Just because you lose your hair, it doesn’t make you any less of a woman

turned up to our first meeting, all with very different stories. Some were withdrawn, sad and hated their bald heads. Some had gone through cancer treatment and were very weak. We wanted to help them get their zest for life back.’

Eight of the women recently appeared on This Morning, where they revealed their bald heads live on television. Jolene says the response has been so phenomenal that there are now plans to find a permanent meeting place, where anyone suffering from hair loss can meet others in the same situation and get support.

The causes of hair loss are often unclear. It can be genetic, the result of extreme stress, which leads to the body’s immune system attacking the hair follicles, or a side-effect of medical treatment. The contraceptive pill may be a trigger in some cases, and diet can have an impact, too.

It’s more common after the menopause, but can even affect very young children. There’s no reliable treatment and, although some women find their hair grows back — either with the help of medication or by itself — others have to come to terms with the fact that they will be bald for the rest of their lives.

Here, Femail speaks to some of the Women Warriors about why hair loss doesn’t have to define you . . .

by Jill Foster and Eimear O’Hagan

MUM HAD IT TOO, BUT I WASN’T PREPARED

HannaH Cranston, 14, lives with her mum Julie, a receptionist, dad rob, an nHs worker, and sister Emily, 12, in Dudley, in the West Midlands. My MuM has suffered with alopecia throughout her life, so I knew what it was, but nothing can prepare you for when it happens to you.

I was about seven when my hair started coming out.

We think it was down to the stress of appearing on stage in a panto, but genetics are thought to play a role. Six months later, I was bald. I was very secretive about it: at first, I wore bandanas, but from the age of ten, I started wearing wigs.

Taking off my wig on live TV was one of the scariest, but best, experiences of my life. Having all the girls with me gave me the confidence.

I’m the youngest of the Women Warriors: it means I can help other youngsters feeling lonely. We’ve had so many messages from people who say we inspired them. I hope we can go on to help so many more.

I HID IT FROM MY HUSBAND FOR YEARS

nikki sMitH, 40, lives in Benton, newcastle upon tyne, with husband Paul, 52. she is a full-time mum to their children, amber, ten, and twins Lily and Logan, six. THE Women Warriors were the first people outside my immediate family to see me bald. Even Paul, my husband of eight years, had never seen me without a wig, headscarf or hat before then. After I lost all my hair aged 15, I struggled to accept my alopecia. In my teens, I was desperate for a cure. I saw doctor after doctor and tried every remedy that I could find. I even took a course of steroids, which just made me gain weight, further damaging my self-confidence. My family were incredibly supportive and my mum and dad bought me a wig. But, at the end of the day, I still had to take it off and face my reflection in the mirror. Joining the support group and finding myself among other women who know how it feels has made such a difference. I now feel I owe it to my children to be a good role model when it comes to accepting how I look. I’ve started going out without my wig. I do get stared at when I walk across the playground on the school run, but now I hold my head up high. I want my children to see I’m bald and proud. Paul is so proud of me, too. It’s only strengthened our relationship.

MY HAIR HAS BEGUN TO GROW BACK!

sHannon PEaCoCk, 23, lives in Farringdon, sunderland. she is a carer and has a baby son, robert, with partner owen, 23. GroWInG up, my ambition was always to be a hairdresser and I even started a hairdressing course after I left school.

But it was so bittersweet, styling other women’s hair when I had none of my own. My confidence was at rock-bottom and, sadly, I gave it up.

I lost my hair when I was 14. I had a difficult home life and doctors told me the stress was the cause. I moved in with my grandmother, who was so supportive, but my hair didn’t return.

until this year, I wouldn’t have even hung washing out without my wig on. It took me a year of being in a relationship with owen before I let him see me bald.

Even then, it was very hard to do, as I worried that he might find me unattractive. But he insists that I’m beautiful with or without my wig.

The solidarity of the Women Warriors group has boosted my confidence — so much so that I was happy to appear bald on live TV — and, in the past month, my hair has begun to grow back.

I’m convinced that my body is responding to this newfound positivity and it will certainly be wonderful if my hair continues to grow.

However, if it falls out again, I know now that it doesn’t make me any less of a woman.

IN THE POOL, NO ONE JUDGES MY LOOKS

DaniELLE GiLBErt, 20, lives in stanley, County Durham. she is a full-time law student at Durham University. SWIMMInG at a national level has been a lifesaver for me. I can’t swim with a wig on but, in the pool, I’m judged only on how well I perform, not what I look like.

I was only two when my mum noticed a penny-size bald patch on the top of my head.

Alopecia can start at any age and, by primary school, my hair had fallen out.

I was teased and people called me ‘baldy’.

Mum brought me up to be strong, but I’d be lying if I said the taunts and stares didn’t hurt at times — especially after I turned 14, when my eyelashes and eyebrows also fell out, too.

The worst thing was feeling so alone. But now, I’m part of this incredible group of women who all understand each other — and those feelings have completely gone.

IT ALL FELL OUT IN JUST TEN DAYS

CaroLE CavanaGH, 64, is a compliance administrator and lives in Lobley Hill, Gateshead, with her husband Paul, 57. she has a grown-up daughter and two grandchildren. oVEr ten days this January, I went from having thick, silver hair to being bald. I believe that it might have been caused by a reaction to antibiotics.

At first, I felt guilty about being so upset.

It was ‘just’ hair — but I now know that it’s understandable to feel devastated. It felt like I’d lost a piece of myself.

When I saw a dermatologist, I hoped I’d meet women like me. I craved solidarity, but there was no one. So I leapt at the chance to join the Women Warriors.

Whipping off my wig on TV was so liberating. It needed to be done, to bring female baldness out of the shadows.