This blog was written by Sarah, one of our Community Ambassadors.
Searching for my Hairy-Godmother
I started noticing the front of my hair thin in my late 20’s. Fast forward 10 years, two kids, two pregnancy and postpartum sheds and some seriously unlucky genetics, and here I am in the prime of my life with a balding head. I went through denial, grief, obsession, anxiety, and was compulsively driven to check my hair in every mirror I pass to see if my scalp was showing.
Like many women who lose their hair, I spent hours online scouring medical websites and hair loss forums trying to find someone who went through exactly what I was going through and who could tell me that it was going to be ok. I wanted to read a happy ending to my story. Not only did I not find the happy ending I was looking for, I spent years of my life and all of my energy and attention trying to fix the unfixable.
Looking back, I desperately needed a hairy-godmother to intervene. In my mind, this magical woman is part fairy, part grandmother and part loud New Yorker who isn’t afraid of anyone. And maybe a little bit of Stevie Nicks thrown in for good measure. This hairy-godmother would have appeared in a glittery, floaty bubble in my living room while I Googled “herbal remedies for hair loss” late into the night. She would slam my laptop shut, hug me for a while, and then slap me. “Sarah,” she would say, “you need to move on. It ain’t comin’ back, baby. All the Rogaine in the world isn’t going to turn back time. Your hair is gone, and you are going bald.” She’d stand there in her sparkling gown patiently waiting out my (justifiably) angry tantrum. When I ran out of gas and sank back into the couch, she would put her arms around me and tell me it’s not the end of the world. She’d tell me that millions of women lose their hair and still look amazing. She would say, “Here’s what you do. Get a wig. It’s that simple.” And you know what ladies? It is.
I needed someone to say “Yes, I see you have this problem” and not, “Oh no, honey—you look perfectly fine!” the way my well-meaning friends did. I needed someone to show me the world of hair and how easy it is to buy and wear, and how the only thing other people will notice is how amazing you suddenly look. My hairy-godmother would explain that extensions, toppers and wigs are so easy to wear nowadays, and that you never again have to spend an hour on your hair just to have those four carefully arranged and hairsprayed hairs blow apart in the first soft breeze you encounter. I needed someone to show me how to get over it and move on.
Chances are, if you compliment my hair now, I will tell you where I bought it. Maybe I can be someone’s hairy-godmother and help them move on and look more amazing than ever.
What helped you move forward and embrace the wig?