Hello all! I have recently moved to Birmingham UK. I have been suffering from trich since quite a few years. Because of it, all these I am not able to go to any salon and get a proper haircut for me (fear of judgement :/). If anyone knows good salon in Birmingham which is trichotillomania friendly, please help!! Any input would be appreciated. :)

I pulled out my hair on my head two days ago creating huge bald spots. I’m wondering how long it takes for the hair to regenerate and resprout from the scalp so that I’m able to see it?

So I have a urge to touch my hair all the time but I don't pull it out from the roots. I run my fingers through my hair feeling the texture and as I have really curly hair, I find hairs that have single hair knots and cut them either with my teeth or with scissors. Is this considered trichotillomania? I'm new here so will try to read through your tips and tools in the other posts.

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Hello! Do you struggle with hair pulling? Are you interested in participating in a study to create a new measure of trichotillomania symptom severity? Find more information about the study (USU IRB # 14085) and eligibility at https://www.utahact.com/trichmeasure.html

Reach out to the PI, Michael Twohig, michael.twohig@usu.edu or the study coordinator, Leila Capel at leila.capel@usu.edu with any questions or concerns.

Hey guys I have been pulling for almost 3 years now and it’s quite noticeable that I’m kinda bald but I never told my parents what it was and they think it’s because I got vivid in 2021 I usually use hair clips to cover up my spots when I go out or to school But heres the thing: I have an entrance exam in 10 days and since we have to write it in a different school,they have some strict rules about the dress code one of which concerns me is that we can’t wear any thing on our heads like hats,any cloth like hijab or metal ornaments like hairclips, earrings etc I don’t have a wig/any kind of makeup neither do I have a hair root spray Please help me what do I do I really don’t wanna go out there with my bald spots showing

It alerts you when you pull and suggests healthier stuff to do instead.

https://www.dulcetapp.com/hair-pulling

Hi fellow trichsters!

I recently moved to a new city, and I'm coming out of a bad pull-year and was stressing the other day about where I can go get my hair cut around here and feel comfortable.

So, I'm working on building a resource for our community - a comprehensive list of trich-friendly hairstylists and barbers across the US. I realized that many of us probably understand the stress of needing a haircut but hesitating because we're not sure if we'll find someone who understands trichotillomania. Hopefully that's about to change!

What's the Plan?

I'm putting together a shared Google Spreadsheet where everyone can pitch in. The goal? To create a one-stop hub where you can find hairstylists who have the expertise and experience with clients with trichotillomania.

How You Can Help:

Before I release the spreadsheet for everyone to add to, I want to fill it with some quality information. That's where you come in! If you've got a hairstylist or barber who's been a total lifesaver, please share their details - their name, where they're located, how to get in touch, and any notes or comments about their trich-friendly practices.

Also, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this idea. Is there anything specific you think should be included? Any tweaks I can make to make it this more inclusive or user-friendly? Your input is invaluable!

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Let's Do It:

If you know a hairstylist who deserves a shoutout, please fill out this survey.

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And don't hold back - if you've got suggestions or feedback, I'm all ears!

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Survey Link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf5MPOaov-qAI6OwTuo8gH9MIa5ZxjDM1Ro8I-49FcWsHMiIw/viewform?usp=sf_link

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More to come!

okay i dont know if this makes sense but imma rant anyway. ever since i was little ive always liked the feeling of rubbing my eyebrow hairs under my nails? its so weird to put into words but it’s kind of like a stim i do and i do it without even noticing a lot. i sometimes even do it with my hair when i’m bored. i feel like it’s kind of causing damage to my eyebrows but anyway. i have autism and adhd, i always find comfort in fidgeting especially with things that i can feel and sooth me kind of? i love the feeling of just grazing my fingertips over my eyebrows and feeling the hair go under my nails.

another thing i just can’t stop doing is plucking hair with my tweezers, im so addicted to just plucking any hair from my eyebrows that aren’t where i want them to be and also even plucking my legs when i’m bored. i can sit there for hours listening to those silly reddit story videos on tiktok and just pluck my leg hairs. sometimes when i pluck a hair on my legs it starts to bleed and i feel like it’s really affecting my skin.

i kind of just want some advice on things i can possibly do instead of these things, i’ve been doing them too much recently and it’s taking a toll on me in some way.

I’ve have trich since age approx 16 and am now 55 so I know all the issues and internal grief it causes.

I’ve worn head scarfs gloves hair extensions etc etc and have gone through extreme phases pulling hair every few seconds/mins throughout days. Half my hair is missing - but that side is nearly long enough to put in ponytail (have worn hair extensions for years to fill the gaps until few mths ago.

Anyway, I seem to have stopped- totally - no grief - for 2 mths now - ever since I started with a nutrition plan provided by a personal trainer. Part of this plan which is just healthy eating includes a combination of vitamins listed below:-

Breakfast 500mg vitamin c 1 multi Vit 1 flaxseed oil capsule 1 dandelion root capsule (bought online only I think) Probiotic tablet (optional)

Dinner 500mg vitamin c 1 flaxseed oil capsule 1 dandelion root capsule

I’m 99% confident that there is something in these tablets that is resetting some sort of chemical imbalance in my brain - totally removing that feeling in my head of wanting/needing to pull my hair. Haven’t posted before but try thought I should share this as it could help you too.

I've often heard that there is no such thing as truly repairing damaged hair and the only thing you can really do is cut your hair to start over. If that's true, then what's with all the talk of "repairing hair bonds?" Do hair bonding treatments actually do anything?

I just asked chatGPT this question (I know it's not 100% accurate) and it told me bonding treatments are essentially a temporary fix, but you should find and solve the root of the problem.

I just went and had a consultation with a stylist yesterday and she suggested an Olaplex or Botanical Repair treatment plus deep conditioning and braiding my hair to keep my hands out of my hair. My worry is that since I still pull my hair on and off and haven't gotten a haircut in over a year, my hair is too damaged to grow and while braids will help keep me from pulling, they won't help grow my hair.

Got a haircut today after avoiding, procrastinating, overthinking etc

subtract memory thumb sleep like elderly makeshift advise seed pot

This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

Hello, I've been dealing with this disorder for over two decades now and just realized something about myself. I've always wondered why I've persistently pulled out the hair on my face only in certain spots. (Upper eyelashes, lower neck beard hair)

It's a sensory thing for me. I am on the spectrum, after all. I don't like the feeling of eyelashes that touch my eyelids or get twisted up together, and I don't like the feeling of my hair touching my clothes around my neckline. It's a total sensory necessity that I keep these spots bare.

Has anyone else had a similar revelation? Has it changed anything for you?

i’ve been pulling out my hair for years resulting in bald spots. i haven’t told anyone about it other than just one friend, but i hate it. i feel like it takes up such a massive chunk of my life and i hate that i can’t stop pulling, but i also hate keeping it a secret.

it finally slipped out the other day when i was talking to my mom that i pull out my own hair. obviously i don’t expect her to fully understand this unexplainable urge to pull out so much of my own hair. but she kinda freaked out and kept asking questions like “why don’t you just stop pulling” and “why would you pull your own hair out” that i didn’t really have answers to. i guess she thought i was consciously choosing to and truly wanted to pull out my hair, even though i said that that wasn’t true. i felt like such a freak in that moment, i hated every minute of it. then my dad came into the room asking what we were being so loud about, and she said that i’d “tell him my secret” myself. after hearing her reaction, i definitely didn’t want to tell him and i didn’t like that she just put me on the spot. i just changed the topic to something else and went to away to my room and cried for so long.

i hate that i can’t stop pulling, i really do. my parents aren’t exactly the most supportive of therapy, but im going off to college in a few months where i can hopefully see a therapist. honestly, these last few weeks i’ve felt like i was ready to start telling the people closest to me about this hair pulling, but the way my mom reacted has definitely turned me away from doing so anytime soon. i thought it was right to be honest and open in the moment, but i was wrong. i just hate everything about this situation i’ve created.

I’ve pulled at my hair since I was 14. There were always particular spots I would pull from, just above and behind my ear, my crown….anyway, I’ve never developed balding spots but instead have terrible split ends from the areas I pull from. Sometimes I can get the bulb of the hair to come out and other times the hair snaps from me pulling and creates a split end…in these areas my hair grows but is way shorter than other areas. I recently went to a stylist (I am black and have mixed textures in my hair) and asked her to help me get my hair growing again. She looked at my scalp and mused that my scalp looked healthy but wondered why the hair was breaking so easily.

Could it be my pulling? I suspect it is since the breakage only occurs in areas that I’m constantly touching and pulling from. I kept my hair buzzed for years and didn’t touch it then. I want to grow my hair out again as it grows quite quickly but I’ve always felt like my hair breaks so easily, feeling like I couldn’t do anything about it and never made the connection that I was doing this to myself….

Is it possible I have this problem…despite not balding, but having short spots from breakage?

It’s taken a lot for me to post here and I’ve never wanted to admit that I likely have this disorder. A lot of symptoms match up with what I do and honestly, I’m kind of scared. Help!

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Are you interested in contributing to Body-Focused Repetitive Behavior research? We are looking for adults 18+ (worldwide!) with trichotillomania and/or skin picking disorder to take a 15-20 minute survey.

Participation includes answering questions related to your BFRBs, medical history, and personality, mood, and psychiatric symptoms. Survey completers will be able to enter a drawing to win a $100 Visa Gift Card (15 winners will be selected).

The survey can be accessed at: https://redcap.uchicago.edu/surveys/?s=K9LF4R3EYAJT9CPX

Note: While this survey can be completed on a mobile device, we recommend using a tablet or computer for a better digital experience.

This research is being conducted by Dr. Jon E. Grant at the University of Chicago.

Hi everyone!! First off, thanks for being vulnerable!!!

I have been a nail biter since I was a toddler. Both my ring finger nails have been a 1/3 of a length of a normal nail since my sophomore year of college 5 years ago. I never thought much of it as both my siblings are nail biters.

First time I noticed I had some sort of compulsion was in middle school when my computer teacher told me “my hair was beautiful but not important right now” when I was pulling my split end. I remember the exact moment I learned about split ends and since that moment nearly 15 years ago I still have no greater guilty pleasure. It fr is just sooooo damn satisfying. I can be in an important convo but if I see a Y at the end of my hair I willlll be grabbing it.

I started plucking my pubes in high school when I was bored about every 3 months. Not in a routine, just out of boredom and ASMR. I love the feeling.

My life is under control, I have a fantastic career and family/friends. The only truly noticeable trich trait is my lack of fingernails and obsessed with pulling hair w split ends.

Can anyone relate? Should I get a diagnosis or is this common? No fuckin clue. I’ve been able to function well, so based off a “disorder” I think I’m ok ??????

Long time hair puller going on 10 years Absolutely can’t bring myself to stop Have ripped the skin off my eyebrows so deep there are indentions on my face now. Same with the skin inside my ear, the middle of my lip. Please give any advice you can

Are you interested in contributing to Body-Focused Repetitive Behavior research? We are looking for adults 18+ (worldwide!) with trichotillomania and/or skin picking disorder to take a 15-20 minute survey.

Participation includes answering questions related to your BFRBs, medical history, and personality, mood, and psychiatric symptoms. Survey completers will be able to enter a drawing to win a $100 Visa Gift Card (15 winners will be selected).

The survey can be accessed at: https://redcap.uchicago.edu/surveys/?s=K9LF4R3EYAJT9CPX

Note: While this survey can be completed on a mobile device, we recommend using a tablet or computer for a better digital experience.

This research is being conducted by Dr. Jon E. Grant at the University of Chicago.

Okay I have dreads. I don’t pull them out, but I can’t resist the urge to give a few of them a tug every once and a while

Has anyone figured out a way to wear hats in the office? Is there a brand you like that’s comfortable and kind of professional looking? My job is super relaxed, and I only go in one a week, so I don’t think they would even mind me wearing a ball cap honestly. When I work from home I live in my beanies though, which I definitely prefer for comfort but I think that may be less professional than some other options. But maybe not?

So I pulled some lashes last night and then felt the need to punish myself so I resorted to self-harm. It wasn’t in a spiral or panic, in fact I felt very calm. It seemed like my mind was saying “okay so you’ve made this mistake of pulling, and now you have to be punished.” And I just agreed. It felt like self-harming legitimized to myself that pulling is a mistake, and this was a clear consequence to that action.

My therapist challenged me to dig deeper into this and why I feel this connection between pulling and self-punishment. Has anyone else experienced something like this?

Calling all scalp pullers

I am building a tool to help with hair pulling awareness and replacement.

It's still free right now while I am testing it, please give it a go!

https://www.dulcetapp.com/hair-pulling

Also feel free to drop me a message with how you get on

I just managed to conquer the urge to pull my eyelashes by washing my face with really, really cold water for 10-15 minutes. Give it a shot.

So I've been pulling my eyelashes and eyebrows and such since forever, and I'm just wondering if trichotilomania it however you spell it is some sort of OCD. I am obsessed with pulling the hairs because whenever I feel one hair longer than the other, I want all the hair to be the same length, so I pull it. Whenever I feel one eye has eyelashes longer than the other, I pull them all so they can be the same. It's like some sort of obsession, and if they aren't all the same, I actually legit HAVE to pluck. So yeah just gonna restate my question is trichotilomania some sort of OCD or may I have OCD or what's happenin

Is this world record ?