The Price of Vanity (and Hair Loss)

In spite of all that crap they say about the mother's father, I'm starting to lose my hair. I've had suspicions and confirmations. Now that I've been actively observing it, I can see it's getting worse. My first instinct is to get the pill, Propecia, which isn't covered by my insurance. It worked for my dad, but it's about 50-60 a month and if I ever stop taking it I will go bald. Not a bad deal for Merck pharmaceuticals.

This officially makes my hair the most expensive part of my body. My hair is short and a lot of the hair care products will last me several months, but with the pill AND my salon, this will cost me over 1,000 annually.

Shampoo: 5.00
Conditioner 5.00
Gel: 10.00
Haircut: 30.00
Baldness Pill: 50.00

It's not too tough a choice. I'm still pretty young, and still single. Given the choice between paying 1,000 now or being bald and having to cut my remaining hair with my old set of Wahl clippers for the rest of my life, I'd pay the money. But I wouldn't be happy about it.

One habit I think I can break is buying my designer shampoo formulated for brunettes. Upon five seconds of reflection, I know better than to think it really adds anything. I've never noticed a visible or tactile difference between Pert and Aveda.*

I don't think I can bear to fire my stylist but I can have them cut my hair shorter so I don't need to go back as often. The cheapest and simplest solution would just be to shave it all off but I think that would look funny.

At least my friend is a doctor and can write me prescriptions free of charge.

*A caveat: When I used really high-end shampoos (like Aveda), they last an incredibly long time because they're concentrated, so they might end up being cheaper in the long run, depending on how far down the Brand ladder you'd be willing to go.... Obviously nothing beats the gallon jug of Champu Fantastico they sell at the dollar store.