What is Trichotillomania

by Oscar Camargo | Sep 30, 2024 | Episode

Episode 32

What is Trichotillomania?

In this episode of HairPod, we shine a light on trichotillomania (also known as trich or TTM), a condition that causes people to compulsively pull out their hair. We are honored to have Heather Brooke, a licensed professional counselor and an individual with lived experience of TTM, join us to discuss this often misunderstood disorder. Heather shares her journey with TTM, which began in childhood, and provides valuable insight for both those living with the condition and their support networks.

This episode is an essential listen for anyone looking to better understand trichotillomania—whether you or someone you love is affected by this disorder, or you’re simply curious about it. Join us as we explore Heather’s personal story, her professional experience, and strategies for managing TTM.

What is Trichotillomania?

Trichotillomania is a hair-pulling disorder that leads individuals to uncontrollably (and sometimes unconsciously) pull out their hair. The disorder can manifest differently depending on the person—some may pull hair from their scalp, while others may focus on eyebrows, eyelashes, or other body hair. The intensity of the condition varies greatly; some individuals may experience mild episodes, while others may struggle with more severe, daily compulsions. There is also no single age of onset, though it often begins in childhood or adolescence.

The causes of trichotillomania are still not fully understood, and research into the condition is ongoing. However, many experts believe that a combination of factors—including genetics, trauma, anxiety, and stress—could contribute to its development. Heather Brooke believes that her own TTM was triggered by traumatic experiences in her early childhood. At just nine years old, Heather began pulling out her hair and relied on the adults in her life to notice and intervene. Unfortunately, due to a lack of awareness and understanding about the disorder at the time, Heather did not receive the therapeutic help she needed right away.

Despite years of therapy and now being a licensed professional counselor herself, Heather still deals with the effects of trichotillomania. Her personal journey underscores the challenges many face: living with TTM is a continuous process of managing symptoms rather than a quick fix. However, this also means that even though a cure may not be available, there are ways to cope and live a full life despite the condition.

Coping with Trichotillomania

Currently, there is no known cure for trichotillomania. However, there are numerous tools and strategies that can help reduce its impact and manage its symptoms.

For Heather, stress and anxiety are key factors that exacerbate her TTM. Like many people with the disorder, she has found that finding ways to release stress is crucial for managing her compulsions. Regular exercise is one of her primary outlets, and she finds that going to the gym is a powerful way to channel her energy. However, during particularly stressful times, even this form of stress relief might not be enough. It’s in these moments that having multiple coping strategies becomes essential.

In addition to exercise, Heather emphasizes the importance of therapy. Working with a licensed professional, especially one with experience in TTM, can be incredibly beneficial. A therapist can help individuals identify the triggers that lead to hair-pulling episodes and develop personalized techniques to address them. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), mindfulness practices, and even medications may be recommended as part of a holistic approach to managing trichotillomania.

Heather also advocates for self-compassion and patience. The path to managing TTM is not linear, and setbacks are part of the process. For those living with the disorder, learning to forgive oneself and recognize that recovery is a journey is crucial.

Supporting Someone with Trichotillomania

One of the most important themes of Heather’s conversation is compassion. For friends, family members, or partners of someone with trichotillomania, understanding and empathy are essential. It can be easy to suggest to someone with TTM to “just stop pulling your hair,” but this kind of response can be damaging. Hair-pulling is not a conscious decision, and the compulsions are often driven by deep-seated psychological factors that require understanding, not criticism.

If you’re supporting someone with TTM, start by educating yourself about the condition. Ask questions and listen without judgment. Remember that the person struggling with trichotillomania likely feels a great deal of shame or embarrassment about their behavior, so it’s vital to create a safe and supportive environment for open communication. Rather than focusing on the physical symptoms (like hair loss), show concern for their emotional well-being.

For children with TTM, Heather has written a children’s book called “Where Is My Hair? A Trichotillomania Story For Children.” This book helps kids understand what they’re going through and introduces the idea that they are not alone in their struggles. Whether you are a parent, teacher, or friend, this resource can help foster empathy and understanding for young ones dealing with the condition.

Additionally, if trauma or emotional distress seems to be at the root of someone’s TTM, it may be helpful to gently recommend counseling. Healing from trauma can be a key step toward reducing compulsive behaviors. However, it’s important to approach these conversations with care and avoid pushing someone before they are ready to seek help.

Resources for Managing Trichotillomania

If you or someone you know is living with trichotillomania, there are a number of resources available to support you on your journey:

Therapy: Seeking out a licensed professional counselor who specializes in TTM or related disorders can be incredibly helpful. Therapists can offer individualized treatment plans, coping strategies, and emotional support.
Stress-Relief Strategies: Identifying healthy outlets for managing stress is key. Whether it’s exercise, mindfulness, or creative activities, finding what works for you can make a significant difference.
Support Networks: Connecting with others who have similar experiences can be a source of strength and validation. Consider joining a support group for people with TTM or participating in online forums to share your journey with others who understand.
Educational Materials: Books like “Where Is My Hair? A Trichotillomania Story For Children” by Heather Brooke provide an accessible way for younger audiences to understand the condition. It’s also a great tool for parents and caregivers to start conversations with children about their experience with TTM.

Conclusion

We hope this episode of HairPod has offered a meaningful and compassionate look at trichotillomania. While living with TTM can be challenging, hearing from people like Heather Brooke reminds us that we can navigate life with this disorder through self-awareness, therapy, and the support of those around us.

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.32 Transcript

Rachel Rivera [00:00:02]:
Aside from building trust from day one, from that moment that my clients walk in and they sit in my chair, I always like to let them know that, hey, this process is for you and I. If there is something that you want to change, we have an open door policy. You let me know what you like, what you don’t like. And we work together in those kinds of things. I have a good reputation with my clients for that very reason.

Kevin Rolston [00:00:40]:
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 every once in a while, we get to talk to one of those incredible people who helps people with hair loss to get their hair back. Let’s be real for a moment. One of the scariest parts of going to a professional to talk about hair loss is the fear, the fear of being judged, the fear of feeling shame, wondering if they’ll understand what you’re going through. All those thoughts can feel so overwhelming.

Kevin Rolston [00:01:22]:
It might feel like it’s just better to suffer in silence. But thats why im excited about this episode. Today we get to hear from someone who truly understands hair loss and cares deeply about her clients and their hair journeys. And I can say this from my own personal experience because shes my hair loss stylist. You might remember her from episode 21 when we talked about my hair system. Her name is Rachel Rivera, and since I started going to hair club, she has been there with me every step of the way. Today, we’re going to talk to her about what it’s like to be the hero in someone’s hair loss journey and why she got into the hair loss replacement industry in the first place. Because like so many hair specialists, Rachel’s career began in a regular hair salon.

Rachel Rivera [00:02:10]:
So I have been doing hair in total for about 21 years now. I just like a lot of the hairstylists at hair club. I started out at a salon. Of course, I finished my career working as an independent contractor. I rented out my own salon booth. We were a little bit slow at the time, so I ended up just having a glance@indeed.com and trying to look for maybe options of other places to work. At that moment, I had found hair club and everything seemed really nice. I’m like, okay, you know, I didn’t know what I was getting into, but let me go ahead and apply.

Rachel Rivera [00:02:45]:
And it was then and there that I discovered what hair club was all about with it being non surgical hair restoration. It’s a combination of what we do. I work in hair restoration, and I’ve been with hair club now for 13 years.

Kevin Rolston [00:03:01]:
Wow. Now tell me what it is like making that transition and coming over. Because one of the reasons why we do the hair pod here is to talk about some of the stigmas that exist that people have, because it’s the unknown and people don’t really know what they’re getting into. And the eighties really brought a lot of bad stigmas when it comes to hair systems. And did you have reservations? Did you feel it was weird at first to get used to the concept of you’d always cut real human hair, and now you’re cutting real human hair that came from another person that’s on another person?

Rachel Rivera [00:03:37]:
Absolutely. I remember when I first went in for my interviews, and I’m looking at, you know, the little, you know, what your hair looks like when we do your hair. Seeing a bunch of those and sitting in the back room, and I’m like, oh, my God, what is this? So the process was very different for me. I almost took it like an acceptance of a challenge. I’m like, okay, this is different. I’m going to cut hair the same way that I normally do, but in this case, it’s going to be different. I’m going to add it and then cut it in completely. So I took it, you know, challenge accepted, and I started doing it from there.

Kevin Rolston [00:04:12]:
Yeah, because the one thing I would imagine if you had to compare the differences of when you are a stylist at a regular salon compared to what you’re doing at hair club. I know just from my own hair systems, I come in and every other time, two times, whatever, it might just be maintenance. You’re just kind of trimming up the sides. And then my previous hair system goes on. But that, you know, every third time that I might come in, it’s all brand new hair. And I can’t imagine as a regular stylist, you get a lot of opportunities to go from such a radically long head of hair, which I know that I have into what I have now. So I imagine it’s almost even more challenging. So a hairstylist, I would think, at hair club, has to be somebody that is okay with the challenge.

Kevin Rolston [00:04:59]:
I feel like that would be really daunting. I see the hair that I have. I’m like, how do you even get what is on my head right now? It’s hair that is going down below my ears, and you make it into a stylish, short guys haircut. Does that scare some people, would you say? Maybe the hair club’s not for every stylist for that reason?

Rachel Rivera [00:05:17]:
Sometimes, in all honesty, it’s not. I remember when I first got started working for hair club, and it was a little scary, you know, because it does come with, you know, it as simple as it looks, it does come with certain things that we can and cannot do. For example, we have to leave your own. The hair that we are putting on and blending in with your own hair is something that we have to leave just a little bit longer. Sometimes it’s a little uncomfortable, and it pulls you out of your comfort zone when you have to leave something a little bit longer and not blend it in. But we do it for the purpose of, as your own hair is growing out, all it does is create a more seamless look. You will not see that division in the hair. So, yes, it can be scary, and there are some times where it’s just not for everybody, where they.

Rachel Rivera [00:06:04]:
They’re just not used to cutting the hair. I’ve seen people come in full on wanting to do this in gung ho, and for some reason, they just get stumbled on. Just doesn’t work.

Kevin Rolston [00:06:15]:
Yeah, I could see that. Because, you know, when you are a regular hairstylist, how often are you not making that much of a change to somebody’s hair? Is a lot of it just trimming and maintenance and things like that? Where the hair club seems to be more of a daunting challenge to start from such a broad base and whittle it down to something that the person actually wants.

Rachel Rivera [00:06:35]:
Oh, yeah. I would say about 85% of the time, when you’re working in a salon, most of the clients that you see that are coming in, they don’t want to change their hair. It’s here, give me a trim. Let’s do the same color. Let’s do all of this. It’s very simple when you’re coming in and we’re cutting in a new head of hair, which is my favorite time, by the way, because I love new styles, but it can be a little bit scary.

Kevin Rolston [00:06:57]:
Yeah. I’m wondering how long it takes for you to get used to it, because with any new job, any new style, it takes a little bit of time to get used to it. Did you feel that there was kind of a ramping up period from when you went to a regular salon to going into hair club?

Rachel Rivera [00:07:11]:
Yeah, I think in total, what it did was it it took me about a year to really become efficient and comfortable with what I was doing, to get it done in the way that I was happy with. Mm hmm.

Kevin Rolston [00:07:22]:
And tell me about the knowledge that you had, because I imagine over 13 years, you know, when I talk to you, you’re just an expert inside and out of hair systems and how to do them, how to treat them, how to color them correctly so that they match up with the regular hair that somebody might have for sideburns or on the side of their head. Would you say that every single year that your knowledge grows? And at what point. How many years were you at hair club before you would say, okay, I am a true hair system expert?

Rachel Rivera [00:07:49]:
It’s a hard timeline. I feel like I am always learning something at some point in time, and whenever I see something that’s maybe different, I always pick it up and try to figure something out. But the years of experience that I have have taught me a lot of things which make me really good at what I do.

Kevin Rolston [00:08:14]:
As a client. I am grateful for Rachel and her expertise when it comes to hair replacement technology and how far it’s come in the past few decades. You want someone like Rachel, who is a lifelong learner, on your side. I know that as technology continues to change, I have a stylist who will be able to explain it all to me.

Kevin Rolston [00:08:33]:
As for me, that builds a foundation.

Kevin Rolston [00:08:35]:
Of trust, which is so important, between a stylist and a client, especially one who has experienced some hair loss. Losing your hair is an emotional experience already, and trusting someone to help you out can feel a little bit like putting your life into somebody’s hands. So I wanted to know just how Rachel establishes that rapport with her clients, starting with the time they sit in her chair.

Rachel Rivera [00:09:04]:
Well, aside from building trust from day one, from that moment that my clients walk in and they sit in my chair and getting to know them, I always like to let them know that, hey, this process is for you and I. If there is something that you want to change, we have an open door policy. You let me know what you like, what you don’t like, what you want to see, and we work together in those kinds of things. I have a good reputation with my clients for that very reason. You know, my clients and I, we work together. If there’s something you want, I will make sure that you get it.

Kevin Rolston [00:09:39]:
And do you say that when somebody sits in the chair and you put a hair system on somebody for the very first time, do they walk out immediately satisfied? Or does it maybe take a couple of hair systems before they kind of find their look and their groove. And how do you help a client find what their perfect look is? Because look, a lot of times they’re dealing with hair that they haven’t had in five or ten years, and now that they’ve aged, have no idea what hairstyle is even going to look good for them.

Rachel Rivera [00:10:06]:
So we always come together. We try to work on a style that’s going to suit the client and something that they’re going to be comfortable with. At the same time, for some people, I want to say the majority of the people leave and they absolutely love their hair. It’s always a comment where people are like, oh, my God, I should have come here years ago. And, you know, we love to hear that because it lets us know that they’re happy with what they have. There are your select clients that sometimes getting used to having hair and going through those processes, it is a little bit longer, and it takes them a little bit more time, one, to get comfortable with having something that they haven’t had in a long time and also trying to maintain and care for their hair.

Kevin Rolston [00:10:48]:
I assume you probably have some clients to sit down and they’re a little apprehensive, they’re a little nervous. What do you say to them to calm them as you’re getting ready to take clippers to the top of their head?

Rachel Rivera [00:10:57]:
I always like to make sure that I’m explaining to my clients everything that I do, and I always want to make sure that they know that they have the option, so they don’t always have to shave their hair all the way down. They can choose to leave it. And I’ll always go over the options and how the look is going to be, but I never want them to feel uncomfortable. So making sure that I’m looking at them in the face and looking at me and understanding that, hey, this is okay, we’re going to do this together, and I’m going to make sure that you’re as comfortable as possible throughout this whole process.

Kevin Rolston [00:11:29]:
Describe to me what is the look of somebody who needs a hair system? How much hair have they lost? Up top, what does a hair system really benefit? What does that person’s head look like?

Rachel Rivera [00:11:39]:
Usually what we are looking at is when a client, when I can see through a client’s scalp, you want to look. Scalp visibility is one of the biggest things. So when you are seeing more scalp than you are hair, that is usually when we are the option for non surgical hair restoration, they’ve usually exceeded the point where they can’t do any treatment. Usually at that point, we come in and we explain to them how the hair goes and everything, but usually that’s what we’re looking at. When you’re seeing more scalp than hair, when you’re seeing a lot of dead follicles and you’re seeing those little one strand hairs here and there, that’s when you know there’s time to do something.

Kevin Rolston [00:12:17]:
Yeah. Cause a lot of people are saying, hey, just, you know, you should always go with the hair transplant. But the one thing I discovered after finding out about hair transplants is that a lot of times, one procedure doesn’t cover all of the loss that you have. And so a hair system makes sense for people that may not want to spend a the money to get five, six, seven hair transplants. And is that what you’re saying? Is that if you notice that you’ve got more scalp than hair, that maybe the hair transplant isn’t the right thing for you, that hair system is a better call?

Rachel Rivera [00:12:50]:
Yeah, I believe, listen, I’m a big believer in instant gratification, and there’s some people that, unfortunately, when the hair loss is severe, yes, it is something that you. One transplant, one surgery will not give you that density of hair that people are looking for. So usually in our initial consultations, before we even get called to do any kinds of measurements for a client, for prospective client, we always make sure that we explain to them the situation and giving them the option to do surgery, as well as giving them the option to do non surgical hair restoration and letting them know the difference between the two. But, yes, in our cases, we’re giving you hair right away. We’re giving you hair all the, all the hair that you lost in all those years.

Kevin Rolston [00:13:39]:
A hair system was the right option for me.

Kevin Rolston [00:13:41]:
I was at the point with my.

Kevin Rolston [00:13:42]:
Hair loss, and I just wanted that instant gratification that Rachel talks about. I was ready to take the leap, but not everybody is at that point. And there are other options for folks who arent interested in getting a hair system. Even within the world of hair systems, there are a lot of options, and Rachel helps her clients navigate figuring out what’s right for their individual needs.

Rachel Rivera [00:14:09]:
So we have so many different types of technologies is what we call them. A lot of them that we use are very, it’s a very fine thin lace, and when we do your initial measurements for the first time, we usually mimic the skin. So what we do is we take the color swatches, and we usually match it to your own skin. So that really all you’re looking at is just the hair. So on the thin laces. And we also do have skin type systems that are almost mimic a contact lens. But with those hair systems, usually what we do is they knot the hair or they be loop the hair in it and then we put it on. All you’re seeing is the hair coming out of the scalp.

Rachel Rivera [00:14:50]:
You’re not seeing anything else.

Kevin Rolston [00:14:52]:
How do you match up different types of hair structure to other different types of hair? Let’s say I have really coarse hair or I have fine or thin hair. Are you able to match that up? And how do you wind up doing something like that?

Rachel Rivera [00:15:04]:
Yeah, usually what we do is we have hair club has a slew of different types of textures for hair. Anywhere between your afros, all the way down to your slick, straight heads of hair. Anything that we have to do, maybe in between, we can also do in house. So there really isn’t anything that we can’t customize.

Kevin Rolston [00:15:24]:
And tell me about coloring too, because the one thing that I think is such a great advancement and what you get with todays hair systems is how it blends in. Because for me, as an example, I still have all my natural hair on the side of my head. And then it just blends up perfectly with the same kind of texture and the same kind of color. How are you eyeballing that so that you match that up every single time?

Rachel Rivera [00:15:46]:
I always make sure that I know my clients first, but when we first get started, we always do the initial swatches to make sure we match color. But really knowing your client’s hair color and the different changes that we have to make as their hair maybe gets grayer or if they want to start adding color, it just depends on what you want to do. It’s always my job to pay attention and just make sure, and if not, always asking questions.

Kevin Rolston [00:16:11]:
Okay. And then there are so many different options that they have. At hair club, do you ever recommend to somebody and say, you know what, maybe a system is not great for you? Because I know that there’s a great selection of wigs and things like that as well. How do you know the difference between I’m a person that should do a hair system versus a person that should do a wig?

Rachel Rivera [00:16:28]:
Sometimes you’ll find people that are not comfortable with styling their hair every single day. It’s very different. When you’re wearing human hair, you’re waking up and you have to style it in the morning. There are some women that don’t want to style their hair every day. Sometimes that shake and go wig that already has that preset style is usually the best option for them. So it’s usually finding out what’s best for them.

Kevin Rolston [00:16:53]:
Tell me. As a hairstylist who has worked at regular salons compared to being at a place like hair club, I imagine that when you give that perfect cut, you just have the person that is in awe, and they’re so grateful, and they’re so happy. Is your level of satisfaction higher working at a place like hair club? Because to me, the transformation is so much greater that you’re making a massive difference more often than you do working at a regular salon.

Rachel Rivera [00:17:21]:
100%. It is such a good feeling. Sometimes I can’t even explain it, because what we do is so life changing. When I see somebody for the first time and I’ve given them back that hair, and they look in the mirror for that first time, and they’re like, oh, my God. And I just stand back, and I’m like, I can’t believe I just did that. You know? And it makes them so happy, and it’s this joy that you can’t have get anywhere else. I mean, I can do the same haircut, the same hairstyle on everyone, but every time when you’re creating something new, it’s just so different. I love what I do now.

Kevin Rolston [00:17:57]:
How do you find the perfect hairstyle? I got lucky. I got paired with you, and I said, this is enough. And I’m to the point where if something happens with you, if you’re sick, I am moving my entire life around to be like, I’m only seeing Rachel. Rachel is it. She gets me. She gets my hair perfect. So how does somebody walk into hair club and find their Rachel? And that often happened. They find the perfect person the first time, or can you rifle through different stylists? How does that happen?

Rachel Rivera [00:18:25]:
You can pick and choose different stylists. Initially, you can start off with somebody, and then what we try to do is we try to pair you up with different clients just to see if maybe they do something maybe different that you like. I’ve been very blessed, I can say, because I have a lot of clients. They love me. They love the work that I do. They come and see me consistently. I absolutely love it. But you always have the option, and usually when they’re coming in, my biggest thing is, hey, show me pictures of what you used to look like.

Rachel Rivera [00:18:54]:
Show me pictures of what you may want to look like. Are there any actors that you like? Is there anybody that you maybe want to. Whose hairstyle you want to mimic, Pinterest, YouTube, anything that they see that they may want to look like, which or look similar to. So that’s always what we go by.

Kevin Rolston [00:19:16]:
As you can clearly hear, Rachel is not just a knowledgeable stylist and someone I’m glad to have on my team. She’s an amazing person who genuinely loves her work and cares for every client who sits in her chair. And that’s so important when you’re on this journey to try to get your hair back or finding the right solution for you. You need to find the right professional, someone like you, someone you trust and who truly understands your vision. Someone who will be honest with you about what they can afford and guide you with compassion and expertise. Its not just about finding a stylist, its about finding the right stylist for you. And if youre lucky, like me, you might just find someone like Rachel. Thanks for listening to another episode of Hairpot.

Kevin Rolston [00:19:59]:
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 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. And when you share, review, and subscribe, it helps us do just that. So thank you.

Kevin Rolston [00:20:33]:
Until next time.

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Growing Up with Trichotillomania

by Oscar Camargo | Jun 25, 2024 | Episode

Episode 18

Growing Up with Trichotillomania

trichotillomania-solution-Heather-Brooke-018-blog

This week, I’m bringing back the amazing story of Heather Brooke, a beauty pageant winner, licensed counselor, and author of the children’s book, “Where Is My Hair? A Trichotillomania Story for Children”. Heather grew up with trichotillomania and now she treats patients who are dealing with this disorder. In this episode from the vault, Heather talks about how she came down with this condition, how it impacted her throughout her life, and how she learned to cope with it.

Understanding Trichotillomania: A Lesser-Known Cause of Hair Loss

Hair loss is a common issue that many people face, but not all hair loss is the same. Trichotillomania is a lesser-known disorder that causes individuals to compulsively pull out their own hair, often as a coping mechanism to deal with trauma or extreme stress. Unlike other forms of hair loss that may be due to medical conditions, hormonal changes, or genetics, trichotillomania is sometimes rooted in psychological distress. Heather, a beauty pageant competitor and therapist, shares her personal journey with trichotillomania stemming from childhood trauma.

Finding a Solution: Heather’s Journey to Recovery

For those dealing with trichotillomania, finding an effective solution can be a long and complicated process. Heather describes her journey through different types of treatment and medication, none of which provided a complete solution for her. Her preferred approach covers her bald spots, which also helps keep her from pulling her hair out in those spots as well so they have the opportunity to heal. This option not only concealed the effects of her trichotillomania but also instilled a newfound sense of confidence in Heather. She shares that seeing a full head of hair again was a transformative experience for her.

Coping with Hair Loss: A Message of Hope

Heather’s story is a beacon of hope for others dealing with hair loss, whether due to trichotillomania or other reasons. She emphasizes that no one is alone in this struggle and encourages people to seek out solutions that work for them. As Heather has shown, solutions like hers can significantly improve one’s quality of life by restoring both hair and confidence. Her journey underscores the importance of seeking help and exploring all available options. For those feeling lost and overwhelmed, Heather’s message is clear: there is hope, and effective solutions are within reach.

Episode.18 Transcript

Heather Brooke [00:00:05]:

When I was a kid, I was probably about five years old when I started competing in pageants. But when I was around nine or ten years old, I was sexually abused by an older cousin. And it wasn’t long after that I started developing a disorder called trichotillomania. So the person who has the disorder actually pulls out their own hair. And the best way that I can describe it is as a coping mechanism for all the trauma that was going through and experiencing.

Kevin Rolston [00:00:53]:

Welcome to Hairpod, the podcast where you get to hear real people talk about their hair journeys. I’m your host, Kevin Rolston. 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 back one of the first episodes we ever released. It’s a story of trauma, triumph and transformation. When we were getting ready to launch hairpod, I got to interview Heather Brooke about trichotillomania, the condition that caused her to pull out her own hair. She is a beauty pageant winner, a counselor, and the author of where is my hair? A childrens book about trichotillomania.

Kevin Rolston [00:01:39]:

Were going to cover all that and more today. But before we do, I just want to let you know that Heather does briefly mention abuse and trauma in this episode. Its not graphic, and we dont dwell on the subject, but if thats not something that you want to hear about right now, maybe save this episode for another day. Now let’s get into Heather’s story of hope after hair loss.

Kevin Rolston [00:02:06]:

Hello, Heather.

Heather Brooke [00:02:07]:

Hi. How are you?

Kevin Rolston [00:02:09]:

I am doing great. Tell me a little bit about your hair journey, because you’re started in a different place than what most people do. You were doing beauty pageants as a child and you started having hair loss issues. Why was that?

Heather Brooke [00:02:27]:

Yeah. So actually, when I was a kid, I was probably about five years old when I started competing in pageants. But when I was around nine or ten years old, I experienced some trauma. I was sexually abused by an older cousin. And it wasn’t long after that that I started developing a disorder called trichotillomania. So unlike a lot of people with hair issues, hair loss issues, theirs are usually natural or medical or something. Trichotillomania is actually a hair pulling disorder. So the person who has the disorder actually pulls out their own hair.

Heather Brooke [00:03:07]:

And the best way that I can describe it is as a coping mechanism for all the trauma that I was going through. And experiencing.

Kevin Rolston [00:03:15]:

What did that look like? How noticeable was it, and how did your parents deal with this situation?

Heather Brooke [00:03:21]:

Yeah, so my journey, it started out, it wasn’t super noticeable super quick. I could actually remember the first time that I pulled, and my trickatilla mania began with my eyelashes, not from my head. And I was in the hallway at our house, and I had an eyelash that kept poking me in the eye. And I went to a mirror in our hall and was just trying to straighten out the lash. And as I was pulling on it to try to straighten it out, it came out. And when it came out, there was, like, this release. I’m a therapist as well, and so the one thing that I can compare it to is for people who do self harming and cut, there’s that release that people do get when that happens. And that was kind of what that felt like for me when I pulled that lash on accident.

Heather Brooke [00:04:15]:

Like, that wasn’t even intentional, but that sudden, like, release that came, it was like, for a brief moment, all of the stress and anxiety that I had been holding inside was gone. But it almost creates, like, endorphins, like a high, and. But like any high, you have to continue the behavior to continue to get it. And so, for me, that started with my lashes, and it took probably months before anybody ever noticed that. When that became noticeable, I moved to my eyebrows, thinking, oh, if I pull from somewhere else, then maybe I’ll stop pulling from there. That didn’t work. So my parents thought that I was shaving my eyebrows, and it probably wasn’t until three or four years after I actually started pulling that I developed enough bald patches on my head, because at that point, I had started pulling from my head that I had developed enough bald patches that it was noticeable.

Kevin Rolston [00:05:13]:

About what age were you at this time?

Heather Brooke [00:05:16]:

13 or 14.

Kevin Rolston [00:05:18]:

And was it your parents that stepped in and said something? Did you hear anything from kids in your school? How was it that it really kind of first came to light to them?

Heather Brooke [00:05:27]:

Yeah. So my grandmother, I believe, was actually the first person who noticed. I always had really long eyelashes, and I had, like, Brooke shields eyebrows as a kid. And so when my grandmother was, like, looking at me one day and she was like, what happened to your eyelashes? And I didn’t know what I was doing. I didn’t know why I was doing it and why I couldn’t stop. So I was just like, oh, I was trying to curl them with one of those eyelash things. So I, like, lied about what I was doing. And then when my parents, when I moved to my eyebrows, and my parents thought that I was shaving my eyebrows.

Heather Brooke [00:06:01]:

I just allowed that to continue because I didn’t know what I was doing. I felt so weird that I was doing this, and I couldn’t stop, and I didn’t know why. And so it was when I was 13 or 14, I was up really late one night watching a. It was like an infomercial or something that was on television, and it was about wigs. And as I was sitting there watching this infomercial, there was a woman on there who started talking about pulling her hair. And then she started talking about, like, these fake eyelashes and different things. But as she was talking, she said, trichotillomania. And a couple of days after that, my mom noticed a bald patch on my head in the pool.

Heather Brooke [00:06:55]:

We had been swimming, and I wore. At that point, I was wearing. I had always had super thick hair, and I think that’s one of the reasons that, other reasons that it took so long to notice that I’d always had super thick hair. And so I just got to the point where I was always wearing my hair in a ponytail. But this one specific day, she was coming out of the pool behind me, and my ponytail had moved enough that she could see the bald spot. And so when she said something to me about it, I was like, okay, I think I saw this commercial. I think this is what I have. And I told her, and she said, okay.

Heather Brooke [00:07:30]:

And so she scheduled an appointment with me to see the doctor that she worked for. And so I went in. He diagnosed me, and then he made a referral to a psychiatrist and put me on some medications, and that was kind of where the treatment for it started.

Kevin Rolston [00:07:50]:

Even though the trichotillomania was causing some ball patches on Heather’s scalp, she never let that stop her from competing in beauty pageants.

Heather Brooke [00:07:59]:

I competed off and on throughout high school, even with my trichotillomania. I competed some years with a wig, some years with glue in extensions or clip in extensions.

Kevin Rolston [00:08:14]:

In between pageants and trying to be a normal kid, Heather started to receive different treatments for trichotillomania. Trichotillomania isn’t one of those things you treat once and just move on from. It’s a chronic issue that Heather still deals with to this day.

Heather Brooke [00:08:28]:

Yeah, it was a lot. It’s still a lot because it’s still something that I struggle with because there’s so little research done on trichotillomania. So there’s still a lot to be learned about it. And I’ve actually been part of a couple of different studies that are looking at how genetics can be involved, how mental, other mental health issues can play into it, but there’s just so little known about it. So when I was diagnosed, I was put on an antidepressant. That didn’t help, just made me sick. Then there was points where when I was real under really high levels of stress, I would pull more. There would be times where I would pull subconsciously or unconsciously, like I would be pulling and not even be aware until after I had already been doing it, that I had done it.

Heather Brooke [00:09:13]:

Sometimes it was conscious, so there was a mixture of those, but I tried everything that I could to hide it. By the time I was a junior in high school, I was almost completely bald. I had to wear a wig. I’m wearing a wig in my senior pictures. But by the Christmas of my senior year, I was able to let my hair grow out enough that I had this short, cute pixie cut. And it’s been more manageable since that point. I still struggle with it. It’s still something I struggle with on a daily basis, but, and I’ve tried covering it up, like I said, with ponytails, doing ponytails, doing wigs, wearing extensions, all different kinds of things.

Heather Brooke [00:09:54]:

And when I got ready to compete for Miss woman Colorado, United States, I was looking for alternatives to help hide some of the spots that I had at the time. And I found hair club, and hair club was actually one of my sponsors. And so that’s kind of helped a lot with my journey.

Kevin Rolston [00:10:11]:

Oh, wow. That’s so cool. Tell me a little bit about that. Like, how did you exactly find them? Just the name popped up and you decided to go. And how did that all come about?

Heather Brooke [00:10:21]:

Yeah, I was just googling hair salons and that did extensions and looking for sponsors, and hair club popped up. At the time, I’d only heard of hair club for men, so I thought that it was just for men. But I did a little bit of research and found out that women used hair club as well. And so I just emailed them. The manager at the Denver location messaged me back, emailed me back, and we set up an appointment. I went in for a consultation, and then the next thing I knew, I was a hair club client, and they were one of my pageant sponsors. And it was awesome because once I won the pageant, right, I was going to compete for Miss woman Colorado. Whenever I got hair club as a sponsor.

Heather Brooke [00:11:12]:

And when I actually won the title for the state, I jokingly with my stylist, was like, I wish I could take you with me to nationals for you to do my hair at nationals. And so they were like, yeah, we’ll send her out there with you. So they actually sent her to Florida with me for nationals, and she did my hair for the competition.

Kevin Rolston [00:11:40]:

Now, tell me, with the x strands, how does that work with your trichotillomania that you still are trying to recover from? Do you pull out the x strands? Is there a desire to do that?

Heather Brooke [00:11:50]:

Yeah. No, actually, it’s really interesting because I have what I call trigger spots. So there’s specific areas that when I’m stressed or bored or not even paying attention that I pull from. And so what extras does is it covers the areas that are lacking hair, and then my own hair is still used in addition to that. So all of the edges I pull from the sides and the crown of my head, so all of the edges are my. Is my hair, and just the crown and the sides is a system that is glued to my scalp. And so I shave underneath the system so that the system, it fits snug on my scalp. That’s just a personal preference.

Heather Brooke [00:12:36]:

Some people don’t do that, but I choose to do that. But it covers those trigger spots for me, so I don’t typically have the desire to pull anymore.

Kevin Rolston [00:12:47]:

How about that? And tell me, how do you feel with your system on? When you look in the mirror and you see that you’ve got a full head of hair and you don’t have those, you know, bald spots that you had had before, what is that like for you?

Heather Brooke [00:13:01]:

Oh, it’s amazing. Like, I wanted to cry when I saw myself in the mirror for the first time when they did the reveal, because it had been so long since I had seen myself with a full head of hair. Right. So when I look at myself, like, I don’t see the clips from the extensions, and I don’t see, it’s really hard to tell where your hairline is at and where the extras is at. And so it just gives me so much confidence to know that I can do whatever I want to with it. If I want to curl it, I can curl it. If I want to straighten it, I can straighten it. If I want to cut it, dye it, like, whatever I want to do to it.

Heather Brooke [00:13:41]:

I have those options again. And I’m not just stuck with, like, one hairstyle or fixing it just a certain way because I have to worry about hiding the clips or the different things from the extensions. And so it’s just, it really gave me back a lot of my confidence.

Kevin Rolston [00:14:10]:

Listening to Heather today, its hard to imagine her lifelong battle with trichotillomania stemming from childhood trauma. Now, as a licensed professional counselor, Heather commits herself to assisting those grappling with mental health challenges. She’s even authored a children’s book on trichotillomania to help young clients facing the same struggle.

Heather Brooke [00:14:31]:

Yeah, so I wrote where’s my hair? A trichotillomania story for children in 2018. And I actually, I wrote it because where I was living at at the time, people got to know me as a therapist who worked with people with trichotillomania because of my own personal experience. And so I would get a lot of kids. And so I had this girl, young girl, come in. She was 13 or 14, and she was on the autism spectrum, and she was non verbal, and she started pulling her hair, and her stepmom brought her in to me, and she said, her occupational therapist says that she has trichotillomania. And she started giving me all of this information that the OT had given her about trichotillomania. And I looked at her, and I was like, the only thing that’s accurate about any of that is the name of the disorder. And so I use with kids a lot books to help them understand what they’re going through, what they’re experiencing, that they’re not alone.

Heather Brooke [00:15:36]:

And so I went online and started looking for a book that I could share with her in session, and I couldn’t find anything. There was stuff for professionals, there was stuff for adults, there was stuff for parents, but there was nothing specifically for children. So I sat down and wrote my book loosely based off of my own personal experience. And then I sent it to my mom and was like, I’m gonna write a book. I’m writing this children’s book. Here it is. And my mom likes to draw, and so I was like, will you illustrate it for me? So my mom got grabbed some pictures of my oldest daughter and some friends, and she sat down and she. She illustrated the stories for the story for me.

Kevin Rolston [00:16:22]:

Wow, that is so cool. What a great full circle story that you have to share with so many people. What an inspiration. And I really appreciate you taking the time to talk to us if you had to talk to any other women out there, for whatever reason, because hair loss, you know, your story is unique. I don’t know how many other people are going to say that they have what you do, but hair loss is something that so many men, and believe it or not, so many women are going through, and it’s hard to probably hear from another woman that’s got hair loss and is open about it. What would you say to them if they just feel kind of lost and they’re listening to this conversation saying, okay, what are my next steps? What do I do? How should I feel about this?

Heather Brooke [00:17:02]:

Yeah, I would definitely say that you are not alone. First of all, we all experience hair loss in some form or fashion and are going to at some point, whether it’s from hormone issues, medical issues, mental health issues, medications, all of these different things that we experience and deal with in life can create hair loss at some point. Doesn’t mean that you won’t get it back, but you know that. But we all struggle with something. And so the first thing would be that you’re not alone. The second thing would be that there is options, you know, and whether that is, you know, a treatment that hair club has that will help your hair regrow or you’re doing something like I am with, like, xtrands. Plus, there are options out there, and you just have to seek them out.

Kevin Rolston [00:18:09]:

We want to thank Heather for appearing on the show. It was great to talk to her about her resilience, despite the struggles she faced and how she transformed a painful past into a commitment to helping kids who are going through their own difficult journeys with mental and emotional health. We find her so inspiring, and we hope you do, too. If you know somebody who is currently dealing with trichotillomania or has a child with this condition and you’d like to pick up a copy of Heather’s book, we have a link to where is my hair? A trichotillomania story for children in our show notes. 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 somebody who could benefit from hearing this episode, we would love it if youd share it with them. If youre enjoying the show, consider leaving us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app.

Kevin Rolston [00:19:01]:

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. So thank you. Until next time.

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