The importance of hair to a woman’s appearance and confidence is astounding. And this is what makes hair loss so devastating.

The reason could be genetic or some underlying condition, but the result is the same: Women who face hair loss see the world and themselves differently.

But that also presents an opportunity to show

Overcoming the Shock and Worry

Alopecia is an autoimmune disorder and the most common reason that women lose their hair. It can develop at any age and there is no cure. As with all autoimmune conditions, the body mistakenly attacks its own cells, and in this case the hair follicles catch the brunt of the attack.

A previous winner of a “Hair of the Year” award, Francesca, found out at 16 years old just how great the impact is of alopecia.

Claiming to feel “helpless” for the first time ever in her life, Francesca was diagnosed with alopecia after losing clumps of hair at a time. At the age of 16 and already a popular girl in her school in the UK, hair and appearance meant everything, and this diagnosis is not only scary but life-shattering.

The initial response of denial is common and many females ignore the signs of thinning or patches, and cover up with headbands and scarves.

In a similar turn of events, Jill, now a first-time mother, discovered patches of missing hair at the age of 13. As an avid swimmer and member of the school team, always having wet hair really emphasized the bald patches.

Jill, now over 40, recalls that the first appearance of a “half-dollar sized bald spot” on your scalp was devastating. Both of these young girls felt embarrassed and ashamed, and with not many treatment options, this sudden hair loss quickly took over their emotional well-being.

Fighting Alopecia With More Than Medications

Cortisone shots are the standard treatment for alopecia, but many women complain that their mood becomes unstable as well as their menstrual cycle. The disruption in hormones is unpleasant, which forces many women to stop the treatment.

Given that many cases of alopecia develop during teenage years, hormones are not an ideal option. Puberty is already a hormonal-driven stage and any extreme changes could have long-term development effects.

Both Jill and Francesca, despite living on opposite sides of the Atlantic, came to the same conclusion. After trying wigs and other topical solutions and treatment, they turned their focus to natural healing.

There is no cure for alopecia, but there are ways to prevent hair loss and promote healthy regrowth in most cases. Finding ways to encourage healthy hair growth, such as diet and natural hair care treatments, will bring improvements and regrowth quicker than expected.

Jill’s story demonstrates that the approach is what matters. The loss of hair had quite the impact; however, she kept looking for solutions. When one treatment option didn’t work she moved on to find one that did.

Many women suffer more with the emotional pains of hair loss over the actual physical loss. In fact, hair insecurity “brings a woman to her knees” quicker than anything, according to Christine, a sociologist turned hairstylist.

Positivity Powers You Through

Women feel isolation and embarrassment when they lose their hair. The attention and praise society gives to models with long, luscious locks doesn’t help this.

Women like Christine understand the important of empowerment and her creation of the Big Life Thin Hair forum gives this. Women dealing with hair loss get the attention and speaking platform they deserve, removing all fear and isolation.

Not only is it important to encourage women with hair loss to embrace and accept, it is important to share knowledge. Hair loss can affect anyone, so the more information women have, the better prepared they will be and the better they can cope.

Kelly, a stay-at-home mom who became a popular health blogger overnight, found that staying positive helped her move past her hair insecurity and focus on ways to make her hair better, rather than getting stuck in negative emotions.

Many women experience hair loss unexpectedly after child birth, as Kelly did, and are caught off guard because they do not have a family history of baldness. This is where knowledge is critical. If women know the possible causes for hair loss, such as hormonal changes and postpartum changes, they can take preventative actions to keep their hair healthy.

Women like Kelly found that taking vitamins and using the right products will do wonders for thinning hair. Her “amazing vitamin concoction of flaxseed oil tablets, B12, biotin, and apple cider vinegar” had her hair back to the same thickness and health as it was pre-pregnancy.

Sharing info like this on forums helps increase awareness and other women suffering with hair loss can find hope too.

Hair loss happens. But these brave ladies show us that positivity and acceptance can get you past the physical and emotional breakdown of hair loss.

Whether it happened because of an inherited gene, pregnancy, or nutritional deficiency, hair loss does not have to get the better of you. The bravery and determination shown by these women is inspiring and by sharing their stories, hair loss doesn’t look so scary after all.