Mattsmom277
Active Member
Hi all. It's been quite a while since early winter when I posted about getting hair extensions to curb my trichotillomania (for those who haven't read that post or don't know about trich, it's a anxiety related problem where one self soothes via hair pulling, for me it started when I was about 11 years old and have had it under control much of my adult life with a few short periods of high stress where I'd start mildly again, however for about a year I was pulling all the time and had shredded my waist length hair and had many bald spots etc. Humiliating!). Anyhow, I did have the beautiful (and so incredibly expensive!!!) extensions put in, my natural hair color and texture and back to the normal length of 3/4's of the way down my back.
Well it did the job I hoped it would, leaving me unable to get at the roots of my hair strands to pull on them and fiddle with them, and my thin and bald spots were able to fill in. So I ended up removing the extensions after a couple of months. They hurt my head over time as they grew out and I was unwilling to spend hundreds to have them touched up and redone. I then had a "scrappy do" for a while, with various lengths of hair, thankfully mostly (if not all) long enough to hide the horrid bald spots etc. I then had my hair cut into a short pixie sort of cut and it is now growing out.
I'm happy to say that although I catch myself plucking at my head from time to time, I have it well in hand now and the times I catch myself lessen each week. My hair is once again getting full and thick (I have super super crazy thick hair, lucky for me given my anxiety driven compulsion - that I'll never understand myself even - akin to biting nails I suppose but this habit destroys your pride and appearance).
Just thought I'd post an update for you all seeing as you were all so wonderful when I brought this up back when I was looking for courage to go to a hairdresser for help, exposing my secret hair pulling and the state of my poor locks! I just had a big smile and came to post this update, my S/O having said to me a few minutes ago how pretty my hair looked today (I've styled it different and used a hair band etc). I could see how happy HE was just being able to say that and not be lying to make me feel better . He's been a champ who always makes me feel beautiful (and not CRAZIER THAN A BEDBUG for destroying my hair, my favorite thing about my appearance). But I could see how delighted he was to say he loved my hair today. He wanted me to get hold of the problem so much, for my own sake. He catches me periodically wanting to pull on a hair and he'll do this goofy voice, tsk tsk his finger at me and say "love scoldings" and we crack up (the voice and face he makes is classic comedy). I felt so good to have him say how pretty he thinks it is given the fact the poor sap has had to go from seeing my long thick gorgeous hair which was a huge thing that he was attracted to me for, to a half scalped woman who took to wearing hats to avoid tears looking in the mirror. Gosh I lub him
As for me, I didn't know if I COULD get it back under control. And here I am Just wanted to share and say thank you all again for listening to me back then go on and on about it. I was truly feeling so ugly and unfeminine and confused as to what the heck is wrong with me that I don't even know I'm doing it and next you know sections of hair were all but gone. The other upside, it's lovely having short hair with my neck bare with the summer heat encroaching. I think I'll buy some short hair accessories and some more products and start playing round with it. I'm thinking perhaps I won't grow it back out at all. Kind of enjoying the shortness!
Well it did the job I hoped it would, leaving me unable to get at the roots of my hair strands to pull on them and fiddle with them, and my thin and bald spots were able to fill in. So I ended up removing the extensions after a couple of months. They hurt my head over time as they grew out and I was unwilling to spend hundreds to have them touched up and redone. I then had a "scrappy do" for a while, with various lengths of hair, thankfully mostly (if not all) long enough to hide the horrid bald spots etc. I then had my hair cut into a short pixie sort of cut and it is now growing out.
I'm happy to say that although I catch myself plucking at my head from time to time, I have it well in hand now and the times I catch myself lessen each week. My hair is once again getting full and thick (I have super super crazy thick hair, lucky for me given my anxiety driven compulsion - that I'll never understand myself even - akin to biting nails I suppose but this habit destroys your pride and appearance).
Just thought I'd post an update for you all seeing as you were all so wonderful when I brought this up back when I was looking for courage to go to a hairdresser for help, exposing my secret hair pulling and the state of my poor locks! I just had a big smile and came to post this update, my S/O having said to me a few minutes ago how pretty my hair looked today (I've styled it different and used a hair band etc). I could see how happy HE was just being able to say that and not be lying to make me feel better . He's been a champ who always makes me feel beautiful (and not CRAZIER THAN A BEDBUG for destroying my hair, my favorite thing about my appearance). But I could see how delighted he was to say he loved my hair today. He wanted me to get hold of the problem so much, for my own sake. He catches me periodically wanting to pull on a hair and he'll do this goofy voice, tsk tsk his finger at me and say "love scoldings" and we crack up (the voice and face he makes is classic comedy). I felt so good to have him say how pretty he thinks it is given the fact the poor sap has had to go from seeing my long thick gorgeous hair which was a huge thing that he was attracted to me for, to a half scalped woman who took to wearing hats to avoid tears looking in the mirror. Gosh I lub him
As for me, I didn't know if I COULD get it back under control. And here I am Just wanted to share and say thank you all again for listening to me back then go on and on about it. I was truly feeling so ugly and unfeminine and confused as to what the heck is wrong with me that I don't even know I'm doing it and next you know sections of hair were all but gone. The other upside, it's lovely having short hair with my neck bare with the summer heat encroaching. I think I'll buy some short hair accessories and some more products and start playing round with it. I'm thinking perhaps I won't grow it back out at all. Kind of enjoying the shortness!