Bearded South African woman opens up about life with facial hair amid insults from trolls

Khosi Nkanyezi Buthelezi, a 42-year-old woman from Johannesburg, South Africa, who visibly has hair all over her entire body including a beard, has shared why she allowed it to grow. Khosi first noticed her condition as a teenager but didn’t find it unusual, as other women in her family had similar experiences.

Despite facing insults from online trolls, she indicated that she has embraced her unique condition of excessive hair growth, which covers her entire body, including a full beard.

In late 2022, Khosi’s curiosity led her to consult medical professionals about her excessive hair growth condition. However, despite seeking answers, doctors couldn’t provide a diagnosis. In light of that, she has chosen to fully embrace her unique appearance and has now taken to documenting her journey on TikTok. Despite enduring stares and hurtful comments, she has shown resilience to online trolls, especially those who go as far as calling her derogatory names including calling her a male, according to Daily Mail.

Khosi said in her early upbringing, she was exposed to the idea of women with excess body hair, similar to her aunts who were considered blessed, strong, and resolute. This belief led her to assume that her own excessive hair growth was an inherited trait, and she never felt the need to consult a doctor because she had no physical issues.

However, when she eventually consulted a general practitioner, they suggested hormone-level tests to explore potential connections to fertility and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). According to her, both tests came back negative, indicating that she could have children if she chose to do so, and hormonal treatment was unnecessary as everything appeared to be fine.

During her medical journey, one doctor suggested that Khosi might have hirsutism, a condition primarily affecting women that leads to excessive hair growth in specific areas of the body. Although she had never heard of this condition before, it sounded serious to her, prompting her to experiment by shaving her hair.

Despite warnings from family members that shaving might worsen the condition, Khosi considered it worth trying, believing that the idea of hair growing back thicker after shaving was merely a myth.

She said because she works in a job requiring a presentable appearance, she initially resorted to weekly razor-shaving to manage her excessive hair growth. However, this seemed to have the counterproductive effect of making the hair grow more rapidly.

Khosi said the situation became much worse when she stopped hair removal treatment a year ago. Frustrated by her ongoing battle with excessive hair growth, she eventually decided to embrace herself and prioritize self-love.

She stopped shaving and emphasized that beauty can take various forms. Her defense is that the importance of self-acceptance is a fundamental aspect of self-care, building confidence and self-esteem. According to her, beauty comes in all shapes, sizes and forms.