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Permalink Reply by Rose Marie' on May 9, 2014 at 5:43pm

Hi Sophie

As you live in New Zealand I really think you have a lot of options, not the least of them being a Freedom Wig...which is made in New Zealand.  I'll pop a picture up of my daughter wearing her Freedom wig.  She has had alopecia for the last 11 years and this has been her wig of choice.  

I personally help people in New Zealand with this type of wig and would be happy to pass on any information to help with your decision around which wig type would really suit you the best.

From my point of view the Freedom Vacuum wig is an extremely good alternative for those needing help with long term extensive hairloss.  They are not for everyone but for most who wear them the decision to try this type of wig has often been a very liberating choice.  I would think a freedom wig is one of very few wigs that you can swim in.  You do not use tapes or glue to keep it secure.  They are a very technologically advanced wig where fitting is done by using a medical scanner to achieve an accurate fit, which keeps a Freedom Wig secure.  The cap is made with medical grade silicone to keep you comfortable.  They are a very very realistic looking hairpiece which gives you the option to wear your hair in ponytails etc.  Truly something worth investigating. 

I see you are talking about human hair wigs and most people when they first begin looking for wigs do not understand that human hair has different qualities depending on what has been done to it (whether it has been processed or not). 

If hair has been processed it can have some inherent qualities which many wig wearers are disappointed with.  One of the good things about processed human hair is that it is often of reasonable price, but in some cases it is sold with varying names which tend to confuse the buyer 'European hair' - 'remy/remi hair' etc.  Often this type of hair is coated with silicone to make it look like (100% virgin human hair), but sadly that coating washes off and tangling and dullness are often the result. 

Freedom Wigs only use the other type of Human hair - which is 100% unprocessed virgin human hair.  This hair has as much variety and limitations as the populations of the world.  It is beautiful and durable.  I personally don't feel there is anything to match it...humans do a great job of growing beautiful hair (thousands of years of practice lol). The downside to this hair is it is not cheap, but it is durable and if looked after can last many many years. 

In New Zealand you have a subsidy that is available to you as well.  Be thoughtful as to what you want to do with that subsidy.  It is your money to use as you wish and in most cases it will pay for a very good quality wig. 

Here are a few photo's of my daughter in a couple of her Freedom Wigs.  

Hope this helps and good luck with your investigations. 

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Permalink Reply by SophieG on May 9, 2014 at 6:22pm

Hi Rose Marie

Thank you so much for resulting. About 7 years ago I got a wig from the wig lady in wellington and it had to be cut into a style. Unfortunately the hair dresser did a really bad cut on it and I was so upset I never wore it and tried to cope as best as I can. Because I have Alopecia areata and the patches are quite big now can you still wear a freedom hair wig? I'm looking at either cutting what's left of my hair really short of shave it off completely. I know I only have $470.22 left of the grant and it w point renew till 2016. The freedom hair looks amazing. If you don't mind me asking how much are they? I'm just at the stage where I'm sick of trying to cover up the huge patches and can't wait to finally have some nice luxurious hair! I told people at my work my intentions this week and they have been amazingly supportive. I've been able to hide my Alopecia all this time but now it's getting hard to do!

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Permalink Reply by Rose Marie' on May 10, 2014 at 3:08pm

Hello Sophie

If you feel this type of wig would be helpful I think it may be sensible for me to give you a call, or I can call you - whatever makes you comfortable.  I feel like a bit of an advert on here at the moment and I just don't want to go any further in an open forum.  It's a balance for me to answer inquiries with my personal truth while keeping within the boundaries of this forum. 

Pricing has a few variables to discuss to get the appropriate pricing for what you may want and as this is an international site pricing is different from country to country depending on each countries exchange rate. We don't list our pricing because of these variations. 

The Freedom Wig is particular made for those who have no hair or are willing to take away the hair they have. (You sound like you are ready to do this?). So, yes a Freedom wig will be a good option for you.

What CAH has written is great as well.  I talked to my daughter about swapping her wig out for a different type of wig to swim.  Her answer was an honest one, she said

'Mum, this is my hair I want to do life in my hair....that means swimming when I want to.'

 But you very much can get a cheaper option with 'Hats with hair' (talk to Aimee here) is a very good option for swimming if you feel you don't want to wear your freedom wig.

I'll message you with my phone number.

Rosy

 

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Permalink Reply by CAH on May 10, 2014 at 3:19am

Hi Sophie,

The Freedom wig sure looks beautiful and obviously worth the money if you can afford it.  My daughter wears a Follea which is very natural looking and gorgeous but expensive.  We've just ordered a wig from China for her to use at the beach this summer, I don't want her using her expensive Follea.  Anyway, it just arrived a few days ago and it is fantastic.  It cost approximately $500 and it was custom made.  The details we gave were:

1.  Jewish style wig (means glueless);

2.  Fully hand-tied with silk top;

3.  Length (whatever you want);

4.  Cap size (s, m, l or send your own measurements);

5.  Cap colour mesh or ensure you indicate if you are caucasian so the cap colour matches your normal scalp colour;

6.  Light layer, straight, curly, no layer (whatever you prefer);

7.  Hair type - we chose European hair, virgin, unprocessed.  I do believe they processed the hair to get the exact colour so I think they're confused with this meaning, however the hair is incredibly soft and natural looking;

8.  Density - this is very important.  We always choose 100% density so it's not too thick and fake looking.  It's perfect for my daughter but you may want to go a bit heavier.  I believe the norm for the factories is around 130%, you can always get it thinned at a salon and styled the way you want it.

We've been ordering wigs direct from the factories for a year now trying to find the perfect one because we can't afford to keep my daughter in Follea wigs forever and I have to say this factory is pretty darn close!  I'm not sure if I'm allowed to post the website but I will, sorry if I've done something wrong.

www.MagicMadam.com

wendy@magicmadam.com

Let me know if you want me to post some pictures of the wig.

My daughter also lost her eyelashes and eyebrow on one side and we used a product called Lashipix which worked great.  We ordered it on-line direct from their website.  Her eyebrow and lashes came back within 2-3 months of using the product.  She now uses it a few times a week just for maintenance or if another spot crops up.  I'm tempted to pour it all over her head and see what happens!  lol

Hope this helps in some small way.  We are all on such an emotional journey with this condition, and I feel we should reach out and help each other as much as we can.

Good luck and happy wig shopping.

x

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Permalink Reply by Rose Marie' on May 10, 2014 at 3:46pm

Hi Cah

For me and my daughter the Freedom Wig has been a good option and even though it is not the cheapest option for us it has been totally cost effective. Freedom Wigs when looked after well will last for many years. The hair and cap are durable and you are able to achieve a very good longevity with them. For us they have been a choice which has saved us money. 

I have a slightly different understanding of some of your options and I want to pop them down so you can check them out.

1. Jewish style cap - is not a glueless cap. (From my understanding - check this out again as I don't want you or your daughter to be disappointed)  It is a traditional cap, that would still require tape or tying on tight for security. A Jewish style cap indicates that this may be a sheitel (a wig worn by Jewish ladies for religious purposes).

2. Silk top means that the knots are between two layers of fabric and the hair implantation usually looks reasonable realistic.

There are a couple of things to be weary of here and maybe to check out??

As I said in my original post to Sophie.  Human hair is sold in two ways 'processed' or 'unprocessed'.  Both are extremely different products with different outcomes for the wearer.  I continue to feel upset when I read European hair, virgin unprocessed, then in the next sentence the comment that it has been processed a little (What does that mean? I know if the hair has been lightened there is no light processing done...harsh chemicals have to be used to lighten hair). The hair may be soft it also may be coated with silicone...so be thoughtful around this. 'Processed' hair should be a reasonable price as it keeps manufacturing costs to a minimum. Which this sounds as if it is $500.00 is reasonably priced for this type of hair. Processed hair can be a very good option for short term, but long term it often has some issues which should be explained to the wearer.

Good luck with everything.

Rosy

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Permalink Reply by Capelli di Speranza on May 13, 2014 at 10:22pm

 Look up www.hairofhope.com beautiful most natural base you ever find... 

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