Sending Love, Hugs and Prayers To All

by Y on March 22, 2020

The last week as been an incredibly introspective week for me. The world is turned on its ear and we are all doing our best to adapt to the changes that seemingly appear hour to hour, yet alone day to day. I hope and pray everyone is doing well and staying healthy. I have been fairly active posting on social media in the last few months, but I am really feeling the desire now more than ever to reconnect with all of you, my WHLP family. My followers, old and new, the people that knew me from back in 2007 and onwards. You have been my support, my rock, my family and when I self reflected this past week, I realized it was really communicating through my site here has always been what has been the most rewarding, grounding, comforting and most importantly, always providing a feeling of safety.

Now more than ever, I am looking to reconnect with my WHLP Family. I’m posting this video special for those of you who have followed my site for years and subscribe to my mailing list, or more recently came across it. Much of the posting I’ve done in more recent times has been on social media (Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and I do encourage you to follow me there also if you choose and think it would be helpful), but The WHLP is my baby, it really is, my family and were I feel at home and secure and love connecting with you all. I’ll be posting more here now. Please also feel free to follow me on social media, as I will also continue to  post there as well, but after a very introspective week,I think I will be focusing more on my website and posting my content right here for you ladies.

I know I’ve lost touch with some of you over the years, and would love to hear from you. Please feel free to drop a comment below. I also will be re-establishing the “Network” and upgrading it so that it is a means for women to use to connect and interact with one another as I originally set it out to be and was for many many years,  when I first put it up in 2008. This will take a little time so please be patient, but I’m looking forward to growing the WHLP family again. Reconnecting with old friends and making new ones.

During this time where we are social distancing, it’s important to take care of our mental well being (I discuss my own issues with anxiety and depression the video), keep moving, exercising etc. While I can’t go to the studio to the podcast I can still do it from home (albeit at a lower audio quality,  but I would like to help put out information you would find helpful. Please let me know what topics you’d like to hear about for the podcast or videos you’d like to see.  I hope everyone is staying safe, and well, look forward to hearing from you.

As Always, Much Love To You All!
XOXO
Y

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Joe Tillman – Women & Hair Transplant Surgery | Podcast Ep #6

by Y on March 13, 2020

Joe Tillman - Women and Hair TransplantsFor this episode I am joined by Joe Tillman The Hair Transplant Mentor to discuss the topic of women and hair transplants and if women actually make good candidates for this procedure. It is my understanding based on my what I’ve read over the years, and also based on the experience I have with my own type of hair loss, female pattern baldness aka androgenetic alopecia, that women like myself are NOT candidates for hair transplant surgery. I wanted to dive deeper in to this topic and get the facts from an expert, so that women can be empowered and educated when making decision on treating their hair loss. 

While I wasn’t surprised to hear that in Joe’s opinion, 90% of women are not candidates for hair transplants, I got educated in learning about which procedure would be preferable for a woman if she was in fact a candidate, the controversial industry topic of Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT) vs Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) for women’s hair restoration surgery

In this episode Joe will discuss all the reasons why 90% of women are not candidates, and he will also discuss the other 10% of women that could potentially be a viable candidate.

Follow me on Instagram: @whlpnetwork
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Self Limiting Beliefs & Hair Loss

by Y on March 3, 2020

Our own thought process can hinder our day to day life and make an already sub-optimal situation worse. Dealing with hair loss is hard enough as it is, imposing additional self judgment or self limiting beliefs only serves to harm us and keep us from moving forward. I still to this day, have to put myself in check when I find I am doing this.

I do it in many areas of my life, but I certainly did it prior to accepting my hair loss/situation and wearing hair, and then I find I’m doing it yet again with not being able to shave my head yet… something I personally feel will be important to me in my journey.


Last week I made a post on Instagram about having to rally myself up again because I have been confronted with yet another shed. While hair loss doesn’t impact me on the level it used to, it still does have an effect on me at times, such as dealing with a shed, and on top of that [click to continue…]

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Diane Williamson – Alopecia Universalis |Podcast Episode #4

by Y on February 29, 2020

Diane Williamson - Alopecia UniversalisDiane Williamson is a full time voice over talent professional for Fortune 500 companies, phone systems and also broadcast. She is a veteran hair wearer and deals with Alopecia Universalis (total hair loss, from eyebrows, eyelashes, to leg hair).

Diane has been following my Facebook page since 2012, and has been a tremendous support to myself and other women dealing with the incredibly difficult affliction of hair loss. Dealing with Alopecia Universalis since the 80’s, she discusses dealing with hair loss and hair wearing, while working in the very public industry of broadcast reporting.

In May of 1988 while working for a radio station in Louisville, she was given the  job of covering (as a radio personality for the TV station) one of the big events during Derby week, which was the steam boat race on the Ohio RIVER [think: wigs, wind and large bodies of water!] on a paddle wheeler.  With that in her line of sight she made her way to a small wig shop and got herself a synthetic wig and made it through the  job on the Ohio river without her wig blowing off. That was the start of her hair wearing journey. At this moment I’m feeling rather fortunate that my first big outing of importance wearing hair in 2012 was a conference indoors, and not on a boat! I have to raise the roof for her being able to show up and get through that.

Diane has dealt with hair loss and searching for hair, during a time period where information was even less prevalent and accessible, than when I started my own journey. She has experienced total hair loss, transitioning into wearing wigs in the workplace, and dealing with the devastating emotional impact of hair loss in all aspects of her own life. She has battled through and as I like to call it, “made it to the other side, where there is life after hair loss.” It is a thing, it does exist. Her story is inspiring and I absolutely loved speaking with her.

Please join us for this episode, while we discuss her hair loss journey, and as she shares her knowledge and insight to people dealing with hair loss now.

Follow me on Instagram: @whlpnetwork
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Finding The Right Wig Takes Time – Episode #3

by Y on February 20, 2020

Finding The Right Wig Takes Time - Women's Hair Loss Project Ep 3The journey to finding the right type of alternative hair for yourself takes time, whether it’s a topper or a wig. Much of this will not only be determined by our level of hair loss, but also our comfort level.

Often times I get asked if I jumped right into wearing Follea (the brand of wigs I wear) or if I tried other methods of alternative hair/ or brands. I definitely tried several other things over the years and had what I called many “Failed Starts,” where I’d get an item of alternative hair, find it was a total failure for whatever reason, and then I’d give up for YEARS. I definitely did not accept my hair loss easily and certainly didn’t accept hair wearing easily. My first failed start to wearing alternative hair dates back to 2001 (hair loss began in 1999) and I did’t start wearing hair full time till 2012.

In episode 3 of The Women’s Hair Loss Project podcast I discuss a couple of my “failed starts” throughout the years, and share the importance of being patient with yourself when attempting to wear hair for the first time or finding the right piece for you.

Follow me on Instagram: @whlpnetwork

*Videocast Below*
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Sophie Hafner – Master Wig Stylist – Podcast Ep #2

by Y on February 9, 2020

PromoArtIf you don’t know who the beautiful Sophie Hafner is, then you probably don’t follow me on Instagram or Facebook, because she’s in a lot of those pictures. Not only is this amazing person the only person I have entrusted with my wig wearing life ( new wig selection, color, cut, style) for the last 5 years, but she’s also become a best friend of mine.

Sophie shares my vision and passion for helping women with hair loss, and has always risen to the occasion when I’ve asked her to assist me in carrying out a concept/project to de-stigmitize women’s hair loss and show women how good wigs can really look. Including the concept we have done twice, which is hair twinning, and I mean with a person not wearing a wig (her).

This detailed project required her to actually, not only color my wigs pink, but hers as well! [View Sneak Pink Post] We later revisited it this concept with her transforming one of my wigs into a red head, to match hers. The “Whose Wearing a Wig?” Images were so amazing, that at times people guessed she was the one in a wig. Proof positive you can look and feel as amazing as everyone else while wearing hair. The hair artistry required to do this is something that I’m still blown away by.

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In part 1 of this 2 part episode, we discuss the consultation process as well as the technical aspects of wigs, including:

Part One

-Wigs vs. Toppers
-Adjusting to Wearing Hair by Learning To Treat It Like Your Own Hair
-Lace Front vs Closed Front (How to Choose)
-The Follea Gripper – What Type of Hair Loss Is Best Suited For This Wig?
-Sizing of Wigs
-Handtied vs. Wefted (open wefts/ closed wefts)
-French Top/ Natural Skin Top vs Lace Top
-Coloring Your Wigs
-Styling, How To Achieve Volume and Bounce in Your Wigs [click to continue…]

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Crippled By Hair Loss

by Y on February 4, 2020

Crippled By Hair LossIn 2016, with a crew of people involved, we filmed footage aimed towards destigmatizing women’s hair loss, to bring forward more awareness and understanding for women dealing with this devastating disorder – with the respect it deserves and love and compassion. Sadly, life threw me in many directions and I have never been able to have the time to work on releasing the footage. No time like the present. The content is never old, because hair loss is affecting someone every single day. Tomorrow, someone is going to wake up having to deal with this affliction.

In this segment I titled “Crippled With Hair loss” I discuss my lowest point of my hair loss, and also the deals or pacts I used to want to make with God, if I would be granted the reprieve of my hair falling out and having it grow back in. It will sound shocking to many people I know, but there was a time, that I often thought I’d easily swap my breasts or a kidney, for my hair. This is how deeply I, personally… was impacted, and it was a no brainer for me, since I could not see ANY life beyond hair loss.

I realize that sounds insane to many many people, but it is not insane to the person who is living in a prison of self loathing, despair and deep depression. Right now I’m imagining people wanting to slap me for saying that, but trust me when I say, it hurts to admit that, or know that’s how dark it got for me. I put this out there, because I do want women who feel this way to know, they aren’t alone. They aren’t crazy… and if you’ve seen the place I’ve reached in my own journey today, you will know… there is hope.

Now, thankfully I no longer have those thoughts anymore, and I would definitely not swap my breasts, kidneys or my toes for my hair. Now my hair comes out of a box and gets colored while I’m not even present. We can adapt and change.

Follow me on Instagram: @whlpnetwork

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The Women’s Hair Loss Project Podcast – Episode #1

by Y on January 26, 2020

Women's Hair Loss Project PodcastFor quite sometime I’ve wanted to do a podcast for The Women’s Hair Loss Project, to hear (not just read) the stories of other women and to provide another medium for women to connect. Life happens, and then nothing happens [face palm] it seems, but it’s here… finally, and I’m super excited to share the first episode with you.

I met my first guest, Ashley on Instagram not too long ago, and side note, if you didn’t know A ) I’m not dead and B ) I do have an Instagram account (@whlpnetwork), both seem to be a mystery to some who followed me years and ago and then I fell off them map. See above regarding “Life Happens,” but I digress.

I had answered a question sent to me by Ashley via posting a video response on Instagram and to my surprise she replied back via a YouTube video response. It was definitely a first for me, as many women have written over the years, but I can’t ever recall ever receiving a personal YouTube video response. As she went on to share more of her own story in her video, I felt an immediate connection to her dealing with hair loss at such a young age – starting at 23 and she’s now 28. [click to continue…]

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Hair Loss – Wigs – Reflections

by Y on September 14, 2018

reflectionsReflected. Reflect. Reflections.
Evolved. Evolve. Evolving.

Words. Just words.

My own hair loss situation, has evolved greatly over the years. Mostly, in how I dealt with it.

Adapted. Accepted. From cutting off most of my hair over time, to finding a short style to work to provide optimal hair wearing results for myself ( since I pull out pieces of my front hair line), to also accepting the progressive decline, but ultimately learning to live with my situation to where it no longer controlled me. That included being honest about my hair loss, and wig wearing with those around me.

I am 40, and started losing my hair at 21. My entire 20’s and some of my 30’s were lost to tears of hopelessness. It’s the whole reason I started the Women’s Hair Loss Project in 2007. It was the bottom of my bottom and there just wasn’t anyone out there online at the time for women, speaking about women’s hair loss, or at least no one I found that spoke to me and my situation, or at least could relate to (and definitely not in 1999 at the beginning of my hair loss) and I just felt alone, utterly alone. [click to continue…]

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Women, Wigs & Hair Loss – What Do Men Think? [Video]

by Y on April 27, 2018

Women, Wigs & Hair Loss - What Do Men Think?I think one of the biggest concerns women have, in any state of their relationship when dealing with hair loss and wearing hair is… acceptance and understanding – of their situation, of themselves. Will my partner accept me? Will my future partner accept me? How am I going to date with a wig? What about being intimate? The questions are endless. 

I had the pleasure to sit down with Alex Hafner to discuss his perspective on this topic. He’s seen first hand my own wig wearing, met me with hair and then I just took it off (pretty typical for me), no warning. Just taking it off now. Everyone act natural. Pretty much, like that. I’ve readjusted (off and on) my wig in public restroom, wig swapped on a plane, and my hair was passed down the aisle of the plane to a woman that was interested in the whole thing, and quite fascinated to learn more. Basically, when I’m done with my wig, it’s coming off and whoever is around just better be prepared, or not… doesn’t matter much to me at this point. It’s just part of me and my existence and life style. 

It has been my personal experience, that men don’t really mind that women wear hair, including if you tell them you are wearing hair because of hair loss. My freedom has come in acceptance of my situation, I have hair loss, I wear a wig. I gave up on wishing all my hair would return, and that this situation would somehow change. The only thing I really had control over was how I could manage and deal with this hand I’ve been dealt, and it took well over a decade of suffering and praying and crying to get to that place. I hope others get there much faster.  I truly do “own” my situation, and accept it for what it is. I think that is why the response of those around me, men & women, has been so positive. Often when I get complimented on my hair, 99.9% of the time, I say, “it’a wig.” I don’t have to, but I do. Usually I’m met with disbelief and I take it one step further and have them feel, where the WiGrip sits at the nape of my head and watch their expression, the moment where they realize, I’m not joking… IT’S A WIG.  Good times.  [click to continue…]

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