As most of you may or may not know, this company is a very new venture for me. After seeing my friend suffer with finding a good quality human hair wig while going through cancer treatments this year, I opted to start this company! I was frustrated that women in my city and throughout the east coast of Canada did not have options for buying higher end hair pieces. Often times there is one shop and you had to take what was offered or order from a catalog. For something so important and so connected to our sense of self and self esteem, that is simply a terrible option. There should be choice and there should be a place where you can try it on and see and touch and learn. Most important there should be a place where you can feel less alone. Hair loss is scary and can be an isolating experience. No one should have to suffer this alone.
One of the first things I ask my customers is if they have joined any forums or discussion groups. I always point them to Hairloss sisters on Facebook as a starting point. There is something so empowering in becoming part of a community. Join, share, read and interact with others who can hold your hand and give you advice and help you feel your way through this.
As i worked through my first months in business I realized that more and more I have been outing myself in public for wearing hair! In the past it was simply something that i would not have done. At least not in an audience of more than one or to people i had just met. BUT heres the thing.... I am a business woman now and I am in the business of hair! I think i am selling some of the best products available to women and i am proud to be an ambassador of that. Secondarily i am so tired of the stigma that is attached to the word wig and to women's hair loss in general. I want to empower women and to bring attention to the fact that hair loss is not something that only 40 year old men suffer with ! (sorry guys i am not trying to minimize the struggle you have with this issue!)
Women all over the world are suffering in silence and feeling like there is something wrong with them when this is actually so common. When you google Women's air loss statistics you get the following; "21 million American women currently suffer from some form of alopecia. 12 percent of women with hair loss pursue restoration treatment, as compared with 20 percent of male alopecia sufferers. 80 percent of women experience noticeable hair loss by the age of 60. 40 percent of all alopecia patients are female.Jun 2, 2015"
So you see, you are certainly not alone! And its time that these statistics become people who are confidently speaking about this. I am only one, but i am here building a following and a business to ensure that no woman ever feels alone in this struggle and that there are options for her if she chooses.
Along the way as I build the business I am hitting road blocks with our health care providers. It is extremely difficult to get your name out there to the people who might need it. I have taken all the steps i can to get exposure; videos, blogs, websites and knocking on doors at cancer patient facilities, and dermatologists all over! IT is still very slow and I only hope that I can soon build enough business to continue offering this service for a long time. I feel passionate that I can make a difference. I meet new women everyday who wear wigs and a lot of women who could be wearing some sort of piece to help with thinning and balding areas. Do they know they are not alone? Is there a way to tell them there are options?
In the end i think there is only one way to overcome this .... SHARE! tell the world about your struggles, join a group or a forum and simply let others know you are out there and understand their struggle. The more we do that the more exposure this movement gets. Then we will have small shops popping up all over, to offer ladies options. There is absolutely no reason to suffer with this and to feel self conscience about it. There are toppers and wigs and half wigs and extensions! So many options to help you feel better and less self conscience.