I didn’t realise how much my identity was tied to my hair until it started falling out. What began as a few extra strands on my brush became something I couldn’t ignore by the end of 2024.
I knew, logically, that hair reflects the body’s stress with a delay, but that didn’t make it any easier to watch mine thin day by day. I felt sad, ashamed and quietly panicked.
Growing up Syrian, thick hair was a kind of cultural inheritance – something women were proud of. My mother had hair that turned heads: long dark and impossibly full. I spent years trying to emulate that look.
My hair is naturally pin-straight and fine, so I curled it, blow-dried it, layered it … I never left the house without doing something to it. Clean, flat hair? That was for staying home.
So when the shedding began, it felt like something deeper than aesthetics was falling away. It wasn’t just about losing hair. It was about losing a piece of how I saw myself and how I thought the world saw me.
Looking back, it makes sense. I was working intensely, seeing no one and consumed with fixing how I looked rather than how I felt. I lost weight rapidly, withdrew from my partner and friends, and obsessed over controlling my body. I’d been spiralling for months before my hair started falling out and the shedding felt like my body’s final alarm.
Hair loss isn’t just a cosmetic problem. It chips away at your mental health. It adds another layer of anxiety to your reflection. Every time I brushed my hair or stepped into the shower, I felt like I was failing. But this wasn’t about vanity, it was about visibility. I was struggling quietly and my hair was the first thing to say that out loud.
Of course, it wasn’t just the stress and weight loss that caused it. The water didn't help. What I didn’t realise until it started falling out was that fixing my hair wasn’t about products. It was about rebuilding the way I lived.
So around the same time that I noticed the worst of the shedding, I began to make real changes – not to my beauty routine, but to my mental health. I started saying yes again to coffee with friends, to visits with family, to quiet days with no agenda. I stopped avoiding food and started repairing my relationship with it. I moved slower. I breathed more.
No serum will ever replace that shift, and I say that as someone who loves a good product. That said, some things did help. I tried the usual suspects – hair loss shampoos, scalp drops and all the shiny solutions with big claims. Most of them disappointed me. But hair oiling, a ritual my mother swore by, grounded me. It didn’t just nourish my scalp, it reminded me to slow down and care for something gently.
The biggest physical change, though, came when I swapped my shower head for a filtered one. A few friends recommended it, and I learnt that the founder, Karlee, had created the brand after experiencing the same issues when she moved to the GCC.
That felt personal. For the first time, I felt like someone understood what unfiltered water in some cities can do to your hair and skin. Within days, my hair was less frizzy. Within weeks, I wasn’t pulling strands out by the handful. That shift gave me momentum.
I added a spoonful of collagen to my daily routine. I took my supplements every morning. I made sure I was getting more iron and protein. I also let go of some harmful myths: not washing your hair every day will save it, and skipping conditioner prevents shedding.
Clean, hydrated hair is healthier. It took time, about three or four months, before I saw real change. Even now, I have moments of doubt. I still want thick, long hair. I still consider if I should get extensions. I still have stubborn days. But I also have something I didn’t have before: perspective.
On the days when my hair doesn’t co-operate, I slick it back and move on. I’ve realised that healing doesn’t just show up in new hair growth, it shows up in how you talk to yourself when things aren’t perfect. It shows up in being kinder to your body, in eating without guilt, in being able to leave the house without checking every angle.
If you’re struggling with hair loss, here’s what I want to say: it’s not superficial to care; it’s not silly to grieve it; and it’s not hopeless. Hair grows back slowly – but confidence grows back too. Be patient with both.
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The years Ramadan fell in May
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Copa del Rey
Barcelona v Real Madrid
Semi-final, first leg
Wednesday (midnight UAE)
Palestine and Israel - live updates
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Tips to avoid getting scammed
1) Beware of cheques presented late on Thursday
2) Visit an RTA centre to change registration only after receiving payment
3) Be aware of people asking to test drive the car alone
4) Try not to close the sale at night
5) Don't be rushed into a sale
6) Call 901 if you see any suspicious behaviour
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
More coverage from the Future Forum
Visit Abu Dhabi culinary team's top Emirati restaurants in Abu Dhabi
Yadoo’s House Restaurant & Cafe
For the karak and Yoodo's house platter with includes eggs, balaleet, khamir and chebab bread.
Golden Dallah
For the cappuccino, luqaimat and aseeda.
Al Mrzab Restaurant
For the shrimp murabian and Kuwaiti options including Kuwaiti machboos with kebab and spicy sauce.
Al Derwaza
For the fish hubul, regag bread, biryani and special seafood soup.
'Saand Ki Aankh'
Produced by: Reliance Entertainment with Chalk and Cheese Films
Director: Tushar Hiranandani
Cast: Taapsee Pannu, Bhumi Pednekar, Prakash Jha, Vineet Singh
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
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ICC men's cricketer of the year
2004 - Rahul Dravid (IND) ; 2005 - Jacques Kallis (SA) and Andrew Flintoff (ENG); 2006 - Ricky Ponting (AUS); 2007 - Ricky Ponting; 2008 - Shivnarine Chanderpaul (WI); 2009 - Mitchell Johnson (AUS); 2010 - Sachin Tendulkar (IND); 2011 - Jonathan Trott (ENG); 2012 - Kumar Sangakkara (SL); 2013 - Michael Clarke (AUS); 2014 - Mitchell Johnson; 2015 - Steve Smith (AUS); 2016 - Ravichandran Ashwin (IND); 2017 - Virat Kohli (IND); 2018 - Virat Kohli; 2019 - Ben Stokes (ENG); 2021 - Shaheen Afridi
Zayed Sustainability Prize
The five pillars of Islam
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
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The five pillars of Islam
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FA Cup quarter-final draw
The matches will be played across the weekend of 21 and 22 March
Sheffield United v Arsenal
Newcastle v Manchester City
Norwich v Derby/Manchester United
Leicester City v Chelsea
Normcore explained
Something of a fashion anomaly, normcore is essentially a celebration of the unremarkable. The term was first popularised by an article in New York magazine in 2014 and has been dubbed “ugly”, “bland’ and "anti-style" by fashion writers. It’s hallmarks are comfort, a lack of pretentiousness and neutrality – it is a trend for those who would rather not stand out from the crowd. For the most part, the style is unisex, favouring loose silhouettes, thrift-shop threads, baseball caps and boyish trainers. It is important to note that normcore is not synonymous with cheapness or low quality; there are high-fashion brands, including Parisian label Vetements, that specialise in this style. Embraced by fashion-forward street-style stars around the globe, it’s uptake in the UAE has been relatively slow.
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SUNDAY'S ABU DHABI T10 MATCHES
Northern Warriors v Team Abu Dhabi, 3.30pm
Bangla Tigers v Karnataka Tuskers, 5.45pm
Qalandars v Maratha Arabians, 8pm
