Has anyone succesfully stopped pulling their hair?

[fugde08]

I've pulled my hair now for 8 years and I really want to stop for good. I have two young sons and I want to set a good example for them.

I first noticed I was doing it at a party and think it was because I felt quite anxious, but now I even do it when im bored or daydreaming.

At the moment I can't even last longer than day two without pulling it out. I'm just after any advice on how anyone has managed to overcome this compulsive disorder??

It sounds weird but what really helped me was adding a few drops of teatree oil to my hair conditioner (to compliment treatment for rosacea on my face). I really don't know why this helped, but it has. Worth a try

Sorry, should have said, I do still occasionally pull but rarely. Before this it was very regular and had been since I was 13 (worse when stressed)

I don't hair pull but have 95% stopped my scalp picking. It's a similar compulsive body-focussed action. I just wanted to post to give you some hope that it can be done even when it feels impossible. There was a recent thread on related disorders, I'll find the link and add it here later.

I found I was doing it most often when unwinding alone after a stressful day, but sometimes also when anxious. This was when it was already a habit of years and I was trying to monitor it.

I put stopping down to a medicated shampoo that helped how my scalp was feeling, plus talk therapy for anxiety (plus antidepressants). I did try fidget toys and gloves before this which might be a good place to start, to keep your hands busy. Also sewing/knitting or paper crafts for that. Those helped reduce it but not stop in my case.

Ahh okay, that's good to know! Wonder how the tea tree helps? Will give it a go for sure. Thanks

@HelloMist

I don't hair pull but have 95% stopped my scalp picking. It's a similar compulsive body-focussed action. I just wanted to post to give you some hope that it can be done even when it feels impossible. There was a recent thread on related disorders, I'll find the link and add it here later.

I found I was doing it most often when unwinding alone after a stressful day, but sometimes also when anxious. This was when it was already a habit of years and I was trying to monitor it.

I put stopping down to a medicated shampoo that helped how my scalp was feeling, plus talk therapy for anxiety (plus antidepressants). I did try fidget toys and gloves before this which might be a good place to start, to keep your hands busy. Also sewing/knitting or paper crafts for that. Those helped reduce it but not stop in my case.

Thank you, this is inspiring to hear! I think im going to have to do talking therapies alongside stopping, because if the underlying anxiety is always there then it will always pull me back into the habit.

I have managed to stop, sort of.

I discovered that I had the same sensory response (that satisfied feeling after plucking a hair) by plucking leg hair. With tweezers.

Unsurprisingly having sparse areas of leg hair isn't a social problem. And setting up time in my day specifically to get the positive feeling helped me stop pulling out my head hair.

When I get really stressed out, the urge comes back. As soon as I realise what I'm doing, I stop myself and grab tweezers to pluck leg hair again.

It's definitely not a great solution!

No but shamelessly place marking for other people’s ideas!

Have you tried CBT or habit reversal therapy, both of which should be available on the NHS

Place marking too. I've done it since I was a baby. Have broken bits at the front, side and underneath.
I've had talking therapy, cbt and I work in mental health.
I do it when stressed, anxious sometimes excited.

Never been able to stop!

I'm glad! No problem.

The person I talked to didn't really have any idea or expertise in scalp picking and similar but the CBT style sessions helped with underlying anxiety as you said. I'm still anxious but not channelling it into picking any more. I had one or 2 mini relapses but (I hope) I've stopped again.

Here's the old thread, but there are others if you search for "skin picking" or trichotillomania. (Hair pulling). Hth

Really glad you started this thread OP as i have similar problem. I've pulled my hair since I was very young but it's only become a big problem in the last 12 months. For some reason, post lockdown my anxieties have manifested itself into a list of really strong body-focused repetative behavoirs such as hair pulling, neck scratching and picking. It's really bad now, to the point i can't get on with my day sometimes because my desire to pull my hair overrides everything. Only my partner knows about this, no one else. I hope we can both find a solution to this.

Thank you for all your responses. Tomorrow is day 1 of stopping. I'll let you know how I get on.

No 😩 been doing it 32 years now. I go through phases. Sometimes not so much, sometimes a lot. It’s gone past the ‘texture’ of hair for me, I now focus on the colour. It’s grey/white hair that annoys me so I start pulling once I see one. I examine each strand in the light. That sounds so ‘mental’ and weird but that’s me 🤷‍♀️ I don’t know what to do.

All you can do is take it each hour, each day. I did that with cigarettes and managed it! Hopefully you’ll be able to beat this. Good luck 🤞😊

@FluffyPinkSocks

No 😩 been doing it 32 years now. I go through phases. Sometimes not so much, sometimes a lot. It’s gone past the ‘texture’ of hair for me, I now focus on the colour. It’s grey/white hair that annoys me so I start pulling once I see one. I examine each strand in the light. That sounds so ‘mental’ and weird but that’s me 🤷‍♀️ I don’t know what to do.

All you can do is take it each hour, each day. I did that with cigarettes and managed it! Hopefully you’ll be able to beat this. Good luck 🤞😊

It's strange isn't it? No one seems to have stopped fully. I always start again and say to myself "oh ill just do it for an hour or so" but I get sucked back into it.

I'm on day 4 so far.

This is a useful book OP: www.amazon.co.uk/Overcoming-Body-Focused-Repetitive-Behaviors-Comprehensive-ebook/dp/B07MT5MP5Y/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?crid=3B2QV1IGV6CW3&keywords=overcoming+body-focused+repetitive+behaviors&sprefix=overcoming+body+focus%2Caps%2C60&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&qid=1649969685&sr=8-1

Well done OP. My anxiety has been ramping up since my second daughter was born. My life is chaotic and the hair pulling calms me down. I wish I could stop as I hate the bald patches I have.

Great work OP.

Following after posting a thread in Style and Beauty about what to do with my hair. I don't specifically pull my hair out but play/eat the ends without knowing when I had a period of being able to resist I then picked my eye brows out 😬

@ThinkWittyThoughts I think I might try something like what you've done. Find another thing for the release that isn't as damaging and try to stop.

I don't pull my head or lashes any more but the fekkin brows are almost cause