Are you in an Abusive Marriage with your wigs?

Imagine a woman who is married to an abusive man. She desperately wants to leave the marriage, but she is not financially empowered, and has no plans to get empowered. She really hates her abusive husband, but is forced to stay there because she has no means to support herself. 

Her husband was the one who financially incapacitated her. She wants to leave. She can’t leave. She hates herself

She depends more on the man even in the horrible situation, causing her to become worse, forcing her to depend even more on the man. She finds herself in a vicious cycle hard to break out of.

This is the same situation many people are facing when it comes to wigs and their receding edges.

Can you inherit Hair Loss from your Parents?

Many of us have parents who are suffering from Hair Loss issues of their own, and we often wonder if it's possible that our own Hair Loss situation is as a result of theirs. Sometimes, we might not even have Hair Loss, but worry if we will end up like them in our latter years. In this episode of Ask The Trichologist, we talk about the possibility of inheriting your parents' Hair Loss situation.

Ask The Trichologist is a show by African Naturalistas to answer your burning questions concerning Hair Loss and Shaft issues, and Scalp Disorders.

If you want us to answer your questions, ask them in the comment section, or send an email to att@africanaturalistas.com

Can Heat Damage my Hair? What is Bubble Hair?

Heat application to our Hair strands can make it look luscious and beautiful, but if not done rightly, can be the beginning of our journey to Hair Shaft disorders, including Bubble hair. In this episode, we talk about Heat damage in detail, and one of the Hair shaft disorders more common than we know, which is Bubble Hair

Ask The Trichologist is a show by African Naturalistas to answer your burning questions concerning Hair Loss and Shaft issues, and Scalp Disorders.

If you want us to answer your questions, ask them in the comment section, or send an email to att@africanaturalistas.com

Does Microneedling really work for Hair Growth?

Hair loss is becoming more commonplace, and many more people are getting comfortable talking about their Hair loss issue, and seeking solutions. Microneedling is one of the proposed solutions for regrowing lost hair. But does it really work? Under what conditions does it work? In this episode of Ask The Trichologist, we talk about this lightly without being too scientific.

Ask The Trichologist is a show by African Naturalistas to answer your burning questions concerning Hair Loss and Shaft issues, and Scalp Disorders.

If you want us to answer your questions, ask them in the comment section, or send an email to att@africanaturalistas.com

How to get rid of Head / Hair Lice

Head Lice is a highly infectious condition which can affect anyone of any age, but more common amongst Children. In this video, we give simple straight-to-the-point solutions and hacks on how to counter this issue, without being too scientific.

Ask The Trichologist is a show by African Naturalistas to answer your burning questions concerning Hair Loss and Shaft issues, and Scalp Disorders.

If you want us to answer your questions, ask them in the comment section, or send an email to att@africanaturalistas.com

How to keep your Edges from Receding

Traction Alopecia, Receding Hairline, Receding Edges, etc is the most common problem presented to me amongst Black Women, yet the incidences are still on the rise. This is largely due to ignorance, and late presentation of the issue to your Trichologist. 

Ask The Trichologist is a show by African Naturalistas to answer your burning questions concerning Hair Loss and Shaft issues, and Scalp Disorders.

If you want us to answer your questions, ask them in the comment section, or send an email to att@africanaturalistas.com

The problem with DIY Treatments for Hair Care

DIY Treatments for hair care is very common in the online hair care world. In this episode of Ask The Trichologist, we treat a listener's question about why some professionals in the industry don't promote it. 

Ask The Trichologist is a show by African Naturalistas to answer your burning questions concerning Hair Loss and Shaft issues, and Scalp Disorders.

If you want us to answer your questions, ask them in the comment section, or send an email to att@africanaturalistas.com

Help! I have Alopecia!!!

Alopecia is just a general term for Hair Loss, so what exactly is your specific issue when you say you have Alopecia? In this episode of Ask The Trichologist, we answer some burning questions about Alopecia. Ask The Trichologist is a show by African Naturalistas to answer your burning questions concerning Hair Loss and Shaft issues, and Scalp Disorders.

If you want us to answer your questions, ask them in the comment section, or send an email to att@africanaturalistas.com

Help! My Hair is Shedding!

What do you do when your hair is shedding? How are you even sure it is shedding and not breaking?In this episode of Ask The Trichologist, we address the shedding issue. Ask The Trichologist is a show by African Naturalistas to answer your burning questions concerning Hair Loss and Shaft issues, and Scalp Disorders.

If you want us to answer your questions, ask them in the comment section, or send an email to att@africanaturalistas.com

How to Restore Your Hair From Alopecia

If you have been in the natural hair community for even the shortest period, you must have heard the word Alopecia going around. Just to clear the air, and answer the big question before we proceed, Alopecia is not contagious, and neither is all forms of Alopecia a medical condition. Alopecia is basically the general term for hair loss and we would shed light on how to restore your hair from Alopecia.

Is Alopecia a Medical Condition? The Jada Pinkett Smith Edition

I’m sure that by now, you must have heard about the whole slap issue between Chris Rock and Will Smith. If you haven’t, well… I will not say anything to you, just head to over to google. 

I will not belabor the issue by analyzing who is right or wrong, but will send my dagger straight to what was being claimed as the root cause of the entire brouhaha

It is being said that Chris Rock made fun of Jada’s Alopecia, a Medical Condition she’s currently facing. I keep reading this categorization on all platforms and I say to myself? “Really? Alopecia? A medical condition?”

So , do you think Alopecia is a medical condition or the news outlets have been categorizing it that way, in order to make the story weightier?

Firstly, what is Alopecia? This is just a general term for Hair loss, no matter the cause. So how can something which is a general term be tied to medical cause.

I always cringe when someone comes to me for help, and says things like

“I have alopecia, help me.”

“What is the cure for alopecia?”

This is equivalent to someone asking a paediatrician “How do I stop tears from flowing from my child’s eyes?” Of course, the first thing the doctor will ask is “what type of tears? What caused the tears? Is it tears of joy or does it emanate from pain?”

There are several types of Alopecia, and many of those Alopecia have different causes. Many of the Alopecia faced are as a result of what we have done to our hair, and are in no way medical. An example is Traction Alopecia. Very few of them are medical in nature, such as Alopecia Areata, Alopecia Totalis, and Alopecia Universalis.

For some others, Alopecia is not even the main issue, but a byproduct of a bigger medical issue, such as a cancer patient who loses her hair as a result of Chemotherapy.

As for Jada Pinkett Smith’s issue, I can’t really tell the cause of her Hair loss, so I don’t know whether it is a Medical Condition or not.

So, to summarize, some types of Alopecia are not medical in nature, while some are not. To determine if it is a medical condition, tests have to be done, and diagnosis has to be passed.

Most importantly, no matter the kind of Hair loss you are facing, just know you can always rock your hair in confidence, like Jada did.

Just in case you have any form of Alopecia that has caused you some tears and embarrassment, and you have not found solutions, I encourage you to join the waitlist for AN Superstars. Once you join this program, your alopecia will not stand a chance. The results speak for themselves

Hair Stylists' Guide: 12 Signs that your Clients' Hair is in Trouble!

The first person who notices a client's Hair Loss issue or Scalp Disorder is usually the Hair Stylist, but the stylist must be educated in the science of hair care to correctly identify these disorders

When it comes to hair stylists, we have bad hair stylists, regular hair stylists, and proactive hair stylists. A proactive hair stylist will not only "accidentally" discover issues in their clients hair and scalp, but will proactively look out for them, and offer recommendations or send clients to relevant specialists. As a hair stylist, you should aim to be a proactive hair stylist. And this is where this guide comes in.

If you are a Hair Stylist, this Ebook is my free gift to you. You can also forward this email to other Hair Stylists. Click here to download it.

How can I keep my Hair from greying

Are you one of those people who has grey hair, whether prematurely or postmaturely? Can you stop premature greying? What causes hair greying? How do you prevent it?

In this week's episode of Ask The Trichologist, we talk about premature greying, hair loss in babies, edge restoring, etc. 

So do how to you stop your hair from greying? Find out, and get the full scoop by clicking the video link below. And please, don't forget to subscribe to the channel. I promise, you will benefit immensely from the channel. 

Your Hair Care Coach

Atilola

Certified Trichologist

PRACTICAL STEPS TO DEALING WITH HAIR LOSS

The psychological impact of hair loss can be devastating when it occurs. This is because culturally, society associates healthy-looking, luxurious hair with beauty, youth, sensuality, good health, and vitality. And for so many people, their hair is their crowning glory and a source of self-expression. When people start experiencing hair loss, they believe that they are no longer attractive and/or getting old. All humans with hair shed between 50 – 100 strands daily. 

Our BBC Interview - Hair Loss in women and the several causes

Earlier this year, Trichology Practitioner, Atilola Moronfolu of African Naturalistas was interviewed by BBC World about Hair loss and the several factors that cause them. This is section a of the interview. We believe you will learn a lot from this.

Rice Water Rinse for Natural Hair: What You Should Know

Rice Water Rinse for hair has a lot of benefits, but there are some things you should know before using Rice Water for Hair Growth.

 Understanding how to use Rice Water to grow long thick hair means understanding what rice water does to your hair.

How to Make Rice Water Rinse
You can do it without boiling the rice, however I have tested with boiled rice and without boiling rice and had similar results.
Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZALMv7N-qQ

Watch below or Click Here

If you like this blog post written by Sola of DiscoveringNatural, you can find her on her Youtube channel, DiscoveringNatural,  for more natural hair tips. Click here to visit her channel.

Regrowing bald patches on the scalp

Two weeks ago, I noticed something on my right temple. It looked like a bald patch, but I wasn't so sure

I had my second didi on but I wasn't exposing it like I did last time around. I wasn't in the country and I didn't want my hair to be heavily manipulated while I was out of town. I also didn't want to do braids so I opted for didi, which I hid under a braided wig.

After about a week out of town, I noticed that a part of my temple seemed strange. It was particularly itchy, flaky and smooth but I couldn't be too sure.

When I got back home, I took out my didi and I confirmed it.

Yes, I had a bald patch

It wasn't noticeable to people looking at me at first glance cos my edges are generally full. Only someone conversant with her hair and a good stylist would know it's a patch.

First of all, the hair around my edges are extremely soft, fine and curly so it is not as strong

I began to wonder what triggered the patch

The possible scenarios were

1. I was wearing the wig on a wig cap, which is cotton. Even though I moisturised my hair regularly, the edge of the wig was rubbing around my own edges, and the friction wasn’t good for my hair, especially in the cold weather
2. The weather was cold and I had dry scalp so my scalp had been flaking from the get go. The flakes were a lot and my scalp was itchy so it's possible that it was as the point of removing the flakes and scratching that the hair around that part came off
3. I went through severe stress in August and even worse in September. We underestimate how stress can affect our health, and have a resultant bad effect on our hair. The effect of the stress usually doesn't show up until few weeks or months after the stressful period 

It's one of these things above or a combination of two or three of them that would have resulted in my patch.

So what I plan to do to make it grow back is nothing serious. I'll just keep on with a healthy hair care regimen. Thankfully, I don't have to use the wig and wig cap cos I'm back in town. I will try not to put myself through any stress. I'm sure this would solve the problem.

I don't know how long it will take to fill up but I will be monitoring it.

Have you ever had a patch before, even though your hair was healthy? How did you combat it, and how long did it take?

What do you do when witches are eating your hair?

When I was in senior secondary school, I had a close friend who had a coin-sized patch at the left side of her head. That patch made her look very strange and weird, and she sometimes came late to school because she was having to attend one appointment or the other, in order to seek solution to her hair problems

One day, she confided in me and said they had seen a white garment pastor who said it was witches eating that part of her hair and anytime the hair tried to grow, witches would keep eating it.

She told me this in all seriousness, and so I took her very serious

But even at that age and exposure, I knew there was something a bit off about blaming witches for one’s hair loss. I mean, we have heard of witches drinking and sucking blood, and because of that wreaking havoc on human lives and hair, which I don’t even want to get into since this is not a religious or metaphysics blog.

But witches eating hair???

What exactly do they want to use the hair to do? How does the hair increase their power? It’s a different case if the seer said they were plucking it with their hands, so my friend could look unattractive to guys, and should affect her chances of marriage. But he said they were eating it. Oh puhleeaaassseee.

Source

Anyway, about a year or more later, the witches decided to stop eating my friend’s hair, and her scalp completely filled back up. Maybe they had done a lot of deliverance and anointing services, and the witches couldn’t resist the pastor’s powers anymore. And that was the end of the story.

Fast forward to this year, I suddenly remembered my friend, who is now a runway model, and I laughed. My career as a Holistic Practitioner of Trichology has exposed me to several cases of hair and scalp disorders.

So I began to replay the whole situation of my friend’s hair loss in 1997-1998. She had nothing more than Alopecia Areata. This is a form of here loss caused by an auto-immune disorder, where the body wrongly recognizes cells of part of the hair as harmful. And then, it begins to attack that area, and kill off all the cells, just like what chemotherapy is supposed to do to cancer cells.

Since it’s an auto-immune disorder, nothing can be done about it to treat it internally. In many cases, after a while, it corrects itself, and things go back to normal. The length of time it takes for it to correct itself varies from person to person. This condition, in many cases, is triggered by severe stress with a combination of other things.

Source

Of course, my friend and her family didn’t know this. They saw a very strange, inexplicable patch of her hair that wouldn’t fill up. They had no explanation for it, and the next thing was to resort to a white garment pastor who told them that witches had been eating her hair, thus sending them on a wild goose chase of anointing and deliverance. To be honest, I don’t blame them. We know that people fear what they don’t understand.

So the question now is… what do you do when witches are eating your hair? The answer is simple. Just see a trichologist!

Atilola Moronfolu (HPT) is a certfied hair care expert and a holistic practitioner of trichology certified and accredited by the American Association of Drugless Practitioners and Mahogany Hair Revolution, Los Angeles, California. You can visit her Hair Clinic website by clicking here. To book a hair clinical appointment with Atilola in Lagos Nigeria, send a mail to hairconsult@africanaturalistas.com or call 07061141501.