This year my eyebrows began to fade due to alopecia and the thought of constantly drawing on my eyebrows with make-up every morning never appealed to me. But as the universe would have it, I was given the opportunity to explore micobalding. 

Alopecia an autoimmune disorder that causes the immune system to attack the hair follicles resulting in hair loss. I was eight-years-old when I was diagnosed with alopecia. From a young age, I struggled with my appearance, self-consciousness, and depression.

Getting locs was a commitment and losing them was devastating. I realized this loss was going to be permanent and that I had to take back control. I had to cut the remaining locs. Joy After Alopecia details my journey to finding happiness and goodness in all things despite the fact that I have Alopecia.

I didn't know how to supply self-love and care for myself. Instead, I thought, who would find me attractive with alopecia?  Who would make me happier?

We all know what comes next. The daily terror of finding more patches. Being anxious about patches growing larger. Fear over patches showing when the wind blows your hair just the right way. Loss of control as you can no longer keep the hairstyle you love. I had finally accepted Alopecia as a part of my life. Not in a way that defined me, not in surrender. But in self-preservation.

We all know what comes next. The daily terror of finding more patches. Being anxious about patches growing larger. Fear over patches showing when the wind blows your hair just the right way. Loss of control as you can no longer keep the hairstyle you love. I had finally accepted Alopecia as a part of my life. Not in a way that defined me, not in surrender. But in self-preservation.

Parenting can have some difficult moments. When a child is diagnosed with alopecia, the whole family is swept up into a whirlwind of change. There are doctor appointments, questions, treatments, and you are just looking to assure your child will live a happy life in a world that can be very cruel. Through honest conversations, we are given a chance to provide guidance through our experiences and the lessons learned.

Living a mentally luxurious lifestyle is about protecting your time, your energy, and worrying about yourself. But how can this mantra be put into practice? Here is what it means to worry about yourself…

For those with Alopecia, it is a daily challenge to look in the mirror and accept that how we look, and therefore who we are, will change abruptly and without our consent. At some point, the disease becomes less about losing the hair itself, and instead about losing our identity.

Along with feelings of embarrassment, I struggled with conflicted feelings of anger. I didn’t ask for alopecia. I didn't ask to be jeered at or ridiculed. It infuriated me that people couldn't be empathetic about something I have no control over. I was angry at myself, angry at my hair, and angry that I couldn't control my situation…

In life and alopecia, there are lessons and blessings. Unfortunately, some lessons are harder to swallow. Prom was one of those lessons for me. I'm still learning to let go of the anger and guilt I feel because I wasn't accepting of my appearance. But through the lesson, I…

I was sitting at the family computer writing a history paper on a school night, and in typical stress mode, I ran my hand through my hair. That’s normal, everyone does it. What wasn’t normal was suddenly feeling a spot that was...smooth. Smooth as a baby’s bottom you might say. I immediately ran downstairs freaking out, and collapsed in my mother’s lap in a puddle of tears…

I had been silent about my alopecia for so long, since it came and went erratically, that when I finally took the plunge and shaved my head for the world to see, I suddenly had to get very good at answering the question “What’s wrong with you?” diplomatically. 

With alopecia, I felt as if I didn't fit the mold. I grew uncomfortable with my appearance. I began to believe that people would assess me based on looks and my prospects for a romantic relationship would diminish. Fighting against the notion that it was acceptable to judge someone by their looks, I strived to do the opposite.

On January 16th, The Root posted a video that moved me both as a man of color and a person living with alopecia. Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley was poised, articulate, and stunning as she spoke about her journey to find peace after losing all of her hair to Alopecia. 

Too many times I've stared in the mirror and thought negatively of myself compared to "hairy" people. Too many times I was ignorant thinking I was less than others because of my appearance. Too many times I lacked the courage to grow because I wasn't confident in my sense of self. For many of us, the conference was a celebration promoting the freedom to be authentic.