By Candis White, President, High Time Products (Home of Dare 2B Bald)
On my way home from Baldie Con, one word kept coming to me:
Full.
I left full.
And perhaps the timing made the experience even more meaningful. September is Alopecia Areata Awareness Month—a time to raise awareness, reduce stigma and uplift those living with alopecia. As the month comes to a close, I can’t think of a better way to have experienced its purpose than surrounded by bald, beautiful, bold, courageous and inspiring women.
Some of the women I met are bald by choice. Many are living with alopecia. But what struck me most wasn’t why they were bald. It was how they were living.
Their confidence. Their self-awareness. Their self-love. Their joy.
When the Beauty Just Hits You
I realized something at Baldie Con: sometimes hair can be a distraction.
As women, hair has historically been so closely associated with beauty. But standing in a room filled with bald women, I found myself looking directly at their faces.
And the beauty just hits you.
Bright smiles. Big personalities. Confidence. And the fashion? These women were dressed to the nines—stylish, fabulous and absolutely owning who they are.
Their Stories Became Life Lessons
One of the greatest gifts of the weekend was hearing their stories.
We laughed. We joked. We had genuine conversations. Women shared their alopecia journeys, their experiences and pieces of their lives with me.
I realized I don’t have to experience alopecia for their stories to speak to me.
Maybe alopecia isn’t the thing I have to find the confidence to conquer. But seeing another woman face something that could have diminished her confidence and instead choose to live boldly teaches all of us something:
Don’t let anything hold you down.
Keep telling your stories, ladies. Someone needs to hear them.
I know I did.
Dare to Be Bald—and Dare to Be Beautiful
Dare 2B Bald has traditionally been positioned primarily as a men’s grooming brand. When I stepped into leadership at High Time Products, I saw an opportunity to think bigger about who we serve.
Because women are rocking bald heads, too—and doing it fabulously.
Many women purchased our products and our full three-step regimen. Others shared ideas and feedback that I’m grateful to take back with me.
But what I brought home was worth far more than a sales report.
I gained perspective.
I also have to shout out the husbands and partners supporting these women through their journeys. I heard beautiful stories about that love and encouragement. And to the men struggling with their own hair loss: there is something to learn from watching these women confidently embrace themselves exactly as they are.
I Left Full
Thank you to Felicia Flores for creating such a wonderful space.
And thank you to every woman who stopped by, smiled, laughed, joked with me, purchased a product, offered an idea or trusted me enough to share her story.
I’ve found myself using the word full a lot lately, and I don’t take that for granted. So many people are walking through life operating on empty. When something fills you spiritually, emotionally and personally, you recognize it.
Baldie Con did that for me.
I arrived as the President of High Time Products, representing Dare 2B Bald.
I left inspired as a woman.
I left thinking differently about beauty and confidence. I left grateful for the stories, the laughter, the personalities and the genuine conversations.
Most of all, I left full.
Keep showing up. Keep telling your stories. Keep inspiring the next person.
Keep daring to be bald. Keep daring to be beautiful. And keep daring to be YOU.