wig advice

Thanks Leah. I am about to have an appointment to look at wigs before I start chemo. I hate the thought of losing my hair but a wig that still makes me look like me sounds preferable to hats/scarves. I've never been a fan of them and feel it would be like wearing a label 'look at me I'm being treated for cancer'.

Can you let me know the name of the shop? I am being treated in Barrie but live in Collingwood. I have just had my first chemo treatment and am do for another one in two weeks. I think it's time to do something pretty soon.

I decided not to shave my head, even though that was the advice. I'm so glad I didn't listen. I can't wear wigs, they drive me crazy. I itch the whole time. I bought hair extensions and clip on bangs. Amazing! Some of the extensions have bands and some I clip onto the hair that I didn't shave, so that worked for me. I wear different hats over top of the extensions and bangs. I have cut the extensions to the length that I like and have played with some different colors. Thank God for Extensions!

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hello everyone,

I have a question on behalf of my friend who is going through chemo and hair loss. She has tried synthetic wigs but really couldn’t have it for long, now we are thinking of getting a natural hair wig for her. She lives overseas and I am supposed to find one for her in States and take it there. I looked into some possibilities, can’t really trust online stores with such mixed reviews. I can order it through a cancer treatment Center near me or a few hair salons. Any suggestions in regards to the cost. I will do my best to help out but I heard even a short one starts around $700.No insurance is avialable as she is not living in states.

Thank you so much for your help.

Mina

I think if the synthetic bothers her the natural probably will too, but I guess it’s worth trying. Can she try one where she lives, before you buy one?

I wore the cute chemo beanies mostly. Wore my wig only a handful of times.

What exactly is making your friend uncomfortable? The problem is that the cap construction for synthetics and human hair wigs are often the same - so changing the hair fiber might not eliminate the comfort problem. In general a 100% hand tied cap is more comfortable than a cap with wefting. Also, double monofilament tops are more comfortable than standard monofilament tops, but these will still have some open wefting.

Be sure to get a high quality wig that is intended to be a medical wig (or cranial prosthesis) meaning that it was designed for people with little or no hair. I like Ellen Wille, Jon Renau, and Raquel Welch. These brands make both synthetic and human hair wigs, so that might be one place to start. These brands are comfortable for most people. A company called Clarys Wigs also makes very beautiful and comfortable human hair wigs that have a totally cloth hand tied cap, but they are not cheap. Best of luck to you!

I am 5 years out from treatment, but my hair is much thinner than before, and trust me, it was incredibly thin and fine before chemo. I just found out about wiglets, which are, I guess, ladies toupees. I found one synthetic one that I love. I am one of those that a full wig drives me crazy. Since I like this so much, I decided to look for a better quality one. The one I have looks fine, but does not feel like hair. The biggest problem I am having is finding my color which is pure white. I have done some research and have been told that the “heat friendly” synthetic hair is less expensive but equal in quality to human hair. I have tried Jean Reneau and several other online sites, but if anyone knows of a place that carries white heat friendly wiglets, I would love to hear about it.

For those of you just starting treatment, I wish you the best of luck with your treatments. It was a long journey, and particularly tough for me because I had lost my husband of 42 yrs thirteen months before being diagnosed. My children stepped up and I never went to a chemo infusion without one of them being with me. Hang in there.

Ann