I'm feeling really down

[locabouthair]

Ladies I am so mad and dissapointed in myself.

I have worn braids and off for like 15/20 years and never noticed problems with my hairline but I wore a half wig for 6 months (and only wore it for 5 hours out of the day and took out the combs) and noticed that my temples were receding I wore it with a headband. I was trying to make the front of my own hair nice and sleek and then wore a headband to cover the front of the wig I guess I pulled it back too tightly. I should have known better than to wear my hair pulled back so much

I noticed my temples receding in December and I still havent seen much of a difference but then again I am always in the mirror staring at it so that might not be helping. (they say a watched pot doesn't boil right?)

Anyway I attached pictures. The first two are what my hair line USED to look like. The last three are what they look like now Thankfully 90% of my hairline is in tact but I'm still mad at myself.

I actually havent been in this forum as much as I used to be because I was so pissed about this. I'm so mad at myself. I've been reading about traction alopecia and they say the hair can grow back if you change to a looser hairstyle and the hair should grow back in 3 months or so. It's been 4 months and I havent seen a change. They say if there isn't any permanent scarring on the follicles the hair should grow back.

I just called the derm to see if they can do a scalp biopsy to tell me if there is any scarring to the follicle. I just want to know once and for all so that I can stop worrying myself. Everytime I look in the mirror I'm pissed all over again.

Many women on here have grown theirs back and they say it took them like 3 months. It's 4 months now and I see no improvement at all. Please don't tell me 4 months of me wearing my hair slicked back cause permanent damage.

I'll never change up my regimen again. Lesson learned. Sorry for the long post.

The only reason I wore the wig is because my sides were damaged now the sides have grown back but my temples have suffered.

I know it's not that serious but I feel like crying.

ETA: Excuse the sideburns in the pics. I'm really hairy

 

[ceebee3]

I'm sorry you're going through this, I know how it feels to be down about your hair.

I can tell where there is hair loss, but honestly it does not look that bad. I only noticed because I was staring at the pics trying to see what you were talking about.

So it may have taken some ladies 3 months, that doesn't matter. What matters is you know what caused it and you're not doing that anymore.

I think going to a derm is a good idea at least you can rule out any major damage.

It may take a while longer but it does not look like it's irreversible.

BTW, I LOVE how thick your hair is!

 

[Chevelure618]

That is not too bad. Just leave it alone. Try not to even slick it down in those areas too much.

 

[luvn_life]

Hey Loca.... I just wanted to send you hugs and to say it is definitely not as noticeable as you think. I can only tell because you said something. It will grown back... just baby your hairline. Maybe you can try a growth aid and/ or taking vitamins.

It will grow back. Just try not to focus on it

 

[*CherryPie*]

It'll grow back. Mine was WORSE than that from wearing tight ponytails. I had a biopsy to see if it was permanent. The Doc said that it was permanent. THEN IT GREW BACK!

Those tests and doctors don't know EVERYTHING.

Just baby those areas. Gentle massages, oil the scalp, and wait patiently. You'll be fine.

 

[Iluvsmuhgrass]

:bighugs: It'll be ok. I agree with babying those areas. My temples are thinner but it's genetic for me. Be careful, even silk scarves can pull if tied too tight.

 

[darlingdiva]

((((((HUGS))))))

It's honestly not that bad, Loca. In fact, I had to stare at the picture for several minutes to see the spot. I understand that it's frustrating, though, because I feel the same way about my edges on the right side of my head.

I say baby that area & definitely reduce the amount of tension that you put on that area. Also, be sure to let us know what the dermatologist says.

 

[Rocky91]

awww...please don't even think of crying over it.
it honestly doesn't look all that bad.
just continue to baby those areas...some things take time. have you tried massaging castor oil in those areas? it always works wonders for me.
the good thing is that you noticed it now before the problem got any worse.
keep that chin up!!

 

[jerseygurl]

Aww Loca it'll be okay. Your temple looks like mine did couple of months ago but is filling in nicely. It doesn't look too bad, lot's of babying should do the trick.

 

[locabouthair]

BTW, I LOVE how thick your hair is!

Thank you!

That is not too bad. Just leave it alone. Try not to even slick it down in those areas too much.

Thats the thing. I stopped wearing it slicked back 4 months ago.

It'll grow back. Mine was WORSE than that from wearing tight ponytails. I had a biopsy to see if it was permanent. The Doc said that it was permanent. THEN IT GREW BACK!

Those tests and doctors don't know EVERYTHING.

Just baby those areas. Gentle massages, oil the scalp, and wait patiently. You'll be fine.

Wow. I'm glad yours grew back. I was doing massages and then it started feeling sore so I stopped. I use essential oil and jamaican castor oil every night.

I know it may seem like I'm overreacting but I needed to vent. Thanks for listening.

 

[illuminatiamerica]

child please.... this is nothing compared to what im going thru. once u see warning signs on ur hairline dont do damage any more. (like i did)

Ladies I am so mad and dissapointed in myself.

I have worn braids and off for like 15/20 years and never noticed problems with my hairline but I wore a half wig for 6 months (and only wore it for 5 hours out of the day and took out the combs) and noticed that my temples were receding I wore it with a headband. I was trying to make the front of my own hair nice and sleek and then wore a headband to cover the front of the wig I guess I pulled it back too tightly. I should have known better than to wear my hair pulled back so much

I noticed my temples receding in December and I still havent seen much of a difference but then again I am always in the mirror staring at it so that might not be helping. (they say a watched pot doesn't boil right?)

Anyway I attached pictures. The first two are what my hair line USED to look like. The last three are what they look like now Thankfully 90% of my hairline is in tact but I'm still mad at myself.

I actually havent been in this forum as much as I used to be because I was so pissed about this. I'm so mad at myself. I've been reading about traction alopecia and they say the hair can grow back if you change to a looser hairstyle and the hair should grow back in 3 months or so. It's been 4 months and I havent seen a change. They say if there isn't any permanent scarring on the follicles the hair should grow back.

I just called the derm to see if they can do a scalp biopsy to tell me if there is any scarring to the follicle. I just want to know once and for all so that I can stop worrying myself. Everytime I look in the mirror I'm pissed all over again.

Many women on here have grown theirs back and they say it took them like 3 months. It's 4 months now and I see no improvement at all. Please don't tell me 4 months of me wearing my hair slicked back cause permanent damage.

I'll never change up my regimen again. Lesson learned. Sorry for the long post.

The only reason I wore the wig is because my sides were damaged now the sides have grown back but my temples have suffered.

I know it's not that serious but I feel like crying.

 

[~NanCeBoTwin~]

I'm going to co-sign with the other ladies. It really isn't that bad. I had to go over the pictures a few times before I noticed. I think if you keep babying your hairline, it'll be back in no time at all. But until then, I don't think you should feel too bad about it at all.

 

[*CherryPie*]

Just regular gentle massaging is enough. You really don't have to use essential oils. The essential oil coupled with massaging probably made it sore.

Mine took longer than 4 months for me to start seeing regrowth, more like 6. JBCO is good to oil the scalp. but any pure oil is good.

Please don't worry. It really WILL grow back.

Wow. I'm glad yours grew back. I was doing massages and then it started feeling sore so I stopped. I use essential oil and jamaican castor oil every night.

I know it may seem like I'm overreacting but I needed to vent. Thanks for listening.

 

[fattyfatfat]

hey loca *hugs*

are you still wearing half wigs?

 

[Whimsy]

Sorry you're down, but like the others said it's not bad!

You've learned your lesson and you're going to get to the root of the prob with the dermo. I'm sure you've got nothing to worry about.

PS - if u wanna cry scream vent, do it. Don't feel bad cryin over hair.

 

[locabouthair]

hey loca *hugs*

are you still wearing half wigs?

No, no more half wigs unless I'm having a REALLY bad hair day. And when I wear them I dont slick them down at all.

My mistake was wearing them every day because I was ashamed that I had to cut my hair. If I would have just worn them on the weekends I probably wouldnt have been dealing with this.

 

[Detroit2Dallas]

I'm sorry you have to deal with this, but its not as bad as you think girlie

 

[BlackMasterPiece]

Honey its not even noticeable at all...just keep at it and it will make a comeback.

Whats your current reggie right now hun? Hows your hair doing overall?

 

[♦K.O♦]

Like everyone else said, I had to SEARCH for the damage. And then I thought, is it possible that the thinning looks worse because your hair is darker now? Do you think that could be a possibility?

I hope it comes back soon. Just be persistent and avoid tension styles.

 

[ms.blue]

Don't worry, they will grow back. Just be patient.

 

[IDareT'sHair]

Hey Loca! Girl You know we are >>HERE<< With our Struggles and Challenges....So I definitely "Feel You"

I wanted to tell you to Stay Strong. Don't Get Discouraged. Pray over those spots. And KIM. All the knowledge you have will definitely see you through this time and you will come out victorious on the other side.

And I agree with All the other Ladies.....It doesn't look too bad.

Know This: "This too Shall Pass"

 

[locabouthair]

Honey its not even noticeable at all...just keep at it and it will make a comeback.

Whats your current reggie right now hun? Hows your hair doing overall?

Thanks. The ends of my hair are very underprocessed. The comb gets stuck in my hair. It's almost like I'm natural so I've been getting some tangles and a little breakage from that. I noticed this week I havent gotten much breakage though. Still dealing with dryness but I guess that's something I'll have to deal with because my hair super coarse, it feels like wire sometimes

I wash and Dc once a week, moisturize daily, trying to drink lots of water and eat healthy. No heat more than 1x a month.

I also lost a LOT of hair trying to stretch under the wig. I cut two inches off a month ago and it looks kind of full.

As I said before, my sides were pretty bad. It broke off to my ears and stayed that way for almost 3 years and thankfully I grew it back. I will post progress pics soon. I'll ask my SO to take them because I'm not good at taking hair pics.

Like everyone else said, I had to SEARCH for the damage. And then I thought, is it possible that the thinning looks worse because your hair is darker now? Do you think that could be a possibility?
I hope it comes back soon. Just be persistent and avoid tension styles.

To the bolded I dont think so. Since I noticed it thinning, it hasn't gotten worse but it hasn't gotten better. I've been avoiding tension styles since I noticed the thinning.

 

[imaccami]

I agree with everyone else. It's really hard to see and at first I was like, "what is she talking about, I don't see anything." The truth is that even if it stayed that way permanently, it really wouldn't be that bad. I hope you can grow it back, but at least you know if you can't that you'll look good anyway. Hugs, feel better.

 

[BlackMasterPiece]

Thanks. The ends of my hair are very underprocessed. The comb gets stuck in my hair. It's almost like I'm natural so I've been getting some tangles and a little breakage from that. I noticed this week I havent gotten much breakage though. Still dealing with dryness but I guess that's something I'll have to deal with because my hair super coarse, it feels like wire sometimes

I also lost a LOT of hair trying to stretch under the wig. I cut two inches off a month ago and it looks kind of full.

Have you tried saturating your hair with slippy conditioner and only detangling like that? Do you wash your hair loose.....washing in braided sections is one of the most important things I do to retain length.

What do you use to moisturize? Curl activators are amazing on afro textured hair, you can mix that with your conditioner and your favorite oil and have a perfect moisturizer.

I wash and Dc once a week, moisturize daily, trying to drink lots of water and eat healthy. No heat more than 1x a month.

Okay I feel you...but you dont have to be afraid of heat hun...sometimes it can help and we seem to have almost identical hair-types.

 

[locabouthair]

Have you tried saturating your hair with slippy conditioner and only detangling like that? Do you wash your hair loose.....washing in braided sections is one of the most important things I do to retain length.

What do you use to moisturize? Curl activators are amazing on afro textured hair, you can mix that with your conditioner and your favorite oil and have a perfect moisturizer.

Okay I feel you...but you dont have to be afraid of heat hun...sometimes it can help and we seem to have almost identical hair-types.

When it's wet detangling it's much a problem. When it's dry I can't get the comb to glide through my hair.

I use wave nouveau to moisturize. It's the best moisturizer I've tried because others dont seem to add moisture to my hair at all.

About the heat, I will admit it seems like my hair feels smoother after I use heat. I dont know why.

We're both coarse type 4's but your coils are looser than mine. I wish I took pics of my hair when I was natural. It's very tightly coiled.

 

[BlackMasterPiece]

When it's wet detangling it's much a problem. When it's dry I can't get the comb to glide through my hair.

Well yea, thats how our hair is! please dont try to get a comb through tightly coily hair while dry thats a recepe for breakage city

I use wave nouveau to moisturize. It's the best moisturizer I've tried because others dont seem to add moisture to my hair at all.

Okay perfect

Do you keep your hair in a stretched state like with twists or braids to prevent it from tangling in the first place? Thats very important...you dont wanna just leave your coils loose at all times.

About the heat, I will admit it seems like my hair feels smoother after I use heat. I dont know why.

We're both coarse type 4's but your coils are looser than mine. I wish I took pics of my hair when I was natural. It's very tightly coiled.

Our textures actually look to be about the same....I do gillions of styles on my hair and I usually have it stretched even when I do a fro so sometimes people get the wrong impression of my texture

Henna may help you as well....have you ever tried that?

I'm gonna PM you...

 

[NikkiGirl]

I am sorry this happened also. It will grow back. One good thing is the rest of your hair is really thick and pretty.

 

[caribgirl]

Big gigantic hugs, Loca!!
If you have noticed that the areas are filling in slowly, then don't fret too much. I've noticed that my hairline is taking forever to fill in but it is doing so...retention has been the problem for me.
Just keep moisturizing the area like a feign (apply moisturizer during the day at work) and avoid manipulating the area too much.

 

[TrueToHair]

.................................

 

[***BlessedMom***]

I had braids once and two braids literrally pulled loose from my scalp. The area bled and got infected. It pussed over and looked so gross. The dermatologist told me the tight braids caused permanent, irreversible damage. I then started wearing loose styles and I got some Jason's thin to thick serum and mixed it with jbco and applied nightly and slept in a shower cap. After two months, I noticed little hairs coming through. A month later, my hairline was just as full as ever. I had to be patient and consistent though. Good luck..it will grow back.