"Bad Hair Life" Documentary

Jennifer Raikes started to pull her hair at a very young age. To hide this painful secret, she wore wigs to cover an already balding head. She felt like an 80-year-old woman without hair. Her story is described in "Bad Hair Life", a documentary telling the stories of Jennifer and other sufferers of trichotillomania. It starts with a bad hair day and ends with a lesson. This documentary revolves around the personal experiences of Jennifer, who had suffered from trichotillomania for more than 20 years. In this documentary, Jennifer is depicted as a smart and active woman who couldn’t stop pulling her own hair. She has never shown her head to anyone, which is common for those with trichotillomania. Jennifer, who is also the producer of this documentary, didn’t know why she was doing this to herseld. She only learned that her behaviour had a name and was recognized as a clinical condition when she was in her twenties. When she found out that her struggles had a name, she also learned that she was not alone, but that there were millions just like her suffering in silence. While the movie centres around Jennifer, it also features the stories of other young trichster, exploring the various ways different individuals cope with trichotillomania.

Who Does Trich Affect?

As told by the stories in this film, trichotillomania usually starts during late childhood. It is a chronic condition and varies from time to time. The film also explores the importance of hair and explains how western society makes this disorder embarrassing for the sufferers. As Jennifer describes, being faced with this challenge on a daily basis is a trichsters "best kept secret", but that beneath the public facade, trichotillomania affects the life of the individual on all levels.

Insightful and educational

These are just two of the words used by Ruth Golomb to describe the film. She’s the co-author of a similar book that tackles hair pulling habit. To find answers about hair pulling disorder, this film explores other issues related to this disorder, like beauty, identity, sexuality and self-control limitations. If you’re looking for an answer as to why you’re puling your hair uncontrollably, then this documentary film is for you. It’s a poignant movie that shows the lives of the sufferers – how they struggle and cope with it. This film will help you to better understand this condition and gain a deeper understanding and empathy toward their daily strugggle.

A Noteworthy film

For Jennifer, the emotional effect of this condition is very deep. Hence, sufferers feel ashamed or embarrassed about their hair-pulling.This noteworthy film will give you a glimpse of the hidden world of trich. One of the women in the film said that she has a problem explaining her condition to others. To explain it, she has to show her bald spots by removing her wig. Bad Hair Life isn’t just for people who wish to know how to cope with this condition but it’s also for family and friends who want to understand why the person they care about can’t stop pulling their hair out.

To find out more about the film, or to purchase a copy, please visit: http://store.trich.org/product_p/dvd-bhl.htm