Winter 2014
BeauTrichful
®
Tips on
Skin Picker’s A
Dating Someone With
Trichotillomania The (trich) Opportunity Blogger
Love Story
Valentine’s Day Trich-Fighting How To Hair
BEAUTRICHFUL FOUNDER’S MESSAGE Winter 2014
Left to Right: The young Charlene on her wedding day July 1995 trying to put on a happy face on a notso-perfect wedding while intuitively knowing the most disastrous honeymoon is up ahead. 2014 portrait portrays a much happier Charlene who left her past to pursue her career in hair extensions.
How “The Rules” Book Ruined My Relationship Discovering Why God Is The Author of Relationships By Charlene Blacer
I was married too young. Age 23. I never lived with any boyfriend. I married first and then moved in with my husband. I never experienced what it’s like to live with a man before marriage. I also married my husband after only knowing him for 2 months. Some short term relationships and some young brides’ marriages last, but unfortunately I was the unlucky one. But who’s to say, that the reason for my experiences were to share my story and perhaps shed light to someone going through the same pain I’ve endured for many years. After 3 months living together, I knew in my heart that the man I called; “my husband”, wasn’t the man I wanted anymore. I asked him numerous times for a divorce but he wouldn’t let me go. I was trapped and confused. My family didn’t want to help me as they wanted me to patch up my marriage. I did try. And kept trying till I became so miserable I often thought of running away. I believe what made the marriage fail was because he and his parents (even though he says the opposite) never accepted my 2 fatherless children. Their love was selfish, not unconditional as Jesus teaches us. I decided that the only way out was to work 2 jobs (day and night), save up all that money, buy a house for me and my children so I could leave for good. It’s not that my husband was a bad husband, it’s just that our marriage was not a “marriage”. Everything from our bank accounts to mails were separate. Not that there’s anything
wrong with that, but to me this is not what I envision an ideal marriage should be. I finally bought my own home in 1999 and became separated waiting for a permanent divorce. 2000 came... nothing... 2001 came...still waiting... In the meantime, there were so many other men from work who wanted to date me; but yet I didn’t want to, as I felt; “it’s not right”. One man, invited me and our co-workers to an afterwork get-together. I knew he liked me, yet I remain reserved. He offered to escort me to my car after. I refused, but he insisted commenting on how New York City is unsafe at 4am in the morning. So I offered to drive him back to the get-together. When we shared our good-bye kiss, he stuck his tongue in my mouth! I even had braces at the time. It was so embarrassing and shocking at the same time! I stared at him like; “omg, what did you just do?!” But I liked it. And we kissed again and it was more beautiful than how the man I called; “my husband” kissed me. That night I had butterflies all over me. I’ve never been that happy in a long time. I immediately told the husband what had happened giving him reason to leave me for good. But he kept protesting that this man is no good for me, comparing his job to his, comparing his looks to his...blah blah. Then I started to think; “maybe he’s right that it’s not going to work out after all with the other man and agreed to have sex with the estranged husband that night who purposely got me pregnant!
In that one single sex night, I get pregnant! Ugh! Now I’m thinking; “I’m so trapped in the marriage and now there’s no way out!” Throughout my entire pregnancy, I was miserable. I hated being pregnant. I contemplated abortion. I hated the marriage I was in. I hated my life. I hated everything. My family was so happy that after 5 years of marriage and 2 years of separation, I finally became pregnant. So I tried to put on a happy face, though deep down I was still miserable. The husband started changing. He decided to finally buy a house for us. He even bought me a rock. This rock was so huge- like the size of JLo’s engagement ring! (From what my daughter described it). He got down on one knee and presented the ring to me, but I just looked straight at the wall. I didn’t care. Nope, I didn’t see the ring at all. The husband made more changes. He even offered to pay me so I could quit my job. Funny how the husband changed (buying me all these material things) right after I gave him his own child...he makes me sick! Naturally, I refused it all. No ring on my finger. Still living in the small tiny house I bought. Still working in the same nightclub job I hated. Still living as a single woman during the week in my tiny house and a “married woman” in the weekend at his big house. I was torn! I didn’t know which way to turn! Nonetheless, I still hated the latter. After recovering from my pregnancy, I went back to work around the Christmas holidays. I saw my guy friend and told him I wasn’t around because I just gave birth. Thinking I would give him a reason to stop liking me, he only gave me nothing but compliments. He also asked if we could start a relationship; to which I was in disbelief; “um...hello? Didn’t you hear what I just said? I just gave birth? Hello???” He must have seen the misery written all over my face that was too hard to deny; so I said “ok”; thinking he’s probably had too much to drink or something. But no he was very serious. He even made a loud announcement on the microphone to everyone; “Christmas is coming I’m a very lucky man”. This same torn up scenario kept going for another year. Until one day, I couldn’t fight the urges anymore and agreed to seriously go with my guy friend. We kissed and it was heaven. He tried to have sex with me which I declined, fearing that “cheating” would only make God hate me. So the same torn up scenario kept going on for another year (this time he’s thinking; “eh, she’s just playing me but I’ll try”) and when we kissed again after 2 years later, this time, I finally let go. I didn’t care if I was sinning. I sold my soul to the devil and just let go and savored the moment. And it was ecstasy! I was so high on lovemaking that night. It was everything I had imagined it to be. The passion was undeniably there. It was pure love, like you feel there is truly a heaven on earth. It’s indescribable. The next day, I went straight to my attorney’s office to demand a divorce. I couldn’t take it anymore! What I’m about to tell you next will shock you as it did for me. What I learned from the attorney was that I have been divorced (for 2 years!) since 2001 before the husband bought the big house as he didn’t want my name to be on the deed! I didn’t care about the stupid house! I care more about my freedom! Yet both he and my attorney never told me this! He must have had bribe him! If the Internet was as it is today, I believe I would have gotten better information...
Getting back to the lovemaking story, everything the husband taught me about lovemaking that; “the passion dies down after continuos sex with the same person” --- was false! And I will explain later but first because I didn’t want to mess up my new relationship, my girlfriend told me to read; “The Rules” book. This self-help book is about playing hard to get (which I kind of was doing in the beginning but not intentionally). But this book made me turn up the volume even more. So in other words, I became a different me and my new guy saw that and he broke up with me. I was so heart broken! I couldn’t stand being at the weekend night job anymore so I permanently quit in 2004 and focused on growing my hair extension business as the Internet started growing. But
who’s to say that this break up had to happen, otherwise I wouldn’t have had told myself;
“I’ll show you I’m going to build a successful business one day!” and yes my hair extension business did grow unbelievably as predicted. The memories that my in-laws gave to me, I brought with me to my future. I started to believe it to be real; that no in-laws would accept me and my children. And as if that wasn’t enough, my own sister, too, was so cruel and I will never forget her telling me; “who’s going to marry you with all these kids?” I began to believe that I would simply settle with a man I’m not in love with. I did end up dating a new man, one whom I wasn’t attracted to, but has taught me a very important lesson. I kept asking him why does he want me when he can have any girl he wants because he’s never marry? He said; “Charlene, you got to understand, I’m almost 40. I want a woman close to my age. And those women are most likely divorced with kids. And if they don’t have this, there’s something wrong”; (I immediately thought about my sister because she fits this description. No wonder she’s so mean to me!) But this guy, whom I wasn’t attracted to, boosted up my self-confidence, which made me fall for him, short term. After breaking up with him and after 4 years my ex broke up with me; in 2008 I just so happen to open an email contact form sent to my company and it was from my ex! I was so thrilled to hear from him! We got together and yes the passion was still there even after four years later! Even after he too got married then divorce with a baby. Cause when you’ve waited so long to have sex with that person, the passion never dies. Well, we did break up again and to this day I have no regrets at all unlike with the man I called my “husband”. Would I have sex with my ex? No. I’m in a relationship not for love and sex but for marriage and for me, he’s not the one God wants me to marry... But the best lesson I learned being with him was that
“It’s Worth The Wait.” So then I decided that if God calls me to matrimony,
BEAUTRICHFUL FOUNDER’S MESSAGE Winter 2014
I prayed that it be with someone that I’ve known for a long time with the same passionate love as my last relationship; but first and foremost, someone who is Godly. And God works in mysterious ways because He sent me a childhood classmate who is becoming a very dear friend to me. He is teaching me about how Godly relationships should be. And this guy’s never been married! For example, he invited me to share a couple of nights together at his vacation home and he gave me my own room to sleep in. This was the first time I’ve ever been to a guy’s house who didn’t try anything because he doesn’t believe in fornication. Not like he’s a virgin, but he’s in a different mindset and teaches me to be the same way so we could honor God and go to Heaven. I started researching Godly relationships and also spoke with a Priest and everything my childhood classmate taught me is spot on. I started attending Bible Study and it just so happens that the topic was about Peter and his letter to the Corinthians. It was all about Godly relationships. God spoke to me that day! He truly works in mysterious ways! You’re probably wondering how am I going to learn if this guy is the guy for me since we’ve never kissed nor had sex? I don’t have that answer now. But I know the path I’m in feels right. I know I’m in a Godly path. I can see all the positive changes taking place in my life. I also don’t have those guilty feelings as I did with my other relationships including
with the ex I was crazy about. I feel like a real version of myself. Authentic. And without any stupid “The Rules” book that’s turning me into someone I’m not. Lastly, I believe that it’s not right to force anyone to stay in a relationship against their free will, as I was forced to stay in a miserable relationship with the husband. This Godly man has freedom to enjoy his life with whomever he wants to be with, just as I have the same freedom. Most importantly, we both trust God in whatever journey
God is the Author of Relationships. we will encounter.
Oh and getting back to my sister, she likes this man. Out of all the men I told her about, she likes this one! Maybe it’s a sign like all the good signs I’m now seeing in my life. Till next time. For my Tweets on Single Parenting and Godly Dating @CharleneBlacer
Inspiring Video To Listen To:
Worth The Wait try.com s i n i M t Studen r o F s o Vide Doing e o J s I t @Wha
be d o G Let hor t u A the
ur o y f o y!
stor E V O L
BEAUTRICHFUL COVERGIRL Winter 2014
DATING A SUFFERER “Our Hair Does Not Define Our Beauty As People.� -Sandy Rosenblatt
Photobucket
5 Things to Know When Dating Someone With Trichotillomania By Sandy Rosenblatt
We all have challenges. For some, it's baggage, family drama or intimacy issues. For others, it's trichotillomania -- the compulsion to pull out one's hair. Issues always come out in relationships, sooner or
If you get close enough to someone, it's later.
not a matter of if -- it's a matter of when. No one is
disorder may find difficult to navigate. After speaking with quite a few people living with the disorder, some in wonderful, loving relationships, and some perfect and we all have not, I have put together "something" going on five things that are that will impact a helpful in allowing your romantic relationship. relationship to blossom Dating someone with if you are in a trich presents its own set relationship with of challenges, which someone with trich: someone without the
1. Trichotillomania is More Prevalent Than One Would Think Trich can start at any time during one's life, but most often presents during late childhood or early puberty. In childhood, the disorder is evenly split between both males and females; in adults, as many as 80-90% of those with it are female. It is estimated that 1 in every 50. Americans deals with this issue on a daily basis. Americans deals with this issue on a daily basis. Take a look at your Facebook page and how many "friends" you have. The odds are very high that between 5-10 of them have trich. They just aren't talking about it. Your partner is no different from them, except s/he can't hide it from you. 2. If We Could Stop, We Would I (and many others) can't stand the question, "Why don't you just stop?" Trust me, if we could, we would! It's not a choice, even if it appears to be.
shape of their eyes? Do they have long, dancer legs, or are they short and athletic? What is physically beautiful about them? Take a look into their eyes and see the love coming from them. See the way their smile lights up a room. Check into who they are being in the world. Hair pullers are writers, social workers, police officers, teachers, Mrs. North Carolina , doctors, mothers and fathers. These are the same people who are committed to making the world a better place to live in. These are the same people who love you. 4. Trichotillomania is a Real Disorder Hair pulling has been categorized in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-IV) as an "impulse control disorder not elsewhere classified." It has been placed in the same category as skin picking and nail biting.
People with trich are not trying to harm themselves. They are not crazy or freaks. While some people with trich may show signs of anxiety, I suggest steering clear of that stress, trauma or depression, it also question. When asked, I start to feel occurs in people who are neither extremely uncomfortable, and wait for the conversation to change. I don't stressed nor depressed. mind talking about the disorder and While treatment options exist, there is what it's like to live with it; I just prefer not to be asked a question I ask no one cure for trichotillomania. For myself often anyway. I don't have an some, simply keeping busy can curtail some of the hair pulling. Some answer, so what am I supposed to treatment options include say? For me, the way the question pharmaceutical medications and/or occurs is that there's something cognitive behavior therapy (CBT). wrong with me, and I'd rather not However, some with the disorder feel that way. don't respond to treatment and will deal with the disorder for the 3. Our Hair Does Not Define duration of their lives. There are Our Beauty As People many of us who have tried everything American culture dictates that and nothing as of yet has worked. For women with thick, long hair, along those that have had success in with eyelashes that seem to extend stopping, many work hard on a daily forever, are beautiful. basis just to ensure they don't pull. But that's not all that makes a person 5. We Want to be Treated with beautiful. Perhaps your loved one is bald or missing their eyebrows. That Love, Compassion and doesn't mean they're not lovely. Take Acceptance For some, living with trich leaves a moment and look at them. Really them feeling extremely vulnerable. It take a look. What is the color and
can lead to isolation, loss of confidence and feelings of shame. And relationships can often become routine. As time goes on, we stop making an effort to see our partner's point of view. So, perhaps the most valuable thing you can do is to take a moment and place yourself in your partner's shoes. Imagine what they must feel like. What would it feel like if you had bald patches on your head that you couldn't cover up unless you wore a wig or a hat every day? What would it be like to be a young woman who is bald, going to work every day? If you can really get what life must be like with trich, compassion and acceptance will automatically show up. There are some days when your partner may be really down. There's nothing like a loving embrace to have them understand that there is someone out there that truly loves them, no matter how they look. Show your partner the kindness and love that everyone deserves - even if they pull their hair. I know for me, the more accepted I feel, the easier it is to be fully me, and full of joy.
To read more of Sandy’s Trichotillomania Journey, visit myopportunityis.com/ trichotillomania-hair-pulling
BEAUTRICHFUL TIPS Winter 2014
EASY
Valentine s Day Date Night Hair THAT
Fights Trich! IN 7 EASY STEPS!
STEP 1 Determine the width of hair section. Cut a double sided hair replacement tape to match width of hair section. Affix tape to hair section.
How To Fight Trich With
STEP 2 Bring down a thin slice of natural hair and affix to tape.
STEP 5 Affix Klix to hair taking great care that width both match.
STEP 3 Cut Klix Hair Extension to match width of tape. Remove Klix beads.
STEP 4 Cut a double sided hair replacement tape to match the width of Klix Hair Extension. Sandwich the Klix Hair Extension inside the tape.
STEP 6 You should have this.
STEP 7 Finally bring down a layer of hair and voila! Secure barrier that looks natural and clients report that is prevents hair pulling, thus fighting the Trichotillomania disorder!
And it’ll last after
Valentine’s Day!
REMOVAL Use the appropriate tape removal and cleansing solution.
Pull-Free Hair Extensions
BEAUTRICHFUL SALON PARTNER Winter 2014
What Will He Feel If He Touches My Wig? Valentine’s Day, much like many other holidays can be a time when many of us experiencing hair loss want to hid away and not celebrate with our loved ones. You ask yourself, “will he notice that I’m wearing a hairpiece,” “what will he feel when he touches it,” “what will his reaction be if I tell him I’m wearing a wig?” These are all questions we contemplate each day we walk out of our homes and into a world where others never think of these things. But there are things you can do to build confidence in yourself and confidence in your true beauty. We’d like to introduce you to our friend and hair loss expert, Jeffrey Paul, from Jeffrey Paul Salon. As a salon owner and educator in the hair loss industry Jeffrey deals with many of these questions on a daily basis. He answers these, and many more on his blog (www.JeffreyPaulBlog.com). Jeffrey sent us his response for those of you who may be experiencing these feelings. “This is a great question, and one that Jeffrey Paul Salon hears quite often So don't worry you are not alone! Intimacy is one of the biggest struggles for the women who come to the Jeffrey Paul Salon for a hair loss solution. What we tell our guests is that if your husband, boyfriend, or date touches your hair they may feel an ever so slight "bump" where
the outer perimeter of the hair system or wig blends in with your growing hair. If you are not in a place where you feel comfortable talking about your hair loss yet, we suggest saying that you have hair extensions that help give your hair more fullness and length. As far as his reaction goes, remember this... beauty begins within... If he truly cares and loves you for who you are within,
his reaction will be one filled with love and support as you tell him what you are going through. This experience than
could be a great stepping stone in further solidifying and strengthening your relationship. If he does not have the reaction you were expecting or if he is not supportive, than it may be time for you to find someone who truly sees your beauty - both inside and out!”
Still nervous or have questions? Check out the Jeffrey Paul's Blog for further inspiration to continue to feel beautiful each and every day (www.JeffreyPaulBlog.com). On this Blog you will find makeover success stories of women who have worked with Jeffrey Paul Salon and solutions they have found to help them overcome Trichotillomania. The Blog also features tips on beauty, hair replacement, inspiration and health & wellness. Or if you are in the Ohio area Jeffrey Paul Salon provides free, private consultations. Contact them by phone at 440-333-8939 or by email at info@jeffreypaulsalon.com!
About Jeffery Paul Jeffrey Paul is an author, nonprofit founder, international Hair replacement and Restoration expert and educator that brings an expansive vault of experience, compassion and inspiration to areas the hair thinning and loss industry. His mission is to restore beauty inside and out, so that a person can live their life looking at themselves with total confidence. www.JeffreyPaulBlog.com
comfortably discuss challenges and experiment with potential solutions out of view of the next-door neighbor getting her hair done.
What To Ask When Experiencing
Hair Loss
•
By Jeffrey Paul
When a woman begins experiencing hair loss and thinning it can be an experience with a lot of unanswered questions. What do I do? What can I do? Is there a solution for me? Talking to your stylist is a big step, and one Jeffrey Paul, from Jeffrey Paul Salon, wants you to make as part of your resolution to yourself. You may be embarrassed, you may want to hide the fact that you’re pulling out your own hair, but your stylist is there to help. These are the questions that you should ask:
•
•
Do you specialize in women’s hair loss issues? Can I talk to one or two of your clients who had similar circumstances to mine? o Good answers: Yes, or, mostly. Of course, we can arrange that, and maybe you can even meet one of them, who was happy with our work – have a look at the solution she selected!
•
How long have you been doing this? o Ideally a minimum of three to five years.
•
Do you have private facilities? o The most conducive answer to your needs is that they have private facilities where clients and technicians can
Do you offer different solutions that might meet my needs? o You are trying to find out if they take a total approach to resolving your hair loss issues (even if that’s not a term they use) – you do not want to hear that they have one standard solution. Do you specialize in custom hair replacement systems or only ready-made ones? o The best answer is that each one of the designs available is specialized
$39.95 or $299, it is very likely you will not be getting a quality, customized product.
•
Do you give a complimentary initial consultation? o Two answers are acceptable. One is “yes,” the other is, “there is a fee but the fee will be applied to any purchase you may decide to make in the future.
•
How have your technicians been trained and what level of training have they received? o If you hear, “education is one of our highest priorities and training is a regular occurrence. Our technicians have all been trained at the highest level and are continually brought up to speed and in attendance at conventions and shows,” then things are looking good.
Still nervous or have questions? Check out the Jeffrey Paul's Blog according to individual needs. Whether it’s handtied human hair design or a system created with synthetic hair, it is custommade for the client.
•
The (www.JeffreyPaulBlog.com)! On this Blog you will find makeover success stories of women who have worked with Jeffrey Paul Salon and solutions they have found to help them overcome Trichotillomania. The Blog also features tips on beauty, What are the price ranges? hair replacement, inspiration and health o If you are looking for & wellness. quality, you will probably Or if you are in the Ohio area, Jeffrey pay a price for it. But Paul Salon provides free, private realistic price brackets range consultations. from $500-$3,000 Contact them by phone at 440-333-8939 overall, remember that size or by email at and selection of hair info@jeffreypaulsalon.com! quality and length is what drives the cost of the product. If you hear
How HelpMe2Stop Stops For almost a decade, HelpMe2Stop salons have been helping Sufferers become pull-free. The longest pull-free client, reported, is
Trich! over 8 years. HelpMe2Stop provides training to any salon or sufferer interested. For details: www.bit.ly/DreamHairClass
BEAUTRICHFUL LOVE STORY Winter 2014
Author of Forever Marked:
A Dermatillomania Diary
is more than skin deep”
We’re
Engaged!
“Love
The author with her fia ncé.
relationship had been a bundle of uncertain anxiety with me waiting for the When you are left with many scars on rejection. your body, made by your own roaming hands, a legitimate question You can’t help but worry that a a skin picker asks is “Will someone partner will say, “It’s not you… it’s your ever love me for who I am?” Not only skin” or something jack-assery like do we worry about being judged by a that. Of course, I would never enter a partner on our damaged complexion situation of dating or intimacy with someone until I felt safe that I but we fear the response to the explanation of, “I can’t help it… I have wouldn’t get an immediate shutdown. This man I met online was someone I a skin picking compulsion“. For anyone who worries about never finding love had spoken to for nearly 3 months before meeting; he was the first based on this Body- Focused person who held up an IM Repetitive Behavior (BFRB), I am here to let you know that this disorder conversation that didn’t fizzle out does not stop you from finding love; it after a few days. After confirming to myself that there was this ambiguous can happen even when you give up relationship forming, I had to find out hope of never being accepted. the nature of this connection On April 15th, 2010, I started dating To my disappointment, the first a man who I met online; this is usually the beginning of a disastrous meeting was awkward. We met up tale, but let me assure you it has been again the next week, which was equally as awkward… which included the complete opposite. As someone who doesn’t go socializing and prefers me exclaiming, “You better not be trying to move in on me!” while we were to keep to herself, the idea of watching a movie together on his “putting myself out there” is far beyond intimidating. On top of social couch and his elbow accidentally brushed up against mine. As you can anxieties, I have this grand ole’ daunting disorder that usually takes a tell, I am really a charm to have a date with. Anyway, I decided to hang full lecture for someone to out with this green-haired fellow one comprehend… so I hate dating. In more time, but this time it was to tell fact, the “honeymoon” stage in my By Angela Hartlin
him that we should just stay friends. When he arrived at my home to pick me up, something was different about him. He was more relaxed, more at ease, and he was opening up emotionally. I felt the attraction to him and believe I did the whole time, but automatically swallowed that emotion in our previous meetings, like I do all other potentially nerve-wracking emotions. I had been hurt, rejected, under-appreciated, treated like crap, lied to, manipulated, and put down in my past relations with people, some of which had been in romantic relationships so it lead me to the conclusion that I have a real knack for becoming close to those who like to drive daggers in my back. To rewind a bit you must be wondering how I decided to tell Jason, the green-haired shy guy about having this disorder. I felt I had no choice between wanting a fully honest relationship… and publishing FOREVER MARKED: A Dermatillomania Diary just 5 months previous to us meeting. I am someone who would rather be alone than in a relationship that makes me feel alone, so I had to let my lil’ secret loose.
I don’t remember how I approached it in this case, but looking back I would say the safest bet to opening up about this condition is to begin by talking about mental illness, later specify a conversation surrounding OCD, then go for the kill. When Jason accepted my Dermatillomania, I couldn’t help but wonder, “Oh God, is he that desperate???” My insecurities sound intense, but they really weren’t as severe as they were before… I just have “criteria” that needs to be met at the beginning of any relationship or else I’ll sever it in one swipe. Unfortunately, my Borderline trait of “all or nothing” tends to apply to my interpersonal life so I looked for imperfections and signs that Jason wouldn’t stick around. They never came.
on” a potential mate. What I do know is that I would relive everything in my life that devastated me tenfold if it meant that Jason and I would end up together in the end. If the illogical situation rose of going back in time and choosing having Dermatillomania and Jason VS. not having either, I would choose having both. True love is not something that happens often but it is worth years of suffering to finally have. From a skeptic of relationships and someone whose Dermatillomania almost ended her life at 18 from the despair and mental anguish it caused daily, I think my decision to relive it all if it meant having Jason portrays my feelings clearly on how much I love him and cherish every day we are together.
Instead, I grew closer to a man who loves me unconditionally. I became best friends with a man who knows my thoughts without me expressing a word (I’m slightly cold and able to hold a poker face). I became lovers with a man who is unafraid to touch my skin. He has revived the spunky, silly, and lively part of me that I thought died when my father had his brain injury back in 1997. I have met my life partner who has the ability of making me laugh at least 3 times a day, even when things are stressful… and even if he doesn’t get home until 11pm.
In 5 days, we will be celebrating our third anniversary with two of those years living together. It’s incredible because we still feel like a new couple in that fun sense, minus the awkwardness and insecurities that accompany a fresh relationship. It feels like we have only been together for about a year, yet it also feels like we have experienced a lifetime together by how parallel our thoughts are and how we view the world. When I’m with him I tend to act goofy just to see him grin ear-to-ear and see those lines emerge around his intricate blue-andyellow eyes, which I love now and will love when those lines become permanent when we are grey-haired and retired.
Jason not only supports me, but he encourages me to continue my advocacy and awareness for Dermatillomania. With his career being in web developing, he created this very website for me and even took on a designing role (not a part of his expertise). He designed my business cards PSfor me, used his computer skills to update my At 10pm tonight, 3 hours after this entry was original copy of FOREVER MARKED awhile posted, Jason PROPOSED to me. ago, and uses his Facebook page to tell others of We are now ENGAGED!!!!! ♥ my successes when he doesn’t even use Facebook. He also took part in a photo shoot To learn about for me because I wanted one that showed the Dermatillomania, world that scars don’t deter true love, which can Angela Hartlin be seen below. There is something so unique about him (that doesn’t include the hair!) that and purchase can rarely be found anymore- pure kindness. FOEVER MARKED: He has an innate compassion and kindness that A no one can ever steal away and these are a few DERMATILLOMANIA of his traits that make me fall deeper for him STORY every day. I don’t want to think about what my life would be like if I had played the “let’s just be friends” card at our 3rd meeting. The thing is, we are so alike that we both had our defenses high and weren’t exactly smooth in our ways of “hitting
visit
SkinPickingSupport.com
BEAUTRICHFUL SPONSORSHIPWinter 2014
HelpMe2Stop Advertising Info BeautTrichful is a seasonal magazine that can be viewed online or purchased through- BeautTrichful.com Sponsorship as low as $50. To include your salon in our worldwide listing locator guide, bit.ly/BeautyHelps For Trichotillomania Hair Loss Solution Classes bit.ly/DreamHairClass Send ad for the Spring 2014 issue to press@helpme2stop.org. To be our CoverGirl/Guy for future issues, please email your edited story to press@helpme2stop.org To send donated hairpieces, wigs, head coverings, etc, please mail along with detailed description to HelpMe2Stop, POB 202, Bartonsville, PA 18321 HelpMe2Stop wishes to thank social media for many of the images in this issue.
HELPME2STOP POB 202 Bartonsville, PA 18321 570.HELP.020 Press@HelpMe2Stop.org
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