As much as I don’t like to admit it, my hair has always been a huge part of my identity. I’ve always had thick and healthy hair. I know it sounds shallow to put so much emphasis on something that shouldn’t matter. But in reality, appearances do matter. And for me, if my hair looked good, then I generally felt good.
One October day last year, while sitting in the hydraulic pump beauty chair at the salon, I was confused when my hair dresser looked overwhelming worried. She’d been doing my hair for over 20 years, and I had never witnessed this look in her eye or hear her sigh with so much desperation.
She followed her look of worry with, ”Have you been overly stressed lately?” I explained the chronic state of stress that I’d been working in for the past 18 months, and then she showed me my hair breakage. It was bad. I mean really bad.
My once healthy hair no longer looked or felt healthy. It would break off when brushing it, washing it, or laying on it. There was no avoiding it. It was a sad state of affairs. And I was gutted because of it.
I knew it was my body telling me that I need to take care of myself and shed my life of the stressors out of my control … but, there’s no quick fix for any of that, and I needed to get my hair back on a path of health sooner than later. Or I was going to be a sad bald soul.
I tried a variety of supplements and hair products over the following months and found two that made a huge difference in the health of my hair. This shampoo and conditioner combo helped restore my hair and prevent breakage. I can’t recommend it enough.
My hair dresser also suggested I use a high concentrated leave-in styling treatment. And boy oh boy! I noticed a difference immediately.
All products aside though, tissue biology is interconnected with body physiology. Stress prevents hair follicle stem cells from making new hairs, and instead starts a resting phase where hair breaks and sheds more easily, never regenerating itself.
This one reason alone, even though there are many more, should be enough to want to take control of the stress levels in our lives. I don’t foresee a Sinead O’Connor trend coming our way any time soon – even though who doesn’t love the song Nothing Compares 2 U – so, manage your stress for your hair’s sake.
Take care of yourself. Maintain routines, eat healthy, rest, and give yourself permission to take a break.
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