6 Reasons Your Hair Might Fall Out

A short poem about trichotillomania. TW for that and eating disorders.

 

1. Male pattern baldness

2. Chemotherapy treatment

3. Strands caught in cracks in a headset, working at a call centre, sharp pain each time you take it off but not memorable enough to be more careful next time.

4. Your sister at 15, huddled at the bottom of a bath-shower combo, ribs and collarbones a 3D artwork, living on baby food and air. Her hair is dyed orange and feels like straw and it falls out in clumps. She didn’t look as skinny at the time as she does now in photographs.

5. Your eyelashes covered in dust and dirt, your eyebrows coated with grime and you're not trying to pluck them out, just clean them. Grabbing them and pulling, over and over, and you've got one and a half eyebrows now and it's not that noticeable, honestly, but anyone who looked at you could tell. You just pluck them out so no stray lashes fall against your eye. The alternative is worse than pulling every now and then.

6. A badly composed french braid, tugged too hard but affection plaited into the curls .