Men and March Madness

March Madness has been all the talk this past month. There is another topic of “madness” I hear from many of the men that sit in my chair.  I bet you can guess what it is...Balding. Men are obsessed with it! Even when I try to convince some of myclients that women are really not that shallow and many of us actually find abald head sexy, they are not biting. So as a stylist, it is my job to try and bring my clients what they want. As we move into the final four, let me expound on the things out there in the market that really work for hair loss and premature balding. 

1. Propecia, Finasteride, Minoxidil and Dutasteride are prescription medicines that are showing promising results. The downside of these medications is that once you stop using them, the hair loss returns. Side effects range from chronic dry eye, possible liver problems, and increase of breast cancer to decreased libido. sources: #1, #2
2. A healthier option:  Sulfur is being reported and has been witnessed by me personally, to help regrow hair. One client astounded me in particular. I saw hair regrowth that was substantial! Sulfur is a naturally occurring chemical that we do not get enough of these days. It enables the transport of oxygen across cell membranes and is necessary for healthy cellular regeneration. NaturoDoc has an in-depth study available online here. They sell the sulfur online, no bad side effects like the prescription drugs, and best of all NaturoDoc is a local company located in Washoe Valley! (It is important to talk to your doctor before taking large amounts of this or any other supplement)
   
3. Thickening shampoo: Depending on the extent of hair loss,you can use thickening shampoos. They could be the thing for you! These shampoos have extracts and chemicals that will “plump” up the hair shaft and create a fuller look for you. 
4. Strategic haircut: Talk to your stylist about doing things to minimize your weak spots. Say you’re receding; growing the front out a little more may hide this area. Or if you are thinning on top, leaving it a little longer can make it look thicker. 
5. Coloring: This is an excellent option if your hair is lighter or turning grey. Tinting or dying the hair creates an optical illusion that will make it look like you have more hair. 
6. Disguise it: There are a number of hair fiber products on the market to look into. Toppik, Organin, Caboki, and DermMatch are just afew. They add fibers that attach to your hair and make it look like you have more hair than you actually do. Here is a link to a demo for one of them.
7. Be proud of it! Wear it like a badge of honor. Think Bruce Willis, Dwayne "The Rock” Johnson,   ’Stone Cold’ Steve Austin, Vin Diesel, Yul Brenner and Michael Jordan, just to name a few. You can’t even imagine these men with hair now. And they are all very sexy and powerful men. 

My wish for you as we wrap up this installment is that your brackets all pay off and that your hair growth will increase (if that is what you wish for) which in turn will require you to come into the salon for more frequent visits! :)

Till next week.

Sincerely, 

Michon :) 

Bald is Beautiful!

One of my favorite holidays is St Patrick’s Day.  The reason why may surprise you though. I have had the honor over the last 5 years to participate in an amazing event called St. Baldricks. This organization raises money specifically for Childhood Cancer Research. Reno hosts one of the biggest events on record with the organization thanks to the tireless efforts of  board members, volunteers and staff of Northern Nevada Children’s Cancer Foundation. Last night the event brought in over $200K! It is very humbling and inspiring to be surround by so many people young and old, male and female that “Brave the Shave” on that evening. Each “shavee" has a story to tell about a friend or a family member that has passed or is still in the fight with Cancer and why they are shaving. I love being able to be a part of it by shaving the heads of these warriors. 

Team Kylee’s Wish was the hardest for me last night. Kylee was diagnosed at 6 years old and lost her fight with cancer when she was 8. This year her big sister Kehli-Anne decided to shave her head in remembrance. My friend Chandra is shaving Kehli-Anne and I am shaving her best friend Ashley here. The girls were crying, shaking and excited all at once. It was so moving to be a part of such a personal journey, as these girls braved the shave. They are my new heros and proof that bald is beautiful!  It is just remarkable to me how brave these women are. Both are attending their senior prom next week! I would never have been brave enough to do this in high school! Heck, I am not brave enough to do it now as a 48 year old woman! 

Brave women and men will be going to school and work on Monday morning wearing their badge of honor shining brightly atop their heads with an opportunity to raise awareness about childhood cancer. Meaningful discussions with hundreds if not thousands of people that had no idea how prevalent this epidemic is among our children will be educated. When I went searching for statistics on this subject I have to say I was more than a little surprised by many of them. Here are just a few of the ones I found:

• Cancer is the second leading cause of death in children younger than 15yrs (after accidents)
• About 1,310 children are expected to die from cancer in 2013
• 36 children a day are diagnosed with some form of cancer. 
• The incidence of invasive pediatric cancers is up 29% in the past 20 years. 
• Because of increased research and treatment advances more than 80% of children with cancer now survive 5 years or more. Overall this is a huge increase since the mid 70’s when the 5-year survival rate was less than 60%.

The St. Baldrick’s organization gives 82% of all the money raised to childhood cancer research. 16% goes to fundraising and an honorable 2% goes to management. That is a financial to be proud of! Anyone can organize an event and the events can be held anytime of year. In fact I have it from a good source, that they would like to spread the love throughout the year a little more. So if you are helping to organize an event or want to sponsor a fundraiser consider them! All you have to do is find a few crazy hairdressers that are clipper happy and set up shop! Before a fun run maybe, along with a sheep shearing contest, hmmmm what else could we pair this event with. Do you have an idea for a fundraiser or an organization that you are passionate about that you would like to share with us? Please leave a link in the comments below so we can check it out an learn about amazing things happening in your area. 

Thanks for stopping by my blog! See you next week! 

Michon :)

Sources:

 JGstats, children in cancer, national cancer institute