When most students were worrying about essays, parties, and finding their feet away from home, Nadia Hussain (now 46) was facing something no teenager expects. At just 18, while at university, Nadia experienced early menopause—a diagnosis that turned her world upside down.
Already living with thalassemia major, an inherited blood disorder that required monthly blood transfusions just to survive, Nadia suddenly found herself carrying another invisible burden.
“At first, I thought the hot flushes and mood swings were just stress,” she recalls. “But when doctors told me I was going through menopause, I felt like my whole future—relationships, fertility, even my identity as a woman—had been ripped away. Going through this at university, while my friends were going to parties and worrying about hair and fashion, was incredibly isolating.”
Alongside the fertility challenges that followed, Nadia later conceived her son through IUI. Yet one of the hardest blows was the impact on her hair. “It started with thinning patches, then handfuls would fall out in the shower. At university, when everyone around me seemed so carefree and confident, I felt like I was falling apart. Hair is such a huge part of how we express ourselves, and losing mine made me feel invisible.”
That deeply personal experience planted the seed for what would eventually become Hair Loving, the brand Nadia founded to support women facing similar struggles. Years later, working as a make-up artist with models and clients, she realised just how many women silently suffered from hair loss linked to menopause, postpartum changes, PCOS, and other conditions. “In this new role, I realised it wasn’t just me. I saw it in so many women, yet hardly anyone was talking about it.”
Determined to change that, Nadia created a range of science-led haircare products designed to strengthen and support hair health, backed by a community of women sharing their own journeys. Today, Hair Loving has grown into a thriving movement, with a steadfast online community and products available in stores nationwide.
“Women write to me saying they finally feel confident enough to go on a date, or to wear their hair down again. That’s everything I wanted when I was 19 and terrified of losing myself.”
Her mission now is to smash the taboo around women’s hair loss – a subject still rarely discussed openly. “We normalise talking about skin or weight, but when it comes to hair loss, women often suffer in silence. I really want to change that conversation.”
At 18, most people are still figuring out who they are. How did early menopause and hair loss challenge your sense of identity, and how did you navigate redefining yourself so young?
At 18, most people are still figuring out who they are, and I was no different. But when I started experiencing early menopause and losing my hair, it felt like everything I thought I knew about myself disappeared. Over time, I became really insecure, and some of the things people said about my hair were really hurtful. As a young woman this was really challenging; it made me feel ashamed and unattractive, making me worry about what the future would look like for me. It wasn’t an easy journey finding who I was again, but I did learn that femininity and beauty aren’t defined by our hair; it’s much deeper than that.
Living with thalassemia and then facing early menopause would be overwhelming for anyone. Can you share a moment when you felt you might not make it through, and what inner resource or mindset helped you persevere?
During that time, I suffered from a lot of anger and unresolved trauma, but it wasn’t until after my divorce that I began to seek help, for all the hurt and pain, as well as unanswered questions that had built up inside me. Along with a good support network around me, I started to value myself again, which I know wouldn’t have been possible without them. However, most importantly, I had to start believing in myself and focus on building my brand. Helping others who have suffered from hair loss themselves, from hormonal changes such as menopause and post-partum, has enabled me to embrace my own self-worth and focus my energy on others.
Hair loss and fertility issues are largely invisible to others. How did navigating such deeply personal challenges in a world that didn’t understand impact your relationships — romantic, familial, or friendships?
Navigating both fertility issues and hair loss felt so isolating, because both were struggles no one could really see. When friends announced pregnancies, I genuinely wanted to feel happy for them, but instead, I felt sadness, and I would feel awful for not being able to share the joy they had.
When I began to experience hair loss, I wasn’t a hair and makeup artist yet, so I struggled with how to manage it and deal with the emotions that came with this. Later, when I went through postpartum hair loss, I was again faced with insecurities, and I felt like I was losing part of my identity. Both experiences challenged my confidence and how I related to others. I was scared to open up to friends and family. One thing is certain though, it definitely taught me to be kind to everyone you meet and those around you, because you never truly know what they might be carrying that you can’t see.
Often, pain and struggle can spark innovation. How did your personal experiences with hair loss shape the mission and ethos of Hair Loving in ways you didn’t initially anticipate?
Innovation comes from being creative and determined, and if it’s fuelled with a story and meaning, it’s a fantastic reason and mode for building a brand, in my opinion. My personal experience with hair loss sparked a mission to create a haircare brand that understands women at every stage of life. What began as a way to help myself heal and create products that I couldn’t find in stores, to help my own hair loss, became a mission to support others on their own hair loss journeys.
Pouring my energy into the brand gave me something positive to focus on, and after winning a number of awards, receiving recognition was validating. The true reward, though, is seeing how the brand has helped other women like myself. We’ve definitely had the highs and lows with creating a brand like everyone does, but it’s important to learn and grow along the way.
Society has very rigid ideas about femininity, hair, and beauty. How did these external pressures influence how you felt about your body and your hair during your early 20s, and do you see that changing for women today?
As a woman, I’ve definitely always felt a huge amount of pressure to look a certain way, to have perfect hair and skin and to fit the narrative society creates for us. Those societal expectations shaped how I viewed myself and my worth. However, I’ve definitely seen a huge shift in how women are portrayed in the media now, though, since my 20s, with society’s rigid idea about femininity becoming a lot more fluid, and we ourselves are advocates for this change. We get to shout about what we believe in – that we don’t need to look a certain way, as well as the right to age the way we would like to age. At Hair Loving, this change is part of our very ethos. Our mission is to serve the underserved and to help women embrace every stage of life with comfort, confidence, and self-acceptance, not just from others, but from themselves, too.
You’ve balanced chronic illness, fertility struggles, and now a thriving business. How have these challenges shaped your leadership style and the way you connect with your team and community?
From a leadership angle, I have learned from my mistakes and others, as well as embraced and enjoyed the challenges of being an entrepreneur. Life always throws things at the best of us and really focusing on my business and not dwelling has helped me overcome my struggles. It means a lot to me knowing that I’m also helping those who are struggling like I have, who may have chronic conditions like myself, and of course, my friends and family who suffer from similar things. My goal is to inspire people as much as I can, to encourage them to focus on the positive – something I’ve had to learn along the way.
Looking back, what is the most unexpected lesson you’ve learned from experiencing menopause and hair loss so young — something that might surprise people or even inspire them?
I went through menopause earlier than most and this made me believe for a long time that I wouldn’t be able to live the life I had planned, that some doors were closed to me forever. However, sometimes the best things in life happen to us when we least expect them. I had a baby after menopause, something I once thought was impossible! Just when I thought one chapter of my life was over, another began, which I think is what’s so magical about being a woman.
Beyond Hair Loving’s current success, what untapped aspects of women’s wellness and haircare are you passionate about exploring next, especially in areas that remain taboo or overlooked?
Looking ahead, I’m really passionate about exploring the connection between women’s wellness and hair health. At the moment, one area in particular that interests me is the link between GLP1 and hair loss. With so many women turning to these treatments for weight management, it’s really important to understand how they might actually be affecting things like hormonal balance and our hair. I love being part of conversations like this and think we should be open to these discussions and to educate ourselves more on what we’re consuming.
