Horror story time...⠀

Horror story time...

Something went really wrong with my hair last year.⠀

From the moment I set out on my road-tripping adventure in January, driving from Florida to California, my hair became a brittle, dry mess. I could barely brush it. ⠀

By February, the strands were splitting in every direction and breaking super bad.

By April, as I was driving up the stunning coast of California and tent camping for 21 days straight my hair started to fall out.⠀

But the turning point was my first few days in Portland in May, where I rented an Airbnb for a month to rest from the road. I will never forget this moment of pure horror... I was taking a shower one morning and my scalp felt like it was burning. And then, I looked at my hands and I literally had CLUMPS of hair on my fingers. Not like a few strands, but dozens of strands.

I flew home to Florida in mid-June to see my family, but the first thing I did was go see my doctor. We ran through all the bloodwork we possibly could and NOTHING was wrong. I was told that my lifestyle (of following my dreams and living my life of adventure) was likely causing a lot of stress on my immune system. I was given new vitamins and supplements to take.

I got a hair cut (cutting off 6 inches). My former hair-dresser gave me some fancy products that didn't work. I went to a dermatologist to get a second opinion and they offered me a bunch of meds that I didn't want to take.⠀

Upon returning to Portland, I turned to holistic medicine. I met with a nutritionist who suggested a few changes to my plant-based lifestyle. I spoke to a holistic healer, who gave advice on revamping my daily mindfulness routine to reduce stress. I meditated, drank all kinds of herbal remedies, went to yoga 4x week, slept more, worked out more (hiking). I changed my hair products again to the most natural I could find. Nothing was working.

By September, I lost roughly half of my hair. It was so thin and brittle by then. I was terrified of brushing or washing it. And when I did, it took me 30 minutes to brush out the horrific knots while wiping my tears from pain and frustration.

I felt so ashamed to be around people with my hair down. Because it was always falling out and I felt like everyone could see. But it was not even about looks for me, although as a woman the experience was extra terrible. I was legit worried about my health. Did I have cancer? Auto-immune disease?

I did more bloodwork in September. Nothing to worry about, doctors said. So I just gave up. I used a hat to cover my hair on most days. I didn't know what to do.⠀

In October & November, while adventuring in Turtle (what I call my Toyota with the rooftop tent) around Washington, Montana and Canada, my hair continued thinning but I discovered "celery juice" which reduced the feeling of burning on my scalp. It was the first step in the right direction, but it wasn't enough.

At the end of December, I had two balding spots at the front of my hairline. I returned to Florida with the goal to buy my van and begin converting it. I finally wasn't driving around and had extra time to take care of myself.

I've been following a good friend of mine on Instagram and saw that she's been using products by a company called Monat. Never heard of them before, but the results looked impressive.

After several conversations, lots of research, and many, many questions, I took a leap and ordered the most expensive hair products (I thought!) I've ever owned. I didn't really believe it would help but I had nothing else to lose at that point.

Fast forward to today, Monat changed everything for me - how my hair looks and feels, how healthy it's gotten, and how I feel about my hair. But most importantly, I no longer have any bald spots! The products have worked miracles on my head over the last 8 months of use.⠀

I may never know what caused the hair loss. Perhaps it was the extreme conditions I put my body through last year - driving 40K miles through deserts, mountains, rain, ice, extreme humidity, wind, etc. Sleeping in tents and hiking in extreme conditions. Eating burritos for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Being worried/on high alert about safety, parking, road conditions, my dog; running my business full-time while trying to balance long drives and playtime. It really could have been the stress, but I would not change a thing about last year.⠀

I never thought this day would happen in my life, but I joined an MLM! Yes, I joined Monat as a Market Partner (because I get a bigger discount!); but honestly, my experience was too sobering to keep to myself. I know there are many people who struggle with hair issues. Whatever yours may be, please don't hesitate to reach out. These products are incredible and they really work (I now see hundreds of success stories every day!)

Take a look at my mane now, followed by too many examples of what my hair turned into last year on the road.

Hope that my story helps someone else who may be struggling with their hair. Holla if you wanna chat/learn more. I have too much to share for one post.