are constantly rubbing your head on your pillow when you sleep, which causes tangling and additional stress to your existing hair. The extensions themselves suffer as well.  Very shortly, hair extensions that started out looking great begin to look sad, tired, fuzzy, and abused.   Shampooing is difficult and time consuming and the constant weight of these extensions is very hard on your fragile follicles.  If you are considering this type of hair addition, please stop and think how long you are planning to wear these.  To my way of thinking, if you wear cornrows and hair extensions for any length of time, you are ‘mortgaging your future’ both from a hair standpoint and a financial standpoint!

The lesson?  Don’t wear any piece which will cause further damage to your hair.  To my way of thinking… every hair is precious.

Before buying any hair piece, do your homework.  Research what is out there (don’t you just love the internet?!) and when you think you’ve found a great hair piece and styling resource, ask to speak with a few of their customers.  There is no better way to assess how reputable a hair replacement company is than to speak to an existing customer. 

Above all, be realistic.  Don’t expect to look just the way you used to when you had your hair.  Find a hair piece that is suited to you, and that can be styled in a way which enhances your appearance, rather than detracts from it.  You need more than just a ‘cover up’ if you are going to feel good about presenting yourself to the world! Make sure your stylist knows the look you are after before purchasing a hair piece.  Remember that you probably will need to have bangs cut (they need to camouflage the front of the hair piece), so if you used to wear your hair in a slicked back pony tail or chignon, don’t think you are going to be able to duplicate that look exactly.  Bring photos of styles you like, but be prepared to be flexible. Be prepared, also, to return to the stylist for a little more detail work after the first cut.  Very few stylists are able to interpret exactly what the client wants the first time, and there is usually a bit more cutting, thinning or 'fine tuning' required.  Most stylists (hopefully) will not charge for this second visit.

You may have to compromise a little on your expectations, but if you find the right hair replacement resource and communicate your expectations to the stylist, you are probably going to be happy with your purchase and feel good about wearing your new hair replacement.

Linda Rieschel

We Are Not Our Hair

As are millions of people around the world, I am a serious Oprah Winfrey fan. To me, she is a sincere, intelligent, high energy, self taught powerhouse of a woman whom I greatly admire.  Recently, I watched a fabulous program on the OWN channel.  It was Episode 7 of her Master Class series entitled "An Intimate Conversation with Oprah"; Part 1.  This segment focused on the lessons Oprah learned along her way to becoming a "Media Icon".

In it, Oprah briefly describes a troubled childhood fraught with insecurity and estrangement from her mother.  She shares her journey starting from a young girl of 4 through her young adult hood. Throughout the one hour segment, her focus, resiliency and fortitude was very much in evidence.  There were things I had not known about her, which brought tears to my eyes.  I particularly appreciated her comments towards the end of the  segment.  It seems that early in her television career, she was told by a producer that she needed to make some changes, starting with her name.  She was also told that she needed plastic surgery;   her eyes were too far apart, her nose too wide.  Finally, it was suggested she drastically change her hair style.  It was poignant to hear Oprah say that she had never felt as though she was a pretty girl, but she knew she was intelligent, and she knew she had great hair.  Having no intention of changing her name, or her facial structure with plastic surgery, she opted to see a stylist who could change her hair.  Just when Oprah was becoming highly visible and very well known in television,  she began to lose her hair as a result of a bad perm given to her by the stylist. 

To hear someone as famous and successful as Oprah Winfrey talk about how deeply her hair loss affected her, and her feelings of devastation at the loss of part of her identity resonated with me.  When her hair began falling out, she was heartsick, saying to herself, "Now, I've only got my smarts".  She made several comments about that difficult time of her life, the most compelling of which was her determination not to let others judge her by her appearance.  She said to herself, "I am  not my hair, I am not how wide my nose is, I am not how far apart my eyes are.  The essence of who I am has nothing to do with what I look like."  Profound words from someone who knows only too well how much appearance is valued.

I came away from that segment with a new-found respect for Oprah, as well as a feeling of thankfulness for her insight and wisdom. She is a brave and generous woman who has shown others by example the heights one can reach if they are determined and focused enough. She possessed an inner strength even as a child, and had the grace and positive attitude to remain true to who she was, regardless of the upheaval in her life. It was tremendously gratifying to hear a celebrity as famous as Oprah share something so very personal.

When I worked in the hair replacement field, I was asked several times if there are celebrities who have suffered from hair loss.  My answer was always, "of course there are".  Whether the hair loss is caused by heredity (Androgenetic Alopecia or Female Hereditary Thinning) , auto-immune conditions (Alopecia Areata) or medical treatments (Chemotherapy, etc), no one is 'exempt'.  Hair loss can happen to anyone, man, woman or child.  I only wish more celebrities would talk about their hair loss, and share with us what they have done to overcome the frustration and embarrassment.  Would we feel any differently about a man or woman we admire if we knew they had lost their hair?  Of course not.  I believe we would feel even greater respect for what they have managed to achieve.   

It is not your hair loss which defines you, it is how you handle the hair loss which defines the person you are, exemplified by the strength and determination you possess.  Everyone has something about their appearance which bothers them.  The healthiest among us are the people who focus on those things around them that they can change and improve, instead of focusing on the features and characteristics we possess that we cannot change. 

We are, indeed,  not our hair. 

Linda Rieschel

Alopecia and Dating

Okay, so you have Alopecia.  And let’s say your friends fix you up on a blind date.  And you almost want to tell your friends you can’t go on the date, because you don’t know how to handle dating when you are dealing with Alopecia. For instance, are you supposed to tell your date that you are losing your hair? If so, when do you tell him?   And what if you recently started wearing a wig, and your date, without knowing you have Alopecia,  compliments your hair style…do you admit that you can put your hair on and take it off at will?  What if you don’t tell your date you wear a wig, and he puts his hands on your face for a quick goodnight kiss, and the wig catches on his watch?  Or, (as once happened to me) what if you are wearing a little synthetic hair piece and your date knocks it off as he twirls you on the dance floor?  What do you do? Go skittering after it, searching among the feet of the other dancers as they unwittingly kicked it away? Luckily, when that happened to me, I had told that date I wore a hair piece, and he assisted me in retrieving it and re-attaching it!

Before you can communicate to anyone about your hair loss, you need to communicate with yourself.  Make sure you have, on some level, accepted your Alopecia, and have gone through the ‘grief and acceptance process’, or what I call  the ‘emotional homework’ of dealing with Alopecia.   

When I worked as a hair replacement consultant for Charle…a hair studio, I consulted with women who were purchasing a hair piece for the first time.  Regardless of whether their hair loss was due to Androgenetic Alopecia, (aka Female Hereditary Thinning), Alopecia Areata or Chemotherapy Treatments, all of the women were a little shell shocked about their hair loss.  Sometimes during a consultation, I sensed that what the woman was seeking was not a cover-up…she was seeking the impossible; she wanted her hair back.   It was obvious then that putting the woman in a wig was not going to make her feel better because she had not gone through the ‘grief and acceptance process’.  It was to women like this that I suggested doing  ‘emotional homework’.  They needed to work through their feelings of frustration and grief, before it was going to make sense for them to purchase a hair piece.   I wrote about letting that grief express itself, at least internally, in my first blog entitled “Putting Hair Loss Into Perspective”.

But let’s get back to the dating issues.  If you are still feeling a little vulnerable about your hair, and there is a possibility that you will get emotional talking about it, then it is probably not the time to share that information.  Keep it to yourself until you’ve gotten a better grip on your situation.  Let’s say, however, that you are somewhat accepting of your Alopecia, and want to get on with your life, and back out into the dating world.  You know you will need to share it with a few people, so how do you go about it?  First of all, take a deep breath.  Don’t blurt it out on a first date, but after a couple of dates when you and your date are starting to exchange more personal information, that might be a time to casually mention your Alopecia.  Talking about your hair loss  is really very simple.  Just follow the basic rule of any communication with anyone; the way you present your personal issues to others is the way they will receive that information. If you can be matter-of-fact about your Alopecia, then usually, they will be too.

A few years ago, I was a founding member of a San Francisco support group for women with Androgenetic Alopecia.  At one meeting, we discussed hair loss and dating issues, and I will never forget the story of how one woman shared her Alopecia.  She was a very cute lady who described her first date with the man who eventually became her husband.  Over a glass of wine, the woman told this brand new man in her life that whenever she was upset, her hair would start to fall out.  “So,” she told him, “You’d better be nice to me!”  This was said with a chuckle, a cute smile and an engaging manner.  The man’s response?  Every few weeks as they were dating, he would look at her and say, “How am I doing?  Is your hair okay?”  It became a bit of a light hearted joke between them.  By the time I met this woman, she and her husband had been married several years, and he was just as supportive as he had been back at the beginning of their relationship.  Now, granted, this approach would not work for everyone.  I’m sure there are some mental health professionals out there who might even take issue with this woman’s approach, saying it was not fair to put so much pressure on the man (i.e. making him feel responsible if the woman’s hair did start to shed), but the lesson I learned from hearing her story was that there is more than one way to share something so personal. This woman felt confident in herself, and had accepted her Alopecia to the point of even being able to joke about it.   The way she presented her hair loss worked for her and her husband, and that’s what is important. 

When I was dating my husband, I did share with him early in our relationship that I was worried about my hair.   He never seemed to mind how my hair looked and often complimented me on my appearance.  However, what did bother him about my Alopecia was that I cried so much over it.  He was and is a very social person and I was insecure, reclusive, and hated social engagements.  I hated invitations to spend a weekend at someone else’s house.  I hated the wind, the rain, bright lights above a table at a restaurant.  I even hated elevators because of their bright light shining down upon what was a very sparsely covered scalp.  Getting tired of the tears, it was he who suggested I might consider wearing a wig.  At first I was insulted and more than a little shocked at the nerve of him to suggest such a thing.  However, once I became used to the idea, I found that wearing a hair piece was at least part of the answer for me.  The important thing here is that he did not run away, and for the most part, he accepted me for the person I was. 

The good news these days is that there are many Alopecia websites online.  Dating and Alopecia is just one of the myriad subjects which come up often. The best way to learn when and how to share your Alopecia is by finding out how other women have handled this same issue. 

Remember, you teach people how to treat you.  Whether you wear a wig or not, the more comfortable you are with your Alopecia, the more comfortable those around you will be.

Putting Hair Loss Into Perspective

I began losing my hair at age 16, and spent most of the following years crying, raging and being in denial about my hair loss.  After searching unsuccessfully for decades to find the answer, and being misdiagnosed by several doctors, I finally found one who diagnosed me correctly.  I was 35 when the doctor said I had inherited the female version of male pattern baldness (from my father). “But,” he said with a grin, “at least you know it isn’t life threatening.”  I was devastated.   Having hereditary thinning was, to me at least, quality-of-life-threatening.

Several years later, I finally put aside the emotional issues related to my Alopecia.  This came about when, as a hair replacement consultant, I consulted with breast cancer patients, who told me that losing their breast was not such a big deal, but losing their hair to the chemotherapy treatments was devastating.  This was an enlightening experience for me.  For one thing it validated how traumatic hair loss is, and helped me realize that being devastated about your hair loss is perfectly normal.  After years of being told that I was being vain and shallow for crying about my hair, these women helped me feel vindicated for the anguish my hair had caused me.   Getting rid of the guilt helped me to start feeling ‘whole’ again. 

These women with breast cancer also helped me put my hair loss into perspective.  All I was dealing with was hair loss; not cancer, not chemotherapy treatments, not a potential mastectomy.  Just hair loss.  

To anyone who is having trouble accepting what is happening to their hair, I say, embrace the strength you have within.  Appreciate how far you’ve come.  Don’t expect to feel absolutely fine about your appearance every day.  We all have our good days and our bad days.  It takes a very special person to continue being positive and  functional  under the circumstances that we, who have Alopecia, find ourselves in on a daily basis.

I believe we should all allow ourselves to grieve for our hair.  Tell yourself it is okay to cry.  Hair is a body part, and that body part is missing.  It’s natural to feel some anger, frustration or disappointment that your hair is gone; that your appearance has been altered.  You may be constantly hiding your feelings and pretending to the world that all is well, but inside, you need to allow the grief to happen, let it have a voice.   Then, find a word to trigger your determination to not let your Alopecia get the best of you.  (My word was “Resist”)  Say to yourself, “Some day soon, I am going to get tired of the tears, and start making progress toward acceptance of this condition.”  Let it become your mantra.  Sooner than you know, you may get to the point where you can put your own Alopecia into perspective.