Posted by Dalilah,

I get this question often from my readers and I thought it was worth writing a blog piece on it. First I'd like to thank you for reaching out to me. It means a lot that you feel you can talk to me. Unfortunately I also have to apologise as I wish I had the answers for you; I am not a medical professional and therefore recommend that you seek a medical professional's advice. Alopecia can be triggered by many things and there is a lot that remains unconfirmed in research. Therefore giving tips and advice on how to re-grow bald spots or thinning hair that is a result of a type of alopecia isn't something I am able to do. Alternatively, what I can do is what I do best, which is give you genral advice on hair growth and retention. One of you mentioned in your questions to me that you have long, light brown hair and that you’re 32. I don’t believe these factors have a significant impact on length retention in genral. Usually, blonde hair is finer and more prone to breakage than brown hair, I don’t know if that then means we can then assume that light brown hair is finer and more prone to breakage than dark/black hair. How does your hair grow? There are definitely other genetic factors other than hair colour that determine how fast or slow hair grows. Does being 32 affect the growth of, or your numbers of hair? Not in itself no. We are genetically pre-programmed to grow our hair to a particular length and there are 3 phases in the hair growth cycle: 1. Anagen (the growth phase) 2. Catagen (a short resting phase) 3. Telogen (the shedding phase that can result in the hair releasing over a period of time) According to research, the anagen phase can be anything between 2 to 6 years,and it is this phase that will determine the maximum length your hair can and will achieve. A number one tip I’d give to anyone who wanted to retain their hair is low manipulation. The more we mess with our hair the weaker it gets, so try styles that aren’t high maintenance, use protective styling methods to keep your hair in as strong as possible. If you want to try and regrow thinning hair or a patch of hair that is simply no more, have a read of this blog on How to Stimulte Hair Growth.

You want to avoid the Kardashian moment; Avoid styles that pull the front of the hair backward increasing the risk of a receding hair-line. This includes avoiding super-tight ponytails, using skinny hairbands (the kind that look like rubberbands) that stretch and when contracting trap hair strands in between its knots. This creates what we call ouchness.

I also recommend avoiding wearing braids or weaves, but if you do wear them then try to ensure that any artificial hair that is added to the front of your hairline is not so thick or so heavy that it pulls your hair down and off. You’ll find that you will start to get that hair that resembles a twisted jumper/cardigan thread. Eventually it gets so heavy that it falls off and this can pull your hair from the root, potentially causing long term damage to your hair follicles, and compromising the prospect of future growth. Do you suffer from any kind of alopecia? Have you got any advice for people out there going through the same thing as you? Please share your experiences in our comments section below. Happy Hair Hugging! x

So this was a question offered to me in sincerity by a grown man whom I met through a networking event. He was looking for businesses to take part in his 30 day marketing challenge. I volunteered but he turned me down when he learned I was selling hair products. He believed that I could not sell hair products and cover my hair simultaneously. He didn't care that I had plenty of happy customers and good reviews. Surely it's the customer's opinion that matters most when it comes to my brand and not what I look like...right? My first thought was wow, some people really don't mince their words. I never thought covering my hair would be such a drama. When I went natural it was because my hair had had enough of braids relaxers and weaves. By 'enough' I mean it was thin and falling out at the edges. I still had the intention to go back to the 'creamy crack'...somewhere inside me I knew I did. But at some point between age 18 and 28 - I changed. I grew emotionally and spiritually and have in the last year decided to turn my 'most of the time headwrap' into a daily Hijab. I was never forced, it's just who I am... who I became. I suppose the way I wrapped my hair was my own personal way of transitioning into more modest style of dressing.

"Why did you choose to sell this kind of product?" he proceeded, when I told him revealing my hair wasn't an option. "You can't demonstrate it.." he continued. Yes that's true I can't. And I don't blame him for having reservations, I wouldn't think to buy facecream from someone in a burka... but if i'd heard good things and seen the results on others, I would love to try it. I started covering after I started my business and I started my business out of a passion for caring for my hair. Out of a passion for loving myself in my natural state, no longer wanting to depend on extentions to feel beautiful or acceptable to look at. I wasn't going to stop caring about helping others just becuause it would be harder now. I still have hair under this scarf, a lot of it, and it needs looking after too, just like anyone else's. And it's not the end of the world that he doesn't want to help me I'm still happy to shamelessly promote myself. I know I'm not the only one who has felt that way. Am I? I'm sure that there are women out there like me who actually just want a product that works and don't care whose face is on the advert. Through my Hijab i took a stand against my ego and said "you know what world? I actually don't need your opinion in order to feel good about myself." I love my hair, and I hug my hair daily with my products and my Hijab.

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