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Need wig but still have some hair...help?
I bought my first hair piece a month ago and I really like it, it looks great and is currently hiding everything, However, as the shedding continues (and continues...) I am feeling as though this will not hide things much longer. And on top of that I love the look but wear my hair down with the hair piece (just a top piece that blends in) and then I have to constantly feel the shedding (ACK!).
So...is it possible to wear a wig and pin up the hair I currently have? I use combs to keep in the hair piece but it does not always feel secure as the hair is so thin up there now.
Does anyone have hair underneath but wear a wig? Does it damage your hair? ANd what kind of wig can you wear? I hear a lot about freedom and vacuum wigs but understand they work when there is nothing under there. What are my best options?
Also, I work out most days and am wondering are there wigs you can easily put in ponytails and then take the ponytail out? It is hard to wear a ponytail with this hair piece...
Thanks all, this site is incredibly helpful...
Deirdre
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by ChrisM on
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Hi Deirdre
Much like you I have recently started wearing a wig for the same reasons you describe. I still have hair underneath and there are not special wigs that you buy to accommodate hair. It may be that your wig might need to be slightly bigger depending on how much hair you have. You will need to wear a cap underneath to hold your hair in place.
Vacuum devices need you to be hairless. This is the system I am going for for the many reasons that suit my lifestyle. I will have to shave off what hair I have, but hey what use is it at the moment if it is unwearable. If it chooses to grow back, it will at least be all the same length
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Permalink Reply by Jennifer Krahn on
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Hi Deirdre,
I totally get the dilemma. You can wear full wigs on top of your current hair but will likely need double sided tape to keep it in place. What I did when I was in the losing stage, is I got a shorter haircut (inverted bob...and it was quite cute) and then wore my hairpiece on top. It took away some of the bulk of my long hair (which was coming out) and was cooler under the hairpiece. This solution worked well for me. Unfortunately I eventually lost all of my hair and did eventually move to a Freedom hairpiece which has been a life saver.
I would never recommend shaving off the remainder of your hair until you are absolutely ready. This is a big step. I will tell you though that once I finally did get the courage to shave it off...there was a sense of finality to the loss stage coupled with some sadness and relief.
As for working out...this can be done too in a wig. For ponytails, a low ponytail is usually the best choice for a conventional hairpiece as I found the weight of the ponytail often wanted to pull the wig backwards. If you add a material headband around the perimeter of the hairpiece you may be able to get the pony higher and it is great for helping to mask the hairline of the wig. I have done this for playing volleyball, running and outdoor sports and it seemed to work. I hope this helps!
Warm Wishes to you...
Jenn
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Permalink Reply by Alliegator on
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Hi,
It is definitely possible to wear a wig over your hair. Wear a mesh wig cap over your hair then put the wig on top of that. I wore it like that for a good amount of time. It will not damage your hair. From what I understand, freedom wigs require you to be bald.For working out... you could wear hats or scarves. Or... there is a great website that offers pony tails that can be worn under baseball hats. Here is the website: http://www.hatswithhair.com/
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Permalink Reply by dcwalsh on
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Thanks everyone, that helps a lot. All of you who are shaving are so brave! I am not quite there yet but who knows...this summer it could happen. :) It sounds like (with my few moments of research time I am finding) that full lace wigs look pretty natural - is that right? And it sounds like no matter what it will be crazy hot to wear a wig but still probably the best choice for out and about (for me). And if I plan to color the wig is it best to find virgin hair, will that make it look better/last longer or does it not matter too much? My hair stylist managed to match my color exactly, and it is not easy with red hair so I am hoping to color any piece so I still feel like me.
Am I missing anything? Can you sleep in these if you want?
Thanks for answering questions that I am sure have been answered so many times, I keep reading old posts trying to make sense of it all. I am trying the DNCB treatmnt that Dr. Strick does which makes me optimistic but does lead to a slightly itchy scalp. It's only been a few weeks though how I will see how it all goes....
Thanks so much...
Deirdre
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Hi Deidre
I don't know a lot about the wig option you are possibly going to try (Lace fronts), but I do understand about hair and the types of hair used in wigs.
There really are only two types of hair (in my mind at least). Processed or unprocessed hair.
Processed hair is often coloured to match the colour hair the customer wants. This has varying life expectancy as it can often be a very harsh process (especially if the hair was originally black and is then coloured to blonde). This type of hair will often be coated to make it look shiney and move naturally, but once the coating washes off you can have issues with tangling and unnatural dullness. It is a cost effective alternative and if used in a hairpiece the hairpiece is usually a very reasonable price. Life expectancy would depend on your aethetic needs (many don't mind the look that processed hair has and depending on your colour choice it can work well for many).
100% unprocessed virgin human hair, has very different characteristics. It looks and behaves like your own growing hair and it will come in as many colours and curl preferences as the people of the world have. There are limitations around certain colours and curl preferences as there are no 'People Farms' so what is available would equate to who is willing to sell or cut their hair. This hair is beautiful and natural looking. It is also expensive. In my experience it is long lasting and worth the money paid. My daughter only wears this type of hair as the company we deal with only uses this type of hair (Freedom Wigs). I understand that Freedom is NOT where you would like to go at the moment. :)
I noticed you said you had red ... as you already have guessed this is one of the hardest hair colours to source, but in saying that it is not impossible and many people are helped who require red hair.
The choice on hair type is yours but really think about your own needs and what you really want.
Take care
Rosy
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:) Yes, full lace wigs do look natural. They also have lace front wigs, and I think those look just as natural. I will actually be getting a new synthetic one of those in the mail soon by Gabor. From what I have heard, full lace wigs require some type of adhesive. However, with front lace wigs, a lot of the brands have been coming out with a new type that does not require any adhesive. The one that I am getting tomorrow is one of those types.
In regards to red hair... I think some of the brands of synthetic wigs have some fabulous red colors available. My favorite is called Irish Spice. This is the link to a post on my blog where I show pictures of some of my wigs. http://lifeasabaldgirl.wordpress.com/2012/05/09/my-wigs/# I have a few on there in red, and I need to add pictures of my other ones that are red.
With sleeping... I wouldn't recommend it, but there are people that sleep in them. Perhaps you could purchase two, one for wearing out, and one for sleeping only.
Good luck!
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Permalink Reply by Erika on
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I do not know if you have tried this yet but I found recently saw that some places are now doing headband wigs! I do not remember where I saw this out though! Good luck with finding a great wig!
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I know I've seen a headband wig on headcovers.com. I've thought about it for myself. Looks like a very easy option.
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Thanks all for the advice! I have been trying to figure it all out for a while now and finally found a local wig store that I really liked today and bought something!! It is HH but was a good price (clearly not virgin or anything!) and my exact color. I wore it out for the first time and it felt so scary. But nothing happened! No sky falling down. No one looked at me strangely though have not seen any good friends in it yet. I am hoping they believe me when I say I got some extensions since my hair is a tad longer now....
Anyway thanks a bunch, such good information and the way everyone jumped in with ideas made me feel not alone! Now hopefully this is a good wig...:)
Deirdre
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Permalink Reply by BMG on
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Hello, It seems I am in the exact same dilemna as you. I started losing my hair noticeably about 7 months ago. It has been a slow agonizing process. Sometimes I wish it would all just come out already. But on the other had i am hanging on to what I have left. My top piece isn't working anymore so I opted for the human hair Jon renau Angie Smaart Lace Wig. I like it so far and it was a whopping $1200 instead of $2600 for European virgin hair. Funny that $1200 seemed like a bargain.
I just told myself that my hair was never as nice as the European wig anyway. It is a bit tricky trying to keep it on with hair underneath. My stylist who is absolutley wonderful sewed clips in for me but they hurt like ##*. It always feels as though it is going to pop right off. I keep experimenting with different hair clips.
Funny you said about the extensions because that is what i told everyone at work. They just looked at me like "Hmmm something looks a little different but nothing drastic." like you I was waiting for the sky to fall in, but for the most part no one really noticed. I said I put some highlights in and people thought oh that's what it is. I just wish i could get it to be secure.
I have ordered a synthetic "Stevie" wig for sleeping because I have not embraced my baldness and hate walking around without hair. if I lose everything i think i will definitely get a Freedom Wig - that seems to suit my active lifestyle. Anyone know what the cost is about?
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If you lose or have lost a considerable amount of hair you can still wear a freedom wig. I have shaved what remaining hair I have off in order to be fitted for a freedom wig
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Hi DCwalsh
I'm so pleased you have found something that is making you feel comfortable with things. The hair extension explanation is one that my daughter has used as well. When she was 14 years old we decided that long hair was going to work better for her, so over a two week holiday period she changed from her 10 inch hair to 14 inches. At that time she wasn't as comfortable about changes in lengths colours etc.as she is now, the explanation worked and gave her time to adjust to the change herself.
Rosy
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