Did you see the World Athletics CHAMPIONSHIPS? Wasn’t it fantastic!
Seeing that reminded me of a question that I was asked recently –
‘Has wearing a wig ever stopped you doing anything?’
The short answer is yes it has, but only because I’ve let it stop me. As I’ve got older I’ve learned a few tricks to take away the concerns that stopped me doing more in the past, so I thought I’d share them here . . .
The issues that arise for those of us who wear wigs probably boil down to:
• Head getting very hot and sweat running into your eyes (lack of brows and lashes make this worse)
• Worrying about your wig falling off due to rapid motion, wind or being wet
• Wearing helmets – what if my wig is dislodged when I take the helmet off?
I’ve worried about all of those in connection
with different sports or activities.
Swimming – What if the water lifts my wig away from my head? Will I be able to dive in? What if when the fibre is soaking wet the wig base shows through?
Going to the gym or running – my head gets very sweaty. Will it start to become obvious that I’ve got sweat running down my face, coming from under my wig?
Being on the deck of a ferry, on a fairground/theme park ride, trampolining, or out walking on a windy day – what if my wig gets blown off?
As I said, I used to allow these concerns to stop me doing things. Now I’m a bit older and wiser (and with respect to certain things, give less of a damn) I think I’ve come up with some work arounds. So here are some suggestions for you, and do let me know in the comments what you’ve tried and how well it works!
Sweaty head problems: I haven’t tried this as I generally just put up with it, but I’d have thought a bamboo wig cap would help here. The other options include a sweat band on your forehead (very Jane Fonda!) and of course choosing to not wear a wig when working out – perhaps a scarf or turban instead would fit the bill if you don’t want to bald it?
Wig slipping or falling off: Two words – wig tape! If you don’t have silicon strips inside your wig, buy some and sew them in. Then get some nice strong wig tape and stick those silicon strips to your head, and believe me you will be confident that it’s not going to budge! I absolutely love wig tape, I feel confident swimming, going on rides, wearing helmets and all the rest if my wig is well taped on. You can even use certain types of tape and glue directly on a mono top or lace front, where you wouldn’t be able to sew in a silicon strip. That’s a bit more specialist though, so seek advice before you pick your adhesive.
With respect to swimming, you could of course leave your wig off and just wear a swimming cap. Nobody is likely to look closely enough to realise that you don’t have hair underneath. A tightly fitting pair of goggles will also help either way – over a swimming cap they will draw the eye away from how smoothly the cap fits your head, and over a wig they will help keep it firmly in place. As far as the wig base showing goes, I think it’s probably less of an issue with fully hand tied bases. That said, shorter wefted wigs will have some permatease and so you’re unlikely to find the wefts showing through, and the only ones which might have an issue are longer straight styles with a wefted base. In those instances I’d advise tying it back in a low ponytail which will reduce movement of the fibre at the back and stop any wefts from showing.
I hope these thoughts help? None of this is revelatory but we all worry about different things, and we all come up with different ideas to mitigate those worries. That’s why this site is so great – it gives us an opportunity to share tips and ideas. So please do add your own thoughts in the comments below!
Love
Lizzie
xx
Hello, this is more of a question than a comment. My niece has Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia and has is almost completely bald on the top and sides of her head. She thinks she as to give up riding motor cycles as she thinks that her tight fitting helmet would pull of her wig when she took the helmet off. Anyone know any different?
TIA
If I’m worried about my wig coming off in windy weather I wear a peak cap on top that as elastic at the back for a snug fit. It also keeps your wig from getting tangled. They can look very trendy if you get a baker boy style cap now we have the seventies fashions back.
I recently had to go into hospital to have surgery under a general anaesthetic. I expressed my concern to the nurse who I saw at my pre-op assessment and she reassured me that in hospital they see a lot worse than my severe hair loss, especially with cancer patients. I decided that I would leave my wig off for surgery and as soon as I was able, probably next morning, I would put my wig on for the day when I could have had visitors. At night, off it came again and even for my surgeons visit, early in the morning, I went wigless. I resigned myself that even if anyone did notice my change in appearance, it would be a woman’s vanity thing. No one said anything for the 6 days I was an in patient and I relaxed for the first time about being seen without my wig. Please take encouragement from my comments, you will get through it. After all the staff are strangers to you. Good luck with your operation.
Speak to your consultant as I have had two pretty big ops one quite recently and wearing my wig in theatre was not a problem. Good luck.
thanks Lizzie…a good piece
whilst i am a trans woman , i believe my experiences in these instances are relevant
i suffer male patten baldness and so presenting as a woman necessitates wearing a wig
i also had a vepry regular gym and swim habit ! and therefore had exactly the dilemmas youhave described …as well as a few others which dont matte here
wig and gym …..absolutely wig tape !!! i use some ” mini” strips along the front of my wig and they stand up to the sweat and movement from gym activity ( eg cross trainer and treadmill running ) but for additional safety and to help with thesweat problem , i also use a headband designed for women in australia ( see amazon !!)! which is both light , pretty and covers the front border of my wig / forehead and soaks up most of the sweat
( sounds grim but it really does work and just looks a bit damp…like everone else in the gym really !!)
wig and swim ….i leave the mini tapes and headbad on ….and they hold my wig perfectly in place ( even ducking underwater underthe lane dividers inthe pool and the pool showers ) . i was worried at first about my hair looking a mess …but really it just ” clumps” a bit …surprisingly like everyone elses when i look closely enough
so that has enabled me to maimtain my fitness regime ( i should mention that i also useThe same methods for outdoor road running where the ” bounce ” is greater but its worked without incident
so …i agree with you…it lcan be done
I have thinning hair and wear a Trendco human hair wig. I use thin strip frontals wig tape – a slightly contoured tape less than a centimetre wide – which I attach on the front plastic strip of my wig. I don’t wear a wig cap, I just position my wig right in front of my natural hairline and blend in my own hair. I catch the odd bio hair in the tape when taking off my wigs sometimes, but I couldn’t leave the house without knowing that my wig is firmly attached.
Love your attitude Pam. Wig wearing is to be embraced, instant fab hairstyle with virtually no fuss. If people stare it’s their problem and not yours!
Hi Valerie Sorry to hear about your concerns. I too had the same dilemma. I was having a nasal/sinus operation. It’s better to tell the surgeon about the hair loss & I also wore a turban. I also remind my dentist that I wear a wig just in case it falls off I wouldn’t want them to get a shock. All the best
Thanks for your comments on how you personally dealt with being in hospital. I shall try a sleep cap. It’s not until you lose a lot of hair that normal day to day events can become a challenge just to maintain a modicum of dignity..
I’ve dealt with the hospital/anaesthetic issue. I wore my hairpiece til it was time to change into my gown. Then I whipped it off and pulled on a wig wearer’s soft sleep cap (it’s obvious that I have a hair problem that is not open for discussion). I hid my hairpiece in my clothes for discharge time). *I overheard a nurse using the word ‘alopecia’ when they handed me over to theatre , but that can’t be helped.
On return to recovery ward for a night and a day, I continued to wear the sleep cap on which nobody commented and I slipped off to the loo before being collected, returning with a full head of hair. Again, no kind dared to comment.
If I’d been in longer and expected visitors, I would have asked the ward office to allow visitors only by appointment, giving me a chance to pop hair back on to protect my dignity. (Hair clips rip my hair if I lie around in them.)
Any other ideas on this subject of hospital please? (If you’re in for cancer treatment, it’s a different matter, but if it’s for anything else, it’s plain embarrassing to have the hair loss issue to contend with as well.)
Try using ‘HEADLINE IT‘ They are absorbent wig liners (they are also used to line peaked caps) they fix with a thin self adhesive strip to the front half if the wig.2 can be used to line the whole wig. They are soft and comfortable and for me they make the wig more comfortable any way and they certainly help when I am feeling hot and bothered. They were designed by a wig user because of hair loss due to cancer therapy and are available on line. Good Luck!
Can anyone advise please?
I wear a hairpiece clipped onto a head of wispy, scalp focussing hair (which is hot & sweaty when hairpiece removed).
How do I handle the transformation when I’m with a new boyfriend? I can’t keep the hairpiece on for any kind of cuddles or naps as the clips pull on my own little bit of hair if I lie down in it.
Help!!!!
I may have to go into to hospital for an operation under general anaesthetic. I worry about my hair loss, my half bald scalp being exposed for all to see. Has anyone experienced this dilemma and how did you cope.
Great article. My biggest concern, what on earth do you use to remove wig tape from lace sections on a synthetic fibre wig???
hi, lizzie
like you, my attitude (since getting breast cancer) is “I don’t give a damn (certain things) life is much too short. If people/friends can’t accept you for what you are …. bugger them !!!
luckily, my hair has grown, but I love my wigs and wear them all the time – when I go out. pam
I find swimming caps which have a bit more texture are less obvious that I have no hair underneath. Recently I made myself play waterpolo with a wig (taped) on. I was so glad I did as I had great fun and survived intact despite some ducking! I have been on all the big rollercoasters in Florida, wig tape and a hair band which ties at the back have all helped me feel more secure. In days before I could wear wig tape due to existing hair, I used to wear a top with a hood and just put it up and tighten it round my neck when on the rides!
The worse thing for me is changing my wig or turban for a swim cap and vice versa when on a crowded beach
I live most of the time in Cyprus where it is very hot at the moment. I actually bald it when swimming but I find Cypriots stare a lot which is a bit off putting. However, if I’m in a group of people that I don’t know, I just wear an old wig and quickly change it afterwards. I bald it in the house most of the time but I must try the bamboo wig cap.
That’s all fine, but what if you have a small amount of hair as I have – you can’t stick anything to it or it would be agony getting it off!
Excellent article – my biggest issue is that due to having some hair but not enough to get away with wearing it down. I find myself wearing what hair I have up in a tiny ponytail all the time and only wearing a wig when I’m going somewhere without my 2 dogs which isn’t often as I work from home. I’d love to wear one full time, even while walking the hounds as I’m more confident in myself then but I’m always worried that windy weather will ruin the wig as they seem to become very tangled very quickly even though I only wear bob styles.
Brilliant! A lot of the issues you have mentioned have concerned me and these suggestions have helped me