Wedding Wig

The wig worked very well for the wedding. Noone but close friends knew that I had lost my hair. I found myself very concious of the wigs position. I adjusted its postion often and went to the restroom several times to check on how I looked. This was the first, and one of the few, events I would wear the wig. The disguise kept me away from awkward conversations with people I rarely see, but in every day life I choose to go natural.

Ice Breaker

A lot of my friends and I have moved away from each other since school. With a houndstooth hat covering my smooth head and my wig packed away, I boarded a plane for a friend's wedding. This would be the first time that one of my best friend's would see me since the hair loss. She is always supportive of my crazy adventures, but I do not think she knew exactly what I would look like.

Our meeting at the airport was perfectly normal. Most people that have not seen me in a while do not know quite what to say about my condition. I look the same and yet I am missing my thick head of hair. We drove to her place talking like we had never been apart, and yet there was little discussion about how I looked.

Then, a funny moment broke the ice. She lived in a third floor apartment and on the second flight of stairs we passed a man who gave us a funny look. Here I was, the bald girl, lugging a big piece of luggage while my friend had only a little purse in hand. Once in the apartment, we laughed hysterically wondering what the guy was thinking. ‘Why would that girl make the poor cancer patient carry a heavy bag up three flights of stairs?’

A Boyfriend's Surprise

On a warmer than usual day in January, I decided to go to the river walk with my boyfriend. I was pleasantly surprised to find that he had shaved his head. I never prompted him to follow in my new look. Despite spending a lot of work hours outside, he kept a fresh shave throughout the cold winter. We are no longer together, but the sentiment of him shaving his head perfectly describes his attitude toward my Alopecia. I will always be thankful for having such a great boyfriend during my stages of hair loss.

First Wig

I purchased one nice wig after I lost all my hair. I was going to an out-of-town wedding in a few weeks and I did not want the focus to be on my baldness. The biggest problem with my wig purchase is that I did not have a lot of time before I needed it. So instead of checking out the cancer center and the old wigs shops in town or going on a Chicago shopping trip, I thought buying online would be the easiest.

Shopping online for a wig can be quite intimidating. Finding secure sites, styles, colors, sizes, and price make for a tedious shopping experience. I narrowed down the wigs to a few of my favorites and let my family pick the winner. I had the hardest time determining the color. The online color swatches might not be the actual wig color. A consumer can order a color swatch from the company, but that takes time and I was in a hurry to get the wig shipped. I decided on a Raquel Welch wig at Wigs.com for about $250. This is pricey, but I wanted good quality and I plan to eventually donate the wig.

When the wig arrived, it was nothing like my original hair. The different color and style were a bit refreshing for me, but those close to me did not like the change. Overall the wig turned out to be a good buy for the wedding.

Be cautious if you order your first wig online. Make sure you get the right size and order a color swatch before purchasing. My experience did not provide the greatest satisfaction, but I think part of this perception is from me not liking wigs to begin with.