Comment by LeslieAnn Butler on March 25, 2016 at 3:59pm

Yes, there is a tiny bit of tease, but not overly. Just enough to hide the wefting. I have other wigs that are mono tops and some that are completely hand-tied lace and they are beautiful, but this is fun and inexpensive and I don't have to worry about the rain since it is wash and wear!

Comment by LeslieAnn Butler on March 25, 2016 at 4:00pm

I don't know about "Haley." I am wearing Sheridan right now and it is very comfy!

Comment by Dianna 845 on March 26, 2016 at 10:17pm

Hi Leslie, so you have been dealing with this a while?? Do you have any tips on how I reach acceptance? This was a sudden occurance. Rapid decent into almost no hair. It continues to shed. I have it mostly shaved with exception of the top. Thus far that is. I didn't have the gumption to shave it yet. How many wigs do you own? Hope you don't mind me asking. Do you have another perspective? I know you wrote a book. Someday I'll read it. I have been in a wig since January. I find to go to Ulta and try on foundation challenging. The wig I'm wearing now is shoulder length. Too long for warm weather. Anyhow my self esteem has taken a huge hit. I am neglecting myself. Something I am not accustomed to. At times I feel like I'm heading for a breakdown. However I see plenty of smiling faces on here. I'm buying my wigs on line. The local store which isn't local is all permatease wigs. I was waiting for a sale. However I'm gonna have to proceed as sale hasn't been offered. It's a envy brand wig. Might you know if " envy" line is comfortable? I find Amore to be comfy. The best so far. I'm truly scared about summer. Do you have any issues in summer? I know many questions.... I appreciate your thoughtful comments. I need to get happy again. Wow I've aged 20 years in one. Can't wait to be happy again. Hope it comes. As I'm aging along with hair loss it's hard for me to look at myself.

Comment by LeslieAnn Butler on March 27, 2016 at 4:24pm

I understand all your confusion, fear and apprehension! While I was writing the book (If Your Hair Falls Out, Keep Dancing!), I interviewed a number of women, various ages, from many walks of life. You are not alone in your feelings. I would suggest reading it -- many women have been helped, with both the emotional and how-to advice. There are new medical breakthroughs that are not in the book, but those are found easily on this site.

Anyway, to answer a couple of your questions, I have had alopecia universalis for about 40 years. There are a number of tips on how to reach acceptance in the book. For me, I had been working in a wig store before I lost my hair, and at that time wigs and falls were very stylish, so it wasn't as hard for me to increase my wig wearing.

The hardest part was losing my eyelashes but I have false ones that I wear now.

I have five European hair custom made lace wigs which I wear when I don't have to worry about weather because they lose their style in rain/dampness, and styling costs $45 each time. (I have a section in the book on how to wash and style your own human hair wig, but sometimes I don't have the time.) I have about 8 synthetic wigs, some in the long style you see me in most, and some in shorter styles. I am finding some of the shorter styles, as I mentioned before, a lot of fun! And I don't care if people get confused with different lengths and looks because a lot of women with their own hair can go from short to long with extensions, and do different things with colors all the time.

I have one Envy wig, that is Petite Page (my head is small). I like it quite a bit and it's a cute style, but it didn't have enough hair so I had to add wefts from old wigs. Yes, Amore is comfy but I find that most of their wigs don't come with enough hair and I always have to add more. For shorter styles I am liking the Paula Young brand " Chase" and as I said, Sheridan, and Shannon which are both rooted. None of these quite touch the shoulder. I sleep in a very short PY style called "Meg."

And a hint that's not in my book: If you are blonde, you can darken the roots of any wig using a permanent marker in dark brown. It won't actually be a dark brown, but it changes the roots to dark blonde which looks more natural.

In the summer, yes, wigs can be hot. It helps to wear a wefted wig which has air flow. And synthetics which can be easily washed and dry in hours, unlike human hair. 

Does that help?

Hugs!

Comment by Dianna 845 on March 27, 2016 at 6:15pm

Hi Leslie! Yes, it does help... Where can I get your book? Amazon? So synthetics are ok for summer. That's what I have. Yes I was a blonde. Now kinda grey/ white. Gonna have to shave what's left. I guess I should be thankful I still have eyebrows and eyebrows. I find I'm not wearing make up as I always did prior to this. It seems my skin has become impossibly dry. Washing it off is a drag as my bird hair gets all wet. I feel I look much older however feed back from family and friends is different. Funny I had a couple cheap synthetic wigs I would wear for fun or when weather real cold and I was growing my hair out. Then I lost my hair few years later. I couldn't wear those anymore. So i suppose your custom wigs are undetectable? I live near Philadelphia. Don't know what we have around here. These are a costly adventure. Ugh. Just wish I could actually " love one" maybe some day.

Comment by LeslieAnn Butler on March 27, 2016 at 6:40pm

Yes, custom wigs are costly! If you ever want to invest in one, though, I have someone to recommend that is less costly (about $3K). She works with women all over the country. You may have to come here to Portland for a fitting, though. They are not the "Freedom" wigs, but they still stay on since they are fitted to your head. Yes, custom wigs are very natural-looking, but of course nothing is COMPLETELY undetectable. Also, the virgin European hair wigs last nearly forever if you take good care of them. I still have one that was made in 2003 that looks fabulous. BTW, I know you can get human hair wigs that cost much less than that, but they are generally Asian or Indian hair. They are treated, and the blonde colors are bleached within an inch of their lives, so they won't last very long.

As far as synthetics go, they have come a long way! They still wear out in about 4 months if you wear them every day, but if you get syn wigs in the $80-120 range the cost savings vs. custom European hair is significant. And if you think you will get your own hair back at some point, you may not want to make an investment in a $3500 - 5000 wig.

You can find my book here (let me know how you like it!): 

• If Your Hair Falls Out, Keep Dancing by Butler, LeslieAnn ...

  www.amazon.com/Falls-Dancing-Butler-LeslieAnn-Paperback/dp/B00ZLVBY26

  If Your Hair Falls Out, Keep Dancing by Butler, LeslieAnn (2008) Paperback [LeslieAnn Butler] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. 

Comment by Dianna 845 on March 27, 2016 at 8:41pm

Hi LeslieAnn, yes I have found out the hard way about HH wig. What a waste of $. The wig lady was unable to style it. It does look fried. What a shame. It's not even paid for. These costs should be covered under medical I feel. All the $ spent is ludicrous. Anyhow. I'm not in a position to invest that kind of $. Wish I had endless supply. Is your person on here? Someone had contacted me saying they went to China. I have no idea. :-)))

Comment by Dianna 845 on March 27, 2016 at 9:03pm

Im paying way more than that for my synthetic wigs. I just bought one on line for $216. I'm not even feeling that great in it. I tried it on in a shop. The lady just happened to have it. I of course wasn't able to detect comfort of it.

Comment by LeslieAnn Butler on March 27, 2016 at 9:05pm

Her name is Brenda Kay. She is here: http://www.alopeciaworld.com/profile/BrendaKay273. I don't know how often she checks AW, though.  Her email is: bkhspecialties@qwestoffice.net.

Comment by LeslieAnn Butler on March 27, 2016 at 9:06pm

That is a big fat bummer about your icky HH wig!

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