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I'm a 19 year old young lady with trichotillomania, and it has caused me to lose about 2/3 of my hair as well as all my eyebrows and eyelashes. At first I was able to get away with parting my hair differently, then wearing strategically placed headbands, and then as my balding became more severe, I became a full-time bandanna wearer.
I put on makeup every morning before I leave my bedroom- I draw on my eyebrows, put on eyeliner, and use fancy eyeshadow to draw peoples' eyes away from my lack of lashes.

A month ago I went to a Hair Alternatives salon, got the rest of my scalp hair shaved off, and got a (fairly expensive but very much worth it) 100% Remy human hair wig with monofillament hand-tied cap (WigPro brand).
I must admit, I cried on my way home. Losing the rest of my hair devastated me... it was as if I had lost a part of myself, and lots of my femininity. I felt like I had it stolen from me, and I was angry because of it. But, the more I looked at myself in the mirror, the more pictures I took of myself in all my bald glory, the more I got used to the idea that yes, this is what I look like now, and I'm still beautiful. I'm always bald in my bedroom, but haven't gotten the guts to go out in public bald yet.
Every morning after I do my makeup and before I go to work, I put on my wig. It is so convincing that people don't know it's a wig unless I tell them, and I am often complimented on it (it's definitely more attractive than thin, dull hair with a bandanna on top!). I just put in on in the morning, and take it off when I get home from work. It's not hot unless I'm out in the sun, and it's pretty comfortable- I often forget that I'm wearing it.
I go to my hairdresser once a month (because that's how often it needs to be washed, and when it gets wet it loses it's style), and I give it touch-ups in between. I'm still searching for the perfect styling product that's non-crunchy, non-sticky, and non-greasy. The closest I've come for my layered, flippy style is hair wax.
When I'm not wearing my wig, I opt for a decorative headscarf. My favourite is actually an off-white shawl folded in half with delicately beaded edges that I got at a teen-accessory store. I just wrap it around, tie it at the back, and it's good to go.
I shave whatever amount of my hair that grows back twice a week, and like my search for the perfect styling product, I am searching for the perfect razor. The regular ladies razors get clogged too easily because they're meant for finer hair (like that on your legs). I hear that the HeadBlade is good, but I haven't been able to find it in any stores around here. I'm sure a man's razor of any kind would be better since they're meant for coarser (more coarse?) hair.
Being a bald female is not the end of the world. In fact, it is liberating. It is proof that hair is not what makes people beautiful. A warm smile and a kind word is what makes people beautiful... and you don't need hair to do that.

Learn more about this author, Karen Phelps.
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