Sian's Story | @thin_hair_i_care

I spent countless hours researching hair loss remedies and solutions, hoping I would come across an article that would reassure me that my hair would grow back, but each time I was left disappointed with the search results. 

I was around 18/19 when I first noticed my hair was thinning (2001/2002). At first, I thought it was just a phase and so I tried all the usual things; hair masks, volumising shampoo and a few hair vitamins that were on the market at the time.

My hairdresser promised me it would grow back, but as the months went by, it became more and more apparent that I was losing my hair, and it wasn't going to grow back.

I spent countless hours researching hair loss remedies and solutions, hoping I would come across an article that would reassure me that my hair would grow back, but each time I was left disappointed with the search results. 

I was extremely social back then and would be out with friends most weekends. But with all this socialising, came the worry about the way I looked and about people noticing my thinning hair.  I was ashamed and I thought that losing my hair would mean no one would ever love me.

I now know this isn't true, but at the time this feeling was very real for me and had a massive impact on my confidence and relationships.  It lasted for many years, right up until I met my now husband when I was 26.

 Going to the hairdresser was another source of anxiety for me. Sitting in a salon alongside people with beautiful hair and the hairdresser having a full bird's eye view of my scalp would fill me with dread.  Add to that, sitting in front of a mirror for hours, scrutinising myself was not helping my already low self-esteem.  With each foil highlight they would weave I'd be fretting that when the foil was removed it would take that little bit more hair with it.

I became obsessed with looking at other people's scalps and taking pictures of my own.  Everyone around me seemed to have a full head of luscious locks, which made me feel very alone, and I constantly questioned what I had done wrong.     

I eventually plucked up the courage to go to the GP.  He took blood, said everything was fine and that's pretty much where it ended.

From then on, I decided I needed to try and do something about this myself and so I became the master of disguise. I was lucky that in the early 2000s backcombing and a large side-sweeping fringe (to hide my receding hairline) were the height of fashion. Dry shampoos were also on the market and I found they really helped bulk up my hair.  I also had mountains of clip-in hair extensions which really were a game-changer for me. It didn't matter if my clip-in extensions were showing because to be honest, at that time it was the norm, even for people without thinning hair. For the first time, I felt like I was fitting in.

I'd always had a passion for makeup but I really started to put my all into mastering the art of applying my makeup. I used this as a distraction technique for years. Rather than people looking at my hair, they would always comment on my makeup.

Fast forward to 2019, by which point I was married with 2 kids.  My hair loss had stabilised, so apart from the initial shed years previously my hair had more or less stayed the same.  I'd come to terms with my thin hair, and was still using clip-in extensions, on the rare occasion I got to go out; times had definitely changed. 

 However, by 2020, 2 years after the birth of my youngest son, and during the Covid lockdowns I started noticing another shed! I couldn't believe it. After all these years it was happening again and I couldn't for the life of me figure out why.

One late night while browsing Instagram I stumbled upon the world of hair toppers.  At first, I was sceptical and thought they couldn't possibly be real, or if they were, they couldn't possibly be as good as they say.  I became more and more intrigued and spent my nights trawling through different topper companies, reviews, and scrutinising pictures of toppers. I learned that hair toppers were designed to cover hair loss on the crown of the head and that they could be customised to match the colour of your own hair.  I was blown away and I just had to try one!

I've had some beautiful pieces and they really made the world of difference to my confidence.  After 2 kids, and considerable weight gain, my self-confidence had taken further knocks so having the topper really gave me the boost that I needed to make some changes. I started taking care of myself, running, and eating healthy. It's funny that something as small as a hair topper contributed to a total change in my mindset.

My topper journey wasn't all plain sailing and there were definitely bumps in the road, with a steep learning curve to climb. But over the last 2 and a half years I've learned what does and doesn't work for me, and with each new piece, I learn more and more.

Since joining the hair loss community on Instagram, and being in a relatively good place with my hair loss, I thought it would be a good time to make another visit to the GP. Almost 20 years after my first visit. This time the GP looked at my scalp and said she thought it was Androgenic Alopecia, but there was no cure. By this point, I had already suspected it was Androgenic Alopecia and knew this was the case. She took blood and said she would be in touch. I never did hear back from her but I did call up for the blood results which came back 'fine'. 

 I have thought about seeing a private trichologist or dermatologist for further investigations but after 20 years I don't hold out much hope that my hair will grow back, so I'd rather put my money and energy into something that I know works for me. 

Toppers work for me because in the week I'm a busy working mum that has my bio hair tied up 100% of the time. Then at weekends I can throw a topper on and look glam in seconds. It's just so convenient for my lifestyle.

Being asked to be an ambassador for Peluka Salon absolutely blew me away.  I'm amazed and grateful that I have been given the opportunity to show others the amazing toppers that Peluka Salon has to offer, most exciting is their own branded range Peluka Couture. My hair loss has brought me to a community of supportive and wonderful people, and I will be forever grateful for that.