First wig--where to begin?

Hello wonderful and sage Alopecia World folks,
As I've posted elsewhere, I was diagnosed with alopecia areata about a year and a half ago, and it is now progressing pretty quickly into ophiasis (and maybe beyond). I don't know how much longer I can -- or want to -- deal with the anxiety of wearing headbands or hats all the time while I watch it keep falling out, so I'm thinking of investing in a good wig. The thing is, I don't even know where to begin. I've been combing through the posts on here but am feeling kind of overwhelmed, so I'd love your advice. I want it to be as comfortable and natural-looking as possible (of course--who doesn't?). I still have at least 50% of my hair, so I don't know if fully shaving makes sense, but maybe? Or else just cutting what's left very short? Also, I live in the Washington, DC area, so if anyone happens to have local suggestions, please let me know. Really, though, any and all suggestions or resources that you can point me to would be great. Again, I'm just so overwhelmed by all the information out there that it would be great to hear some specific advice or experiences. Thank you so much!

Eli

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Permalink Reply by Rose on February 6, 2013 at 11:33pm

Eli,
Choosing a wig for the first time is absolutely overwhelming. SO many things to consider. I have worn them ALL, I am pretty sure! Synthetics, human hair (from Freedom, from Peggy Knight who now sells Follea, Taylor Made, some company in Florida, off the shelf) and have concluded many things.. First, you need a good fit. a great stylist. knowledge on styling if you go with human hair. (unless you have had your own hair and already know what to do) good product (stay in conditioner made a huge difference in my newest Freedom piece) Do NOT BUY human hair that has been treated (hair shafts removed) Major tangling and MAJOR frustration and embarrassment. If you want to start with synthetic, yes, go to a wig salon. They can take darts in the piece to make it fit your head, and THIN the hair to look more natural if need be. Also have wispies cut around the face. If you go with a custom suction piece (Freedom) you must keep your head shaved for a good fit. Actually, I would suggest if you are going to wear a wig of any sort, keep your head shaved. ( Unless of course all your hair grows back.. but that never happened to me. I lost all my hair at age 3.) Is price an issue? I spent about $5,000 for a custom human hair piece in 1999 but it changed my life as the hair was REAL. It moved and swished and I could walk in the wind and I had ROOTS (or the appearance of roots) NO tangling (FINALLY!!!) For the first time, I stopped worrying about my wig coming off. WOW! Airplanes, restaurants, movie theaters. I sat anywhere. And I touch my hair. play with it. put clips in it. I did the same thing with my synthetic pieces. I have cried my eyes out over bad pieces. tangling. spent thousands of dollars. I wish I had ONE answer for you, but I don't know your needs well enough. Hope something here will be helpful to you.

Permalink Reply by Daria on February 9, 2013 at 5:36pm

Personally I prefer human hair because synthetic is itchy to me and I just don't like the quality. However, as you will soon find out....human hair ain't cheap!!! Just this past year, I found THE BEST wigs for the BEST PRICE. I am not kidding you. I was just playing around online and found this site called Fortune Wigs. They have a couple of salons in the New York city area....I'm in Delaware and considered making the road trip, but then I saw they have a return policy, which a lot of site don't. so I figured "what do I have to lose?" and ordered one online. I cannot tell you how pleased I am with it. It's soft silky hair, great quality, comfortable to wear, doesn't slip and no one knows it's a wig unless I tell them. The only thing I had to do was trim the bangs. I would check this site out...much much cheaper than retail wig salons, I assure you. It's Fortune Wigs and you want to look at the Comfort line -- that's for medical hair loss. Good luck!!!

Permalink Reply by Sue on February 20, 2013 at 5:12pm

Hi, Daria can I ask which brand of wig you got from fortune wig; I looked at all of them some were still expensive. I live in Toronto Canada and I bought 3 wigs for the past 6 years one from Gabi's and 2 other from Continental Hair and I wasn't happy with none of them. This time I tried to do some research and I found this website, which is so helpful.

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