"At age three my hair started
to fall out. I have had Alopecia for 30 years and the impact it has had on my life has been devastating..."

Hi I’m Chel, formally known as Chelsea.

I’m 32 years old and I have alopecia (female pattern baldness or female pattern hair loss). At age two my hair started to fall out. I have had Alopecia for 30 years and the impact on my life has been devastating.

Being a teen and being bald wasn’t easy. No matter how much I wanted my life to be "normal", it was never going to be. At the time, I couldn't accept the fact that I was losing my hair and that it might never be the same. 

I hated Alopecia— I hated how it affected me. I let it control me. I will never forget the day I had to shave my head because my patchy remaining hair could no longer be covered with a headband anymore. 

Fourteen years old, I stood there, numb, and then I bawled my eyes out.

I hid from the world under a wig with a hairstyle that never changed for years. I didn’t tell anyone about my hair loss, only my closest friends and family, but even that was hard to sit with. I had no confidence and my self-worth was low.  

I felt ugly, useless and like a freak. 

Not able to focus on anything else.

Depressed. 

Anxious.

Stuck in an awful mindset that I so badly wanted to get out of.  

The anxiety started to pour in and I was so obsessed with hiding part of myself that it made me mentally unwell. I was bullied at school and stopped participating in activities I enjoy like swimming because I was so embarrassed. I put up with emotional abuse in my first romantic relationship, from employers and I was fired from jobs because I wasn’t confident enough to show initiative. I kept my secret for years which prevented me from making real, genuine connections with people. No wonder I felt like a freak! As I grew up, it became harder to see light at the end of this dark, spiralling tunnel. My mental health was at stake and I had to do something. The only way I was ever going to get through it is if I faced it head on and came out about my alopecia publicly which I did four years ago. See my video about that here.

Looking back on it all now, sometimes I can’t even imagine how difficult life was then compared to how my life has completely turned around for the better. 

It wasn’t a click of the fingers and I was instantly happy... It has taken a lot of work on my mental health for me to reach a point where I can fully accept myself, where I can find things I like about having Alopecia— such as switching my hairstyle up everyday! 

The journey I'm on has opened up a whole new world of opportunities. I aim to inspire, educate and enlighten others.

I found my purpose in my life and with the highly anticipated launch of my own beauty brand - Hairdonism

I aim to continue to grow this beauty brand helping people find the fun in expressing themselves and finding good quality products that are affordable and accessible for all.

I am here to guide and offer help in any way I can, so if you would like to reach out please feel free to do so here or email me directly at  hello.lilchel@gmail.com

Sending love,

Chel