Hi, my name is Shariekah Wooten and I have been natural for about 3 years now. For about 2.5yrs of those 3, I was still wearing sew in weaves which caused my edges to fall out extremely bad. Now I have stopped wearing the weave and have tried to give extra attention to my edges like using JBCO (Jamaican Black Castor Oil) but I’m not seeing much improvement. Would you happen to have any other treatment that would be substantial to my problem. All ideas will be greatly considered. Thank you in advance.
Hello Shariekah,
My first suggestion would be to lay off any style that may pull too tightly at your edges. So in addition to removing sew ins from your styling routine, I would eliminate any braided or twisted style that puts tension on your edges in any way. You also want to try avoiding styles like slicked back ponytails because this can weaken your edges as well. Try going with low manipulation styles instead.
As far as products go, I would go with anything that your dermatologist recommends. What you are going through sounds like it may be a form of alopecia, however being that I am not a physician you should consult a professional to have them diagnosis you.
Be very cautious when wearing any sort of style that applies too much tension as this may cause traction alopecia, “This is a small or localized hair loss area caused by repetitive or persistent pulling or force on hair roots. Tight braids and ponytails can pull hard enough on hairs to make them fall out. If this happens, it’s best to choose hairstyles that put less tension on hair. The sooner this is done the better to avoid permanent damage.”(Source)
A professional will have to evaluate the severity of the condition. While I love to suggest natural products the best bet is getting access to medicated solutions that have some proven record of producing results.
Treatment Options:
According to the National Alopecia Areata Foundation,
There seems to be more treatment options available for mild, patchy alopecia (less than 50% scalp hair loss). However, there are fewer options for those who have extensive hair loss (greater than 50%). This includes Cortisone Injections, Topical Minoxidil, and Anthralin cream or ointment.
Good luck on your journey Shariekah, I hope that this has helped!
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I want to start my transition to natural hair but I’m worried becasue I have really nappy hair. What advice would you give someone with really coarse hair?
What is alopecia Areata and what are the ways to treat?
I straightened my hair 27 years before deciding to go natural. As you can imagine, all these chemicals made my edges fragile, and FULL of bald spots. And —to make things worse— I do come from a line of women with Alopecia Areata. So when I finally decided to go natural, I spent a long time searching for natural alternatives to strengthen and improve my edges, and whole hair. And I can attest that —at least for me— these have worked:
1. Instead of cutting all my hair (“Big Chop”) to become natural I started with protective styles: Bantu knots, plaids & loose braids. These made my hair look “neat” yet preventing my edges to suffer by being pulled back (which increases the tension on the scalp, thus making your follicles weaker and fallout even more common).
2. I discovered “Jamaican Black Castor Oil” -> http://www.jamaicanblackcastoroil.com/ I use it twice a week (morning and evening). This product is simply AMAZING! It increased the fullness of my hair and filled out the balding empty spaces on my edges.
3. I massage my scalp with almond and argan oil at least once a week —> http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/department/article/plant-oils These increase the flow of blood thru the whole scalp and improve circulation (which in turn makes follicles stronger). I noticed that after doing so, my hair grew thicker and stronger.
I hope these advice will be of help.