Hailey Paquette
Hello, I’m Hailey! I have Trichotillomania and it started for me when I was nine years old. I started seeing Hannah when I was eleven years old after just having moved to Florida. Personally, having anyone see my hair at that time was terrifying. There were patches of hair missing and Trich was something I struggled with every single day. Going into my first appointment with Hannah, I was very nervous. Immediately she was welcoming and open, ready to share her experiences with Trich and how she copes with it. The major thing I remember upon our first meeting was when she took her wig off, showing me that there was nothing to be scared or embarrassed about with her. Hannah did my hair for about three years before she moved to California, and I can say I definitely struggled when she moved away. I remember always being excited to see Hannah, catch up, and fill her in on my progress. She once told me of a client that had gone forty days without pulling, and for me, that felt near impossible at the start.
Through therapy, I managed to go five and a half years without pulling. Trich slowly faded into something that didn’t affect me nearly at all. However, Covid brought on a massive backslide and I reverted to pulling again. It has been completely frustrating to feel like all of that progress is gone and programming needs to be done to get back to that point. However, I have done it before and I can do it again. As the pandemic progressed, Hannah reached out saying that she was returning to Sarasota which was beyond exciting.
Hannah is truly one of the most genuine people I have ever met. Immediately, she does what she can to make her client feel comfortable and safe. Hannah is a caring, dedicated, thoughtful, and warm person which made it easy to trust her in a process that was previously uncomfortable and nerve-wracking. When I first started going to her, I had extensions done to thicken and hide the effects of pulling. My hair is also extremely thick and coarse, often splitting up the shaft, but is remedied with Hannah’s help and keratin treatment.
Having gone to several hairstylists while having Trich, I can wholeheartedly say that Hannah has done a fantastic job on hair procedures. But more importantly she restores confidence that is often destroyed with hair loss, which is even more astounding. Hannah and I discussed goals for ourselves regarding Trich and how many days we could go during our early visits.
As I have gotten older, our relationship has grown into a friendship, and she is someone I know I can lean on in hard times. It has been a privilege to know Hannah and see her through her hair journey as well. Through knowing her, she was dreaming up ideas of what a world could be like with more awareness and acceptance for hair loss. To see her achieving her dream of starting a foundation and everything to come with it makes me deeply proud.
Hannah has a huge heart and only dreams of helping people to make the world a better place. Not many people are so giving and vulnerable to others, and Hannah gives it her all.
