"My worst hair disaster still haunts me five years later."

You know how sometimes it feels as though life is joking?

When things go so wrong it’s almost funny? And you think, ‘Ah – I’m going to make a mental note of this for the book I plan to write one day’?

Yes, well, my most traumatic hair incident was definitely not one of those times. There was absolutely nothing funny about it.

When I went to the salon on this particular day, my normal hairdresser wasn't there. Another woman began on my hair instead, and from the beginning she appeared... nervous.

I'm pretty sure at one point she called on another hairdresser for help. There is a significant possibility this woman was not employed by the salon and, I don't know, just gave it a go.

As she worked, I could sense the panic in her fingertips. I kept assuring myself; "It's okay... how bad can it be?"

Moments later, I sat back in my chair and was confronted with what had happened. In a completely #firstworldproblems sense, I was traumatised. My roots were now highlighter yellow. Yet the rest of my hair, which had formerly been blonde, was now grey.

On top of that, the cut was might have the worst thing I've ever seen. She explained to me that she had "thinned" it. THINNED IT. It took months for my hair to grow back and for the colour to grow out. My self-esteem was in the gutter.

Since this occurred, I've collected stories of hair nightmares.

One friend's hairdresser lived below her in a block of flats. One Friday afternoon, she offered to do her hair. They had a few bottles of wine together, and soon forgot the bleach was on. Suddenly, my friend remember and ran upstairs to wash it out.

But it was too late. Her hair was literally jelly. She ended up having to chop it all off.

I recognise that caring so much about your hair might sound vain or narcissistic. "IT'S JUST HAIR," I can hear you yelling at me through the computer/phone screen. But, for women in particular, hair is a marker of identity. It gives us confidence and character. It's something we experiment with when we're heartbroken, and change when we want to be in control.

Through my own hair disasters, I can really empathise with the problems the many women who experience natural hair loss go through. No woman wants to have their scalp even slightly visible - shouldn't we all have the right to feel confident in appearances no matter what?

What most people don't know is that by the age of 35 half of all women will experience hair thinning or hair loss, and that can really deliver a blow to her confidence. There is actually a natural option for women whose hair concerns extend beyond the hairdresser's chair - and that option is Evolis.

Evolis is a scientifically tested treatment to help restore the natural hair growth cycle by inhibiting a protein that triggers hair loss. It's super easy to use and being a natural product with no known side effects means it's perfect for both men and women.

The Evolis Active pack for women includes a tonic, to be applied to the scalp (hair can be wet or dry) twice a day. It also comes with a shampoo, which is specially formulated to assist the growth tonic and volumise thinning hair.

With my hair disaster, the only remedy was time. To wait it out. But for hair thinning or hair loss, there's something people can do today that could make all the difference.

What's your biggest hair disaster and how did you handle it? Tell us in the comments section below.

This content was created with thanks to our brand partner évolis®.