Why you shouldn't feel pressured to wear a wig...

You might have spotted this post about the negative connotations of the word 'wig', but aside from their name, what about the decision to wear one?

When losing my hair, I went through every stage of grieving; from anger to denial, grief to acceptance, switching back and forth between the different emotions for the full nine months it took to fall out. Without question, I wanted a wig - something to give me the opportunity to come to terms with it in my own time, without having to handle the emotions, questions or opinions of others. What's more, I wanted it to match as closely as possible to my natural hair, so that those who didn't know would barely notice the difference - potentially thinking I'd simply had my hair done. At the time, I don't think it was a concious decision, more a necessary one.

As a novice, I didn't know a single thing about wigs - the options, the prices, the waiting times, but I did know I wanted one, and that I wanted one as fast as possible. I opted for a mixture of at-home research and seeking out an expert and whilst at the time I didn't have the confidence to buy online, it's something I wish I'd done. Still, that aside, for me, a wig was definitely the way forward and that decision came from me, not from any external pressures.

Speaking to other people with alopecia, something that never ceases to surprise and amaze me is the differences in each individual journey and the different ways people handle the situation. Something that these differences confirm for me, is that there is no single 'right way' to handle your hair loss, but that being true to yourself is the single most important thing. During our trip to Alton Towers, I became engaged in a conversation about the decision behind opting to wear a wig. Whilst I, and many others struggle without the safety net and security of a wig (which isn't a bad thing), this person highlighted her own aversion to wearing them, right from the word go. This aversion, came simply from the fact that she couldn't handle or process the idea of wearing anything on her head, when her own hair was falling out - how could she handle the psychology of replacing her hair when her own was falling out?

In case you haven't noticed, I am fascinated by alopecia and hair loss and also by the impacts both emotional and physical of what our bodies go through. I'm fascinated by the latest research, the ways we can manage the condition and so on... This conversation was absolutely no exception. Having only ever considered it from my own perspective and experience, going 'au natural' was a stage in the journey to acceptance - a positive step to helping me come to terms with my own hairloss. Naively, I thought each person was the same, particularly having met so many others for whom going out bald was a stage, that I never stopped to consider it the other way around. When I did though, whilst not part of my own process, I totally understand the choice not to opt for a wig in the first place and the way that can help you process!

Once again, what this entirely confirms to me is that each individual person will and should handle this in their own way, and importantly should stay true to themselves on the journey! Wig or not, do what you want to do and don't ever let yourself feel pressured into believing that a wig is your only or mandatory option!

Victoria x

www.prettybald.co.uk Twitter: @PrettyBald