Dan Medeiros [00:00:04]:
Follow the instructions. Follow the path. It will work. Sometimes it takes longer for others. Everybody's different. Our genetic makeups are different and how we respond to what we're on. It will be different for everybody. But just keep going. Persist. Follow the instructions every single day and you will get to where you want to be. If you have any concerns, questions, I mean, the HairClub staff will be there for you.


Kevin Rolston [00:00:43]:
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 celebrating hair loss awareness month by welcoming friend of the show Dan Medeiros back on the podcast. Dan has been a passionate, uplifting voice in the hair loss community, using his personal journey and public platform to inspire and support others. Since embracing his hair system, Dan has gained immense confidence and now speaks to many people about their hair loss experiences. He’s been a beacon of positivity and empowerment, helping others find their own paths to a more confident future. But things weren’t always so easy for Dan. He struggled with hair loss from a fairly young age, and as his hair fell, so did his self-esteem. And this is what so many people go through. According to studies by PubMed and Monpure, 88% of women and 62% of men report the emotional impact that hair loss has on them. And Dan and I both experienced that firsthand. Now, both of us have reached a point where we want to talk about our hair loss and how we gain confidence, both from figuring out how to handle our hair loss and how to navigate the messaging that we receive from society.


Dan Medeiros [00:02:15]:
I was born with an issue with my scalp, kind of like a rare form of psoriasis. And the older I got, stress ended up becoming a major factor on it, sort of activating and getting really bad. So it caused a lot of problems with my hair loss once I kind of reached the early parts of college and of high school and progressively got worse as moving further and further up into the workforce and stress becoming more of a factor in my life. So it was destructive, it was life-altering, and it completely just destroyed any sort of confidence I had in myself and in anything I did in life. So I found HairClub back in 2009. 2010, I became an official client in 2010, and they completely turned everything around for me. It's been a process as it is, but it's been a process that I've followed, and it's done amazing things for me. It's completely changed my life. It's turned it around 360, and it's essentially brought me to where I am right now. I'm going on, you know, 14 years with hair club, and I still have a lot more to do and a lot more stories to tell.


Kevin Rolston [00:03:29]:
The thing I really want to do, a deep dive on this episode, is a little bit about your own confidence and the stigmas that surround hair loss. You talked a little bit about the emotions that happened when you had the hair loss and what that was like, and there has been a stigma. And I, you know, I'm trying to process in my own mind how much society has changed and then just how much I have changed because I felt like you. Same way when I started losing my hair. I had a lot of self-confidence issues. Really bothered me. It was always top of mind. I hated looking in any kind of reflection in the mirror.


Kevin Rolston [00:04:07]:
And a studio we have, there was a dome camera always captured the bald spot, and I hated catching a glimpse of it. It was always there, and it.


Kevin Rolston [00:04:15]:
It was soul-crushing. It really was tough. I looked at the calendar. I looked for social events where I couldn't wear a hat, and I dreaded it. And I wondered what I was going to do and how I was going to try to fix my hair and deal with those kind of issues. So when I didn't have the hair, it was such a big thing for me. And I know that as I was growing up, I remember hearing a lot of teasing that would go on for older guys that would have hair pieces and had done something with their hair. People would mock them, they make fun of them, and it would be that two-tone ugly hair. And so what I try to think about is, is it the fact that I matured and it doesn't bother me as much anymore? Or do you think that it's become more normalized in society, or is it a match of both? From your own personal feelings about your own hair journey, tell me a little bit about the confidence and where you are with it. Now, if somebody came up and pointed out and asked you be like, hey, man, you that clearly that's not your hair, and made something about, would you have a sinking feeling, or does it roll off of you like, it's not a problem at all now?


Dan Medeiros [00:05:23]:
Well, geez, I just hearing you talk about that, it's in your own experience, I mean, it's. I. If I could reach out and give you a hug right now. I absolutely would, because I. My God, do I feel that. It's like. It just. It's. God, it's so, so soul-crushing, as you said, you know, I went through it all myself. The exact same thing. And everybody does, and it's. You're scared. You have no idea what to do, how to react. It just. It alters your entire perception of who you are and what you're doing in life and where you're going in life. And, gosh, Stephen, just the whole thing looking in the mirror, that is probably one of the hardest things.


Dan Medeiros [00:06:04]:
Looking people in the eye, like, seeing their eyes look up rather than looking at you. It's like, what are you looking at? You know? And it's like it immediately just takes you right away from what you're doing, where you're at with the conversation you're having. And then it just takes over your mind as to, well, is there something off? Like, what are they looking at? Is this so. And, you know, this goes all the way back, you know, funny. I've been watching a lot of Saturday Night Live, and I just happened to watch an episode where Kelsey Grammer was hosting, and from the early nineties, and they had the. The president of HairClub on at the time and Instagram were being bald. He walked out onto the stage wearing a wig because, you know, they were a lot of wigs. And then it was.


Dan Medeiros [00:06:45]:
It was kind of played on that way, and it just kind of reminded me again just how. How far. How different things are now. And back to your question. You know, whether it's us maturing and understanding more, or if it's, you know, how the social look of things, I think it's a good mix of both. The world we live in is very different. And the perception of bettering yourself, whether, you know, it's something to do with your skin, something to do with your hair, something to do with your teeth. Like, regardless of what it is, the stigma, at least these days, is so much different.


Dan Medeiros [00:07:18]:
And it's very minimal compared to what it used to be. Gosh, I remember growing up and seeing people. Bald people. And the jokes. It was always the butt of jokes. Even before I moved from Canada, I remember being in the office, and a lot of a. A lot of us were either losing hair or had gone bald and shaved their heads. And, you know, it's, everyone cracks jokes about it, and, you know, you don't really think of it, but, you know, even though I hadn't gone fully bald, I, you know, I hadn't gone bald, but I thinned out incredibly due to my job. It, you know, I'd hear it and I'd see it and, you know, kind of chuckle along with it, but on the inside, it's just absolutely just, oh, my gosh, my world is overdevelop.


Kevin Rolston [00:07:58]:
Yeah. I think part of it that I have noticed. Think about when you were growing up and the role models that you had. Imagine if Superman had the hair of Doctor Phil, you know?


Dan Medeiros [00:08:10]:
I know, absolutely. Yeah.


Kevin Rolston [00:08:12]:
It never happened. You think about Thor. You think about the superheroes. We had a don draper on mad men. He had great hair. And to me, growing up, I think that's part of the subtle perception about hair is how many of the heroes that we had had that kind of horseshoe hair loss that was in there. I really can't think of anyone. There was a superhero that was that that person was always kind of the mealy mouse guy in the side corner office that was always the loser or the schmuck or the person that everybody didn't want to be.


Kevin Rolston [00:08:46]:
They were the whiny person. And there was something about that that if you saw yourself becoming that, it's like inevitably you become what your hair is. You can't be a leading man. You can't be a superhero if you start to lose your hair. And I think that's part of the subtle thing that maybe we don't really process, but it's part of why we freak out so much when we start to see our hair going is that we think, wow, that's just it. My cool days are over. There's no way I'm going to be awesome again.


Dan Medeiros [00:09:15]:
Oh, exactly. It's like, okay, so am I the villain now? Am I the goon? Yeah, it's crazy. It's the same kind of stigmas around you seeing what the male female form body is supposed to be. You see, well, that's the only way you can look good. I can't be that if I don't have that again, it's with every stigma we're told, and we see what we're supposed to look like, how we're supposed to feel, and it's just, you know, doing something about it. Now it's, you know, I feel like we can do that. And it's so accepted. And I did it myself.


Dan Medeiros [00:09:53]:
And, you know, for so many years, I went through the process of trying to regrow my own hair. And then, you know, we're in the his hair system, and now I do a mix of both. And it's, you know, I can talk to friends about it, I can post about it. I can be completely open and honest on social media with anybody who asks me about it now. And, you know, I'm completely, 100% open because I want that transparency. And I think that's a huge part of it is being transparent about it and understanding that this is something we should all be okay with. We should all accept, you know, if it's females wearing, you know, extensions or wigs. And I mean, that's okay.


Dan Medeiros [00:10:29]:
So why can't a guy wear hair to make themselves look and feel better, too? I see myself when I look at myself, I need to see myself how I'm supposed to see myself, how I want to see myself. And this is how I see myself. You know, I can't imagine living my life without this because without my hair, this isn't me. It's just, it's the me that hides, you know, hides under a hat, that hides, you know, in the house that doesn't go out, doesn't socialize. Who doesn't want to get on that stage and perform in front of, you know, hundreds of people with lights flashing down on top of me?


Kevin Rolston [00:11:04]:
It's powerful to hear how taking action and doing something about your appearance can make you feel like the best version of yourself. While keeping things covered up can lead to feelings of wanting to hide or isolate. It's an experience I can relate to. And so many others who have shared their stories on the show have expressed similar feelings as well. We touched on how when we were growing up, we didn't see many bald heroes. Balding characters were often not depicted as cool or strong. But things started to shift in the nineties and two thousands with icons like Jason Statham, Bruce Willis and the rock all embracing their shaped heads and redefining what it means to be a leading man. Societys perceptions are slowly starting to change and its important to recognize this were moving towards a world where talking about hair loss and finding solutions that make us feel confident are less stigmatized, which gives us the freedom to be more open and how hair loss affects not just our parents, but our mental health as well.


Dan Medeiros [00:12:10]:
It's a huge mental game. You know, I struggle and deal with it myself. You know, I'm severely ADHD, I'm OCD, I have anxiety, depression, I'm un, you know, I deal with all that stuff and when I didn't have my hair, that was. All of that was amplified to the 10th degree and it's like, I have enough stuff going on in my life that I'm trying to fight. My outer image shouldn't be one of them. And once you take care of that, then you can really focus on your internal self. And that's at least that's how I was able to finally start doing that. And now I found that perfect place with everything, you know, it's helped center me, my hair helps me get out there and do what I need to do and be who I need to be.


Dan Medeiros [00:12:55]:
And it's. It all goes hand in hand. And we should, you know, our mental health and who. Who we are and who we feel, who we see ourselves as. I feel we need to really focus on that. And more than ever before, this isn't the eighties and nineties where it was, I don't know, take some Ritalin, you know, or, I don't know, figure it out, flip the switch. It's now, let's talk about it, let's discuss it, let's figure it out. Because we have, this is the age of learning about ourselves and taking care of ourselves and understanding that, you know, we have so much to offer, not just to the world, but to ourselves as well.


Dan Medeiros [00:13:29]:
And that's so important, so very important.


Kevin Rolston [00:13:33]:
Yeah, it really is. So, you know, I think for me, in my own personal story is there's several factors in this. One, the maturity has definitely helped out. I think society has been a big part of it and how they look at it. And then the other component is just the fact that it has improved. If I had some of the hair pieces I saw when I was a kid in the early eighties, I think.


Kevin Rolston [00:13:55]:
I would be self conscious.


Kevin Rolston [00:13:56]:
If I knew I had that on my head, I'd be like, gosh, I feel I'm not fooling anyone. And no one fooled anyone in the early eighties with a lot of the hair pieces that were out there. Now I'm stunned at how many people I find through this podcast that I talk to that have hair systems looking at you and looking at so many other people I've had these conversations with, you just don't really know anymore. It looks fantastic. It's natural, real human hair that just blends in perfectly with the color and the cut. I don't know how you would know unless you knew a person's personal story that they have a hair system on. Have you been able to see anybody? Do you feel the same way about your hair system? And when you see others that have one?


Dan Medeiros [00:14:39]:
Oh my gosh, it's so true. Like, it's amazing how many people, even friends of mine family had, like, until they found out they had no idea. And even a lot of them still, like, you know, they don't believe that I'm even wearing hair like that. I'm just, you know, I just grew it all back. And yes, I'm trying to grow my hair back as well, but it's just truly incredible. And the amount of people I run into, again, just like you, in this industry, since I worked so closely with hair club and have for so many years, it's everybody I run into, I can't tell they're actually wearing hair systems. And that, that's the most amazing thing. I love when I love that, I forget I'm wearing a hair system, you know? Yeah, that's the greatest feeling.


Dan Medeiros [00:15:18]:
When I can, I look at myself in the mirror and I just stop and I go, man, like, I'm even fooling myself. And that's awesome. That's exactly what we're going for. That's, you know, with all these years and all this technology and everything we've learned, I'm so happy we've gotten to this point. You know, I've been, you know, 14 years with haircloth. I've seen just the transition in the technology that we've had in those 14 years from when I first started. And I look forward to where we're going to be in the next ten to 14 years as well. My gosh, it only gets better.


Dan Medeiros [00:15:49]:
It really only gets better for people.


Kevin Rolston [00:15:52]:
That don't know and are maybe thinking about, I don't know where my self esteem would be if I went with a hair system or if I did treatments. I got the ultimate test today. I do a YouTube show. We have a live audience, and it's the nature of entertainment. You get trolls. And we had a troll in there that was looking for any possible way to get anybody upset. And he's trolling the audience that's in there. That's big fans.


Kevin Rolston [00:16:16]:
And then he went out on me, and I'm very open about being a client to hair club and how much I love it. And he went in and he's like going, yeah, the head host there with the fake hair. And he kept going in on that. And when I read that, it had no effect on me because I know that he knows that I had it before, and that, to me, was a really great test because he tried to use that as a weakness against me. And there might be a time and a place where he might have said, yeah, the balding guy or the guy with, and that might have hit hard, and that might have affect me, but it was a really good test day, and I felt so good when he went after the guy with the fake hair. And I know my hair looks great, and I've got no problems with it, and it bounced off me as much as he would have said, oh, the guy in there with the nose, I'd have been like, okay, yeah, so I got a nose. So to me, it's great that we're having this conversation today, because I don't know if I would have said with 100% confidence that I have full self esteem about my hair, and today I absolutely can. It's not a weakness for me, my hair and how it looks and anything like that.


Kevin Rolston [00:17:19]:
I now know people can dig on me and try to go in on that. You know, sometimes you have friends, you're looking for a weakness, and you're trying to rip them apart. The hair is off limits now, which used to always be the number one thing. People would go in on me. I'd be like, on, all right, baldy, or all right, patchy, or whatever it might be. It's not a weakness anymore. And to me, it's great to have that kind of self esteem.


Dan Medeiros [00:17:39]:
Oh, exactly. And that's 100%. I mean, there will always be trolls. You know, it's. They haven't all kind of dissipated yet. They're still there. They're still under, you know, the same kind of understanding of how things were again back in the eighties and nineties. I mean, we're so far beyond that now.


Dan Medeiros [00:17:54]:
So it's like, I feel like if anybody, anybody who does troll, they are in the vast minority, you know? If anything, I don't even have to say or do anything. I feel like everyone else will completely run them out. It's just, you can't do that anymore. Like, ripping on someone and destroying their own personal image and their mental health. That is just, it's become such a no go zone, and it's just, honestly, yeah, you're gonna, if anything, you're gonna get trolled out of existence for doing that kind of stuff now. So it's like, and it's just like any troll for anything on social media in this world, it's just, it, it means nothing anymore. Their words mean nothing because it's just, it's a. Unfortunately, they're sad, they're upset, and, you know, they're not, they're not happy with themselves inside, and it's unfortunate.


Dan Medeiros [00:18:42]:
And all we can do is just educate and support each other and just everybody needs to support everybody. And that's, I feel like it's become such a huge thing now. And that's why, as I said before, that mental health and our, and our image go hand in hand.


Kevin Rolston [00:19:01]:
Its so important to acknowledge the mental health aspects of hair loss. Dans openness about the emotional toll hair loss can take really sheds a little bit of light on often overlooked issues. Many people experience feelings of anxiety, depression and a drop in self esteem when they start to lose their hair. These emotions can be incredibly isolating and addressing them head on can really help. But transitioning to a mindset where you feel comfortable speaking about your hair loss isn't easy. The first conversation you have about your hair loss can feel daunting. It's hard to know where to even begin.


Dan Medeiros [00:19:43]:
I tried everything under the sun, just trying to do it quietly myself, because again, I didn't know who to talk to. I wasn't comfortable talking with anybody about it. I was freaking out internally every single moment of every day. You know, I would have told myself way back when I first started noticing it, when I first started getting people mentioning it to me, I would have been, get the hair club right away. Scheduled that consultation right away. And I think I might have even mentioned in our last podcast when I went in for my first consultation, finally I was sat down and told, you have reached the BMW of hair loss solutions. And that's something I'll always bring up and mention because it was something that has stuck with me and still sticks with me. The support system, the incredible people that you work with that help you find the best way for you to get to where you need to be.


Dan Medeiros [00:20:32]:
It started me on that journey, and again, I just wish I would have started earlier. I wish I would have handled stress in my diet and my outer image a lot better. I wish I would have stayed off the energy drinks and the fast food back then. So many things.


Kevin Rolston [00:20:50]:
Mm hmm.


Dan Medeiros [00:20:51]:
But, you know, just going back and telling myself that eventually it will get better and you just keep fighting, keep pushing on its persistence and just following the course, you know. And for anybody who has started out and unsure whether they should keep going, if it's right for them, keep pushing, keep the persist, and just follow the instructions. Follow the path. It will work. Sometimes it takes longer for others. Everybody's different. Our genetic makeups are different and how we respond to what we're on, it will be different for everybody, but just keep going, persist, don't follow the instructions every single day, and you will get to where you want to be. If you have any concerns, questions? I mean, the hair club staff will be there for you and those of us like myself, who we're here to help.


Dan Medeiros [00:21:38]:
I'll get on the phone with new clients, people looking who are interested, and just talk with them. I've had conversations with them on a Sunday for 45 minutes. Like I'm talking to you, telling stories, what I've been through. And it's just there's so much help. And we're all here to answer your questions, whether it's myself or an actual, you know, your stylist or your center manager, whatever it is, just keep going. That's just. It will get there.


Kevin Rolston [00:22:04]:
I would tell myself 1015 years ago, I had massive anxiety about having big divots of hair missing and really looking like I was balding. And if you get plugged into hair club, your journey may change. It may be different throughout the course of it, but there will not be a time that you will be self conscious about how your hair looks. They will always have you looking on point. And so to me, walking in the door to say, all right, they got you by the hand. You don't have to worry. Let go of the worry. Let go of the fret.


Kevin Rolston [00:22:35]:
What you're afraid of looking like is not going to happen to you when you are here. So stay with them. They will give you the right direction. You listen to what they have to say, you follow it, and you're going to be good. To have that peace of mind would have meant everything to me ten to 15 years ago.


Dan Medeiros [00:22:51]:
Absolutely. And they are the best. And I said, now we know. And that's why we're doing what we're doing right now. We're getting the word out there. We're helping more people understand, because it's never too late, it's never too early. Either way, just start it. Get it going.


Dan Medeiros [00:23:06]:
It's the best in the world.


Kevin Rolston [00:23:12]:
Everyones hair loss journey is unique, but its important to remember that this is an issue that touches everyones lives, whether they experience hair loss themselves or they know someone whos going through it. Thats why conversations like these are so important. Everybody who speaks out about hair loss experience helps break down the stigma and allows others to feel, feel less like they've got to face it alone. Whenever we help each other and share our process, we help create a supportive community where everyone can find encouragement and understanding. This year, for hair loss awareness month, we want to normalize conversations just like this one. The more we talk about it, the more we can destigmatize it. Whether it's through personal stories, seeking professional help, or just having honest conversations with friends and family. Every bit helps.


Kevin Rolston [00:24:02]:
Not everyones journey will be exactly like mine or like dans, but everyone can find a solution that works for them and we hope you feel encouraged to explore the options that are out there. Remember, youre not alone in this journey. Reach out, share your story and support one another. And if you can think of someone in your life who might need to hear a story like this, please share it with them. 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. 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.


Kevin Rolston [00:24:48]:
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. So thank you. Until next time.