Joey Logano [00:00:06]:
Well, when Alopecia thing started up, that's when they just did some, like, steroid shots. And for one, I didn't, oh, I didn't really like the needles in my head for one of them, for one thing, and it wasn't working. That was the other thing that really, really wasn't working. And I was like, okay, I need to. That's when I drop back and punt here. There's something. I'm not going down the right road here. I need to kind of, you know, find something better and different.

Kevin Rolston [00:00:48]:
Welcome back to another episode of Hairpod. I'm your host, Kevin Ralston. And each week, I get to interview people from different walks of life, but they all have one thing in common. Their lives have been affected by hair loss. Each week, we're going to share people's lived experiences with hair loss and most importantly, what they did to get their hair and their confidence back. For this episode, we're bringing one back from the vault and one we know you're going to love. Anybody who's a fan of NASCAR knows the name Joey Logano. Joey is a two time NASCAR Cup Series champion and has made waves in the world of stock car racing with his achievements.

Kevin Rolston [00:01:25]:
But newer fans may not know that Joey has struggled with an autoimmune disorder called alopecia, which causes partial or total hair loss. And Joey learned of his alopecia after a routine trip to the barber.

Joey Logano [00:01:40]:
Well, it's actually kind of. I mean, at this point now, it's a funny story, but at the time, I just went to get my hair cut like I typically do at the local barber shop. And I got home, and my wife goes, what did they do to the back of your head? I'm like, oh, what do you mean, what did they do back? They gave me a haircut. She goes, they completely botched your haircut. Like, no way. And she shows me a picture, and it's just spots all over the back of my head. I'm like, well, it did botch my haircut, but she's pissed. She's like, this lady that cut your hair should not be working there.

Joey Logano [00:02:11]:
She's gonna screw up someone else's haircut, and then everyone's gonna look ridiculous like you look. And so she drives down there to tell this lady how she shouldn't be cutting hair anymore. Fast forward. Fast forward a week or so, and it's not growing back. I'm like, hold on. I think there's something wrong. And I went to dermatologist, and, like, they diagnosed with alopecia. And I was like, okay, well, I don't know what that means, and what do I do? And the first thing I knew what it meant is that we need to drive back to the barbershop and apologize to the poor lady that cut my hair.

Joey Logano [00:02:43]:
And that was the first thing we had to do.

Kevin Rolston [00:02:47]:
Yeah. Yeah. Because I'm curious, like, how much, like, alopecia, how many bald spots did you have? How prominent was it?

Joey Logano [00:02:56]:
It comes in and out. Honestly, comes in and out. Sometimes in the back of my head, top my head. Sometimes it shows up in my beard.

Kevin Rolston [00:03:03]:
Oh, wow.

Joey Logano [00:03:04]:
You know, it just. It's different ways. It's an autoimmune disorder, is what it is. And.

Kevin Rolston [00:03:08]:
Okay, okay.

Joey Logano [00:03:10]:
There's no rhyme or reason. They can't really understand it. They say maybe stress, hereditary. It's really like, you don't know. I mean, on top of the alopecia, I was just going bald. Right? Like, that was the other piece of. Wait, do you.

Kevin Rolston [00:03:21]:
Do you ever come under any stress at all? What do you do that's so stressful?

Joey Logano [00:03:26]:
Yes. We'll just flare it up here not too long ago. So it makes sense. As the playoffs usually roll around, it is a lot of stress that gets put on the plate. Yeah. Driving circles as fast as never. Fast enough is what it is, though. So.

Joey Logano [00:03:41]:
Always looking for more on that one.

Kevin Rolston [00:03:47]:
It's common for people who are losing their hair to try a few different solutions before they find one that works for them. Things such as reducing stress, changing their diet, taking supplements, essential oils, grandma's remedies. Shoot. I gotta admit, I have tried some crazy ideas myself. So you are like a lot of guys. You notice that you've got some hair loss issues. You've got a unique situation. And the reason why we're doing the hair pot is because we're trying to let people know that there are solutions out there.

Kevin Rolston [00:04:18]:
And it sounds like your first step was what a lot of guys first step is. And being a NASCAR like you are, you were able to wear a lot of hats. But then tell me about the challenges with that, because, you know, I know being in the field that I'm in, where you do media is, you wind up with these social functions where you just. A hat's just not going to cut it. You kind of wound up with the same situation.

Joey Logano [00:04:40]:
Yeah. And it happened, whether it's, you know, you think about Ferrari stuff during the national anthem or the prayer before the race, you take your hat off and then you see, like, pictures and stuff afterwards, like, golly, I'm like, I'm bald, honey. You can't realize it because it happens so slow. You know what I mean?

Kevin Rolston [00:04:56]:
Yeah.

Joey Logano [00:04:57]:
But then eventually, like, yeah, I should just do something about it. I can, so why wouldn't I? What's wrong with that? And, you know, like, a lot of people, you know, it's a little awkward what direction we're supposed to go here is this. But honestly, it's normal, right? Like, so many people deal with it. And if you can do something about it, why? Why wouldn't you? You know, there's nothing wrong with that. And, like, who's gonna judge you for that? For wanting to be better, right? Like, why do you go to gym and work out to be better? You know, look good, feel good, right? Like, that's kind of the same situation, I think, with your hair. And if it bothers you and you can gain some confidence from having hair the great thing is that there's a lot of different ways of going about it that you can have hairy in. And I think that part's pretty neat.

Kevin Rolston [00:05:48]:
But after pursuing other options Joey connected with hair club as a hair solution and a partner and even a sponsor was your very first attempt at trying to do something about your hair loss. Was it going to hair club or did you try something else before going to hair club?

Joey Logano [00:06:07]:
I wasn't educated enough to even know which direction to go. And I just went to my local dermatologist that I've gone to and, you know, they have a couple options there but they weren't, like, great ones. When alopecia thing started up, that's when they just did some, like, steroid shots where the alopecia spots were. And for one, I didn't. I didn't really like the needles in my head for one of them, for one thing. And it wasn't working. That was the other thing that really, really wasn't working. And I was like, okay, I need to.

Joey Logano [00:06:42]:
That's when I dropped back and punt here. There's something. Yeah, we're not going down the right road here. I need to kind of, you know, find something better and different. And so then when I went to hair club, it's like, well, there's, like, a lot of different things I can do here depending on my situation. And I learned about all the things they have, like. And like I said, it's different for everybody, right? Like. Like, your issues would be completely different than mine and there's a fix for.

Joey Logano [00:07:05]:
For all of them. And, like, I couldn't believe how many different avenues there was when I got there. That was the part that blew my mind. And they all were pretty simple, right? It was all quick and like, easy. Okay, you can do this. You can do that. Like some more permanent, some, you gotta, you know, be around a little bit more often. It just kind of depends on what your situation was.

Joey Logano [00:07:24]:
And so I was like, cool. I felt really comfortable after leaving hair club the first time because, you know, I walked in there feeling awkward and uncomfortable and I thought at the end I was like, okay. Like, I'm usually not a quick decision maker. And I was like, okay, well, that's what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna do that. Sounds good. See you next week. You know, like.

Kevin Rolston [00:07:51]:
When most people find a solution with the new hair system, one of the natural concerns is what are my limits? Being a race car driver, Joey naturally has an extremely active lifestyle. Flying around the track at nearly 200 mph, your hair is the last thing you want to worry about. So I had to know if Joey ever got nervous about bringing his hair system into new situations.

Joey Logano [00:08:16]:
Only in the beginning, I was nervous. Now I'm not. I'm not now because I feel very confident in everything now. But at first when things are new, you're like, I don't know. Like, I don't know about this jet ski and I don't know where I'm at with stuff. But you honestly kind of figure out your way, your things go and everything and you get confident and comfortable and what you got and it's fine. But I'm telling you, and I asked a lot of questions before to a lot of people. I'm like, that's fine.

Joey Logano [00:08:50]:
So that you can, like, and they look at you like you're an idiot. Like, yeah, you can live your normal life. What are you talking about? And I'm like, okay, well, I just wanted to ask, like, I don't know. And, and it took, I mean, I'm being honest. It took a month or so before you, like, you get used to, for one, seeing yourself with hair, right? You look in the mirror and you're like, oh, who's that guy? Right? Like it takes a second to get used to it for one. And then also how to live just the way you live your life, right? Like all that stuff. Like you're, you're concerned it's going to change and do all so, but it really just, it's not a big deal.

Kevin Rolston [00:09:31]:
What is the temperature like for you and how does the hair feel? Because you got a helmet on, you're in a car. I mean, I know? You know, I'm in south Florida, so when you come to a Miami homestead, the temperatures in that car have got to be absolutely insane. So how breathable is your hair, and what does it feel like when you're in those extreme temperatures?

Joey Logano [00:09:52]:
I wouldn't even know.

Kevin Rolston [00:09:53]:
Yeah.

Joey Logano [00:09:54]:
Wouldn't even know, really?

Kevin Rolston [00:09:55]:
Okay.

Joey Logano [00:09:58]:
Honestly, like, from you think, the conditions that I am in, in the cyto race car, it's 30 degrees warmer than the outside air temp. So when you have a 90 degree day, it's 120 degrees in the car.

Kevin Rolston [00:10:10]:
Wow.

Joey Logano [00:10:11]:
And we just shoot, we just raced in Texas. It was 100 degrees outside. It was over 130 in the car.

Kevin Rolston [00:10:16]:
Wow. Nothing.

Joey Logano [00:10:17]:
I get right out and walk away. I don't. I don't think twice about, like, I got other things to worry about when I'm in the race car. If hair is one of them, I don't want that distraction. I wouldn't want the distractions. Not worth it to me as a competitor. This is like, I wouldn't even know. You know, I get out, I walk out, right? Like, all I do now is I fix my hair a little bit before I get out of the car because I actually have it.

Kevin Rolston [00:10:40]:
Yeah.

Joey Logano [00:10:42]:
That's the only difference.

Kevin Rolston [00:10:44]:
What about the reactions you get? Have you ever had another driver tease you about your hair? Has there any been anybody that's done anything that's made you feel self conscious about it? And tell me a little bit about the confidence that having the hair does for you.

Joey Logano [00:10:57]:
Yeah, I mean, the shock factor is real. There's no way around that. You first show up and be like, whoa, what's different? Or what happened? You know, it took. It took a little bit for people to just kind of get used to it. Now it's not even like, it's never even really brought up, which is what you want to get to, I think. Right. You don't really want it to be a topic of conversation everywhere you go. But, you know, for me, think about, I'm in the public eye as much as.

Kevin Rolston [00:11:25]:
Oh, yeah.

Joey Logano [00:11:26]:
As a race car driver can be, at least. And so, you know, you're getting a lot of reactions. The first, you know, few days, especially because when I first started having it, I. There was a. We were raced at the La Coliseum, and one of the big banners there was hair club banner, and it said, ask Joey. Well, I'm like, everybody's asking me about it because it says to ask me so well, I don't think I have the best experience there. Most realistic experience for the normal customer. They're telling people to ask me about my hair.

Joey Logano [00:12:00]:
So it's probably a lot different for the normal customer that's not advertising it as much as I am.

Kevin Rolston [00:12:12]:
So then if you're going to do an appearance, say you're on an american idol, you're doing Sharknado twelve or something like that. Are you confident with how you do the hair yourself? Because, you know, for some people, they feel like they can never get the hair the way a hairdresser does. And it's hard to style. And that is one of the things when you do have hair, you know, you have the potential to have to style it. And, you know, there's a little bit of work that goes into it.

Joey Logano [00:12:36]:
Well, there's an education that goes into it because I didn't know what to do at first because it took, it took a few times to, like, learn how to style your hair because I was like, man, this doesn't look right, or it doesn't look as good as when I left hair club. And honestly, I got trained, you know, as a girl. Show me how you do it. Like, and I said, give me the comb. Let me. Let me do it. You know, let me put the stuff. Give me the stuff I need and fix me up.

Joey Logano [00:13:05]:
Like, train me how to, like, I want to make it look as good. So I learned how to do it. And it's kind of funny because, you know, before, I just combed my hair to make it look like I had hair, you know, like, whatever, whatever hairstyle made it look like I had the most hair, you know what I mean? I had to comb over, going, and now it's like, huh? I can do anything I want. What do I do? It's like, there's too many options. I don't know what to do. So I had to learn a little bit. I want to look good. I do a lot of things on tv, and, you know, as a race car driver, not just driving the car, but I do a lot of tv broadcasts and stuff like that for the Xfinity series, which is one level down from the cup series, but I end up doing the broadcast a lot for them.

Joey Logano [00:13:55]:
So I want things to look fresh all the time, look good. So, you know, I'm probably a more of a frequent customer than most, but, you know, the option is there to go either way, for sure. I try to schedule everything, so I do it when I'm at home, but I can. And I have been to other locations, but not for a haircut or anything like that or freshen up or whatever. I've always kind of stuck to what I do and I try to be consistent as much as I can, but we all know, like, sometimes stuff comes up and you're like, I can't do it this week, but I got to get in there before I leave for, you know, because sometimes I'm gone from home for a week at a time and, like, I got to get in there before I leave and, you know, can you fit me in here? And then it's like, hey, hang on a second. You know, they kind of move things around. Boom, okay, you get in there, I'm like, all right, cool. You know, and, you know, try to work together on that stuff, but I try to be consistent and say, okay, this is what I'm going to be.

Joey Logano [00:14:51]:
This is what I'm going to do. But, yeah, I mean, things change at the blink of an eye a lot of times, and in our life, for sure.

Kevin Rolston [00:15:00]:
Yeah, I know you've got three kids and they've got something called hair club for kids. Can you tell me a little bit about the hair club for kids, why it really strikes your heart and why you think it's such an important charity that hair club does?

Joey Logano [00:15:12]:
There's a few kids that I know that have gone through that piece for them. You know, one of my friends that was part of the jail kids crew where we bring kids to the racetrack, they're going through a life altering situation one way or another, and we bring them to the racetrack, give them this great experience and all that. Well, one of them that was a, became good friends of us is actually, is one of their hair club for kid kids as well. And you just help give them confidence, right? There's always, there's already something different already, right? And people, you know, it's tough for them, right? Think about it like as a kid showing up, being different than everybody else, as an adult, you can somewhat handle that because you've gone through more of life or you're more confident yourself, you know who you are, you know, those type of things. But as a kid, man, it's even harder because you just, you don't know. And now you're, now you're the different kid. And like I said, kids that aren't real nice are going to say things and it's just, it's horrible and it's not their fault. Right? It just happens.

Joey Logano [00:16:14]:
So the fact that hair club came up with a fix for them in a terrible way, right? Like, that part's really neat.

Kevin Rolston [00:16:34]:
Hair club is the solution that works for, for Joey for so many people experiencing hair loss, the idea of going in and getting a consultation is really what's holding them back. It's difficult. Some people feel embarrassed about the whole thing and others just feel that's not gonna work. Having been in their shoes, Joey offered sound advice to help those hesitant to take the first step.

Joey Logano [00:16:57]:
I would say just go get the consultation and get comfortable going. Going there the first time. Don't make a decision before you walked into the place, yes or no. Just say, hey, I've noticed I've been losing my hair. I've noticed I've have an issue with this, this or this. And is there anything you guys got here? And let them. Let them do their job. Let them go in there and say, okay, evaluate what's going on and send you some options.

Joey Logano [00:17:25]:
That's like, my regret is that I wish I did something like that. I wish I did that years ago. Instead of waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting. If you get ahead of it, it's just. It's a little easier and you don't have, like, the shock factor as much either. Right. If you get ahead of it a little bit, like, when it's starting and it's been. It's been really cool for me to see how many people reached out to me saying, what did you do? I want to do something.

Joey Logano [00:17:55]:
I just didn't know where to go or what to do or who to talk to. And all of a sudden, like, I became that guy and I'm like, I got you. I got the hookup, bro. Don't you worry. I send them in, you know? So I think that part, like, to me, is a lot of fun because it's an insecurity that a lot of people have. It's something that people don't feel comfortable a lot of times talking about. And why not? Like, why not talk about it? It is what it is. You can't do anything about it, so do something about it.

Joey Logano [00:18:22]:
Like, this is. This is your one fix. You got one option here. So what's it hurt to go talk to somebody? This is what they do. So it's not awkward when you get there because this is what they're used to, you know, like, so they used to, people don't have hair, right? And then they give you hair. That's their job. So it's not even awkward at all.

Kevin Rolston [00:18:41]:
That's amazing. Well, you have a fantastic hair story. I love how you've embraced it. Awesome talking with you. Thanks for sharing your story, Joey.

Joey Logano [00:18:49]:
Absolutely. Thanks for doing this.

Kevin Rolston [00:19:06]:
That was Joey Logano dealing with alopecia is a challenge and its great to hear just how Joey was able to overcome the challenge and has gone on to thrive and feel confident in the public eye. Dealing with alopecia is a challenge and it's great to hear that Joey has overcome that challenge and has gone on to thrive and feel confident in the public eye. If you want to hear more from Joey, you can follow him. Oeylegano on instagram that's l o g a n o. Thanks for listening to another episode of Hairpod. 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 [00:19:55]:
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.