by A

Like most of us starting chemo, my first concern was that I would lose my long, wavy hair. I knew that the chemo regime I was on would cause total hair loss and I had decided against using the cold cap. I couldn’t face being brave and bald and scarves/hats were not my thing……so wigs it was.

My first wig was so like my own hair that many people didn’t even notice but as time went on, I tried shorter styles (working on the certainty that my own hair would take some time to grow back) and in lighter shades (as I was much paler).

I asked at the hospital for a voucher and was given £50 towards my first wig. (Apparently this is not universal so do ask your bc nurse). The shop should show you how to put on the wig and how to line it up properly. I found the visit to the wig shop tiring and frustrating as I really didn’t know what I wanted so would advise others to look at styles on the internet first. A good site for this is:

www.wigsandpieces.co.uk This company was very helpful and will give advice on colours. Orders were delivered within a few days and they will exchange if you need to. They also sell “knobbly ended” hairbrushes which do not split the synthetic hair and “holding spray” which is similar to hair lacquer. (They also do eyelashes and eyebrow transfers but I never used the ones I got).

www.headcovers.com do false fringes which attach with Velcro and are useful for wearing with hats. Delivery on basic shipping prices took about 10 days to arrive.

http://hothair.co.uk do bandanas with “under hair”

If you are on a budget:

www.wigsalon.com are cheaper and their service was excellent

www.ebay.co.uk also has lots of wigs on sale. Try Vogue Wigs (although their sizes do seem to be slightly larger)

www.wigbank.com has both donated and new wigs available, at reduced prices, from a countrywide network

Wigs are much easier to look after than your own hair. They don’t need washing as often either. Just put a dollop of wig shampoo (or washing up liquid) in a bowl of cool water and swish it around, then rinse well in clean, cold water. You can add a little fabric conditioner to soften it. Blot the excess water out with a towel and hang to dry. (I didn’t bother with a proper stand, just hung it on the tap overnight or on a door handle away from any heat).