It was after my first visit to my hairdresser after having my son (who is now 18) that I first noticed that I was losing my hair. Over the space of just a year, a small patch of hair loss progressed to total hair loss.

In those early days, I felt anxious, depressed, stressed and isolated. It felt like my world was falling apart. I would wake up to find clumps of hair on my pillow which was very distressing. One of the hardest things to deal with was the loss of my eyebrows and eyelashes. I felt like I no longer looked like me, like my face had been rubbed out.

I was diagnosed by my doctor just a week after my hairdresser’s appointment. I can remember walking out the doctors and just not knowing where to turn. I wasn’t given any advice as to where to go next. I wish I had been directed to Alopecia UK from day one as I think this would have made a big difference in helping me to feel less lost and alone on my journey.

My doctor arranged for me to have some counselling. I had stopped socialising with family and friends and leaving the house was hard work. Having counselling helped me a little but the best therapy I’ve ever had was meeting others with alopecia. Just to know I wasn’t alone, and to be able to get practical advice from others who had gone through the same felt like such a relief. It’s why I think the work of Alopecia UK is so important. I love that the charity works hard to ensure people with alopecia have the opportunity to connect with others.

I was also determined to do something to help myself and others. I asked my hospital if I could set up a support group. This started as just three of us meeting in a room at the RVI in Newcastle but we have now outgrown that and currently meet at the Maldron Hotel in the city.

I have also become the owner of a wig business called Diamond Hair Solutions. For years, I wore wigs that didn’t work for me and didn’t make me feel confident. When I eventually found a wig I was totally happy with, the old me came back! I’ve since discovered that wigs can be fun and don’t need to cost a fortune. As my confidence with wig wearing grew, I got more involved with reviewing them and even took part in a charity fashion show that involved a ‘wig walk’. After seeing my reviews, some people suggested that I should do this as a job.

I loved the idea of being able to support people find the right wig, and jumped in head-first with no experience of running a business. I just wanted to help people feel less shame and embarrassment with wearing wigs. If I could help people to wear their wigs with confidence, I knew it would be worthwhile. I’ve grown the business slowly and steadily and now have my own garden salon. The feeling I get after each wig fitting is amazing. It’s brilliant to know I’m helping people who are in the same boat as me.

In 2019, I started a Wig Bank as a side project to my business. The Wig Bank allows me to give preloved wigs a new lease of life, and ensure unwanted wigs don’t end up going to waste. And the ultimate bonus is being able to fundraise for Alopecia UK with the proceeds. Wigs are sold for a fraction of the retail price and 60% goes to Alopecia UK, with the remaining 40% covering the costs associated with running the Wig Bank. I now have my assistant Leah helping me with the wigs and I am so proud to have raised over £15,000 since I started and I know it makes a huge difference to the small charity.

I am thrilled to share my stories as part of their ’20 Stories for 20 Years’, and so happy I can do my bit to support a charity that has helped me and so many others.

A HUGE thank you to Linzi for all her fundraising efforts with her wig bank. We are so grateful to her for every pound raised. 

Find Linzi's Wig Bank here.