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Since being diagnosed with Androgenetic Alopecia, Emily has been on a self-love and acceptance journey. Embracing wig-wearing as part of her identity, Emily has used her platform to create a community of likeminded people, sharing wig styling tips and spreading hair-loss positivity.
Learning to love my alopecia
I'm Emily and I live in the West Midlands with my husband and two dogs. After losing most of my hair to Androgenetic Alopecia, four years ago I made the choice to shave off the remaining hair I had. Now that I can experiment with fabulous wigs, the world of hair is so much bigger for me and I've really tried to see the silver lining that having alopecia has given me.
I've spent a lot of time helping others, showing them how to style wigs and trying to embrace their hair-loss as a positive.
I'm so grateful to be working with CLOUD NINE to raise awareness of living with alopecia and inspiring others on their self-love journey.
Using the Temperature Calculator
Caring for her human hair wigs is Emily's top priority when it comes to hair health. After using the CLOUD NINE Temperature Calculator, Emily found out she should be styling her wigs at 150 degrees.
"The CLOUD NINE Temperature Calculator is fantastic, especially for me with my wigs. I have to take extra care of them because once I've damaged them, I can't undo that damage. It's brilliant that I can care for my wigs by identifying the right temperature and using less heat."
Try it now to learn your optimum styling temperature for your hair type.
Where did your hair journey begin?
I used to have really long, luscious, thick hair until around the age of 16. It started thinning and thinning to the point where I couldn't hide the baldness on the top of my head and eventually I was diagnosed with Androgenetic Alopecia. I decided rather than trying to find a way to stop it, to just rip the bandaid off and shave my hair. I wanted to take control of the diagnosis rather than have it controlling me.
Where are you currently at on your hair journey?
I'm not going to say that I'm 100% happy with my hair because I do love my hair the way it was back in the day. I definitely have more positive days than I do negative. I have all the hair that anyone could ever dream of now. But there are some days where I miss the old me and I get upset - it just hits me when I least expect it. But nine times out of ten, I love being the quirky bald girl. It's a badge of honour, and it's shaped me to be who I am now.
Do you feel represented in the hair industry?
I'd say no because you don't often see bald girls in the hair industry. You might see a cute buzz cut now and again, but I'd love to see more people wearing wigs in commercials and adverts. I have more human hair than I could dream of, and I still use all the products that anyone would have with hair. I'd love to see more inclusivity in the industry.
When does your hair make you feel confident?
I feel confident when I have the perfect outfit and the perfect hair to go with it. I love being able to choose whichever wig I'm in the mood for, whether it's a grungy black bob or a cute blonde wig for the summer. Having a wig wardrobe to match my clothing wardrobe makes me feel good!
What piece of advice would you give to someone struggling with their confidence?
The thing for me was to find my people. In the beginning, I didn't have a clue what was going on. Finding likeminded people really made me feel like I wasn't alone. When I was diagnosed, it was such a lonely time because everyone else had luscious locks of hair and I just couldn't understand why I couldn't get mine back. If you're in a similar position, try and embrace it. It's not nice to lose your hair or having to shave it, or being the person that people are looking at. But embrace it and just take the risk. Take the chances, wear the hair, get out the door and don't let it stop you.
What do you love about CLOUD NINE?
I think CLOUD NINE is a really thoughtful brand. Not only do they create great products and tools, they really think about how people are treating their hair and give great advice on how to keep hair healthy.
