Hair Loss in Cayman Islands

Grand Cayman is a well-known tropical paradise. But what is far less known is that it is a hair paradise too! Find out why.

I’m currently lying on my stomach, on a blue striped towel, running my toes through warm golden sand. I’m facing the transparent aqua blue waters of the Caribbean ocean on a beach in Grand Cayman,  a Caribbean Island I currently call home.

It’s another blue bird day here in paradise. My skin is glistening from the sun reflecting off beads of sweat.  And here I am pondering how to share my amazing experiences in Grand Cayman with you. Grand Cayman is a typical tropical paradise. It draws in tourists from all over the world, who bathe in the endless days of sun, roam the miles of golden sand beaches, dance with stingrays, and flounder with freely roaming turtles. But it is also so much more than that. Grand Cayman is also a haven for hair hunters like myself. You see, Grand Cayman is a large financial services hub, drawing in expats from every country in the world, who bring with them varied hair challenges, solutions, and stories. As I look around the beach I spot two girls with long synthetic hair braids, a guy with thick burley dreads, a beautiful baldie, a tight curled nappily afro, and a few others with ‘perfect’ hair… and there are not many of us on the beach. But this image supports exactly what I’m saying and is one of the reasons I love Grand Cayman so much.

As you can imagine, with such an array of hair challenges comes an equally large array of hair solutions. It’s like a treasure hunt that some days you don’t even know you are on. For instance, one Sunday we were eager to make nanaimo bars but were missing key ingredients. Most shops here, including grocery stores are closed on Sunday. We had heard of this small corner store which remained open on Sunday and sold some groceries, so eagerly we popped in. Had we not been desperate for ingredients we never would have stopped. The store was dark and tiny, approximately only 5 metres by 3 metres in size, packed with non-perishable groceries, and to my surprise, an entire rack of weaves and hair extensions. We did not find the ingredients we were after, but I have been back a bunch of times to buy hair extensions, which are really well priced at approximately $45.00 per head- an impressive discount compared to some of the exorbitant prices I was charged growing up. The hair is not the best quality, but when you swim in the extra salty waters of the Caribbean as often as I do, no hair extensions stand a chance. 

The main activities in Grand Cayman are heavily water based. Which if you have watched ‘Nappily ever after’ (if you haven’t, you should… its awesome and available on Netflix) or if you have your own hair imperfections then you know how daunting water activities can be. There are not many solutions that can handle getting wet. What makes hair solutions extra challenging for me is that I am such a water baby, I often prioritise the freedom to go in the water when I choose hair solutions. For example weaves, I don’t wear weaves, even though they are extremely common in Grand Cayman. They allow the wearer to have a naturally ‘perfect’ semi-permanent looking head of hair. But there is a reason you don’t see many weave wearers in the water. The itch. But that is a whole other story. My full review of weaves is coming soon.

Since living in Grand Cayman I have developed a method which works relatively well for me. I have self-installed hair extensions which I usually rock all weekend and when enjoying the outdoors. Always with the support of a headband to hide my very imperfect hairline off course. Hair extensions give me the freedom to feel relatively normal and most importantly ‘safe’ while participating in water activities, albeit I sometimes end up with bright white tan lines, I get the odd reminder that I “forgot to take my headband off” as if I don’t intend on getting it wet, and sometimes when the surf throws me around I get pretty anxious about what I’m going to look like when I eventually pop up at the surface… but aside from that,  it gives me the freedom to frolic in the water any which way I want. I also got my eyebrows microbladed, which is a semi-permanent tattoo and withstands water activities. For work and other public outings where headbands aren’t quite appropriate I rock a wig. I try and keep my hair extensions a similar colour to my wig to make the switches less obvious. It seems to work and has taken many of my friends and even house mates months to notice, and usually because I tell them. Or they are really polite, and just say that. But I’m going to take their word for it.  

Growing up I was always told that I should use argan oil, and castor oil and this and that. Which if you managed to find, was always a mini fortune. Here in Grand Cayman, oils, and everything else hair related are abundant and affordable. It’s one the first countries I have travelled where I don’t feel that Alopecia and wearing a wig is odd. There is such a high population of other wig/ alternative solution wearers, that you just blend in. it’s almost ‘normal’. It’s so ‘normal’ even the gas stations sell a range of hair products including argan oil. Furthermore, hairdressers now how to advise on a variety of hair imperfections. At home my hair, and alopecia was such a rareity it frightened and challenged hair dressers. The hairdressers here usually have weaves or wigs of their own so they know all about it. They just jump right in and start yanking your hair as if it’s just another head of hair. It frightened me at first, not going to lie. Recently my hairdresser advised that I should not be conditioning my hair because the conditioner softens hair follicles, and my hair is so fine I don’t need any softer hair, it just encourages my hair to snap sooner. She also recommended using sulfate free shampoo. Sodium Lauryl Sulfate “sulfate” is what makes soap ‘soapy’. It’s a cheap and effective grease cutting detergent that you find in pretty much all soaps.  Sulfate is what creates the foam, so if it has foam, your pretty much guaranteed that it has sulfate. Basically those foamy suds, that sting your eyes, don’t just strip the oil from your hair, they strip your scalp and hair follicles too, damaging new growth. Not ideal for anyone.

It took 27 years to learn that lesson. Ooooops.

That led me to find Beauty Centre and Supply (Cel) (the website does not do it justice) the best beauty product retailer ever. Its primary customers are beauty salons so everything is basically at wholesale price. It is a beauty salon supermarket with everything you could possibly need and more. And it is also where I found and fell in love with Jamaican Black castor oil, sulfate free, shampoo, which smells like happiness in a bottle (mixing mango, lime and coconut), and makes my hair feel like Leonidas in 300, the essence of strength.

 

Grand Cayman is a fabulous place to live and explore, especially if you are hunting for hair. Come and check it out.

Where do you find your favourite solutions?

Xox

Alicia

What is Grand Cayman like? Life in Grand Cayman? Hair in Grand Cayman. box braids Grand Cayman. Best thinning hair solutions. Box braids Cayman Islands.