Racing Through My Hair Loss Journey: Joey Logano

by Julian Miranda | Oct 22, 2024 | Episode

Episode 35

Racing Through My Hair Loss Journey: Joey Logano

Is there anything holding you back from the win? Joey Logano is back on HairPod to talk about the life of a NASCAR driver. Joey speaks about his career, the competitive world of NASCAR, and how he continues to race with the same passion and determination that has made him one of the sport’s biggest names. We also dig into his experience with hair loss, and how the other drivers reacted to his decision to start using a hair system.

NASCAR: Behind the Scenes

While most professional athletes may experience some ribbing or joking behind the scenes, NASCAR is a little bit different. Most teams see the same rival team once every few months, but during racing season, competing drivers see each other week after week. Conflicts do arise occasionally, but for the most part, Joey says the best thing to do have an awareness of those situations and avoid them when you can.

Hair Loss As a Pro Driver

Joey Logano has a hair system, and he has never been shy about letting people know that he deals with a condition called alopecia areata. He is also open about working with HairClub, and due to the stigma that surrounds hair loss and hair systems, one may think he has caught some flak from his competitors or even his own team. This has not been the case – if anything, other drivers have wanted to know how Joey solved his hair loss because they deal with similar issues.

Hair Systems and Finding Confidence

Joey has found that the best way to deal with detractors has been to embrace his situation. He feels most comfortable being completely open about his hair system and hair loss, even poking fun at his situation at times. While this may not be the way everyone handles their hair thinning or loss, it’s important to consider that even someone as transparent about hair loss as Joey does not experience many negative reactions. People are generally supportive, and in general, his hair system doesn’t come up in conversation at this point.

Long-term Hair System Use

Before making the decision to endorse HairClub as a product, Joey wanted to test it out. It was important to him to find out if it was something he could actually use and live with in the long term. He has found that having a hair system has been a great option for him in terms of how easy it is to care for and how well it stands up to the fast-paced lifestyle of a NASCAR driver.

Empowering Resources
As the episode draws to a close, HairPod extends a generous offer of a complimentary hair loss consultation, providing a tangible step towards reclaiming confidence and control over one’s appearance. Book a Free consultation with HairClub Today!

Thanks for listening to HairPod. We hope you enjoyed this episode. If you did, please leave us a rating or review wherever you get your podcasts. If you’d like to connect with us on social media to share your story, check us out on Instagram @HairClub. HairPod is a production of TSE Studios. Our theme music is from SoundStripe.

Episode.35 Transcript

Joey Logano [00:00:02]:
But I still enjoy going to the racetrack. I enjoy winning. So I know I got a handful of years at least left in me, and I think depends also just how life is. But if I can’t compete for wins, that’s probably going to be the sign for me to say I’m not going to just go to make laps and go around in circles. I enjoy racing, don’t get me wrong, but I do it to win. I don’t do it for fun. I don’t do it to race. I do it to win.

Joey Logano [00:00:25]:
And so I I’m still competitive. I still can win races. I’m going to continue doing it.

Kevin Rolston [00:00:42]:
Welcome to Hairpod, the podcast where we get to hear real people talk about their hair journeys.

Kevin Rolston [00:00:48]:
I’m your host, Kevin Rolston, and each.

Kevin Rolston [00:00:50]:
Week I get to interview people from different walks of life whose lives have been touched by hair loss in some form or fashion. Many of our guests have experienced hair loss themselves and found a way to get their confidence and their hair back. If you’re a NASCAR fan or a HairPod fan, you already know the name Joey Logano. Joey is a NASCAR champion who isn’t afraid to tell his hair story. He’s been on the podcast a couple of times already to talk in depth about his journey with an autoimmune condition called alopecia areata. With alopecia areata, the immune system mistakes a person’s own hair follicles as a threat and attacks them, causing hair loss that happens in round patches. If you look at Joey now, you’d never know that he has this condition.

Kevin Rolston [00:01:37]:
He’s got what appears to be a full head of hair, whether he’s in front of the press, smiling for a photo op, or just getting out of his stock car. I’m glad we got to talk to Joey again because I wanted to find out what it’s like having a hair loss condition and living that fast paced lifestyle of a NASCAR champ.

Kevin Rolston [00:01:59]:
Here we are again with Joey Logano to talk about NASCAR and hair. What an interesting combination and how we weave these two things together. What’s going on, Joey?

Joey Logano [00:02:09]:
I see what you did there. It’s pretty. It’s going well. How you doing?

Kevin Rolston [00:02:14]:
Yeah, doing good. I’ve got on a temporary face tattoo right now. Other than that, I’m doing fantastic, so.

Joey Logano [00:02:21]:
Well, I tell you what, everybody knows the name of your show. It’s written all over you. So that’s.

Kevin Rolston [00:02:25]:
Yep. That’s all over my face. It’s in henna. And you thought that maybe I lost a bet and I wanted to ask you, being in the world of NASCAR, do you guys ever get into silly, stupid bets with one another that you have to pay off on the track?

Joey Logano [00:02:39]:
No. Good. You’re smart.

Kevin Rolston [00:02:41]:
You’re smarter than I am.

Joey Logano [00:02:43]:
Yeah, I really don’t want to look like that.

Kevin Rolston [00:02:47]:
That’s terrible.

Joey Logano [00:02:49]:
It’s terrible.

Kevin Rolston [00:02:50]:
Yeah.

Joey Logano [00:02:51]:
Honestly, it’s funny. The drivers themselves, I mean, we all know each other and are around each other a lot, but I wouldn’t say there’s many of them that really hang out and do a whole bunch of things together or funny jokes like that.

Kevin Rolston [00:03:03]:
Yeah. I’m kind of curious when it comes to relationships on the tour, would you say, are there certain cliques and are people more friends or enemies? Because I’ve seen so many races where guys are duking it out right after they get out of their cars, and sometimes they have to stop to duke it out. So I think I’ve seen maybe more fights than I’ve seen pat on the backs. What is the relationships like in NASCAR?

Joey Logano [00:03:29]:
Well, I mean, yeah, I think it’s, it’s competition. And, you know, the people you hang out with the most at the racetrack is going to be your team. Right. And your teammates and the people that you’re around. So, you know, your competitors, it’s different than other sports because, you know, other sports, you have a. A team of, I don’t know, ten to 15 to 30 people right, on each side, depending on what sport you’re playing. And they play each other, and then maybe in four months, they might play each other again.

Kevin Rolston [00:03:57]:
Right.

Joey Logano [00:03:57]:
But you have a long period of time in between, and if there is a beef, you kind of forget about it a little bit and you gotta move on to the next thing. But for us, it’s the same 36 drivers you see every single week.

Kevin Rolston [00:04:10]:
Right.

Joey Logano [00:04:10]:
And eventually you’re going to have something happen, and guess what? You’re going to see them again next week and the next week and the next week. It just doesn’t go away. It doesn’t go away. Um, so it’s just a. A very unique sport for that reason.

Kevin Rolston [00:04:24]:
As a driver, do you know some of those interpersonal struggles and realize maybe I need to stay away from these two if they get together on the track because tempers might flare up, they might spin somebody out that might affect how I drive. So do you need to know and almost psychoanalyze the other drivers that are on the track with you?

Joey Logano [00:04:42]:
Well, it’s always important to know what situation people are in. Whether situation. Yeah. If they’re trying to get into the playoffs. I just went through one of these scenarios, you know, whether, whether trying to get in or if they have a history of someone else, and there’s two erasing right in front of you, the last thing you might do is get caught up and you know, their mess, right. And so you try to stay aware of the situations the best as possible, but sometimes there’s just nothing you can do about it, right. Like you’re. You’re just there and you happen to be racing for the win, and here you are.

Joey Logano [00:05:12]:
Right. Like, it just is what it is right now.

Kevin Rolston [00:05:14]:
Is it something where you find a weakness of another driver and you’ll often have a nickname for them? Are people like some sports, you know, football especially, they’ll be ribbing each other and they’ll be in each other’s head and they know that something gets under somebody’s skin. Does that happen in NASCAR with drivers? Is it to that level?

Joey Logano [00:05:33]:
I don’t see it to that level. You know, like, I mean, I think what the difference is is I think in other sports, whether it’s basketball or football, the adrenaline is at its peak right after a play, right. And you’re kind of feeling one way or the other, right. Whether it’s good or bad, and. And you’re going to draw to each other immediately. Right. Like in the heat of the battle for us, you know, the time we see each other is 2030 minutes before the race at driver intros. And then you’re strapped into a race car after that.

Joey Logano [00:06:04]:
So if someone makes a move on you or you’re mad at them or you want to, you know, talk a little game, you can’t. You’re stuck in a race car. Yeah.

Kevin Rolston [00:06:13]:
Right.

Joey Logano [00:06:13]:
So afterwards, sometimes drivers get out and express their feelings a little bit, but really, outside of that, there’s just not a whole bunch.

Kevin Rolston [00:06:24]:
Of, if you watch a lot of professional sports or even if you just played football in college, it’s pretty typical to see athletes have a little bit of fun at each other’s expense or even go one step further and try to get into a competitor’s head by calling out their weaknesses. That kind of exchange happens outside of pro sports. Too many people who go through hair loss don’t feel confident about it, and the last thing they want is for someone to bring it up and make some kind of snide comment. They may want a solution, but not one that calls attention to the problem itself. Kind of like the toupees used to see guys wear decades ago. Joey’s pretty public about his hair loss and has never really tried to hide the fact that he uses a hair system. So I want to know if the other drivers ever remarked on his hair loss in a negative way.

Kevin Rolston [00:07:16]:
I’m just kind of curious. In your field, how has you being a client of HairClub been accepted? What do other drivers say? Do they use it as a thing to rib you with, or do you feel like it’s starting to hit that nice level of acceptance throughout even NASCAR?

Joey Logano [00:07:34]:
Yeah, I’d say it’s the complete opposite, actually. I had a lot of them reach out to me, and for whatever reason, there’s a lot of race car drivers that suffer from hair loss for whatever reasons. I don’t know if it’s helmets or heat or. I don’t know. Lord knows. But I had a lot reach out to me saying, what did you do? Can I do, like, who’d you call? What do I do? Right. So as far as, you know, the. The drivers now, they don’t do that type of stuff.

Joey Logano [00:08:00]:
And to me, that’s probably below the belt a little bit, so probably be a good thing if they didn’t do that, right? It’s one thing to talk about someone’s driving skills or something like that, but I don’t think anyone ever, you know, talks about those type of things. Race fans are different. Race fans are going to be race fans, right? The ones that love you are going to love it. The ones that already don’t like you probably are going to not like you more. Like, I was just. It’s just life. That’s fine. But the other side of it, I mean, it’s.

Joey Logano [00:08:24]:
It’s, uh. Nobody really says anything.

Kevin Rolston [00:08:26]:
I remember as a kid, you always knew when somebody had a toupee or hair help. And now today, when I’m at HairClub and I see people that might be there, or I see people that are HairClub clients, people like yourself. I’m always so blown away because I never have any idea. So you work closely with the pit crew. You’ve got your whole team. Is everybody aware of what you do? What would you say is the awareness level of what you do with hair club? Do they just know you go to hair club, or how does that sit with the people that are closest to you?

Joey Logano [00:08:57]:
Well, they know I go to HairClub, obviously. Look at. I’m talking to you. I’m wearing a shirt. I don’t hide it.

Kevin Rolston [00:09:03]:
Yeah.

Joey Logano [00:09:03]:
I don’t know. I get a lot of questions about it, but honestly, dude, I’d live my life like, it’s a pretty normal, like, at this point, I’ve. I’ve had my hair for a couple years. You know, it’s been very easy, and I got the routine figured out and I live my life like anybody else, you know? And, yeah, I’m glad I did something about it. Right. I suffered from alopecia, so I decided that I wanted to do something. Found HairClub, saw that they have multiple solutions. I found the one that was right for me and I did something.

Joey Logano [00:09:31]:
And I hope everybody, if you have the opportunity to, why wouldn’t you these days, right, if there’s a technology there to, you know, make your appearance look better and you can do it, what’s stopping you? You know, don’t let someone’s stupid comment, you know, stop you from bettering yourself. Right. And if you could feel like you can do that, then, then go for it. And honestly, no one’s. I mean, I’ve never really had any backlash that bothered me. At least, you know, you’re going to get some jokes here and there. Honestly, I joke with them most of the time. I throw the jokes out before they do.

Kevin Rolston [00:10:06]:
That’s it. That’s it. There you go thing.

Joey Logano [00:10:08]:
Like, I’m very open about it. You know, not everybody is as open or wants to talk about it, but I really, yeah, I understand what I have. And nothing you can do about it, right. Whether it’s alopecia or just normal male pattern baldness. Like, what are you gonna do about it? Like, it’s not your fault. There’s nothing you can do about, you know, your genes, right? Like, that’s what you’re born with. And you know what? So I did something about it. Kiss my butt.

Joey Logano [00:10:32]:
I think it’s a great move.

Kevin Rolston [00:10:33]:
Well, I think the improvement in the technology is one of the biggest reasons, because how do you get on somebody that has a head of hair that looks 100% completely natural? I don’t even know where the joke is in something like that. And that’s really it. When I see the hair solutions that are out there now, you really have no idea. If somebody brings it up, it’s like, what are you going to say? Because they look better with it, they don’t look worse. So find the joke in this.

Joey Logano [00:10:56]:
Yeah. And it’s. If it’s the first time you met me, you would never know, right? I mean, people, you can’t. You can’t tell.

Kevin Rolston [00:11:01]:
No idea. Now I’m curious. Cause I’m sure people want to know about the durability. And I’m curious, too, because the temperatures that you have on the track in that car. You mentioned the helmet, which, I mean, those things are on pretty tight. I would imagine. I’d imagine getting them off, too. I know with football helmets, those things really grab.

Kevin Rolston [00:11:20]:
So do you have concerns with the hair that you have, that anything is going to get messed up, it’s going to become dislodged. Does the heat affect your hair?

Kevin Rolston [00:11:31]:
What.

Kevin Rolston [00:11:31]:
What are the concerns and conditions that you have?

Joey Logano [00:11:33]:
No, I just, like, honestly, I just had to figure out the right combination for me and the right routine. But outside of that, now I have zero concerns. When I go to the racetrack, I take my helmet off at the end of a race, jump in the pool, drive a jet ski 70 miles an hour across the lake.

Kevin Rolston [00:11:49]:
Okay, so you even go fast. You go fast on the lake, too.

Joey Logano [00:11:53]:
Well, I mean, I’m a race car driver. What do you think I do? I don’t go slow. I can tell you that much.

Kevin Rolston [00:12:01]:
Does it bother you if you ever get passed by another jet ski, or do you feel like you have to win even that race?

Joey Logano [00:12:06]:
Yeah. Yeah. Well, you know, I don’t think racing on the lake is probably the thing I should be promoting, but you’re right. We’ll back off that one. Most of the time, I like to go fast. Yeah.

Kevin Rolston [00:12:23]:
There are hair loss solutions for everybody out there. No matter what kind of hair loss or lifestyle you have, the most important thing you can do is talk to professionals and find out what your options are. I wanted to find out how that process went for Joey, because not only is he a hair club user, he also endorses the product. So when he went in for his consultation, he had to figure out if hair club was something he could stand behind. So I asked him how long it took to go from his first consultation to ending up with a product that he was satisfied with.

Joey Logano [00:13:00]:
Honestly, it’s pretty quick. You know, you can go to HairClub, and they’ll give you, you know, whatever options they have available quickly. What they do a lot of times is they have a consultation, they bring you in, okay, talk to you. What’s your struggles? Right? What’s your history? And there’s many, many fixes that they can present to you. So, like I said, what works for me may not be what works for you, but I think the ultimate outcome, the goal is what? To have hair again. And it’s different for everyone, right? Like, there’s hair transplants. There’s. There’s just things you can put on your hair.

Joey Logano [00:13:37]:
There’s certain kinds of shampoo, right? I mean, there’s different things. You can use that to try to, you know, and HairClub has all those things that allow you to do that all the way through. For me, with the alopecia stuff, I couldn’t do a lot of the options because it can trigger it to be a lot worse.

Kevin Rolston [00:13:53]:
Oh, wow. Okay.

Joey Logano [00:13:54]:
So it can kind of trigger a lot more underlying issues. So.

Kevin Rolston [00:13:58]:
So HairClub can work. Yeah, they can work around those kind of specific problems.

Joey Logano [00:14:02]:
Yeah, but it’s different for everybody depending on what you’re dealing with.

Kevin Rolston [00:14:05]:
Now, did you have a consultant when you went into HairClub, somebody that said, hey, here are the options, and here’s what I think would work for you?

Joey Logano [00:14:11]:
Yeah. Which was one of the cool parts. Before I partnered with him as someone that’s endorsing the product, I went there and said, hang on. I was very skeptical. If I’m going to endorse this, this is a pretty personal thing to be talking about. I want to make sure that, one, this is going to work before I tell anybody about it, and, two, that I can live my life with it, and it’s not just a complete pain in my butt that I’m like, it’s not worth it. Right. I want to make sure that I check those two boxes before I tell everyone, you should go do this.

Joey Logano [00:14:40]:
And I feel like once I got through that, I was like, all right, well, I feel comfortable talking to people about what’s going on and what I did to fix it and that, you know what? If you have a problem, go fix it. Right? Like, it’s like that in anything in life, right? If you have an issue, fix it. And if there’s an avenue to fix it, great. Hair club’s got it for you, so you might as well do it.

Kevin Rolston [00:14:58]:
What’s it like styling your hair time now compared to time that it used to take before you had your system?

Joey Logano [00:15:04]:
Well, it’s a little longer now because I actually have hair. When you got no hair, it takes no time, but it doesn’t take any longer than it did when I was a kid and I had hair. You know what I mean? Like, it was. It’s the same, right. I might get in the shower. I shampoo and condition just like anybody else would. You know, once a month, I get a haircut, and I keep on going. Like, it’s pretty simple for me.

Joey Logano [00:15:32]:
And I got the system figured out at this point. Like, it took me a few months to get to that point, but, yeah, now that I got it figured out, it’s cake.

Kevin Rolston [00:15:40]:
The thing I find amazing about hair club is that once you find hair club and you find your solution is they grow with you because as you age, you get older, you know, they can start bringing the hair back. If you want to look like you have more of a natural hairline for your age, they can do that if you’re getting some of the gray, like I got some gray in the beard. But you know what? They put some gray in my system so that it looks a lot more natural. And so, you know, once you find hair club, it is something that you can ride out for the rest of your life and have the hair that you want.

Joey Logano [00:16:09]:
Absolutely. Make adjustments. However you want to make adjustments. I mean, it’s literally, it’s up to you, right? I mean, I mean, a lot of it I leave up to the stylist because I’m like, yeah, you’re going to know a little bit more than me, I hope, and they do. But you can put your two cent and tell them what you want, tell them what’s comfortable, you know, what’s not. I went through a couple things that I was like, I don’t really like this that much, right. And we made an adjustment and changed that we wanted.

Kevin Rolston [00:16:34]:
Well, I got to tell you, Joey, I think you’ve got broadcasting hair. I think you have broadcasting abilities because I am in the field. How much longer before you’re in the booth and not the track? Any thoughts on that?

Joey Logano [00:16:46]:
Oh, man, I got no idea. I know I got some time when I feel certain about it, then I know it’s time. But I still enjoy going to the racetrack. I enjoy winning, you know, so I know I got a handful of years at least left in me. And I think depends also just how life is. But if I can’t compete for wins, that’s probably going to be the sign for me to say I’m not going to just go to make laps and go around in circles like, I enjoy racing, don’t get me wrong. But I do it to win. I don’t do it for fun.

Joey Logano [00:17:15]:
I don’t do it to race. I do it to win. And so if I can’t win, I’m not going to want to do it anymore. So I’m still competitive. I still can win races. I’m going to continue doing it.

Kevin Rolston [00:17:28]:
Sounds like Joey’s passion for competing and winning on the track hasn’t slowed down one bit. We wish Joey a fantastic end of this year’s racing season and can’t wait to see what’s next for him. I hope his drive for excellence inspires you to go out there to win at whatever you do. And as Joey said, if there’s something about your appearance that you’ve been wanting to change, do it for yourself. And don’t worry what other people are going to think. The people who matter most are going to be supportive. And you may even find that the people around you are dealing with similar issues. Who knows? By opening yourself up to change, you could be helping them more than you know.

Kevin Rolston [00:18:06]:
For more inspirational stories and words of wisdom from people who have been through hair loss, make sure to subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast app. Thanks for listening to another episode of Hairpot. Check us out at Hair Club on Instagram or search Hairpot on Facebook to continue the conversation. If you know someone who could benefit from hearing this episode, we would love it if you would share it with them. If you’re enjoying the show, consider leaving us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app. We also have a website. Check it out by going to podcast Dot hairclub.com. we’re here to build people up and share real stories so people experiencing hair loss feel a little bit less alone.

Kevin Rolston [00:18:49]:
And when you share, review, and subscribe, it helps us do just that. So thank you. Until next time.

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Highlighting Alopecia Awareness Month

by Oscar Camargo | Sep 3, 2024 | Episode

Episode 28

Alopecia Awareness

Alopecia affects millions of people worldwide, including well-known figures like NASCAR driver Joey Logano. This week on HairPod, I connected with Joey in honor of Alopecia Awareness Month. By speaking openly about his experience, Joey helps shine a light on the realities of living with alopecia.

Understanding Alopecia: More Than Just Hair Loss

Alopecia is more than a cosmetic issue; it can have a significant impact on a person’s self-esteem and mental health. Typically, the condition presents as round patches of hair loss on the scalp, but it can affect any area of the body where hair typically grows. For those like Joey, being in the public eye while dealing with such a visible condition adds an extra layer of challenge. Despite this, Joey has embraced his journey, sharing his story to help others understand that hair loss is just one part of who someone is, not the defining factor.

Alopecia Areata Awareness

Joey’s openness about alopecia is more than just a personal story—it’s a call to action. By talking about his experience and the use of a hair system, he encourages others facing similar challenges to feel less isolated and more empowered. Awareness is crucial because it helps dispel misconceptions, fosters understanding, and supports those affected. When public figures like Joey Logano use their platform to discuss alopecia, it encourages conversations that can change perceptions and build a more compassionate community.

If You or Someone You Know Has Alopecia

Alopecia Awareness Month is an opportunity to educate and uplift. If you know someone affected by alopecia, sharing stories like Joey’s can offer much-needed encouragement and solidarity. Let’s celebrate those who face their challenges with grace and strength, reminding them that they are not alone. Together, we can build a world where we can experience confidence and community, even as we experience hair loss.

Episode.28 Transcript

Joey Logano [00:00:04]:
I always think that the first move is to call your family doctor, the doctor that you trust and that knows you and knows your family history. Go to that person first and they may send you to a specialist after that. And I would probably do that. And then after that, go look for what the best solution is for you.

Kevin Rolston [00:00:37]:
Welcome to Hairpod, the podcast where you get to hear real people talk about their hair journeys. I’m your host, Kevin Ralston, and each week I get to interview people from different walks of life whose lives have been touched by hair loss in some form or fashion. Many of our guests have experienced hair loss themselves and found a way to get their confidence and their hair back. This week, we’re bringing you a story about alopecia areata in honor of Alopecia Awareness Month. Alopecia areata is an autoimmune condition that causes hair loss. It usually occurs as a round patch or patches of hair loss on the scalp, but it can affect hair on any part of the body. While the condition doesn’t cause any physical pain, losing your hair can have a significant emotional impact. It is estimated that about 2% of the worlds population has alopecia areata or will develop it at some point, which is why we want to raise awareness and shed light on this issue.

Kevin Rolston [00:01:36]:
And who better to talk about it with us than NASCAR champion Joey Logano? Hes back again on the podcast to speak about his experience with alopecia areata. Joey was diagnosed with alopecia after a routine haircut revealed a few bald patches on the back of his head. Now he uses his platform to speak openly about his experience with hair loss in hopes that he can help others going through it. Today, he’s going to take us all the way back to the beginning before his diagnosis, back to the moment when he first discovered his hair loss.

Joey Logano [00:02:12]:
It was definitely your first thing. You realize what’s going on? You’re like, huh? What is this? How dangerous is it? Am I what’s going on? For me, I just got a haircut and I got back home and my wife thought that the hairdresser just completely screwed up my haircut, is what she thought because there’s like spots all over the back of my head. Wow. Completely butchered your hair. And I’m like, I don’t know what you’re talking about.

Kevin Rolston [00:02:39]:
Wow. So you couldn’t see it yourself. It was in a place where you couldn’t even notice.

Joey Logano [00:02:43]:
It was a little longer at the time. So when I got a haircut, it really exposed, and then the spots kept kind of growing, you know, and then you kind of. You know, at that point, your first thing you do is call your doctor and say, hey, what’s going on? I went to the doctor, my family doctor, like, okay, we think we have alopecia. I’m like, all right, so what do I do? What is it about? And it’s an autoimmune disorder that, honestly, nobody really understands. From what I’ve learned about it, no one really knows where it comes from, how you got it, hereditary stress. It could be. There’s a lot of different things that can really.

Kevin Rolston [00:03:13]:
Okay. Wow.

Joey Logano [00:03:14]:
Yeah. And it’s different for everybody. Everyone’s got different things. It seems like some people lose all their hair sometimes. It’s all the time. Sometimes just a little bit here and there, which I just get flare ups every now and again. And. Yeah, so there are some different remedies that.

Joey Logano [00:03:26]:
That I looked into. I talked to a few friends that had a similar experience, and then, you know, eventually, you know, hooking up with hair club, that was the best fix. It was really the easiest fix.

Kevin Rolston [00:03:37]:
Yeah.

Joey Logano [00:03:37]:
And I don’t have to go through all the needles and stuff that they’re wanting to put in my head. I was like, hang on a second. Before you start injecting stuff into my. Into my skull here, I want to make sure we’re doing the right thing here. So hair club was definitely the correct fit for me. It’s worked out well.

Kevin Rolston [00:03:54]:
So with what you do for your.

Kevin Rolston [00:03:55]:
Solution that you got with hair club, does it present a problem when you’re traveling so much? Do you have to pack up a lot of stuff with you? Does it affect your routine at all, or is it pretty serious?

Joey Logano [00:04:05]:
Not really to be asked what you. I mean, once you get the system going or you kind of understand how things work, you get your routine, then it’s really smooth. It takes a couple months to figure out, okay, what works for me. How do I do this? And then over time, it’s like second nature, right. And get your hair cut once a month just like everybody else. Right. Like, it really isn’t that different, which is great. It’s worked out really smooth.

Joey Logano [00:04:29]:
And, you know, I still get the flare ups every now and again, but honestly, you can’t even tell. You don’t even know. It’s pretty impressive.

Kevin Rolston [00:04:35]:
Now, you talk about how you just after one haircut, your wife noticed that you had the spots. Tell me a little bit about how big the spots were, and it sounds like you found the diagnosis pretty quick. Did you google it? Did you already know about alopecia. How are you so fast to find out? What was the cause of your hair loss issues?

Joey Logano [00:04:54]:
Well, I mean, like I said, I called my doctor first. That was the first thing I did because I didn’t know. I didn’t know what it was. But, you know, just kind of looking at, there’s probably, I don’t know, ten or twelve small spots, you know, yay. Biggest, you know, maybe a half. Some were a half inch. Some were an inch, inch and a half big somewhere were pretty big, and they would kind of grow for a little bit. And it just.

Joey Logano [00:05:14]:
It’s just bald. It’s kind of. It’s interesting. There’s no hair, and then it grows back gray, and then eventually your color comes back. Yeah. So it’s just kind of a. That’s the, like you said, it’s different for everybody, right? I mean, I feel like I’m pretty lucky for this scenario. I have some people, you know, they lose their.

Joey Logano [00:05:33]:
Their eyebrows and you full, like, all your body hair, you know, hair in your arms, whatever. Whatever it may be. Yeah. But that’s, um. Doesn’t seem like that’s what I have, which is, you know, which is good. But like I said, the cool thing is there’s. We live in a day and age that it’s not that big of a deal, right? Like, I mean, it is, but there’s a. At least there’s a fix, right? And then you don’t have that.

Joey Logano [00:05:56]:
You think 20 something years ago there is no answer for it. And then you got to answer questions and people look at you funny. What’s going on? You know, you got to answer awkward questions, you know, where people just stare at you and you’re scared to ask a question, but, you know, it’s a distraction in the room. I didn’t like that. I wasn’t a big fan of that part of it. Like, I didn’t mind having it, and I didn’t mind someone asking me a question. I just don’t like people staring at me. Like, I turn around, like, what.

Kevin Rolston [00:06:24]:
They were looking. You just feel the eyes on you and looking at those.

Kevin Rolston [00:06:28]:
Yeah.

Joey Logano [00:06:28]:
You catch up, you know, you turn and be like, hey, I saw you.

Kevin Rolston [00:06:31]:
I got you. So how long did you go with having signs of alopecia before you found your solution to cover it up? Cause I assume now anytime you see Joey Logano, you’re not gonna be able to tell that you have any flare ups with alopecia.

Joey Logano [00:06:46]:
Yeah, I don’t think. You’ll probably, probably never know from now on. But, you know, I went probably, I don’t know, it was probably five months or so before I started to. I wanted to see everything that was out there first and understand, okay, what’s, what’s my options, what’s my risks, you know, and how do I want to handle it? Because for me, it’s, and this is kind of for everybody, right? Like, it’s a big adjustment in your lifestyle, right, doing something about it, but also, it’s a big appearance change for people, right. It’s kind of like a, oh, what happened to you, right? Like, so there’s kind of a, how do you want to handle it? How do you want to play that out? You kind of got to think through that stuff a little bit. But eventually I realized that it was kind of a no brainer thing to do. I wanted to do something, and I understood that. There is going to be some people making comments.

Joey Logano [00:07:39]:
The majority of them, almost all of them are positive. You got to know, for me, I’m a professional athlete, so not everybody loves me. There’s people that root for you, and there’s people that don’t root for you. So the people that don’t root for you are always going to have something to say, right? The people that knew me best, or even the people I didn’t know, they all think it’s great. And now I don’t think anyone thinks about it or realizes it, right? It’s just a normal thing now. It’s just how I look.

Kevin Rolston [00:08:10]:
Joey’s experience with alopecia while being in the public eye is a powerful testament to his confidence. While there is no cure for alopecia, Joey points out that there are things that can be done so that people with his condition can look and feel the way they want to. Joey found something that works for him, and now no one really ever thinks twice about his hair loss. They just see Joey as he is today. And because he was never shy about it, his transformation sparked curiosity among his friends and coworkers. People started to reach out, eager to find out how he managed to get his hair back.

Joey Logano [00:08:48]:
Oh, I got a lot of phone calls afterwards, like, hey, what’d you do? What? How do I do that? What’s. Like, what’s going on? Like, I got my phone ran off the hook there for a little bit, especially when I first got my hair. So it’s definitely, you know, it’s a. It, it gets everyone’s attention, but you’d be amazed how many people want to do something about it. Like, it was, I mean, literally 50 something text messages. You know, the day I just said, here’s what I did and is amazing how many people are like, oh, I want to do that. How do I do that? Where do I go? And, yeah, that just, that, to me, proved the point that somebody needed to be more open and talk about it and go out in the public and just accept what it was. Right.

Joey Logano [00:09:29]:
What I was dealing with. And that, yeah, I did something about it. You know what? And I’m happy I did. You know, and a lot of other people do, too.

Kevin Rolston [00:09:36]:
Now, for alopecia awareness month, there are a couple things that I’m curious about. First of all, do you have anyone else in your family that has alopecia?

Joey Logano [00:09:43]:
Not that I know of. And a lot of times, from what I’ve learned, this lives in your system for years, right? Like, it’s something you. It seems to be, from what I understand, maybe it’s hereditary. They don’t completely understand it, but there’s things that can trigger it. Right. So it’s there the whole time. And the way I look at it is, listen, if this is my autoimmune disorder and this is all it is, right. And I can fix it.

Kevin Rolston [00:10:08]:
Yeah.

Joey Logano [00:10:09]:
I feel like I got away with one. You did?

Kevin Rolston [00:10:11]:
Yeah. All the things you could have.

Joey Logano [00:10:14]:
Yeah, exactly. Like I said, because there’s a fix for it. But I understand that it’s also, you got to think, too, for. I think for a woman, you know, for women, that’s definitely a little bit more challenging than it is for men. You know, it’s. Because it’s just different. Any way you look at it, it’s just different for girls. But there’s fixes for that, too.

Joey Logano [00:10:32]:
Right? So that’s the good part. But it is an interesting experience when it first happens and you get, you get a little nervous, for sure, because you’re like, well, what’s the. What else can happen and how bad can it get? And you don’t really know. It was crazy. Every doctor I went to, they’re just like, we don’t really know. But, you know, we think if we do this for a little bit and, you know, you can give you some steroid injections into your, you know, your scalp and all this stuff. And I was like, hey, hang on a second. Like, right? I.

Joey Logano [00:10:59]:
I don’t know how far I wanna go with something like that. And it’s different for everybody.

Kevin Rolston [00:11:03]:
What about the ages that alopecia hits? Does it pick on a certain age or can kids get alopecia?

Joey Logano [00:11:10]:
Oh, kids, yeah. Kids can definitely get it. And that’s one of the cool things that hair club does is that they will, they work a lot with children, and as you know, not all kids are as well polished as adults are when it comes to being polite. And kids can sometimes just, they can just be nasty. Right. They don’t know better. Right. So you can’t get mad at them.

Joey Logano [00:11:31]:
They don’t know better. But put yourself in a, you know, eight or nine year old kid’s shoes, going to school with a bunch of spots on the back of your head or worse. Right.

Kevin Rolston [00:11:41]:
That’s tough, boy.

Joey Logano [00:11:43]:
That’s hard. Right. I can do that as a, as a full grown man, but, and know how to handle it correctly, but to put a kid in that situation, that’s hard. Yeah. And it’s cool. Haircut does that with cancer patients and kids and all that. Yeah. Donate a lot of hair.

Joey Logano [00:11:58]:
I think that’s one of the greatest things they do.

Kevin Rolston [00:12:00]:
Do you have any advice for anybody that is right at the beginning stages of saying, maybe I have alopecia? You contacted your doctor. Is that the best first move or what is the right process to figure out, do you actually have alopecia? And then how can you best treat it?

Joey Logano [00:12:18]:
Doctor Justin I always think that the first move is to call your family doctor, the doctor that you trust and that knows you and knows your family history. Go to that person first and they may send you to a specialist after that. And I would probably do that. And then after that, you know, go look for what the best solution is for you.

Kevin Rolston [00:12:42]:
As we wrap up today’s interview, we want to extend a heartfelt thank you to Joey Logano for taking the time out of his busy racing schedule to speak with us. When people like Joey have the confidence to speak openly about conditions like this, it helps to break down the stigma surrounding hair loss, showing that its not something to be ashamed of. It also helps to educate others who might not otherwise know how to react when they see someone with alopecia areata. To anyone out there living with alopecia, remember that you are not alone. Your journey is unique. And with the right support and community, you can face it with the same strength and resilience as Joey does. For more inspirational stories and words of wisdom from people who have been through hair loss, make sure to subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast app. Thanks for listening to another episode of Hairpod.

Kevin Rolston [00:13:32]:
Check us out at Hair Club on Instagram or search Hairpod on Facebook to continue the conversation. If you know someone who could benefit from hearing this episode. We would love it if you would share it with them. If youre enjoying the show, consider leaving us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app. We also have a website. Check it out by going to podcast Dot hairclub.com. were here to build people up and share real stories so people experiencing hair loss feel a little bit less alone. And when you share, review and subscribe, it helps us do just that.

Kevin Rolston [00:14:06]:
So thank you. Until next time.

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