I had hair trouble last summer…and it’s still going.
In July, I attended a regular hair appointment and got blonde highlights and dark lowlights. Then my hair started coming out in handfuls. I knew it was bad when Paige, the producer, started crying. Then his best friend Rachel started yelling, “Sink!” sink! Put her head in the sink! “
I was surprised. Nothing beats the feeling of holding a handful of your own hair. This is what I have long associated with my identity.
My heart started racing. What the hell was going on?
I spent the summer going to my family doctor, a gynecologist, and called Dr. Jennifer Ashton of “Good Morning America.” Susie’s friend and neighbor in Maine sent me collagen and CBD treatments.
Everyone was so kind and helpful. Everyone seemed to have a different explanation for my hair loss.
When my mom died later that month, I started losing more hair.
I also regularly cut my own hair. But when I’m in New York, I go to high-end salons. In September, the salon’s famous owner claimed that my hair loss was due to the bright yellow hot tools I was using. [naturally] everything will come back. The La Vie! ” (Owner is French). I stopped using the tool.
But the damage was done. Please look at the picture. Wow.
Corruption continued. So my only explanation is that it was split into multiples. She burned her hair with tools, was under a lot of stress, didn’t eat well, and yes, she was grieving the loss of her mother.
By December my hair was still falling out. Before the White House state dinner with President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron, I was nervous because I could see bald spots on my head and my hair was only an inch long. I was worried.
Twenty years ago Mika would have gone into pure panic mode considering I’d cut my hair like never before and attend such a high-profile event. I’d probably even considered skipping dinner.
But at 55, I’m proud to say that I kept my composure. This was nothing compared to what I went through, like dealing with the death of her mother, and I told myself I didn’t need hair to feel beautiful. In my 50s, I learned that posture, confidence and a great smile can make up for a lot.
I wore a beautiful black Caroline Herrera dress. And while I usually do my own hair for shows, stylist Wilbert Ramos Maisonette (who I’ve worked with for years) helped me get ready for the big night. I was so relieved that he helped me with the preparations.Wilbert was very worried about how much I had lost my hair.At the same time, the man loves challenges. Later I used one of his bobby pins and he found a way to gracefully tie the rest of my hair.
As I walked into the event, I said, I will make myself look great. “
And I felt great. Late at night I looked in the mirror inside the White House bathroom and liked what I saw. That night I went with my face and head completely bare and I really liked it.
My hair is starting to grow slowly, but it’s thinner and much less. The good news is that she has a new hair routine that takes a third of the time than before. And if my hair is bad and I’m struggling before the broadcast, I just let it go.
If you suffer from similar image problems, I encourage you to keep your head up, say “f— it” and keep moving forward. No wrinkles to worry about. That’s what I promised myself as I got older. And I have every intention of keeping it.
As the salon owner in New York said, there was a lot of heat damage. But less stress, slowing down, eating better and acceptance helped me get back on track. It’s still challenging because it’s… but that’s what it is.
C’est la vie.
