It will be 5 years this Christmas that I lost my hair. I went from a single patch, to completely bald, in around 2 weeks - over the Christmas period. To say it was a shock is an understatement! I left work ‘hairy’ for the Christmas break, and went back bald, wearing a wig.  What a complete and utter whirlwind.

I chose to ‘rip the plaster off’ quickly and share news of what had happened with family and friends the day I started wearing a wig.  I had always had mediocre bio hair, that I would cut into a pixie-cut, and then complain about it being too short, and grow it out again. I was in a perpetual state of ‘growing’ my hair. And when it fell out, and I had to ‘buy’ hair, there was no way I would choose something mediocre. I chose aspirational. My first wig was Evanna by Rene of Paris. A beach wave Bob, that I so desperately wanted my bio hair to be. And so began my journey with wig wearing!

I feel being open from Day 1 about my alopecia has served me very well.  By being so upfront with friends and acquaintances over my change of appearance, I felt I was getting in there first. By explaining what had happened, it would mitigate the conversations behind my back and encourage conversations with me, rather than about me, regarding what was going on. By talking about it openly, it was one less burden to carry. And I have to say, I have received nothing but supportive feedback and conversation. Which in turn, helped lift my spirits over what was happening. I started my Instagram page (@baldmothertucker) the day I got my first wig.

I cried a lot during the first few months. This settled with time. I would go days and then weeks between cries. The first year was the hardest.  But my saving grace was my love for wigs. Wigs became an addiction quite early on. Because I felt comfortable choosing hair that I wanted, rather than matching what I had, I felt the world was my oyster. Blonde, brunette, white, pink - you name it I’d try it. Long, short, curly or straight. I loved, and still love ALL the hair.

In the second year of my hair loss journey I became an education ambassador for Jon Renau. Which has been amazing. I’ve really enjoyed learning about the technical side of wigs, how they’re made, what to choose etc. I’m passionate about sharing the information given to me, to others that might find it useful.

My collection of wigs rapidly expanded. I was given some. I would shop preloved on eBay. I would grab bargains in sales. Wherever I could get my wig fix. I found that certain styles went better with certain outfits. I turned what was deemed a disadvantage to a huge advantage. Wigs are the silver lining to a rather traumatic experience.

By year 2.5 I had gained more confidence and was comfortable going to the gym without wearing hair or make up, sunbathing on the beach and being in front of friends and family ‘naked’ on top. Each experience was a personal triumph- which could appear trivial to some - but in reality was a huge achievement, that I’d quietly celebrate (maybe with a new wig ha!).

Unfortunately, it feels to me that hair loss is still a relatively taboo subject, which particularly women feel a degree of shame over. The association with wigs being old fashioned, unflattering Brillo pads still exists. And guaranteed you’ll find a movie ‘baddie’ with a bald head.  I hope that my contribution to the hair loss community, however big or small, is helping to normalise hair loss, female baldness and wig wearing. We are all amazing.