Redefining CONFIDENCE

Akshaya Maller on navigating love, loss & life beyond hair

- Akshaya Maller

In 2022, after a chaotic breakup (aren't they all chaotic?), something unexpected happened: my hair, much like my ex, decided it had had enough. And just like that, it wasn't just my relationship that was over-my hair had left me too.

I tried arresting the hair fall with serums, supplements and ayurveda. I even considered prayer, but by then, my hair seemed to have already packed its bags. With each strand that fell, my self-esteem followed, vanishing as quickly as my hairline. I started avoiding mirrors and, eventually, people. If no one saw me, they couldn't witness my slow transformation into Gollum, could they?

Because, really, who are we without our hair? We've been conditioned to see it as an inseparable part of our identity, defining every phase of our lives. Think about it: the emo bangs that restricted visibility in high school? The bleach-and-dye college experiment? The chic bob at your first job interview? Hair has always been a marker of who we are.