Meet Riley!

Hi! I’m so excited you're here! I'm Riley, and welcome to my androgenic alopecia blog. I also discuss other types of hair loss including alopecia areata, telogen effluvium and much more but the majority of my blog content is geared towards hair loss from androgenic alopecia.  

I was diagnosed with androgenic alopecia back in 2011 while I was in graduate school. Now I have my PhD in Biomedical Science (which I earned researching an autoimmune disease that has nothing to do with hair loss). But my time as a graduate student helped me realize my passion for learning complex medical information and synthesizing it into a format where it can be shared with a wide audience. 

I have devoted a ton of my free time to reading journal articles and reviewing clinical trial data for everything and anything androgenic alopecia related. I became obsessed because the idea of having a condition with, "progressive hair loss" sounded absolutely terrifying.

During this process I learned that there is a ton of information out there about androgenic alopecia… But not all of the advice, or marketing messages promoting hair loss solutions are based on sound data. Dun dun dun… The horror!

Thus I decided to create an androgenic alopecia blog... This way I could share evidence-based approaches for combating hair loss along with the techniques I use to conceal my own hair thinning.

Take a look around! If there's one thing I've learned from life with androgenic alopecia--it's that what works for one person may not work for another. There is no, "one size fits all" when searching for hair loss solutions. I mean... I've tried topicals, laser treatment, supplements, Platelet Rich Plasma treatments, hair extensions, scalp massage, microneedling, hair toppers--(like the one I'm wearing in the above image), scalp micropigmentation, Hair Club, and tons more…

Master Your Hair: Mission Statement

1. Create a safe space for women to support and uplift one another

2. Cut through some of the misinformation out there about hair loss treatments by reviewing the data

3. Save you from spending tons of money on so-called “treatments”

4. Show you methods that may help conceal your own hair loss

5. Share stories about navigating daily life with androgenic alopecia in "The Dailies" section of this blog

6. Hair jokes that are guaranteed to blow your hair back

How I got here...

For as long as I can remember my hair has always been oily, thin and stringy…I just  thought… Wellp... You’re never going to be the hair model in a Pantene Pro-V commercial. But that was fine. I accepted it. Some people have thick hair and some people don't.

Cue my hair extension obsession...

Before my diagnosis with androgenic alopecia I can recall showering and thinking, Should all these strands be left in my hand after I shampoo and condition? For me that was when the hair shedding seemed most noticeable.

Part of me wondered if something might be wrong...but I didn’t investigate any further. I just brushed it off. Get it? (Sorry there’s going to be lots of jokes like that. I can’t help myself 😉 

I started taking hair vitamins. Biotin. Isn’t that what we always hear?

 {----"Take more Biotin. You should really try it... My friend did and now she has to cut her nails with a chainsaw! Another girl's hair grew a mile long after just one month of daily supplementation...."}

Well with stories like that from your friends... I figured, okay, fine. So I gave it a try. But still nothing changed. Then I wondered...Could it be my thyroid? What about stress? My mother was always telling me to stop stressing so much.

Stress is my baseline, mom! Ugh! 

Then one day I remember my boyfriend at the time saying, "It looks like you’re getting a bald spot back here.” Then he casually poked the back of my head with his index finger. “You should get that checked out." He was laughing at the time which made the experience a little more uncomfortable. I definitely remember feeling very vulnerable at that moment.

Cool…Cool…Cool.  

Eventually I made an appointment with my dermatologist. (I encourage you to always consult with your doctor if you feel like something might be off). A blood test ruled out my thyroid. But the biopsy of my scalp led my physician to make the diagnosis of androgenic alopecia. The hair thinning I was experiencing was a widening of my part. Then there was that tiny bald spot forming in the back. (Don’t worry… you’ll see pics). 

When I left the office after that appointment I remember thinking… So what does this actually mean for me? How bad is this going to get? I was told the hair loss would be progressive but I still couldn’t wrap my head around what that would actually translate to. I remember also feeling really upset. Why is this happening to me? I’m not a dude...I shouldn’t be losing my hair!  This has to be some sort of mistake!  (Shakes fist angrily in the air.)

Now it's about 10 years later and during this time I’ve studied up on countless treatments and learned different techniques to conceal my own hair loss.

I hope this blog helps you feel like you're not alone. Hair loss totally sucks. But together let's make the best of it!

As always... Thank you for being here with me. Sending love to my hair loss community and fellow alopecians....XOXOXO

-Riley