The Wonderful World of Wigs

Never would I have believed I would utter these words: the wonderful world of wigs. After all, I had always been the girl with all the hair – it truly was my crowning glory. My only thought about a wig was that thank goodness that’s something I’ll never have to contend with and I could only imagine it must be like walking around with a dead cat perched on your head – it must be just awful.

In 2005 disaster struck, my hair started to fall out in distinct patches. After almost two years I finally found out that I had developed an auto-immune disorder, Alopecia Areata, causing my own body to attack its hair follicles. With more and more patches developing, it was becoming progressively difficult and stressful to cover all the patches and I realised I would have to find some alternative means of coping with my ever thinning hair – it was time to find myself a dead cat to perch on top of my head, yep, a wig…

First Things First

I had no idea where to begin looking for a wig and turned to the internet and found a wig store in my hometown. After having a look at the store’s website I was pleasantly surprised – the photographs of the ladies modelling various wigs did not look like they had dead cats perched on their heads, quite the contrary! I went to visit the store and spent quite some time talking to the owner.

She advised me to go for something as near to my own hairstyle as possible in order to adjust more easily psychologically to the whole story. It is advice I would pass down to anyone in a similar situation – start with something that looks familiar, because you do need a certain time to adjust. I still had a few patches of hair left which I buzz cut right down to be more comfortable under my first wig, and for a long time I avoided mirrors without my hair / wig on. It was a bit like looking in the mirror and seeing a stranger looking back at me and it was uncomfortable. Although the wig was similar to my old hairstyle, and it was a lovely sleek, shiny affair, it was me in the mirror but somehow not me at the same time. It was a difficult period for me, I was still holding onto the hope that my hair would grow back again.

There were periods where I would want to lash out at anyone merely glancing my way – I was convinced they just knew I was wearing a wig and passing judgement. I’d go through that whole insecurity “I’ve got a dead cat perched on my head” thing repeatedly.

After wearing a wig for the best part of two years, I found a dermatologist who could confirm that there is not much to be done about my condition, that it is a fickle condition, my hair could all grow back and all fall out again. Some of it could grow back, it could all grow back and stay – medical science just doesn’t know what switches it on and off.

Looking back to this stage, I believe I had reached the end of my mourning for my hair period – it was time to start living again. I found another website with a large variety of different styles and makes of wigs. I had finally, finally tossed that frizzled old dead cat perched on my head image out of my mind and stepped into a wonderful new world, a new world of endless possibilities. My mind had adjusted sufficiently to allow me to change a disaster into an adventure. I felt like a little girl picking and choosing, comparing colours, all the different makes.

My new wig was to be a gorgeous little monofilament, dark chocolate brown bob. Wow – with the front part of the wig being constructed with a fine gauze and the individual strands worked onto it, it really looked like hairs growing right out of my own scalp. Although I loved my new hair, it was again a bit of an adjustment for about a week and then I started to play with it, catch the front bit up in a clip, giving a lovely fresh feminine look and it was also just long enough to work into a short and neat French braid.

No Looking Back

By the time I had made the change from a longish, straight shoulder length style to a bob, all my hair had fallen out and something quite wonderful had happened. My mind no longer had a nasty jolt when I looked in a mirror without my hair, it was me all right, just different. I realised I reacted in precisely the same manner as seeing myself in a mirror wearing a different top.

It was now time to play – I have since acquired numerous wigs, mostly bob styles which, for a while, seemed to be my preference, including a bright purple one! And yes I have worn it out in public and you will be surprised at how the average person out there is so wrapped up in their own world, with their own concerns, that not many people actually notice. Wearing it one Saturday morning to a shopping mall, a cashier in a store’s reaction was: “Woah – now THAT is funky!”. On my way out, as I was about to go down an escalator, a little old lady looking lost, stopped me to ask “where is the hairdresser’s salon in the mall?”. That was funny!

I now sport a gorgeous little pageboy, in dark brown with coppery streaks. I have always wanted a pageboy style, but my own hair was just too thick and unruly to manage a tidy pageboy. Well, there’s nothing to stop me now! I can go short, long, straight, curly, any colour I feel and look good in. I have a lovely sassy short style one now too – in the same rich brown with copper streaks, that’s my “sophisticated” look, it really is spiffy!

What Works for Me

Although I have never tried a human hair wig, I like the convenience of synthetic wigs, they look good, they feel great and are not as expensive as the human hair wigs and with the right care they can last quite some time. I also like that synthetic wigs are perma-styled, it makes hair care so much easier. All I need do in the mornings, literally, is give my “hair of the day” a bit of a shakeout, pop it on, adjust a little and I’m ready to go!

I am naturally a brunette and blonde doesn’t look good on me, but now I get to play with dark browns with different coloured streaks without the worry of dried out, over treated hair.

With my first two wigs, I found I tended to sweat quite a bit. My solution was to cut a bit of a thick pantyhose to wear as a wig cap and to absorb the sweat. Perhaps with becoming so used to wearing a wig, I no longer feel it necessary to worry with the pantyhose bit.

My initial worry in the early days was that everyone would just know I’m wearing a wig and make fun of me. It’s true at first you hold your head a little stiffly, but as you get used to it, you toss your “hair”, you push it behind your ears and fiddle with it, just as you would real hair, and the more comfortable you become with it, believe me, no one will even begin to guess it’s not your own hair.

All Being Said

All being said, be patient with yourself whilst adjusting, be patient with those close to you – they’re also adjusting to this new you, find a supplier with a largish range of wigs to choose from but not so large they are impersonal, it’s important to have contact with your supplier for advice – they are your new hair stylists and seem to develop an uncanny sense of what your preferences are.

Whether you’re facing permanent hair loss due to a medical condition, or temporary hair loss due to medical treatment, or something has just gone wrong with your own hair, or you’re looking to try out something new, have fun, keep it fun and remember there are no hard and fast rules – only what works for you!