Ever since I was nine years old when I was chased down the street by my father, being pulled back into the house by my hair. I look down onto my lap and see a large clump of my hair, I was curious why I did not feel the clump come out. One would think that my scalp would be sore for a great while, and after the kids in the neighborhood saw this display they would too come up too me and pull out my hair, for what reason? Because kids are crewel!
These periods in my life created a monster, I felt like my hair was going to waste. For some unknown reason I chose one of those pulled hairs and inserted it up my nose, I knew it would give me some kind of sensation because I always twirled my blanket within my nostrils as a younger child. In the instance the hair reached my sinus I sneezed, I remember my mother thought I was coming down with a cold and kept me home from school the next day.
From there it grew and become a clutch to a disorder. My family and siblings knew about the hair pulling for years, and I am sure a few knew about what happened to it after I would pull one out of my head. Some of my loved ones just thought I was eating the hair I pulled. I would get comments like, "One day you are going to spit out a huge hairball" or "We are not cats people can not process hair like they do. you are going to shave hair strung all through your intestines".
Wow that was quite the head full that day I could hardly keep myself from laughing, not only from the word chosen but from the pure embarrassment of the truth connected to this OCD, there is a more uglier side to it. Just wonder to your self ""after the hair is inserted into the nose, the sneeze comes... Then what? My children know what, whenever they see it I get" Ahh MOM no," and "eww your just sick".
Here it is for the first time in my life, the whole truth and nothing but, It has been asked what do you do with the hair after you twirl it in your nose, With much hesitation "with one finger the hair is wiped off onto the upper lip. I can imagine you are feeling a bit grossed out at this point, but don"t fool your self this is a common occurrence among hair pullers.
In the past 5 years since I was diagnosed with MS in 2001 my hair pulling has morphed into the hair on my legs. That is done with tweezers, at first it really hurt so I did it here and there, one day a month until recently as I am losing more and more of the feeling of my skin, needless to say this summer I will not be wearing a bikini nor shorts.
I have seen others with the hair pulling OCD, being one myself I see the signs and with some I see the results with bald patches. I have been lucky in a way that my baldness is seasonal per say- I have overly think and curly hair, with a quick change of style its hidden from view. Up until 1996 I was horrified to enter a hair salon for a cut, the stylists would always point out my flaw out loud. but in 1996 a stylists politely and quietly told me that if I was to continue pulling out my hair it would be much less noticeable it I took them from the side of my scalp.
There are ways to put this nasty obsession to rest by visiting a professional that specializes in Obsessive Compulsive Disorders, It is highly recommended. Although I have not as yet taken this of my own advice, but if you or someone you love is suffering from this form of OCD there are ways to stop this behavior.
