My New Wig

Public Archive
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Just want to share this experience with you all today as there didn’t seem to be a lot on here about wigs and wig fittings.

I went there today feeling a little depressed and scared, I’m due for my first chemo on Tues, I’m preparing myself for the sh*t to hit the fan now and be ill.
I don’t want to lose my hair, I know it grows back, I don’t suit short hair and I’m sorry but yes, I have had after an initial GI Jane attitude, decided to have a bit of a sulk, I allowed myself this indulgence.

I arrived and the lovely lady took me into a room at the hospital and brought out a suitcase of hundreds of wigs in many styles, colours etc.

She has done this for years, she knows her stuff.

We very quickly find THE wig, it’s not something I would have gone for necessarily, but I like to experiment and I have naturally very fine hair which is cut in a bob and is at the moment the trendy red.

I thought, you know, I’ve always fancied having thicker hair and lovely Cheryl Cole/Kate Middleton cascading hair but never going to have that naturally. So I tried one on… and what do you know… looks really fab :slight_smile: It’s in a Mocha colour with highlights of auburn, golden, it looks like real hair, it’s not too shiny so it looks fake, or too dull so it looks uncared for.

And best of all, I can have it cut at my hairdressers to suit me, I can wear it up, down and all around.

I came out of there feeling still in shock about the reality of it all - but also not as scared about what I am going to look like physically.

Sure, I’ll probably be self concious going out of the house with it on for a while until I get used to it, a bit paranoid, but I’ll get used to it and you know, who’s really going to know, it’s that good.

So if anyone is really worried about it, relax a little. They are there to help you.

I’ll put my new photo up once the wig is trimmed up and I’ve put it on etc.

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good for u! looking forward 2 the pics alex xx

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And you HAVE to give it a name!

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Hooorayyyyyyyyyy thank you so much for this post, I too am facing my chemo in next couple of weeks and BCN told me we would discuss wigs etc next week when I come in to meet with Onc.

I am the opposite to you and have very short spikey hair but have longed for a longer bob style but just don’t have the patience to grow it so I think the new bob look is coming my way after all.

Thank you so much you have soooo put my mind at rest.

Lots of love
Tracy

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I got one that is more or less exactly the same as my old hairstyle before it upped and left me. I’ve called it Gertrude!
Well done El Katrano
x

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when i sat down with my teenage son 2 explain my dx blah blah,he said if u have 2 get a wig ,im naming it “snatch” hmmm.im a great mum really!!

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Hi, I finished chemo nearly two months ago. Getting a wig was one of the best things I did. It gives you a real confidence boost to be able to go out looking ‘normal’! Mine was called ‘Dolly’! My own hair is starting to grow back now, but I’ll still be wearing my wig for a couple more months. Good luck to all of you, hope the chemo is gentle on you. x

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Hi, I got my wig a few weeks ago now, I hated the idea of losing my hair, but I have so many good comments about my wig. People have said its better than my own hair(thanks). I have named my wig after my mum, who wore a wig by choose years ago, I remember seeing it on the stand in her bedroom. Losing my hair has been one of the worse things about he bc, but i can o out with my wig & nobody looks twice at me, that to me is so important. I dont wont to look like someone who has cancer, I wont to look nomal. Sylvia helps me do that. So ladies get yourselves the best wig you can get. Lesley xx

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Hi Ladies,

Just another angle… I loved my long, thick, dark curly hair before chemo and bc took it away and couldn’t replace it with a wig but I did get a beautiful one that my oh loved; but you know what - I fell in love with scarves and wore them throughout and ditched the wig not long after I got it. So what I’m saying is don’t be afraid to experiment and dare to be different - don’t let bc take something else away from you!

Good luck ladies; the chemo is do-able and you will come through.

Dee xx

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Hi Ladies, I also get lots of comments, on how nice my hair looks or ‘you haven’t lost your hair yet!’ When wearing my wig - I just say thanks or if I really know them tell them it is my wig and only wear it because I am grey! No truth is that I am very thin on top too. I also wear hats and scarves when just out and about, but do make the effort if I go to town, as I don’t want everyone to stare and I feel so much better for dressing up. Feel feminine and like to make the effort, after slopping around the house for so long! Need some normality and can’t wait for everything else to return to normality once treatment over. Have good weekend. As you can see I can’t sleep!!! Adi x

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I know not everyone will feel they want to deal with the hair loss the way I have done, but I don’t wear Ermintrude and generally wear a Buff if it’s cold, or if I get hot, I just go commando. Yes, that includes walking round the centre of Guildford with a baldy head. I’m not bothered about other people looking, that’s their problem not mine, and anyone I AM bothered about already knows so that’s not a problem either. (Until they start calling me “brave”, in which case they get a flea in their ear and don’t use the B word again around me!)

But I’m very pleased for those who have found wigs they like. There are loads of places to get them too. One lady from the forums who looks absolutely lovely got hers from wigstoreuk (.co.uk? Can’t remember) and she got one that’s attached to a broad headband. She said it felt much more comfortable than a full wig, and because it wasn’t a full one it was a lot cheaper, I think I saw some on there for £35, so when it started to get tatty, she just chucked it out and bought another one! What I particularly liked about how she wore it was that she pinned it up with clips, so it looked even more natural as no-one would think of wearing a wig and then pinning it up. And she really does look lovely. So there’s another place to try.

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Thought I’d hate having no hair, but I’m really into wearing wigs now. So easy to look after and I get plenty of compliments about how lovely my hair is (!). I use a lovely wig specialist in Didcot and have had really good help from an online company called Periwigs who have been so helpful.

I’m using the Renee of Paris wig collection, which seems very light, natural and comfy for me and has adjustable straps inside to make sure it fits ok. I have a larger head and these fit fine. Not sure what others are like, though.

I’ve also got quite a few headscarves that I use when I can’t be bothered with the wig.

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hey all

to me also hair loss was something i never thought id cope with.i shaved it off a week after my first fec. im gong to say when my hair goes. !!! and it was quite liberating.
i couldnt get on with my wig, for me it was a daily reminder i hadnt my own hair, i also felt i was wearing a wig for others not to feel uncomfortable.
if i went commando i actually forgot i hadnt any, and that i was just me, and not hiding away what i was going through. . im lucky though as i love make up and have always prided myself with the way i make up my eyes, so i felt like they were the focus of my face.

however when the make up came off i felt i looked like a horrible bauld thing with no face.

i knwo this is a very individual option, and i think however we all get though this period is fab xxx

i wear scaves also and like matching them to my outfit.

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I may well end up doing that, who knows :slight_smile:
Image wise, my favourite things about myself are: Hair, Boobs and cheshire cat grin. Cancer has ruined one of my boobs, it may take my hair but I’m going to do my best not to let it take my grin or my sense of humour.
I’m not high maintenance at all, but I do like the idea of having hair, never really suited headwear, but I’ll see what happens, it al lays differently if theres no underlying hair there.
I quite like the long scarves that tie at the back to look like hair.

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I had a horrible experience with a wig supplier, one of the downfalls of private health care, though I did buy a couple of wigs on ebay…they cost £3.00 each were bob styles and one of them was very impressive quality they came form china!! though i only ever wore a wig out once, i couldn’t get on with them. I used to go commando and when in the early stages of chemo I felt i looked ok, but did wear make up.
I used to have to travel into central london for my treatment and many people would speak to me on the tube and comment (nice things) I had to go to an important work meeting mostly men and all director level and it was in April and it was a warm spring day i couldn’t bear the thought of flushes and something itching my head etc so wore a black shift dress, killers heels and went commando, I must admit the men struggled with it ( even though 3 of them were bald) but it gave me a sense of power seeing them swirm a bit ha ha .

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Rhian, that’s brilliant! Particularly the response from the bald blokes! I do wear make-up a bit more often than I used to, but not the full slap, just a bit of colour around eyes and lips.

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hi all

my first wig and i (called Bob for obvious reasons)didn’t really get on as i felt it was a bit wiggy. A bit too high and a bit too perfect, so i tended to go Commando. But then i chose my free NHS one and being as i have always wanted long hair chose one that was nothing like my own. it’s very long with a fringe, which is great for hiding the lack of eye hair. It’s a Renee of Paris too - it doesn’t have the webbing at the top so is more comfortable.

I’ve just ordered a scarf from the site i’ve posted as now the weather’s getting warmer i think Jordan (wig) might be too hot. I’ve posted this somewhere before (i’m not on comission) but i really like the site as the scarves look lovely. It’s not cheap but i’m only spending money i’ve saved from haircuts (you can see i’ve rehearsed this for when the statement comes through).

randrconfidence.co.uk/Home.html

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Hi
I got my wig last week and my girls both think it’s fab. Everyone will know it’s a wig though as it’s tidier than my hair with no white roots! But it does look good. I’ve also spent a small fortune on hats and scarves cos i reckon i deserve to be spoiled and feel good with everything else that’s happening. I’ve bought a couple of gorgeous hats from Suburban Turban-they’re so soft and they look good too. I’m loving these forums as it helps to know you’re not going through this alone. xx

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I hadn’t thought of a name for my new hair. Will get thinking cap on!! Have a lovely day everyone. The sun’s shining here so might take my mad spaniel for a walk x

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I have spend a fortune on scarfs & hats, but at least Im saving on shampoo & hairspray!! I got a lovely wig from simplywigs, which everyone says looks great. Marks & spencers have some really nice sun hats this yeear so treated myself to a cople of those when too hot to wear Silvia!!. Sunny day here in nortth wales, so will make tthe most of it before next fec on wed Hope everyone has a lovely se free day xx