My hair loss really started to escalate in January, or at least that is how it seemed. In reality I expect it was still falling out at the same rate, but because I had less hair left, I seemed to notice each and every strand as it fell out, almost like rats deserting the sinking ship!
It hadn’t yet got to the point where I didn’t want to go out, or that I was worried people would stare at me, but I was having to get increasingly creative with ‘doing my hair’ and I had also started wearing a scarf to cover the bald patch at the back of my head that had begun to creep upwards.
I had already joked with friends that if it all fell out I would ‘simply’ go get a wig, so mid-January I decided maybe I should get one ‘just in case’ so that it gave me an option if I was going out somewhere special. I guess I was still in a bit of denial hoping that my hair would suddenly, and rapidly, start growing back, and at this point I was actually hoping it was stress related. Whilst it was really annoying at first for people to say it was due to stress, I was now trying to convince myself that this was the case, because if it was it would grow back right?
I did a bit of googling (as you do) and found that actually it wasn’t that ‘simple’. Not only were there loads of sites for me to buy from, but there was also a huge variety of wigs, and a whole new world of terminology I just didn’t understand and clearly needed to ‘get my head around’ 🙂
‘Get my Head around it’ – that’s one of the many phases I’ve noticed since this all began that are related to the head or hair. Bald as a Coot ~ keep your hair on ~ bad hair day ~ blonde ambition ~ crowning glory ~ enough to make your hair curl ~ get out of my hair ~ hair of the dog ~ let your hair down ~ pull your hair out ~ splitting hairs `
and even hair today gone tomorrow – that one very topical!
Back to the types of wigs, I found there were lots of options in terms of ‘cap’ construction, with mention of mesh, full lace wigs, lace cap front, monofilaments, wefts, lace cape front combined with monofilaments, hand tied wigs etc etc .
They also come in various sizes, from petite to large (I had no idea of the size of my head), most were adjustable, and there seemed to be numerous ways to ‘apply’ the wig, anything from pins, glue, tape to even having it professionally sewn into you own hair, that option clearly not applicable for me!
You could also buy real human hair wigs, and WOW were those expensive, synthetic wigs, and also wigs that combined the two. The biggest surprise to me was that a wig did not last for ever, and on average your wig would only last 6 months or so depending on how frequently you wore it and how well you looked after it.
Clearly I needed advice.
I’ve always thought it’s a small world, and co-incidentally I knew someone in our village that also had alopecia whose hair always looked fabulous, so I ‘pinged’ her for some advice as I had really no idea where to start.
She recommended www.simplywigs.co.uk, and some brands – Rene of Paris, Amore/Noriko, but also suggested I make an appointment with her ‘wig lady’ Sarah Kay in Epping. www.sarahkaysalon.com.
What a great recommendation. Sarah was so approachable and understanding, and after a brief chat on the phone I made an appointment to go and see her the following week.
Looking back it was a funny time, and the night before my appointment I went out for a meal with the family as we were celebrating my son James’s birthday. We had a really lovely evening and as it turned out, and whilst I didn’t know it at the time, it was the very last occasion I went out with ‘my own hair on’.
I often wonder whether I would have felt differently that night had I known this, and if so would I have raised a glass of something to say goodbye to it?
Photo by Aw Creative on Unsplash
