It just blew in from the Windy City...

Back in December when my oncologist told me that my hair would probably not grow back any more than it is now, Rich immediately sprung to action. He made a few phone calls and, through a friend of a friend, found a wig salon in Chicago that specialized in custom made wigs. Since my baldness doesn't seem to be just a temporary condition anymore, he wanted me to get a really good wig, customized to fit my head exactly, at whatever cost (well, he probably would have drawn the line somewhere).

I was able to check out the website of the salon, and was amazed at the video they had which showed models wearing their wigs...they looked so real! You could even see their "scalps". The bio of the owner, Brian, said that he had become bald at the age of 14, and so was at first self-taught in the wearing of hairpieces, and then went on to school to learn more about the world of hairpieces and wigs...fitting, cutting and customizing. So he not only talked the talk, but also walked the walk. And he was especially dedicated to helping cancer patients who had lost their hair from chemo. He sounded like just the person for me.

As it happened, Rich was going to be in Chicago on business in early January and I already was planning on joining him, so I contacted Brian's salon and made an appointment to see him. His partner, Jeff, answered the phone and, after hearing my story, asked me to send them a picture of myself before I lost my hair so that they would have an idea of what look I was wanting to recapture with a wig. (I sent them a picture of me as a redhead, of course!) As we're chatting away, he asked me which hotel we were staying at, and when I told him, he said that it was within a few blocks of the salon, and very chic and hip. He then advised me to wear black and leave my "Michigan clothes", i.e. fleece, at home, so that I would fit in! Evidently, his memories of visiting Holland and Douglas are of people wearing fleece, even though it's summer when they visit. I laughed, and promised not to wear any fleece, while actually thinking that maybe I would wear it to my appointment, just to spite him!

Like the dutiful person I am, I wore black to my appointment instead of fleece, but I would have anyway...it's Chicago, afterall. Plus, it's just easier to pack. Jeff acted as if we were old friends when Rich and I arrived and took us back to a private room where we met with Brian. They both were impressed with my Holland wig and thought it looked very natural and real on me, which made me feel good. But I still wanted to try on one of their custom made wigs, to compare it with my own "off the rack" wig.

The first wig they had me try on was dark blonde and shoulder length...not exactly the short red head look I was expecting. I tried it on for them and it looked horrible! I told Brian that this was not the look I was wanting. So he went out of the room and then came back with a short, dark brown colored wig which he placed on my head. Whoa...I looked like a vision of my mom with her full head of hair! It was kind of curly, too, but still wasn't the look I was wanting. I was beginning to wonder if they had even looked at the photo I had sent them before my appointment.

And then Brian showed me the magic of steam. Using a clothes steamer, he showed me how to straighten the hair of a wig, or curl it. When I asked about steam melting the hair (these are still synthetic hair wigs), he said that steam is a wig's best friend...you can create all kinds of styles with steam. It's dry heat, such as ovens, that melts wig hair. So, in minutes, the wig went from curly to straight and looked much better. But it was still too much hair for me, and the fit wasn't quite right, so Brian took if off of me and left the room again to do some more magic to it, this time with needle and thread. When he came back, he put it on me again and it fit like a glove. After running my fingers through it (it felt almost like real hair, unlike my other wig) and playing with it myself, I decided that this was the wig for me...let the cutting and styling begin. (He isn't able to keep a large inventory of wigs in the salon due to space, so only has certain "stock" wigs to try on that can be customized to whatever you want.)

The scary thing about having a wig cut and styled, is that it doesn't grow back like real hair does if it gets cut too short. So it was hard for me to see the scissors darting in and out and hair falling to the floor. At one point I thought he had cut too much from one of the front sides, but then Brian explained that these wigs are made with all individually hand tied hairs, and that he had someone who would add hair back if I wanted, as well as add the red and gold highlights that I had decided it needed. Amazing. So, once the styling was completed, I left the wig with Brian to send out for highlights and additional hair.

It was two weeks before my new wig arrived, but it was worth the wait. The highlights are perfect and add just the right amount of redness and gold to it, and the fullness it has is something I always wished my own hair had had. But the best part is how well it fits and how good it feels on...I can almost forget there's a wig on my head. There's no slipping or sliding on my head anymore and no wig liners to have to wear underneath as with my other wig. This wig came with it's own anti-slip strips sewn into the front and the back of it, which keeps it secure on my head without any added bulk. It makes me wonder why all wigs don't have this sewn into them...it seems so simple.

I'm fooling a lot of people now and feeling good about how I look with my new wig, as I wear it all the time. It feels secure on my head and I can even wear hats or headbands with it...I just have to remember to hold on to my bangs before taking them off ,or everything comes off! But even though it does feel like it's a part of me now, I'll still be doing what Brian calls "the wig walk" and keep my head lowered on windy days...it's still a wig, afterall!