Despite diverging beauty standards across cultures, alopecia knows no boundaries. It bridges that gap between women amidst various ethnicities. 50% of us will experience hair loss, with black and Hispanic women being most vulnerable to alopecia.

This susceptibility doesn’t stem only from genetics; more critically, it’s the byproduct of damaging hair practices in conformity to beauty standards. Alopecia epitomises a widespread struggle that speaks to all women. Beneath the roots of this shared loss, connection can be found.
 
Alopecia is far more than the surface-level loss of physical roots; more importantly, it is the loss of internal roots connected to identity, femininity, and culture.

“When I was younger, I was always straightening my hair, always slicking it, doing high buns, but my mum didn’t tell me, and my aunty wouldn’t tell me; no one gave me that education because that’s what they’re used to, it’s generational,” says Nicole George, a 28-year-old Jamaican and Trinidadian British social media manager from Croydon who was diagnosed with traction alopecia.

“I’m always conscious like ‘Oh my gosh, can you see the bald patch? How big is it? What does it look like from the back? I try not to look because I think looks are the least important thing about me, but I’m very aware. 

“It definitely has affected my confidence, but I just don’t overthink it,” says Nicole.

Nicole’s alopecia was a combination of years of damaging styles alongside a vitamin D deficiency. However, she’s since consciously decided to wear her natural hair.

The cost of conformity and culture

Hair tells a deeper story across cultures, whether it’s the history of West African women carrying seeds in their braids during the transatlantic slave trade. Or the maps crafted by women in Colombia using tight-knit cornrows.

These hairstyles are a language, a vessel for communicating heritage. Each woven braid, strand and curl represents its own story. 

Despite these styles resembling artwork, their long-term effects aren’t as pretty.

“I’m not against putting in braids and weaves, wigs, all that stuff. I’ve done all that, but I think there comes a time when you’re putting so much stress and pressure on yourself to look like that, it’s at the detriment of your hair,” says Nicole.

A byproduct of hair rooted in femininity and attractiveness is further pressure to assimilate, causing intensified hair loss.

With more black women wearing glued wigs, this also raises the prevalence of traction alopecia.

“I wanna see a world where younger girls see afros in every texture. That’s my dream. I want my little nieces in the future to be like, ‘Oh yeah, my aunty wears her hair out’,” she says.

“I think in our home countries, the norm is to wear your hair; in Western culture, the media is so powerful.

“I’ve witnessed people literally fry their hair because of where they work; it’s a way to get through and step up a ladder,” says Nicole. 

“I can’t think of a person who had an afro growing up. The only person in my family who had natural hair was my aunty, and she’s got locs.

“She’d always tell me ‘Embrace your natural hair’ growing up.”

We forget hair’s very simple protective purpose before being attached to aesthetics. 

When you believe your hair is your crown, losing it feels like your identity is stripping itself of its roots metaphorically and physically.

Eleanore Richardson, a trichologist at Fulham Scalp & Hair Clinic from London, is a beacon for treating afro hair conditions.

“The struggle for any hair type is that the more you force it to be something it naturally isn’t, the more weakened it becomes. Embracing and normalising natural afro hair as a standard and not a sign of political demonstration is a must if we want less avoidable hair loss for the next generation,” says Eleanore.

“I don’t believe anyone intentionally damages their hair; they’re either unaware or led to believe there are no risks to these styles, and that is the most challenging aspect of flipping this trend of hair damage that black women experience on its head.”

Intricate hairstyles have been etched into the culture, requiring hours of meticulous craftsmanship, from Fulani braids pioneered by Senegalese tribes to notorious slick-back buns.

Despite potential damage, an element of self-expression is lost when you can’t style it unapologetically.

Surpassing standards

Women of Spanish descent also have significantly high rates of alopecia alongside Asian women in contrast to other ethnicities.

In Spanish communities, the beauty standard for hair, reiterated by the media, is long, straight, waist-length locks. 

Regardless of what is deemed ‘good hair’ across cultures, female baldness doesn’t have space within any dominant standard and is far less tolerated than male hair loss.

Sofia Sevilla Daley, a 25-year-old of Spanish and English heritage from London, was diagnosed with androgenetic alopecia in her early twenties. She’s since harnessed her journey of navigating her diagnosis and regrowing her hair as a hair health influencer.

“I started losing hair a few years ago. It was quite a shock to be young, losing my hair and hiding myself from everyone,” says Sofia.

“I was just kind of waking up noticing that I had less and less hair as the weeks went by.

“At first, I was thinking ‘Oh, I’m just being paranoid’, but when you have that gut feeling that you’re losing hair, it’s usually for a reason; you don’t randomly get that feeling.”

Sofia visited a dermatologist in Spain who confirmed her follicles were damaged and that she had excessive DHT, the hormone contributing to balding.

Years later, Sofia empowered women through her TikTok page, which amassed over 230 thousand followers.

“I saw several doctors, tried lots of treatments and wasted a lot of money in the process, so when I finally saw success after years, it was something I wanted to share,” says Sofia.

“Different cultures and countries place different amounts of value on hair; Western culture is critical of women.

“Essential oils have been used in lots of different cultures for many, many years for hair growth. Sometimes, you need to do several things to see a result, but it’s beneficial.”

Minoxidil, a hair loss medication, catalysed Sofia’s breakthrough. However, she noted the trade-off of its effectiveness, particularly its price tag and side effects from person to person. 

“We’re all very different and have different genetics at play; it’s impossible to look like a specific definition of beauty and femininity,” says Sofia. 

“There’s more to be done to include women who don’t conform with ‘typical beauty standards’ until those standards change where everyone feels represented,” says Amy Johnson, 41-year-old Alopecia UK Communications Manager from Bradford.

“As difficult as it can be to come to terms with an alopecia diagnosis, there are many things that can help those who might be struggling with feelings of low self-esteem.” 

Unravelling the insecurity 

As the average woman gets ready to leave their home, adjusting tiny flyaways, women with alopecia find themselves searching for angles where the lighting is kind, not exposing patches of skin hiding beneath. 

Lisa Gilbey, the 44-year-old founder and trichologist of The Northants Hair & Scalp Clinic from Northamptonshire, said: “Hair loss can be truly life-changing and affect their quality of life, confidence, mental health and impact their daily lives, even becoming socially recluse.”

“Hair has physiological differences in shape and texture between Afro, Caucasian, and Asian hair types, so a good understanding of the morphology is essential.

“Often patients confide in us, they feel their GPs are not experienced in helping to diagnose certain conditions on melanin-rich skin, which can add to the anxiety of trying to form a solution to a hair loss.”

Navigating each day with scalp-encompassing bald patches makes showing up in the world laborious, but trichologists are changing this.

Additionally, wigs have been a powerful tool for restoring confidence, particularly those provided by charities.

Denise Meyers, a 32-year-old assistant from Little Lady Locks in Manchester, a bespoke wigs charity for girls and women with hair loss, said: “When you see their faces when they’ve had their wig fitted, it makes everything worth it.

“You’ve got an emotional connection because you’re helping somebody, and when you see their smiles, it’s an amazing feeling.

“Our end goal is to make sure that they have that confidence, the aim is to build esteem back up for these girls that lost it because of these issues.”

Despite emphasising what’s on our heads, Nicole and Sofia still hold theirs high and step out into the world in their authenticity.

They testify that with or without hair, the essence of every woman across all cultures cannot be found on the surface, let alone on our heads.

Hair loss in women deserves salience not just because it cuts deep but because it’s something that the majority of women, especially with age, will have to navigate.

In acknowledging that alopecia isn’t an isolated struggle and stepping in to liberate them, you liberate yourself.

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