Emily Wright from Tyseley had big and thick hair that went down to her waist but she was shocked when she discovered a four-inch bald patch in her hair.
The stress of being a single mother in business caused her to lose all her hair through alopecia. She had been head of HR for a social care company and retrained as a masseuse and set up her own Body Shop at Home business whilst pregnant.
She started working on her new business three weeks after her daughter Antonia was born. Six months later, her home was repossessed and they had to relocate but Emily decided not to give up so she tried her best to help both her daughter and her business thrive.
The stress made her lose her hair as she became emotionally resilient and her body started to buckle under the stress. On February 7, 2020, Emily visited a barber and asked him to shave off all her hair.
She has now launched a Facebook group called Single Moms in Business to allow parents to share their experiences. It is a place where single working moms can chat, ask for advice and help one another. The page is open to anyone to join, including dads, moms with partners and stay at home moms.
“I don’t think you realize how hard being a single parent is until you have been through it yourself,” said Emily.
“It’s hard for working moms but for single working moms there’s a different set of pressures. For those running a business, it’s got to work whereas if you’re in a partnership, this can often be a second income. This brings a different level of pressure.
“Sometimes on moms groups, there can be quite a lot of constructive criticism which, when you’re sleep deprived, you don’t really want to encounter.
“Antonia is one now and, having been in business for a year and becoming quite successful, I feel in a better position to try to help others to support each other.
“I wanted the Single Moms in Business group to be a safe place where everyone is a bit more gentle. It’s had a great response so far.”
Speaking about her stressful days and hair loss she said, “Last year, I had big, thick hair that went down to my waist.”
“When I discovered my bald patch, I cried, it was such a shock. Big clumps started coming out in the shower and it would be all over my pillow every morning.”
“I kept expecting to wake up out of this dream, I felt very self-conscious about the little bit of hair I had left. I had it cut into a half bob and donated my length of hair to the Princess Trust.
“But then I lost more and it looked like an old man’s comb-over, I looked poorly. So I decided to shave it all off.
“That moment was so empowering and liberating. I don’t wear wigs or scarves. I think there are a lot of people who suffer with alopecia and try to hide it or feel ashamed of it. I decided I wasn’t going to be embarrassed about it or let it get me down.
“The driving factor is that I have a daughter and I don’t want her to watch me crumble about my loss of hair. I want to show her that a woman’s worth is a lot more than just her hair.”
“I used to have a massively stressful job and I couldn’t see how I was going to juggle being a single parent and having a high-powered job.”
“I started training to be a masseuse whilst I was pregnant. But I was really poorly in pregnancy, I was sick every day and even during my C-section.”
“I started working on my new business three weeks after Antonia was born. That’s where online business is a real lifesaver. I couldn’t get out to work but I could be breastfeeding and running a business at the same time.
“It was a big drop in salary to what I had before but it was life changing as all I want to do is be the best mum I can be.”
According to Doctors, Emily’s s hair loss may be due to her suffering from an auto-immune disease. “With auto-immune disease, the body attacks itself, attacking the gut and healthy tissue and potentially the brain,” Emily said.
“I get really, really tired and find things hard cognitively. I used to have such a good brain, I was top of my class, now I feel my brain moves a bit slower.
“I’ve cut out alcohol, caffeine and fried foods and I’m sticking to chicken, fish, fruit and veg so basically just a really healthy diet.
“The doctors say if you lose more than 80 per cent of your hair to alopecia, it’s unlikely it will ever come back. I lost 90 per cent of my hair. But I’m seeing 75 per cent regrowth, which is brilliant.
“I hope my story encourages other people with alopecia and other single moms trying to do their best.”
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