Imagine going to sleep and only to wake up the next morning to see a clump
of hair on your pillow.
Hair. We all have it or have had it in our life at one time or another. Some
have more than others; some have less than others, and some don’t have
any at all.
Hair comes in many colors, different lengths, and various types. Hair can
also be styled in many ways. Hair can be straight, coily, wavy, and curly.
We spend a great deal of time on how we look. Men and women spend lots
of money to maintain their beautiful head of hair.
As beautiful as the hair can be, there are various types of hair disorders.
One in particular is alopecia areata. Alopecia is an autoimmune disease
that causes the loss of hair and sometimes causes baldness. Alopecia can
also include the loss of your eyebrows and eyelashes. The hair on your
head begins to shed and sometimes causes bald spots. The disease cannot
kill but it can be traumatizing. It can also affect you emotionally. Nobody
is exempt from this hair disorder. It affects young and old and the disease
does not discriminate. Some factors attributing to alopecia are stress, diet,
and hereditary.
If you think you are suffering from hair loss, it would be helpful to schedule
an appointment with your dermatologist. There are various types of
treatment for alopecia but there is no cure. There are also numerous
products on the market that will attempt to help you grow your hair back.
Dealing with alopecia, sometimes the hair grows back and sometimes it
doesn’t. You cannot recognize someone who has alopecia. People with
alopecia often wear a wig, hairpiece, or toupee to hide it from others. Those
who have accepted living with alopecia go bald and walk as proud as a
peacock. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Unruly Bodies 
I really liked your writing approach with this topic. Personally, I overlook how much time I spend on making sure my hair looks somewhat decent. But, now that I’m thinking about it, I am probably spending a solid 10-15 minutes every morning making sure that my buns look somewhat acceptable for lacrosse practice. I probably have a good 10-15 hair products that are staples in my daily routines too. However, it’s important that we can see past the physical and start to emphasize in our society that true beauty comes from within.
Thank you for the thoughtful comments.
I really enjoyed the style of this post. Its main goal was to inform others of what others may be going through without taking a personal stance on the matter. Hair has always been an important factor in society. Hair has often been seen as a means of expression. Society puts so much pressure onto people having perfect hair, no balding or receding hairlines, long flowing locks for women, crisp hair cuts for men, etc. Although these societal standards have relaxed overtime, having no hair or short hair can be looked down upon. I think it is important for people to understand that although having the perfect hair seems like a necessary goal to achieve, it is necessary to remember that hair, like people, comes in all shapes, sizes, and colors and should be seen as beautiful no matter what society deems it to be.
Great comments. Thanks for sharing.