Meet The Mentor: Kim Stamiris

At Wigs.com, our goal is to connect and serve those in the hair loss community and walk arm in arm with them.  That’s why we are excited to team up with Kim Stamiris, who shares her struggles, victories, tips & tricks with a tireless passion for supporting so many that follow her. She is a true mentor in our community.

To get to know Kim a little better, we asked her a few questions so that you can all meet the woman behind all the helpful wig info! Kim, take it away...

When did your hair loss journey start?

My hair loss journey started in 2017 when I experienced rapid hair loss after a routine gallbladder removal procedure. Initially my doctors thought it was ‘trauma’-related hair loss, however after some rapid shedding in only a few months I was diagnosed with Alopecia Areata. Shortly thereafter, I experienced complete hair loss from all over my body, and was diagnosed with Alopecia Universalis. More recently I have also been diagnosed with Lupus and Rheumatoid Arthritis, both different types of autoimmune diseases, that can also contribute to hair loss.

How has your mindset changed throughout this journey?

In the early stages of my hair loss journey, I was ashamed of how I looked; I didn’t feel feminine. Being a social and outgoing personality, I hid my hair loss and would put on a brave face at work and with friends. I am certain I went through all the stages of grief and loss, and I felt like I was losing my self-identity.

I’d like to say it was easy to get back into being my old self again or that I found my new fabulous bald me, overnight. But truthfully, it took many small baby steps and time; time to love myself again and to truly accept my new bald-woman identity.

After so many years, emotional ups and downs, I now no longer mind if my hair ever grows back. I am OKAY with being bald, I have a great shaped head after all 😉 … having alopecia has made me learn so much about myself, it has made me stronger and braver. I no longer avoid mirrors, but rather I love that person who looks back at me – when she is au naturale or rocking one of the many wig styles and colours. I still have a few personal hang-ups when it comes to work and hair loss… but I guess that’s part of my personal hair loss journey evolution.

So let me tell you.. the wig addiction is real! Over the years I became much bolder and daring with my wigs; a colour for any occasion, wig styles for every day of the week and getting creative by pairing my wigs with fun makeup looks. I fed off people’s compliments and I wanted to feel good and not allow people to feel pity for me. I started owning my looks and owning my hair loss.

Why is sharing your experience with the hair loss community important to you?

[Experimenting with my looks] got me into a different more adventurous headspace, and I wanted other women with hair loss to feel empowered and have fun with wigs like I was. I created a stronger presence on my personal Instagram social media account, creating awareness about hair loss and alopecia. Showing people that it’s ok to be bald, that hair loss is in fact normal; hair loss isn’t only about a dude with a bald spot or bad combover. So many people from all walks of life experience some form of hair loss, and wigs shouldn’t be a taboo subject we should keep hidden. I wanted to talk openly about my experiences, and help someone else out there who was searching for information or maybe starting on their own journey.

Styles from left to right: Carrie Lite by Jon Renau | Drive by Ellen Wille | Unfiltered by Raquel Welch

I also started up a YouTube channel reviewing the wigs that I owned and it shocked me that people were writing comments and thanking me for being so open and sharing my opinions. The more wigs I accumulated, the more my followers asked to see them and hear my thoughts on them.

To this day, the best part of my evening is responding to DMs and helping people look for their unicorn hair piece!

Ultimately, I hope to inspire those people out there dealing with all forms of hair loss, or other autoimmune disorders, and help them uncover that life does not have stop for them, that we can continue to feel feminine and sexy, but also wholly competent with the help of alternative hair, and the abundance of options we have available to us.  Together we can truly make this phase of our lives a more positive experience.

I feel incredibly grateful for every opportunity that’s been afforded me since the start of my hair loss journey, and that enabled me to share my experiences and meet so many amazing people in the community.