Best places to purchase a wig

Anonymous

Best places to purchase a wig

Brightness456

Hi everyone. In anticipation of chemo, I've been researching wigs. It seems lace front, monofilament ones with natural hair are better than others, but I'm not so sure about buying online for something that should be touched and tried on first.

I know there's a place in NYC that does excellent wigs, but they're super expensive (5500-8000$). I'm trying to connect with a local breast cancer organization to get information, but thought I'd ask here as well. Does anyone know of a good place to buy realistic looking, light weight wigs. I'm in Maryland, but would drive a bit for a good place.

Thank you

Goincrzy8

Check with the American Cancer Society, I went to one of the places that offers free wigs and got a nice cute one. Also Check with your insurance, my insurance covered it but they dont cover it until you are actually in chemo. I ended up not having chemo, but I was being pro active and trying to get my ducks all in a row. I also did the look good feel better classes and she also had free wigs.

Brightness456

I talked with someone from the local bca. They offer free wigs, but I'm afraid they won't be very nice ones. Still, I figured they can help me learn about sizing. Plus, I haven't even touched a wig since a neighbor lady had one when I was a,child. Maybe they're much nicer now.

Thanks for the ideas

TWills

Hi Brightness456, wigs are tough and I did a ton of research and driving around before I figured it out(as much as I was going to anyway). I also went to a very expensive wig salon that charged many thousands, actually two different ones. I eventually ordered a human hair full lace and fully hand tied piece, however, it's a lot of work. I'm a stylist and I can't say a human hair wig would be for everyone. Especially with any length to it. I wanted one because I wanted to be able to color it. I can say that lace front is important and has been the key to mine being so natural looking. I shock everyone when I tell them I'm wearing a wig, although I don't advertise it. I talked with and helped a few people that started treatment just after me and they really loved heat resistant synthetic options. Synthetics have come a long way. They hold there shape after shampooing so it's not nearly as difficult to style yet you can still use tools on low heat if you want styling options. Anyway, if you'd like you can PM me. I can tell you what I ordered and why. Good luck, I know it's an overwhelming subject

Claire_in_Seattle

I went the cheap and fun route, getting mine at a hip hair salon for $29 each. I had two wigs, identical except that one had a red stripe in it. Figured the only time in my life I would be rocking anything like that. When I graduated to micro-locks of real hail, I washed them and took them to the infusion center. They were gone in a day snapped up by another patient. I think I wore them for 7 months.

I invested in the nylon head cover which made wearing them a lot more comfortable. As a bonus, I still use the hair salon, and my hair looks infinitely better than prior to diagnosis.

Good luck! - Claire 

Brightness456

Well, I went to a wig shop today just to get used to the idea and touch some things etc.. The lady had many years of experience. She measured my head and apparently the average head is 22 1/2, 11 and 11, but mine is 22, 13 and 13. She said the average wig won't fit me, even the larger ones, and it will take 12 weeks to order one. I hope to have a little hair growing back by then.

I honestly don't know what to do now. Will the hats even fit my head? And for the record, I look perfectly fine right now. My head doesn't appear obviously huge or anything. I've always been considered pretty. Now I feel like there's yet another thing wrong with me.

My self esteem is really taking a beating lately...

Fiddler

I'm in Canada so can't recommend any specific places for you, but I researched it and went to a shop in the city where I live that specializes in wigs and got such nice service and advice from the lady there. Once my hair starting falling out, I went there and she shaved my head for me...very compassionate lady. I went with a synthetic wig and I would recommend that, as not only are they cheaper but you never have to style them--they hold the style perfectly! Go out in the snow or rain or wind and it just goes right back into place.

I paid about $1,000 for mine and people were astonished that it was a wig. I saw one doctor whose wife had breast cancer for many years and he just couldn't believe that it was a wig. So, to me, the synthetic one was a winner.

Also, I've always thought I've had a "big head" (though I'm petite otherwise), most hats are usually too small for me. There was no problem fitting the wig and when I was at home I wore the cotton stretchy caps, I got a huge variety of them, and it was no problem size-wise.

IntegraGirl

I have 5 wigs. I went to a place that specializes in wigs and bought a very good human hair wig for $3500. It's great but I have to style it and it's a bit hot.

I went on line and found headcovers.com and decided to give it a shot and bought 4 synthetic ones. They are actually pretty good and cooler than my real hair one. They all have lace fronts. I like the no fussing with styling them. I find the lace front a bit itchy and tricky to coordinate with my wig cap so I often wear head bands or scarves that I tie into headbands. I tuck a bit of cloth under the wig and it's so much more comfortable. The only complaint I have with headcovers is that they insist that you be there to sign for the parcel which is a pita when you're working

IntegraGirl

Brightness456: some of the wigs you find at headcovers.com have adjustable caps. One of mine does and it looks like it has a couple of inches to work with. They provide the measurements on their website. Also, I hear you about the self esteem. I am very tired of looking like Gollum....or Dobby the House Elf on a good day. I just said to a friend of mine that I feel like I've been steeped in the uglies long enough

GwennyMD

Brightness. I also live in Maryland and found that several insurance companies will pay a certain amount for the wigs. Unfortunately, I had already bought several before I discovered this benefit. I went the cheap route because I decided to try many different hairstyles. My real hair is very thick and long. I had never cut it or changed the color. I wore a wig for 16 months. I had human hair wigs, synthetic wigs, and even one that was a combination. I always thought that I had a big head because most hats do not fit. What I discovered is that my head is not big but it is extra wide - 23 inches. Therefore all of the wigs were a little tight and the side pieces did come down to my sideburns. I also discovered that the lace front wigs did not work for me because I have a very low forehead. In order to compensate I bought wigs with bangs. No one could see how bad the wigs fit or the new little gray hairs growing around my forehead. After my hair grew to more than one inch I could not stand to wear the wigs because they were extremely tight and gave me a headache. You should probably call a few more salons. One of them may have a shorter wait time on custom wigs. I seem to remember one salon in the Georgetown area of DC that specialized in wigs for cancer patients.

Brightness456

Oh ladies, I can't tell you how much I appreciate hearing from you. This journey is so difficult, but kindness from others does help. I'll look into your suggestions and try to be optmistic. My insurance apparently doesn't cover wigs, but is very good for cancer care otherwise, so that's a reason to be thankful.

I'm meeting with the local breast cancer organization today to see what they offer in wigs and I found a shop within the hospital where my new team of doctors is located. The lady there said she sizes wigs all the time and assured me she can help me find options that will fit me. I'm not sure why the lady in my hometown was so negative.

My new doctors aren't convinced I'll even need chemo. They plan to base my treatment plan off the pathology from surgery, as my numbers from the original pathology don't fit together. I'm sure I'm getting a lumpectomy and will need radiation, and I want to have hair and head covering options chosen to be safe because I suspect I will need chemo.

Thank you for helping. I truly appreciate it

PerAngusta

I had many, many wigs!!! NONE of them were real hair. NOT ONE OF THEM cost more than 100.00. I had chemotherapy and radiation and herceptin and a bilateral mastectomy and a complete hysterectomy and I gotta tell ya....my hair (and eyebrows and eyelashes) were gone for (what felt like) an eternity!!! I had waste length hair, one length, straight PRIOR to all of this bc business!!!! I was so hot and cold and itchy and cranky and up and down that full wigs were just another reason for me to cry myself to sleep!! THEN, I found Headcovers.com!!! I realize that I sound like an info-mercial but trust me when I tell you that that they had a couple of products that saved me!!! Their fake hair is attached to ball caps OR attached to stretchy strips that sit on your head and you choose your own hat - BUUUT NO HAIR ON THE TOP OF YOUR HEAD!!! This was a cool alternative for me - from a fashion perspective and in light of hot flashes!! Also, whenever someone would hug me or outdoors in strong winds....full wigs would move slightly AND LOOK RIDICULOUS on me!! My ball caps were hip, stylish and no one even knew I was a cancer patient!!! I just blended in and didn't have to talk about cancer UNLESS I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT IT! PM me if you want to see photos....I honestly loved those products very much!!!