Women’s Hair Loss Project

A Blog Post By Kathyloulu

Beth had a question about this and I thought that there might be others who would benefit from this information; thus, I’m blogging again.My hair loss began gradually just above the ears. Over the course of the next two months, the hair at my temples started receding and I noticed bald patches on other parts of my head. I did the whole comb and cover routine the best I could, but it kept getting worse.Finally, I decided that I needed to get a wig. I loaded up all four children (at the time) and took them with me to the wig shop so that they could be involved in the process. Now, fortunately, we have at least three wig salons here in San Antonio. But, in smaller cities, you may not have the selection you need. Do not — I repeat — do not order your first wig online. Because what you think will look good and what actually works for you are completely different things. If possible, take a trip to a larger city and plan to spend a few hours trying on as many wigs as you need to.

Here are some tips:

1) if you are looking for long hair (which is what I currently have) — definitely spend the money on real human hair (with the cuticle intact). I tried several long synthetic wigs (even the “new generation” and “heat resistant” synthetics) and they looked great — for about a month. After that the ends get “knappy” (for lack of a better word) and it gets very, very tangled all the time. The human hair is just like, well, hair.

2) look for wigs with a “monofilament” top — or in the less expensive wigs, a flesh colored mesh piece — where the hair parts. These look most natural and really does look like your scalp showing. If you are caucasion — look for the lighter wig cap. If you are african-american — look for the darker wig cap.

3) you don’t have to spend a lot to look great! The wig that I had on in my picture cost $39.99 and I swear I had so many compliments on it — even women wanting to take my picture so that they could show their sylist what they wanted (it was then that I was very tempted to just take my wig off and ask the lady if she wanted to try it on! But, I didn’t want to embarrass my husband.)

4) Benefits of synthetic hair — wash with any mild shampoo, shake out and let air dry. No styling required. Very easy maintenance.

5) Benefits of human hair — looks and feels great! Shampoo and style just as you did your own hair.

6) drawbacks of synthetic hair — Not as durable. Can melt or singe with a sudden blast of heat — say, from leaning too close when opening the oven. Or if your mother should accidentally wash your hair on extra hot, sanitary setting in the washing machine.

7) drawbacks of human hair — you have to fix it. If it rains, you have a bad hair day.

drawbacks of all wigs — wind, roller coasters, and water sports create challenges. But, there is double-stick tape for that. : )

9) and finally, the benefits of any and all wigs — you can always have perfect color and highlights!! I am currently a red-head and it looks amazing with my skin!

10) The very best benefit — once you get past feeling self-conscious — is that you look and feel beautiful again!

About the author: Kathyloulu is a community member of the Women’s Hair loss Project. To learn more about her and read her other blog posts, visit her profile: http://community.womenshairlossproject.com/kathyloulu/

Be Sure To Also Check out Julie’s Wig Buying Tips

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