Losing My Hair Journey
There are moments in life that change the way you see yourself.
For me, one of those moments was losing my hair.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, while working as a laboratory scientist on the front lines, I began experiencing hair loss in patches. Seeing my own hair disappear was frightening.
I was used to thinking about health through the lens of science and laboratory results, but this was different.
This was happening to me.
Hair can be deeply connected to how we see ourselves. When you suddenly begin losing it, it can affect much more than your appearance. It can affect your confidence, your emotions, and the way you feel when you look in the mirror.
At first, I had many questions.
Why was this happening?
What was happening to my hair follicles?
Was stress playing a role?
Was my nutrition adequate?
Were the products I was using helping my scalp, or simply making my hair feel good temporarily?
Those questions led me to start learning.
I Started Looking at the Whole Picture
One of the biggest lessons I learned was that caring for my hair could not be separated from caring for my body.
I began paying much closer attention to what I was eating and made changes to my diet. I also became more intentional about drinking enough water.
I looked into my nutrient levels and, as part of my own experience, paid particular attention to Vitamin D and iron.
This changed the way I thought about hair care.
It became clear to me that we have to think about what we put into our bodies as well as what we put on our hair and scalp.
Hair is produced by the body, so our overall health and nutritional status can matter.
That does not mean that every case of hair loss is caused by a nutritional deficiency, or that taking supplements is the answer for everyone. Hair loss can have many different causes.
But my experience taught me that nutrition, hydration, overall health, and scalp care are all worth considering when we are trying to understand what is happening to our hair.
I started looking at my hair care from the inside out and the outside in.
Losing My Hair Changed the Way I Looked at Hair Care
As I continued learning, I began researching hair, scalp health, nutrition, ingredients, and the different factors that can influence the hair-growth cycle.
I learned that healthy-looking hair is not simply about what we put on the strands.
The scalp and hair follicles are living biological systems, and many things can influence them.
I also became more interested in the ingredients in the products I was using.
I wanted to understand what I was putting on my scalp and why certain ingredients were included in a formula.
I learned to look beyond words such as "natural" or "clean" and to ask better questions:
- Is this ingredient appropriate for the product?
- Is it being used at a reasonable concentration?
- Could it irritate the scalp?
- What does the evidence actually tell us?
My background as a laboratory scientist made me naturally curious about evidence.
My experience with hair loss gave that curiosity a much more personal meaning.
The more I learned, the more I realized how easy it is to become overwhelmed by information about hair.
There are so many promises, products, ingredients, and quick solutions.
But hair and scalp health rarely have a one-size-fits-all answer.
What My Experience Taught Me
Losing my hair taught me to listen to my body instead of simply trying to cover up the problem.
It taught me that caring for the scalp is important, but so is paying attention to nutrition, hydration, overall health, and changes in the body.
It taught me that "natural" does not automatically mean better or safer, and that every ingredient deserves to be considered thoughtfully.
Most importantly, it taught me how emotionally difficult hair loss can be.
Before my own experience, I understood hair loss scientifically.
After experiencing it myself, I understood it emotionally.
I understood what it feels like to look in the mirror and wonder what happened.
I understood the fear of not knowing whether the hair would come back.
And I understood why someone experiencing hair loss may need more than a product recommendation.
Sometimes they need someone to listen, educate them, and remind them that they are not alone.
From My Experience to Yene Hair
My experience became the beginning of something I never planned.
As I continued learning about hair and scalp care, I began experimenting with ingredients and developing formulations that reflected what I was learning.
I wanted to create products that were thoughtful, simple, and focused on caring for both the hair and scalp.
That journey eventually led to the creation of Yene Hair.
But Yene Hair was never meant to be just about selling hair products.
It was born from a personal experience with hair loss and from a desire to help other people feel more informed and supported in their own hair-care journeys.
I know what it feels like to be searching for answers.
I know how confusing it can be to hear one recommendation after another.
And I know how important it is to approach someone experiencing hair loss with compassion rather than judgment.
What I Hope You Take Away
My experience does not mean that what worked for me will work for everyone.
Hair loss has many possible causes, and understanding the underlying cause is important.
Sometimes the right next step is not another hair product.
It may be speaking with a dermatologist, physician, or qualified hair and scalp professional.
What I hope my story does is encourage you to become more curious about your own hair and scalp.
- Pay attention to changes.
- Think about what you eat and how you care for your body.
- Stay adequately hydrated.
- Learn about the ingredients you use.
- And don't be afraid to ask questions when something doesn't seem right.
Losing my hair was one of the most difficult experiences I went through during the pandemic, but it also changed the direction of my life.
It pushed me to learn.
It pushed me to look deeper.
And ultimately, it gave me a purpose I had not expected.
Yene Hair was born from that experience, with the hope of helping others care for their hair and scalp with knowledge, intention, and compassion.
Because sometimes, the experience that changes us can also become the experience that teaches us how to help someone else.