Alopecia universalis and alopecia totalis are rare subcategories of alopecia areata, an autoimmune disorder in which the person loses hair from the head and body. Over the past 30 years, we have had the opportunity to see virtually every type of hair loss condition, and without doubt, alopecia universalis is the most extreme.
10 years ago, we had the honour to meet one of the kindest, sweetest, and strongest young women who started her hair loss journey when she was only 9 years old. Like so many kids, she was scared to share her discovery of bald spots at the front and back of her head. She did everything possible to style her hair in a way that nobody would notice, and surprisingly, nobody did. Fortunately, her hair grew back, and she had a few years of respite from alopecia.
In 7th grade, her hair started falling out again, and this time it was too hard to hide. Her mother, by chance, noticed a bald area on her head one morning as Morina was getting ready for the day. As any loving mother would, she flew into action, making appointments with doctors and dermatologists to try to find the best course of treatment. Morina always credits her incredible mother and supportive friends and family for getting her through a most difficult childhood.
She was put on a course of treatment using minoxidil, but sadly, the treatment was unsuccessful. The search for a wig began almost immediately; however, living in a small northern Ontario city in Canada left very few options, and Morina and her mother quickly realised they would need to travel to a larger city to find something suitable. From their little city of Sudbury, they travelled three hours to look for wigs in Toronto, Ontario. Their trip took them to a downtown wig shop selling high-end wigs with low-end customer service. The lack of empathy and coldness left Morina feeling very helpless, although the wig she purchased was expensive and made of human hair. She recalls that it felt extremely bulky and artificial, and as such, she rarely went out in public without wearing a hood over the top of her wig.
Determined to do better the next time around, Morina was on a mission to find the best human hair wig in Toronto. After a great deal of research, she made her way to Paula’s Wig Boutique, and the rest is history. In those days, Paula still saw clients herself, and she and Morina made an immediate connection. As a mother and wig wearer herself, Paula was moved by little Morina’s bubbly personality and positivity.
We feel blessed that her search for wigs in Toronto led her to our humble wig shop. And as she has told us many times, “the best human hair wigs in Toronto”. Morina has generously served as a product ambassador and our go-to whenever we feel that a young person going through hair loss would benefit from talking to someone who has been there.
