Women are faced with many physical challenges in one lifetime. Adjusting to a changing body during pregnancy to enduring “big change” called menopause is enough to take a woman from one end of the emotional spectrum to the other as if she were on a rollercoaster ride.

Throughout those changes, women also know that after nine months, give or take a few weeks, a baby will be born and they can have their body back or, after so much time, menopause will come and the changes become a thing of the past. Yet there is one thing that women face at any age, that may or may not disappear with time and that is hair loss. Hair loss affects millions of women around the world, and that also may affect their overall perception of themselves.

Hair loss can most likely be attributed to one or more of a few things: trauma, neglect, heredity, chemicals, medication, infection or illness. One local woman is speaking out about her hair loss experience, how she lives with it and how she will deal with it going forward.

On January 15, 2016, Monica Mitchell took to her Facebook Page to reveal her struggle to her online friends and family. Her statement read, “Let me reintroduce myself. Hi, my name is Monica some of my friends call me Mony. I was diagnosed with Discoid Lupus well over 15 years ago. The people in my circle know about it, but I have only told them in private. This disease has caused me to lose most of my hair, causing me to have to hide behind wigs and weaves. Sometimes I get so tired to the point that I just want to sleep for days. There are other symptoms that I have but that's not my focus at this time. My focus is to tell you how awesome God is. I need your praises not your empathy or sympathy. All I can say right now is stay tuned. EMPOWERMENT.”

According to the American Osteopathic College of Dermatology, Discoid Lupus Erythematosus (DLE) is a chronic skin condition of sores with inflammation and scarring favoring the face, ears, and scalp and at times on other body areas. When lesions occur in hairy areas such as the beard or scalp, permanent scarring and hair loss can occur.

The famous singer, Seal, suffers from DLE. There are three other types of Lupus, which include Neonatal, Drug Induced Lupus (DIL), and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE). For more than 15 years, Monica has lived with the symptoms of DLE, which led to her permanent hair loss.

For many women, the hair is like a crown and it is something that often illustrates the personality and character of a person. When a woman’s hair is styled a certain way, it is often a reflection of who they believe themselves to be. Historically, African women wore their hair in different styles of braids to distinguish their age, status/class or to identify with a certain tribe/village.

When suffering from hair loss, styling the hair is a major challenge. Not only can this be frustrating, but also can be costly. Purchasing hair and supplies to have them installed or replacing worn wigs with new ones, can cost thousands of dollars that many women don’t have to spend. When it becomes necessary to wear hair pieces, it has to become a part of the budget.
 

Through her business, she has spent many years caring for young children, mentoring them and their parents and blessing her community in the Old South End with an annual back to school event that provided games, lunch, entertainment, book bags and school supplies for families in her neighborhood.

As a Christian, she has often been the support, prayer and praise partner and confidant for other women in the church. God has always been her strength. That is what has made Tuesday, January 19 such a special day. This was a day to be a blessing her as she has blessed so many others. She was the recipient of a complete makeover by Moira “Fingaz” Frazier and her team.

At 11:00 a.m. The Loft Boutique Salon was the location for the event. When I arrived, Micheal Wood had his cameras and lights set up, the team was in place and Monica was seated, both nervous and excited. I arrived with balloons and a card to celebrate her big day and the tears flowed as we hugged.

This makeover came to be after Monica had approached Moira several years ago, looking for something different. She expressed her story to her then and recently, Moira contacted her to encourage her to share her story with others because she felt it would help someone else. This coincides with the overall vision of her business model. She uses her craft and gift of hair styling to uplift women’s self esteem and to make them feel beautiful even on days when they are struggling to embrace their beauty.

Fingaz put her expertise and skill into practice creating a custom human hair lace front unit for Monica. When asked what the process was, she said that the key to a custom unit is in the measurements. This important step in the process is necessary to ensure that the unit fits properly and looks natural to the client’s face shape and head size.

She further said that the difference between a custom unit and a beauty supply wig is that custom is made to fit and store-bought wigs have a standard size that may not fit well and they may be made with lower quality hair with a shorter lifespan.

As one of the first stylists in Toledo to establish a product line of hair, the unit she created was made with hair from the Fingaz Fantasy Hair, Gold line. This line offers affordable Brazilian, Malaysian and Peruvian hair that lasts up to six months with continuous use or longer when worn as a unit (wig) since it can be removed and worn again. The hair can be shampooed and restyled as it has a natural texture-offering curly to straight locks.

She also offers each client education on how to care for and maintain their custom units so that they may preserve their investment and maximize the wearing of their unit.

During the time that Monica’s custom unit was being created, she received a full makeup application with Mari Taylor who created a glamorous look. Her work transformed uneven skin tones and blemishes – a result of DLE – to look smooth and natural. She created beautiful brows that were naturally thin and made the eyes dramatic.

While it isn’t an everyday look, Mari was able to show that bold makeup can still enhance the natural features and beauty of a person. Once the makeup application was complete, Isha Darrington provided the wardrobe with pieces from Forever 21 Plus and jewelry from Charlotte Russe. The jersey knit fabric was both in the mid length dress and long black shrug that can be paired with other pieces for different looks. These affordable yet versatile pieces were given to Monica along with an additional outfit to jumpstart her spring wardrobe.

The big reveal took place shortly after 2:00 p.m. where video and photos were captured as myself and Monica’s son, Torian Rentz, saw her for the first time. We looked, laughed, hugged and cried together as we witnessed a great weight being lifted from her. It was more than just getting a makeover, it was the beginning of a new journey for Monica as she plans to share her story with others.

She hopes to empower women to talk about living with Lupus or any other illness that can cause skin or scalp damage and permanent hair loss. Many women may not share details about their hair as it may be due to feelings of shame or anxiety from living with illnesses, scarring and hair loss, but Monica hopes that her willingness to share will begin a conversation with other women that is long overdue.

Not only are women suffering in silence, but they may also be unaware of solutions available to them right here in our community. This makeover proved that not only was sharing a personal journey important and empowering, but giving back and being a blessing was just as necessary. This is a shining example of women empowering women.

The Loft Boutique Salon is located at 1855 S. Reynolds Rd. and is owned and operated by Linnette Owens who specializes in natural hair, haircuts and color services. Moira “Fingaz” Frazier is a licensed cosmetologist who can be reached by calling 419-215-9249 or on her website www.fingazhair.bigcartel.com. Her email address is fingazhair@yahoo.com . Mari Taylor, makeup artist, can be reached at 419-206-0277. Isha Darrington, wardrobe stylist, can be reached at 419-902-0522 and Micheal Wood, photographer/videographer can be reached at 419-377-5971. The team can also be found on Facebook and Instagram, please follow them to learn more about the video that will also show Monica's story.

Copyright © 2015 by [The Sojourner's Truth]. All rights reserved.
Revised: 08/16/18 14:12:42 -0700.

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