What is Trichotillomania?? Dealing with hair pulling disorder...

Follow us on IG: @GetGlamFam

I genuinely hope that this video helps build awareness for those who may not know about trich, as well as those who are suffering and didn't fully understand what was going on. I am a cosmetologist, not a behavioral therapist, yet I have had the privilege of gaining insight from my clients and seeing them power through their experiences. My heart goes out to those who are emotionally struggling with this condition, and trying their best to handle the hurdles with their families and loved ones with grace. Please forgive me for getting emotional at the end, knowing some of these stories, knowing the trauma and loss some have suffered which in some cases led to this, is often overwhelming. If you know someone who would benefit from the information in this video, please, pay it forward and send it to them.
Thank you so very much for watching with compassion and care, and for being supportive of this community of warriors. Take care, God Bless, and Stay Glam!
Linwood

FTC Notice: This description box may contain affiliate links. What this means is, if you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission of your sale. This in no way impacts your price, or our recommendation, as we only do honest reviews. We know you work hard for your money and we definitely don't want you wasting it on garbage. However, the income we earn from this allows us to continue to afford to make free content like this. As always thank you for your support!

[GetGlamFam]

Follow us on IG: @GetGlamFam

I genuinely hope that this video helps build awareness for those who may not know about trich, as well as those who are suffering and didn't fully understand what was going on. I am a cosmetologist, not a behavioral therapist, yet I have had the privilege of gaining insight from my clients and seeing them power through their experiences. My heart goes out to those who are emotionally struggling with this condition, and trying their best to handle the hurdles with their families and loved ones with grace. Please forgive me for getting emotional at the end, knowing some of these stories, knowing the trauma and loss some have suffered which in some cases led to this, is often overwhelming. If you know someone who would benefit from the information in this video, please, pay it forward and send it to them.
Thank you so very much for watching with compassion and care, and for being supportive of this community of warriors. Take care, God Bless, and Stay Glam!
Linwood

[meyou-yeqf]

I just shaved my head completely bald because I couldn't stop pulling it out especially during this quarantine. I only pull it when its loose and not braided up. As long as its braided or done I don't pull at it and I only pull the left side. Anyway I was putting the hair in an empty tissue box once it filled up I just shaved it off. Thanks for making this video.

[allthatplus]

Love the compassion and concern shown here. GOD will honor you for this.

[ceasarasmith]

My older sister and I have been dealing with this since the 70's, we both didn't know a name for it, and never talked about it to anyone. She went through sexual abuse, and I went through physical abuse. I've made a point to study this weird behavior, form of OCD, I've gotten a better grip on it than my sister, who seems to not get help or stop. I have a full head of hair now. Glad your putting this info out for people. Thank you.

[Chelsea-Bear]

Thank you for covering this and being thorough and respectful. 💕💕

[samyarichards]

I didn't know that this was a mental health thing. My whole family pulls and twist their hair to the point it comes out when stressed out. Thank you. I will let my family know anout this. We do have alot of mental health issues, but noone ever said anything about the hair pulling.

[khopkins]

BLESS you for speaking on this subject!!! My sister has this disorder and has suffered since she was a small child (our parents were young and had such a dysfunctional relationship and of course it affected us as children ...smh). She went through alot with this, our mother even blamed her (my sister) for doing this to herself and I guess its because she wasn't aware or understood the root of these episodes that my sister was experiencing.Whew! Too much to express on one thread, but this is a serious condition. Thank you for speaking on this and explaining it so clearly and respectfully so others can understand about this disorder.

[tanyaflemon]

Wow, I think my daughter had a form of this when she was around two. She would literally pull her hair and enjoyed looking at the tufts she pulled out. I ended up having her hair braided in two ponytails with hair added. She would still pull at it but was only pulling the weave portion. Luckily she grew out of it by the time she was 4.

[vjones]

That's why I never judge people because you really don't know what they are going through.🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽

[LivxLaughxLove]

I personally don't deal with this or know anyone who has, but I'm so appreciative of how gentle you were in discussing it and laying out the options for trying to get through it.

[Shortstuff]

From the ages of 7-13 I was pulling my hair. In the beginning it started with my edges. And then as time went on I started pulling my hair so bad that I had bald spots everywhere. My mom and my sister did not know what was going on. I never told them that I was pulling my hair out. I just let them think my hair was falling out. And luckily for me I grew out of that around the age of fourteen. But for many years I did not know why I pulled my hair. I just knew that it felt good when I did it. I was 22 at this time and I was getting ready for work. My mom was watching her early morning tv shows( like Maury, Jerry Springer and Dr. Phil, Oprah and etc.) And on one of them shows."I can not remember which one". There was this girl that was suffering from Trichotillomania. All I could think about was that she was going through what I used to go through. That day I finally told my mom for the first time. And she got really sad and asked me why did I not tell her back when I was suffering from this disorder. I told her that I did not think she would understand. And she asked me how can someone understand something they don't know. She proceeded to tell me that if there is something that bothers me she wants me to feel comfortable enough to talk to her. Because she does not want me to ever fell like I have to suffer alone ever again. Every since that day my mom was not just my mom. She became my best friend too. I wish that they had more of an awareness back when I was suffering from this disorder. But now that they do I would encourage anyone who is suffering from this. Or who knows someone that is suffering from this to seek help. Remember "WE CAN NOT DO THIS ALONE!!!"✌❤

[punderstruckk]

I have had Trichotillomania for 19 years; I started when I was 11 and I just turned 30. I was bullied horribly in grade school, and in my adult life have experienced a lot of ignorance and judgement surrounding my hair. As a result I never, ever show anyone my head without a wig. I sleep in it. Even my boyfriend of nearly two years has never seen it. I came to this channel to learn how to color my wigs myself, to gain more control over my appearance. I was surprised and touched to see such a thoughtful, informative, and compassionate representation of this insidious disorder. I rarely follow YouTube channels but I will absolutely be following yours.

[angelahagood]

Once again you blow me away with your compassion and how you show a level of concern as a stylist and educator that we truly need. I knew that there were people who did this but I had no idea that it had a name or what it stemmed from. Thank you for opening my eyes so that I can now recognize the condition and know how to direct these sufferers to get support and help. You are a blessing to us all. And blessings to all of those that will hopefully seek the support they need after watching this video! 💕🙏🏼🥰

[debbopoulo]

I was reading about this just yesterday because some babies pull their hair and at early age it can be a bit difficult to figure out if it’s due to Trichotillomania or if it’s just a sign of distress or sleepiness. Thank you for the great content as always.

[rosemaryrose]

Great post ! This issue was profiled on "The Resident" tv show season 3 episode 16. She was a high end fashion designer and the first thing noticeable about her is she had no eyebrows. Also her symptoms indicated that she was ingesting her hair. If you were there you could have diagnosed this issue. Yep you rock !

[ZairayCash]

Great video Linwood! Very tastefully done!

[qm]

I looked at it as a bad habit. I can get a bit agitated when told to stop since I often feel like I can’t, but I appreciate the awareness given. It’s easier to control at home because I keep hair in a scarf and bonnet (I need both). Now that we are all at home, it will be easier, but I worry if my hair needs to breathe and for how long? If not, then it only breathes on “wash day” which is every Saturday. Also, I have to watch my son (he’s 13 today 😭 I have a teenager) because I recognized the “habit” in him easily since I deal with it myself. It was his eyebrow at one point, but now it’s just the top of his hair. He’s constantly stroking it and sometimes will pull in the front.

[sellah]

Thank you so much for your video it brought me to tears. For years I felt so ashamed for pulling out my hair. Even worse my daughter noticed me doing and said mommy why do you do that? I really don’t know how to break this cycle.

[suziek.]

Linwood you are so amazing and I want to thank you for making this video and all the others! You are a fantastic teacher and have a great heart. I know there are some people who could learn a thing or twelve... lol from the way you approach things. Hope everyone is doing well and try to have a great day! 🙂🤗🙂

[TheBpriest]

Thank you for making this video! I have STRUGGLED with this condition since about 2012. It got really bad in 2017 when I had to return to work after having my daughter. She was 2.5 months old, had been exclusively breastfed up until that point, and was VERY clingy. She would cry and scream ALL DAY LONG at the baby sitter's and would barely take a bottle. I could tell the sitter was growing resentful despite trying to remain professional. This caused me to stress to the point of constantly picking and pulling at my hair. I have always had two weak spots on my head- one at the midpoint between my crown and the nape of my neck, and one near my left temple where my hair grows thinner and less dense. Of all the spots for me to be prone to pick at, these are the two spots that called to me. So not only were those spots already weak and less dense than the rest of my hair, but now they were COMPLETELY butt booty bald. Between dealing with this, having a ridiculous commute to and from work and picking up/ dropping off the baby since my boyfriend worked a 2nd AND a 3rd shift job at the time, on top of feeling so guilty about asking our mothers to leave work early at least once a week to go get the baby to relieve the sitter, I had reached a breaking point. After extensive deliberation with my boyfriend we decided that it would be best for both of our mental health and the well-being of our baby for me to quit my job. Everyone in our lives, including my employer, was supportive of my decision because they could see the emotional and physical toll it was taking on me. I eventually stopped picking (after I stopped worrying about not having my own income) and my hair had grown back to an even length with the rest of my hair in about 4 months. That was one of the hardest things I've ever had to go through, but it made me stronger in the end. I have found success as a freelance Project Manager, I work when and how I want, my baby is still at home with me and I'm in a much better place emotionally and financially.