Growing up I always had a full head of hair that for the most part carried on through my adolescent years to be pretty healthy. I would simply go to my local salon every two weeks, get my usual “press and curl,” and kept it wrapped up at night. But things began to take somewhat of a turn once I entered my college years. I always loved having fun with new styles, but during these years, it just felt like it was time to up the ante, and show off some new looks.
Although a lot of these looks where a hit, I believe weave after weave, blowout after blowout, extension there, “oh, let me just get a clip-in piece here,” was what really starting taking a toll on my natural mane. To my surprise, my hair began to prematurely start thinning out, breaking off and just not giving the same “hair flip” moments it used to. Womp! It went though good days as well as just flat out blah days for almost a decade, but last year I really began to see a dramatic change. My scalp was always itchy and it seemed like my hair was starting to fall out in clumps. Let’s just say I was really over sneaking into public bathrooms, to “pat my weave down like the police.” Yes, I was one of “those girls.” Clearly, I needed answers and I needed them ASAP!
I remember a couple years back reading about how awesome Philip Kingley’s Trichological Clinic was and thought to myself, “why not? What do I have to lose besides more hair? Grrrr!” Fed up and looking for solutions, I made an appointment to see what all the hype was about. At the beginning of my visit I was treated to everything from a thorough consultation with resident trichologist, Elizabeth Phillips, to get a better understanding of my personal hair issues, family history and health habits to a deep scalp massage, steam treatment and all-around stimulating hair session to instantly lift my crowning glory spirits back where they used to be. “Trichologists are specialists of the scalp and the unique mechanisms of scalp hair growth. Being a non-essential tissue, hair is unlike any other tissue the body produces—and the function of hair cells can be affected by subtleties that may be over-looked by someone who has not had specialist training in this area,” says Director of Communications and trichologist at Philip Kingsley, Anabel Kingsley.
Ask The Experts: The Truth About Black Women, Hair Loss and Hiding It With Weaves
Many people don’t realize or simply aren’t familiar with all the benefits of scalp care and having your hair issues properly examined. I admit, I was one of those people…but, then I saw the light! “Out of all hair textures, African-Caribbean hair is the most vulnerable to damage,” says Kingsley. “African Caribbean hair is also very porous, making it more susceptible to damage from chemical processing, such as coloring and relaxing,” she adds. With that in mind, it’s important to keep our precious strands under a close watch and treat them to a little extra TLC every now and again. Only a few short weeks after my visit to the clinic, I already began to see my hair bouncing and behaving in a way that was quite enticing. Now, I can proudly say after consistently using prescribed products such as the Elasticizer Pre Shampoo Treatment for strength and hydration in addition to the Trichotherapy Regime to help reduce breakage, my hair is in much better shape and just keeps on getting better. My hair flip moments are back!
“If you have a skin disorder, you would see a dermatologist, a stomach issue—a gastroenterologist etc., and if you are having an issue with your hair, you should see a trichologist,” explains Kingsley. Bottom line, take it from me, when I tell you I’d prefer a scalp treatment over a back massage any day, that should be more than enough to motivate you to get to your local trichologist soon. The only warning: highly addictive behavior and a strong desire to keep going back to the clinic are pretty normal behavior patterns after your first visit.