One of the most difficult aspects of a Breast Cancer diagnosis is the prospect of losing your hair and because its cosmetic we sometimes carry a huge amount of guilt for being so upset about this. When I was told I had to have chemo I was devastated. I knew this meant I was going to lose my hair. It was such a huge part of my identity I didn’t want to be stripped bare by cancer however I didn’t have a choice in the matter. I did take control of the situation and got my head shaved. It wasn’t a difficult decision as even the thoughts of clumps of my hair falling out had me traumatised. On reflection, this was a time in my life where I was very vulnerable, so who I chose to be a part of this process was a very important decision.
Recently I was invited to visit Bellissimo Salon based in Galway to take a tour of their wig salon. When I walked into the salon my eyes were drawn to the Wig showroom, there were lots of gorgeous styles of wigs to choose from. The first thing I noticed were the numerous certificates on display showing the level of knowledge and training the staff have in this area.
I was then brought to the private consultation room. I had a chat with Linda who is one of their wig experts. I could tell she is so in tune with the emotions felt by ladies at this very difficult time in their lives. In my opinion it’s down to the fact she genuinely cares about her clients. She wants to help raise ladies back up from the low they feel after loosing their hair and wants them to feel the best they possibly can during the time they need a wig. All the staff who are in the Wig Salon are highly experienced in this area and will guide you in the right direction in choosing a wig that will suit you and I’m sure they will make this process a little easier on you. I would have no hesitation pointing you ladies in Bellissimo’s direction as I know you will be in good hands.
While there I decided that I absolutely had to try on a few of the wigs, with over 50 styles to choose from I was spoiled for choice. There are three hair types available Synthetic, Real Hair and Flexi Follicle (a synthetic hair which can be styled with Heat). I was absolutely blown away with the quality of the wigs, they were so good I found it difficult to figure out which ones were synthetic and which were real hair. When I bought my wig, I opted for a synthetic hair just because it was low maintenance but it’s down to person choice.
I know there are so many of you ladies who are not based in Dublin, why should you not have access to fabulous wigs. With branches in Limerick and Galway, Bellissimo provide an excellent service, with a huge range of wigs to suit all ages and budgets. Bellissimo deal with all aspects of hair loss they offer home care and hospital care services. They are HSE approved so if you are a Medical Card holder you will be entitled to an allowance towards your wig. Please talk to the Wig Experts in Bellissimo and they will help you with this.
During treatment, there were times when I just couldn’t wear my wig as it would make my head feel hot and itchy. I found it really hard to find nice hats that wouldn’t irritate me. I ended up having one hat which I wore all the time. In Bellissimo they stock a lovely range of hats, they are made from a lightweight material so they will cover your head but not overheat it, I wish I could have found them while I was going through treatment as they were exactly what I was looking for. They stock a beautiful range of head scarfs also.
While I was there as I looked around something struck me, this salon is huge but very discreet for ladies who are going to buy a wig, if you were feeling self-conscious about this no one would ever know you were going in to buy a wig as this salon offers a full range of hair and beauty services. I also thought it’s a good opportunity for you to build a relationship with a salon for your post treatment beauty needs, as from personal experience when treatment ends or you’ve had your surgery and you need to get your waxing or tan done it can be daunting choosing a salon. I myself felt very self-conscious of my body post-surgery. I was really embarrassed the first time I got a spray tan, so to have a salon with staff who are so accustomed to cancer patients coming and going in the salon made me feel that they would be so understanding to the needs and feelings of these clients who may be self-conscious after surgery and treatment, its little things like this that makes our Breast Cancer journey easier.
So for those of you who are about to take the steps towards getting a wig, here are the details for Bellissimo Salon http://bellissimo.ie/galway/product-category/wigs/
#breastcancer #wigs #chemo #ad #spon
