EDITOR’S NOTE: In recognition of 2016’s Alopecia Awareness Month, we are publishing every few days a new installment of Anita B’s very personal story, from the shock of first discovering she had Alopecia, through the life changes and mental journey to Acceptance & rediscovered Happiness. Anita B. wears, by choice, a Joli Dancer™ by Joli Caméléon™. After wearing many other well-known wigs designed for Alopecians, and actually being a sales rep for one of those companies for a while, she tried a Joli Dancer™ hair creation and liked it so much that she purchased another one 6 months later, all with her own money. Only after this did Anita take on the independent role of a Joli Caméléon Brand Champion. If this story resonates with you, we welcome guest bloggers and would love to hear your thoughts on the 10 phases Anita went through.
#AdaptBeautifully
All the Best. Michael.
6) Turnaround
I am not alone. There are LOTS of people like me out there. It is not the end of the world.
It can take a while to get back to feeling ‘normal’. For me, a big part of my coming to grips with my alopecia was finding ways to look like my former self. This really helped me to regain my confidence. Through much trial and error, I finally found the right wigs and a stylist who knew how to cut them. It also took me a while to find eyeliner that would last through the day so that I could hide the fact that my eyelashes were missing. It took two tries at tattooed eyebrows (the first was a bit of a botch job) before I got the natural looking brows I was after. Then there was the matter of learning to accept the new me when I wasn’t wearing my hair. In the beginning, I would wake up in the morning and forget that I had lost my hair. Imagine the rude awakening when I would be confronted with the bald woman looking back at me. I had to learn to see beyond the reflection. I did this with the help and support of other women with alopecia. It was so liberating to listen to others’ stories. Many shared my feelings of frustration, humiliation, and sadness. It was comforting to know that I wasn’t alone with this condition and that my feelings were justified. I was greatly inspired by the women who had come through the despair and were now vibrant and confident.
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