Losing your hair, no matter your age, gender or who you are is difficult as so much of our identity and sense of self is wrapped up in our hair. I started to lose mine when I was 15 years old. At first my hair started to fall out in patches and then within a year I was totally hair free. When I was losing my hair I never saw or heard of another bald woman and I thought I was truly alone. As you can imagine, for a 15-year-old girl trying to find her way in the world, it was really difficult for me to come to terms with my hair loss.

I would push down my emotions with the mentality that I must “get on with life” which didn’t serve me well into adulthood. My mum always said “something's got to give” and she was right, all those emotions had to come out at some point. When I was 26 and felt I was truly happy, I had my first panic attack. It was like my body was forcing me to deal with everything I had blocked out for many years. It took me a long time to love myself and truly accept who I am. Connecting with other women going through hair loss was a huge support and showed me I was no longer alone.  

Alopecia has taught me so much - not to judge people, to be empathic and to be kind, as you never know what someone else may be going through. 

Now, 15 years on, I have such a better relationship with myself, my emotions & my alopecia.