Texas woman won grueling fight against hair loss. Now she’s fighting to help others.

Lauren Johnson was living her dream as a hairstylist.

Then, at age 35, just about the worst thing that could happen to someone in her profession happened — she started losing her hair. Ironically, it started in September 2018, Alopecia Awareness Month.

Now, however, that nightmare has turned into another dream: helping others who are experiencing the same traumatic experience.

“I didn’t just struggle with hair loss alone, I struggled with autoimmune issues that caused me to become very ill,” said Johnson, who owns Renata Salons in Grapevine.

Among her many symptoms, she suffered from extremely painful rashes all over her body (which she later found out was psoriasis), she had debilitating chronic fatigue that left her in bed most of the day. She had brain fog that she said felt like her mind was short-circuiting constantly.

“I went to the Mayo clinic in Arizona. Immunologists, dermatologists, allergists, acupuncturists, natural paths, the list of doctors is honestly insane,” she said. “I tried everything to fix me but found rabbit holes that led to dead ends constantly. The cause was that my immune system was attacking my body.”

Ultimately, she believes the cause might have been her breast implants, she said.

“A year ago this month I removed my breast implants as I believe they were contributing to my illness. Three weeks after I removed my breast implants my hair grew back and has been thicker than it has ever been since I was 21 (when she got them),” she said.

“Along my journey I found out I was allergic to petroleum and propolis, which is found in so many things, like in the casing of breast implants. Clearly, my body wasn’t liking that I had implants, so it started going haywire and attacking me.”

From that experience, however, came a new dream, one that not only enhanced her shop but also allows her to help others looking for something as they go through their own hair loss challenge. She began selling wigs — and at a price folks could afford without additional disappointment.

“I was talking to my brother one day and telling him what was going on with me. After I completely unloaded to him he said, ‘Well Lauren, who better to go through this than you? You have all the resources in the world to find good hair for yourself, and now you are able to help your clients who struggle with hair loss,’” she said. “I was living my best pity party life feeling so sorry for myself, and feeling like this was a curse. Meanwhile, it was one of the biggest blessings in my life.

“... I decided this was all part of my journey and the plan for my life. Hair loss is very expensive, and I wanted to find a way to truly help people and do it in a way that would make it affordable for everyone.”

Her friend, Shannon Salinski, said of Jackson, “This gal is a hero to many. God has used her for so much more than being a talented hairstylist. She’s a local hero for sharing her life lessons and helping others find their way through the depression of hair loss.”

Now, Jackson shares her story with everyone who will listen, especially those who come in timid, afraid, and extremely vulnerable.

“No one can possibly understand how it feels to lose your hair until you walk down the road of hair loss. If I can use my pain to help others not feel alone and help walk through their journey with them it gives me purpose,” she said.