LAURA, 31, from Essex, was just 12 years old when a hairdresser noticed a bald patch on her head. Diagnosed with Alopecia Universalis, within months she had lost the majority of her hair. Laura explained: “I actually said to my mum, I can’t do this anymore, I can’t hide. I need to get a wig now.” From then on, Laura was known as ‘the girl with the wig,’ and she never left the house without one. She told Shake My Beauty: “Alopecia affected me every day in my pre-pandemic life. I had to put on a mask of makeup and artificial hair to face the world. Every single day.” But when COVID hit and Laura was working from home, it meant she didn’t have to wear a wig every day. “I realised how liberating it was,” she explained. Nowadays, Laura feels confident to embrace her alopecia and go out in the world without covering her baldness. She said: “I’m happy, I’m healthy. I just happen to be bald.”

You can follow Laura's journey here - https://www.instagram.com/relightalopecia/