Prior to me losing my hair I knew about alopecia and hair loss but I knew nothing about CCCA Alopecia. I suffered from hair loss in the past, where my hair was falling out while my hair was permed back in 2009. I just remembered my hair falling out in clumps and hair missing from my scalp. I was concerned but I didn’t visit a dermatologist for my issue. I really thought the permed ends were just breaking as a sign of my hair being badly damaged. As a result, I shaved my head, I didn’t go bald but my hair was gone. It was the most uncomfortable time in my life because as a young woman, my hair meant everything to me and I lost some confidence when this happened.
2009 hair loss
I can only speak for myself when I say I’ve had a love-and-hate relationship with my hair for many years. A lot of it had to do with the lack of knowledge when it came to taking care of my hair or styling it. I used to be the girl who loved her braids and crochet weaves. I would also get my hair permed in the past, when I cut my hair back in 2009 , I went natural for a few years but again I did not prioritize my hair health the way I do now. I basically used whatever products I had at the time which was mostly Cantu, then I moved on to Mielle and finally settled on Mane Choice products. There are so many unhealthy hair products I used in between these products it’s unreal lol. You would think that after losing my hair the first time I would have been more particular about my hair care but honestly, at that time I thought I was taking care of my hair but boy was I wrong. I’ve had various relationships with my hair and most of it was unhealthy.
Fast forward to 2016/2017, my friend and I decided to have a hair growth challenge because we were at a place in both of our lives where braids and weaves, etc. weren’t in the forefront and we were both wearing our natural hair out more. She was a wig girlie (still is lol) but was also deep into using natural products in her life, especially hair care. So, when we discussed this hair challenge, I just knew I had to beat her lol I had to get my act together and get this hair growing lol. However, in 2017\2018 my hair was severely damaged, due to heat damage caused by a hairdresser, I mean I visited this hairdresser for a TRIM and she chopped off my hair literally and applied so much heat my hair growth was stunted.
So, this was my starting point but I was determined. I started using Mane Choice products consistently at the recommendation of my friend. I had to test out various lines to see which one worked well for my hair so my house was filled with bottles and bottles of products, I’m talking hair gel, shampoos, conditioners, hair oils, and hair butters all by Mane Choice I began to see positive changes and I was elated. I was taking progress photos; I was wearing my hair out with confidence with a splash of braids on the side (that I began doing myself) life was good.
Fast forward to 2019, I started my YouTube channel which forced me to maintain my hair as I was creating content about my hairstyles, my wash days etc. I created a wash day schedule where I would wash my hair every 5-7 days, I would style my hair for videos while still maintaining my hair care. I would do clay masks, overnight hair treatments, twists outs, wash-n- gos, and various styles using braiding hair, even trying temporary hair colour. This was the first time ever in my life that I was having fun with my natural hair and taking care of it at the same time. That all came to an end in 2021.
My hair between 2019 – 2021. I was having fun!
Let me paint a picture for you. I was styling my hair while recording a hair video for YouTube. Felt cute and felt fresh after getting my hair done. It was a cute style I was happy because I was learning to braid my hair over the last year. I also took care of my hair while it was in the braids, meaning washing, oiling, etc, and to my surprise, I found a patch on my scalp. It wasn’t like I got an indication of anything, no itching scalp, no globs of hair falling out in my hand NOTHING. I woke up and there was a patch. I was shocked, I was devastated I mean I really freaked out, I called my friend because did I really pull my hair out. My friend said if I pulled out my hair, I would feel it, I felt nothing, it was a smooth patch of hair missing. I FREAKED OUT.
In the midst of me freaking out I really didn’t think much of it at the time, to me I was like okay your hair fell out before it could just be that. It was silly if you asked me but then the itching started. I mean severe itching that couldn’t be controlled no matter what I did. I remember one day I was wearing my bonnet; I tend to wear it around the house once I am home and for the life of me my head would not stop itching. I would remove the bonnet and the itching would stop, I would put it back on and the itching would resume. I was test this out for a good 5 minutes. That’s when in my mind I decided the bonnet was the issue, yup I sure did. I went about my life; sure, the itching continued but not as severely as it was when I had that bonnet on. Still not thinking anything of it, I decided to make an appointment with my doctor just to double check but as you know during 2021 (and even now) it was hard to get a doctor’s appointment. I had to wait months from the time I spoke to my doctor to when I get the referral to the dermatologist so while I waited. This waiting period was hard but I continued to style my hair loosely , I continued to maintain my wash day schedules, etc.
While waiting for my dermatologist appointment, it happened. What you may ask, well I started to feel raised bumps on my scalp, the itching became so uncontrollable I couldn’t stop. My main fear was that I would scratch my scalp and tear it that’s how bad the itching was. I used to run my head underneath cold water to help reduce the itching. I did whatever I could to stop the itching. I would google my symptoms and honestly google had me thinking I was dying I kid you not. I knew alopecia could be a possibility since I was finding more missing patches of hair but the itching couldn’t be explained (to me). Could it have been a fungus infection, could it have been an allergic reaction, these are all questions I asked myself.
My appointment was in September of 2021 and that is when I first learned about CCCA Alopecia. The words permanent hair loss, scaring, progressive all stuck with me, I cried in the car. During my appointment I truly felt I was given this diagnosis with no real examination but I wasn’t a doctor you know. He mentioned it was due to my hair styles such as braids and flat ironing my hair, but my styles we never tight and heat wasn’t something I used, to me his responses sounded generic. I was prescribed medication and a time period for the treatment. I’ll be honest with you, I was devastated; it wasn’t just a simple hair loss issues, it wasn’t an infection that could be cured, I am being told I will never have hair grow back and I will permanently lose my hair. The hair I worked so hard to care for will be lost, talk about a blow to my ego.
If you don’t know, CCCA Alopecia is a permanent form of hair loss and alopecia that causes scarring on the scalp, it usually starts at the crown and spreads outward as the condition progress. Once the area is scarred the hair tends to not grow back.
This is the beginning of my journey with CCCA Alopecia.
Check out my CCCA Alopecia playlist for all my struggles and triumphs.
Soft Pastels Life 
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