My Battle with Cancer and Hair Loss
people do not know the story behind the how and why BellaGeneration Hair System was created. When I was little, I struggled with my hair texture because my Mexican mother had no clue what to do with my kinky hair. My mother failed to tame my wild hair and I grew up thinking and feeling that natural hair was awful. I was introduced to chemical hair relaxers at the age of 13 years old, and it felt like I could finally have beautiful hair just like the women on TV. I spent decades either going to hair salons or applying hair relaxers at home by myself. I had no idea how bad chemical relaxers are for your body.
In my 30s I had begun to understand that chemical relaxers are so bad for you. Studies have been conducted that show hair relaxers can be linked to cancer. I stopped the relaxers and began to educate myself about what it meant to have natural hair. I began to find alternative ways to style my hair. But it was too little, too late. I began my battles with cancer that led to multiple surgeries, radiation, and even chemotherapy.
I will never forget the day I called my friend Carla Harrell crying because my hair was coming out in clumps. I was at a loss and had no idea how to cope with what I was going through, much less fix it. She told me to call Angelia Broughton who is a stylist and friend of hers. Angelia is a blessing in that she came up with creative options to cover up my hair loss. I did what so many women do when they are losing their hair. I turned to extensions and wigs. I wasn't addressing my problem, I just learned how to put a band aid on it.
Then one day while shopping for shampoo, it hit me…most products on the market are laced with chemicals that were making my hair loss situation even worse. That inspired me to create an organic shampoo with a blend of natural oils, cleansers, and essential oils for my hair.
I painstakingly researched and hand-picked every ingredient to combat hair issues like dryness, dandruff, certain types of hair loss, etc. and to promote health and healing. The best part is it’s a moisturizing shampoo so you don’t condition afterwards and you can virtually get rid of many other hair products on your shelf. It’s phenomenal for people that wear their hair natural/curly and just as fantastic if you straighten your hair. The more you use it, the more the health of your hair and scalp improves.
I wanted my family and friends to experience this for themselves so I began to give out bottles of shampoo to my friends and family. They liked it so much that they began to tell me I should sell it. It was never my intention to create a shampoo company but I had something that I felt the rest of the world would benefit from. After all, if I was able to grow my hair back by reducing or eliminating the amount of toxins I put on my head, I know it would work for others as well.
In my quest to seek out healthy options for hair and skin, I read that the skin is one of the largest organs of the body. Therefore, you should not put anything on your hair or skin that you aren’t willing to eat. And while not everyone is suffering from serious illnesses, reducing the amount of toxins that enter our bodies is becoming more and more important to people every day. I created a blog page to share all that I have learned along the way about how to identify toxins and replace them with healthier alternatives so that our bodies can thrive.
Homeless children is another societal problem that I am passionate about. Did you know that there are homeless and unaccompanied children in the public school system? If you ask the guidance counselors at your local high school, they either have homeless teenagers in their schools or they know of a high school nearby that does. It's hard to imagine that but it is the truth. These kids aren't in the street panhandling. They attend school and try to get good grades even when their world has fallen apart. That's why 10% of all the shampoo I sell goes to support homeless teenagers attending North Dallas High School. I believe in doing what I can to show these kids that someone cares about them and to keep on the right track so that one day they can change their reality.