alopecia wig

The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of those depths.

Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

   One of our clients explained her alopecia like this:

   Those are the words from an adult, imagine how a child feels. No child wants to feel different. In my experience, I feel that a wig is not the first priority when someone is dealing with alopecia, firstly is learning to accept it. Another woman that I spoke to about her alopecia said:

   In my own words this means rather than covering up the problem, a wig is more of an accessory like a piece of jewelry or wearing lipstick to feel pretty. When I first started in the wig industry it was completely taboo for a woman to be bald, or wear a wig and I found myself enabling women to hide their “secret”.

   Today with the internet and social media it is easier for people to connect with each other, share their experience and comfort each other. Its always easier to heal and “come out of the closet”  when you can find other people in the same situation. There are two  foundations that I recommend as a place for resources and support. They are CAP-Children’s Alopecia Project and NAAF- National Alopecia Areata Foundation.

   I found that when people go onto social networks, share their story and photos of themselves it can be healing. Naturally family and friends will rally behind them and show them support by letting them know with or without hair they are loved and they are beautiful!

    Hair We Share takes that support one step further. We give the friends and family an opportunity to share something very special with that person…their hair!

   We found Bailey on a fundraising web site. Her mom was raising money to purchase a custom wig for Bailey. Her family had donated and her community rallied around her, by raising money through a car wash. This hard working 12 year old  honor student was hiding out in her bedroom and afraid to go to school, afraid to be teased. Bailey started out with a few bald spots that her mom was able to disguise but the spots rapidly got larger.

When Bailey got her wig her mom sent me this message:

   I can’t even tell you how this made us feel, smiles like this are exactly what we have been working for. Changing a child from depressed and hiding out to a big smile is worth all the hard work. Bailey’s moms friends sent their hair in to make Bailey’s wig. One of them also had a hair loss issue when she was younger, so this really touched her to be able to help Bailey in such a special way!

  We have been in the wig business a long time. We started Hair We Share because we saw the need for it. We hated the fact that when a child lost their hair the expense put a strain on the entire family. An alopecia wig, especially for a child, is much more comfortable and natural looking when it is made custom. We are really pleased to have our fundraising efforts underway and growing, so families like Bailey’s don’t have to worry how they will afford such an expense.

Thanks for reading! Feel free to question or comment below.