Strength in Numbers

Often when going through a hidden condition, like hair loss, we can feel isolated, paranoid and embarrassed. From my own personal experience when I lost all of my head hair to alopecia, I felt all of these emotions. I was too embarrassed to speak to my friends about losing my hair, I was paranoid that everyone knew I was becoming bald and in turn I felt isolated from those around me, as I thought nobody could or would understand what I was going through.

A turning point for me was attending the first annual BeBold conference in Durham in 2012 and meeting lots of others with alopecia. Having kept my secret for so long, it was amazing to finally feel at ease with those around me – I didn’t even have to explain anything, they knew what I was going through. Since that date, and meeting people I now consider good friends, I've gotten involved with many Alopecia UK awareness events, reached out to other alopecia sufferers via social media and, most importantly, opened up to friends and my wider family about the condition. I'm not afraid.

With this in mind, I urge anybody suffering in silence to do the same. I know it's a scary HUGE step but it's one that could change your life forever, for the better! The more people who know about your condition, the more that can support you, and the bigger the weight that is lifted from your shoulders. You're never alone – there's strength in numbers!

One thing I always found awkward while I was "in hiding" was invites to theme parks! What did I say?! I LOVE adventure parks and the like but I couldn't risk it as my wig would most definitely fly off.

Alopecia UK solved that for me when last year they hosted their first day out in Alton Towers. Surrounded by others with the condition, I felt I was comfortable enough to bare all in the theme park and enjoy a fantastic day out free from the worry that wearing wigs can bring. I cannot describe the feeling of freedom you get from being around those who know your struggle. I was in my element.

The charity are hosting this event again this Spring and will be heading to Alton Towers on Saturday 11 April 2015 – and I strongly urge you all to join us! Whether it be your first meeting or you're a seasoned AUKer (do you think that'll stick?) it is a guaranteed BLAST!

So, head over to http://www.alopeciaonline.org.uk/altontowers.asp and check out the details. Sign up to the Alopecia UK newsletter so you are never out of the loop (doing this can also help you access discounted tickets for Alton Towers!) and I'll see you on the Smiler ;)

Much Love, Kay x

www.prettybald.co.uk Twitter: @PrettyBald

An inspiration?

'Inspiration' and 'Inspire' are words we see more and more regularly nowadays, as the internet puts us in touch with unique, interesting and wonderful stories of people helping people. In a country where 'love thy neighbour' was an everyday mainstay of post-war society and saw people helping people, it is somewhat odd to see us heralding an individual giving a sandwich to homeless person (and filming themselves while doing it), or girls posting make-up free pictures as an excuse to give to charity!

Now don't get me wrong here, I am not meaning to sound scathing of charity giving or to diminish the importance of these philanthropic acts; in fact the aforementioned #NoMakeUpSelfie raised big bucks for charity and was a phenomenal mechanism for engaging people all around the world! My purpose isn't to decry those who need to be inspired to do something, what I am pondering is when I personally consider someone or something an inspiration?

What prompted this reflection? An email or two which described ME as an 'inspiration' - probably the thing I least expected! Four years ago, I unsuspectingly entered a client meeting where I ran my fingers through my hair, starting a domino chain of events that would temporarily collapse my world! At that point, I never thought I'd get through what was happening to me, let alone come to terms with it, but with the help and support of friends, family and from those who understood the condition first hand, I came to terms with my situation enough to start helping and supporting others. Now, I'm happy in my own skin and as a result I opted, in turn, to help and support those going through the same things I did. To me, that decision wasn't one I made to purposely inspire people or to gain acclaim for my philanthropy but was made because I wanted to give to others what others gave to me - a support network and a bucket-load of experiential sympathy!

As you might have spotted, this month I feature in Cosmopolitan magazine, talking body confidence and helping to explain and educate about my hair loss condition. I didn't do this to inspire but probably the single most common comment that I have received states what an 'inspiration' I am; both from sufferers and non-sufferers. Now I'm going to be honest here, I loved the comments and they were great to receive but in a bid to stop my shiny cranium becoming enormous, I've tried not to re-read them too much! In fact, whilst it's been nice to think that I have inspired people, it isn't something I feel totally comfortable with and here's why...

When I was offered the chance to take part in the magazine shoot (thanks Alopecia UK), I had three main goals 1) to raise awareness, 2) to educate and 3) to enjoy myself - because it's not everyday you get to do something like this! I was treated like a princess, thoroughly enjoyed every minute and very selfishly would have point blank refused to switch places with someone else! Yes, I did it for others in my position but I also did it for myself too and it would be wrong to claim otherwise! When I first started receiving comments about inspiring people (particularly when they came from people I'd never met), I felt a little like a fraud - I almost felt they must be talking to someone else. Do I really consider myself someone 'able to fill others with the urge to do something' when actually it was simply the telling of my story? No I don't! Yet do I feel pleased that people see me that way, that telling my story has helped people on some level? Absolutely!

Tto say it hasn't inflated my ego would be a lie, so please excuse and indulge me as I sound like a big-head! Here's some of my favourite comments I was sent:

"Wowsers! Where are your trousers?"

"Wow! She makes Alopecia sexy!"

and finally...

"How cool is this. Splendid!"

 (sorry if I sound like a big-head picking those ones but they each made me chuckle!)

I'm a pretty blunt, stubborn and opinionated person and I used to be fairly scathing of those who threw themselves in the limelight for their 'charitable' acts. Yet now the boot is on the other foot and I'm in a tiny spotlight, I can definitely say this experience has helped change me and make me a more tolerant, empathetic person! It's made me realise the importance of doing things like this and whether a person chooses to be anonymous or blatant in the way they do things, any method is fine as long as the end result is the same! Reflecting personally, I'm proud to have inspired people and urge other people to do something, anything, which can make a difference, even if it is just for one person! Go inspire!

To finish, I'll say this blog post is really important to me, so please let me know what you think! I hope you enjoyed the read.

Victoria x

www.prettybald.co.uk Twitter: @PrettyBald

Having a BALL !

Welcome one and all !!

On Saturday the 28th of February , I was invited to a very classy charity ball by my partner, whose sister had worked very hard in organising.
So, a charity ball means looking your best. Beautiful dresses , fabulous stillettos, flawless makeup and the perfect  hair.......Oh boy.

Not only did I have to look the part, but it was the first time meeting a lot of friends/family of my other half's. So looking good was important ..... no pressure then.

At this point all I was concerned about was my hair,well lack of it. When I had my own locks, I would of most likely, flipped and clipped and curled and twirled it everywhere . But now ... I'v got a standard brown wig to play with. Yay.

To start with ,i was lucky enough to get myself a hair cut by my boyfriends mother. She cut me a stylish fringe and then thinned out the ends of the hair , to make it less wig like and more like real hair.
After, I took the straightners and started going over the hair to defrizz the synthetic curls. (Which were not attractive) making sure Im flicking the ends to shape my face.
As someone who absolutely hates having hair in their face, I pulled back a few strands of hair from the front and clipped them to the side . Given me ,what I like to call , my ethereal look . ( don't ask.)
Feeling pretty proud of myself , I looked in the mirror ...... 'This still looks like a wig' I moan to partner in frustration.

Kieran, who is my partner, being the clever man he is ,came up with the idea of trying to create a parten! 'Yes!' I squealed. Using a concealer stick , he parted the hair to the side , (how I like it). He then dabbed a few spots of concealer on to the lace which was now on veiw. Then, using only his fingers, blended the concealer onto the lace and the hair line, creating  a realistic parten........It worked ! It looked so much better.

Knowing I had the hair just the way I wanted ( with what I had. ) I felt confident to walk down the stairs and show of my look with a smile !

I will add a tutorial soon .

Danielle x

The daffodils are out, and it is the first of March, which can only mean one thing...

So it's too late for a pinch and a punch; I got a bit overexcited this morning and ended up posting this story of Anthony Carrigan instead! Still it was worth it!

It would be wrong however to let today pass by without a little reminder that it's the first of March and that can only mean one thing! Goodbye bathtub picture and hello stylish hats!

To give you a bit of history of the inspiration behind this picture, I'll have to introduce my friend! Fern Bereen is quite possibly one of the most casually creative people you will ever meet! Training in costume and set design at University, Fern is a milliner (making hats) by trade and also has the ability to whip up and style almost anything; it's safe to say if I attempted the same, the decor would look like I dropped it from a great height, whereas Fern gives it a stylish purpose! Anyway, in a moment of panic about how we'd actually get the shots to look nice, AND make sure no boobs, nipples or other bits were on show, I rang Fern! She chatted to me in calm tones and promised to support me on the shoot! Out of the cupboards at her workshop came wedding crockery, afternoon tea sets, dresses, and hats, and she willing transported everything on to set in all manner of trunks and suitcases!

It was then that the girls discovered Fern's inspired hat collection, made from anything she can get her hands on including old broken jewellery, raffia table mats and even dried flowers! They couldn't stop putting them on and so a new picture was born - one which took advantage of the gorgeous colour and structures of the hats and showcased them against the cream background of the traditional Cotswold stone! They looked gorgeous!

The reason that this picture was selected for March? Unless you are one of my Cheltenham buddies, something which you may not know is that Cheltenham is often referred to as the 'home of horseracing'. Every March, there is one of the most coveted prizes of the sport up for grabs - the Gold Cup - and whilst more 'country' than Ascot, the event still features big hats and a best dressed competition! I personally go to these races often and in fact have worn one of Fern's creations, so it seemed only fitting to pop this one into March, a month known locally to me for its big hat occasion!

Fern makes affordable hats for any occasion, from the traditionally stylish to the statement flambouyant. To find out more, you can visit her website, or like her on Facebook, either of which will be appreciated! You can also buy one of the very styles we wear, if any of them take your fancy!

Happy page changing!

Victoria x

www.prettybald.co.uk Twitter: @PrettyBald

It's officially February and that can mean only one thing #Charity #Calendar

Pinch and a punch, first of the month, no returns or white rabbits or whatever they say local to you!

True, I am officially a little bit late with this one as it is after midday, but today is the first of February! Duh! That can only mean one thing! It's time to change the page on possibly the #BestCalendarIntheWorld! Alright, so I might be exaggerating a little particularly if you are fans of someone like One Directon (yuck) but it is time to turn the page and gaze on one of my favourite pictures from the calendar! I mean come on, it includes a giant yellow rubber duck folks!

As an aside, it was pointed out to me today that we chose a bath-tub scene for February, the month of Valentine's Day, but I can honestly say that really wasn't deliberate!

Thanks folks

Victoria x

A sneaky peek at some of our plans...

Last year we started Pretty Bald with a 'small', calendar project to raise awareness of Alopecia...

This year, we have some slightly more large-scale plans; ones which we hope will help build on what we've already established and also raise copious funds for Alopecia UK! Now, we're not going to let you in on all our top-secret plans (that'll spoil half the fun and the excitement when it happens), however we will let you in on one or two things happening now...

Our brand new blog...

There are plenty of people writing excellent blogs about their hair loss, their experiences and how they deal with it, but we're hoping to do it slightly differently! Rather than one individual (aka, me) telling one story, we've decided to bring together a collective group of volunteer bloggers to tell lots of stories. Lots of opinions, on lots of things (all related to hairloss or personal experience), creating a valuable library of things you can relate to! We're starting small, but in the next few days we'll introduce our very first volunteer blogger to break up the monotony of my ramblings ;-) If you like the idea and would be interested in participating, you can email us to express your interest

A new range of products...

Starting next month (hopefully), we're going to be offering a range of unique, quirky or useful products that we all either covet or need. Basically, our plan is to add the products at their Recommended Retail Price (as requested by the suppliers), but commit that all profit made will go to Alopecia UK to help fund their vital work! It's no secret, we all buy many of the same products, but we buy them from companies that profit! Now that isn't inherently a bad thing, but this way, you can still buy what you need through Pretty Bald, but in doing so, also donate money! Now we can't get everything straight away and we're being pretty picky about who we work with, but we're also interested in ideas on what you'd like us to include! Please email us your favourites, must-haves, can't live without's, really love etc. etc. and we'll do our best to include them!

Now, it might not sound like much, but we're hoping to raise at least £10,000 each year for Alopecia UK (more if we can) so they can really keep doing what they need to do!

Fingers crossed and we hope you like it!

Victoria x

www.prettybald.co.uk
Twitter: @PrettyBald 

Our 2014 calendar...

OK, so I know we're halfway through January 2015, but I think it's important for us to look back at our 2014 calendar and take a peek at how it all started! Some of our readers may already know about it, but for a few of you, it will be new and interesting!

Not to be arrogant, but it all starts with me! I lost my hair a few years ago and although it was really tough, I had a fantastic support network in my friends and family! I worked through it and over time came to terms with it, and then I took part in the Alopecia UK flashmob! While there, I learned a lot about who they are and what they do, and came to appreciate just how much they have to offer! They also inspired me to help where I can and to raise much-needed funds if I'm able!

Now, I'd probably collapse after 5m, let alone running 5km, so doing a run, swim or anything sporty is pretty much out of the question! I'm terrified of bungee jumping and go weak at the knees at the thought of jumping out of a plane! Basically, I'm not much use at doing something worthwhile, and thereby inspiring my friends, neighbours and relatives to dig deep! I could put in a cheeky request for a hand-out, but I'm pretty sure they'd tell me where to go and if it worked, would only work once! So... what to do?

I work for a PR & Marketing agency and wanted to ensure that whatever I did, it would make a big impact, raise awareness and most importantly, raise funds. I'm not sure quite when I thought of the idea to recreate calendar girls (nude and bald), but once I'd had it, I couldn't stop thinking about it! I got together a crack production team and a group of fabulous sponsors (who I couldn't have managed without), borrowed a venue and convinced twelve ladies to get involved, some with the promise of gin!

A few months later, and we had a fabulous, finished calendar! Next step was to prep a press release, elicit the promise of a few real-life stories and send it out. We expected a little bit of exposure and potentially a few interviews near to where the ladies lived, but we couldn't anticipate what happened next! The press loved it and it went around the world - twice; publications everywhere from Brazil to China, Hungary to Russia picked up the story and before we knew it, our faces were popping up on 180 websites / newspapers / magazines, in more than 50 countries! Not only that, but the orders started coming in from around the world and it's fair to say we had more orders through the website from as far away as Jamaica and Australia than we did from the UK! It couldn't have been better! It's also worth a mention that some of us enjoyed a trip to London to appear on Good Morning Britain (video below). So far we think we've raised about £4,000, but despite it being January, we're still getting a couple of orders a day! Amazing!

On to 2015, and we're hoping to do the same, albeit with a completely different theme! Watch this space!

In the meantime, here's some of my favourite pictures (all copyright Pretty Bald Limited of course)...

February: The gorgeous Kate and Amy

December: With all the girls

Phew! I think that's probably plenty for now, but watch out for interesting and exclusive updates over the coming months...

Victoria x

www.prettybald.co.uk
Twitter: @PrettyBald

Here's the promised video of our appearance on Good Morning Britain... (More about that later!)