Okay, I am a Simply Wigs customer
and I am a wig wearer, I also have a question . . .
How other wig wearers do sport whilst wearing their wig ?
Do others avoid sport at all costs?
Do others wear a hat?
Or go bald?
I can already see that Steph has already written a post a while back about ‘Can you swim in a wig?’ – and I must say, she makes some great points, a great article and well worth reading.
As for me I love swimming. You will regularly see me at my local sports centre doing my ‘lengths’ whilst wearing the swimming hat that I brought from Simply Wigs (which I highly recommend !). I find it protects my scalp whilst swimming, and as a bonus it does not hardly move.
But my head gets so hot. I am not brave enough to go bald.
What do other people do? Please help! any suggestions?
I really need some good advice.
Look forward to hearing from you all.
MA
x x x
I’m going to St. Lucia in August. I wear wigs. My hubby and I plan on going jet skiing. Any recommendations to ensure that my wig won’t fall off? I would be devastated! Thank you.
Don’t sew your wig onto your remaining hair! It will pull off it. It will especially do so if you are in water. The water will add extra weight to the wig and cause it to pull away from your scalp and your remaining hair and it will be painful too, dragging with it and damaging, even removing your remaining delicate hair.
Ideally hair whether it be human hair or synthetic hair needs to be protected from chlorine in swimming pools and salt in the ocean. The wig fibres will become tangled up. Remember you will not be able to comb through the wig when it is wet. Golden rule. Don’t comb through a wig until it is completely dry. The salt in the ocean which is coarse will impregnate the cap causing it to become itchy when it dries on your scalp. It will feel very uncomfortable indeed.
So what to do?
There are some very pretty swimming caps if you shop around. I used to have one with a flower on the side. It did look very chic. You could buy a swimming cap and customise the outside yourself. Sew on different fabrics, bows and such.
Remember the purpose of the cap is to prevent water not touching your hair but also your scalp. Do you really want chlorine or salt from the ocean going over your scalp endlessly. Salt is coarse. As a wig wearer you do not want any substance to come into contact with your scalp that could irritate it, even slightly.
If you really hate the idea of wearing a swimming cap then you could try wearing a cotton turban. There are lots to choose from on SW. What you need to do is tie it round firmly round your head. Then put a firm stretchy headband over it when you go into the water for extra security. It will stay firmly in place. Muslim and Orthodox Married Jewish ladies wear them when they are bathing publicly. If you wear a colourful cotton sleeping chemo cap to match your turban and costume it will look very chic and help to keep the turbon on.
A lot of people finding wearing a Wig Grip under headscarves gives greater security. Again, this is another option. You don’t want spare fabric floating around you as you swim. It should be firmly securely wrapped round the head. If water ski-ing you could wear a strong headband over the headscarve
After swimming with a head scarf or turbon. Immediately take it off. Rinse your hair under cold water and put on a clear dry head scarf or turbon again. Remember to rub in cream on your scalp to keep it well moisturized. It has just been exposed to salt, which is coarse, so you want to soften the scalp again.
The question to ask yourself is this. Would you wash your net curtain or a beautiful piece of lace in salt or chlorine? If the answer is no then the same rule should apply to synethetic wigs. Synthetic is a man-made fibre. It does not breathe like cotton or wool. It is hard to add moisture. Spraying conditioning oil/conditioner is about adding approriate moisure to the synthetic material. It can only do so much. It cannot totally prevent the synthetic hair from eventually drying out. The more you add moisture to a synthetic fibre the longer it will last, but it will not last as long as a natural fibre. However, as we know when too much heat and wear and tear occur to even the most healthy human hair it can become brittle and dry.
Most people would prefer to sun and surf with their heads uncovered. It looks cool and feels wonderful but it is severely deterimental to any hair whether it be human or sythetic. Any regular swimmer will tell you that.
I am sure if you co-ordinate your headscarves/turbons/swimming caps with your different swimming outfits you will get enormous joy from seeing how lovely you look! In the 1950’s it was fashionable for ladies to wear fancy headware with their swimming costumes and they did look stunning ! I am sure you will look stunning too on your holiday! Enjoy!
Thank you all very much for the ideas and advice x I think I have made my mind up to buy one of the hats from simply wigs x
Hello fellow necessity wig wearers x iv been wearing a wig for the last 20 years having lost my hair to alopecia x I was 32 years old when it happened and very self conscious x I had lots of what I could afford nasty wigs back in the day x so when it came to exercise and sport I wore the wig and was very hot and uncomfortable x now days I have better quality breathable wigs x I don’t do the gym anymore but if I did would wear a turban so comfortable x when I go swimming with my grandchildren I don’t wear anything just go natural and they think nanny looks fabulous lol X it took me years to pluck up the courage to swim wig less I wish I’d had done it sooner cos now I think have a good look everyone I look fabulous x embrace your look wig or no wig x x love helen x x x
What a wonderful idea about the headband over an older wig. Thank you so much for that great tip. I live in a very windy climate, and that will help insure that the wig stays on my head too!
I’m currently struggling with this, we are going away this summer and I like to snorkel, swim, surf and explore. The problem I’m having is that I have too little hair to go without a wig, too much to use tape and most of the diving trips I’m looking at have lunch at a pretty little spot in between dives for a break and photo op so I don’t want to wear my wet, scraggly strands and sunburnt scalp. I’m wondering about sewing my wig into my remaining hair, but if anyone has any other ideas I’d be so happy to hear from them! I don’t want this to hold me back from having the best time.
I play badminton and do body balance classes three times a week and swim. I find short or mid length mono wigs are cool enough but for badminton I wear a wig liner too and my least best wig. For swimming either an old mono wig, or bald under a simply wigs swim hat. (The latter in a pool but wig in the sea.) Even without any wig tape I can put my head upside down in the body balance class without the wig moving. My problem is that in hot climates even a mono with wig liner is too hot and I once got sunstroke with that lot under a straw hat. I usually go bald under a sun hat but having a petite head all sunhats and caps fall over my ears and irritate me. Heigh ho. I wish I had a bigger head!
I do triathlon and have recently lost all my hair, so not having to worry about my hair is a bit of an upside from that respect. I’ve always worn a Buff under my helmet anyway, and always wear a good swim cap (speedo or orca) but I’m always cold so have found that I can’t brave the pool without my cap, my head is just too chilly! For running I’ll wear a buff too. You can wear it like a bandana or turn it into a little hat.
I couldn’t bear the thought of needing to work out in a wig. When I exercise I’m completely focussed on working so attending to my hair would just be a no go!
I like to think I’m modelling my inner Jo Rowsell shand… I hope you find something that works well for you! Nic x
I wear a short “pixie” style wig at the gym with a Christine bamboo wig liner which absorbs the sweat and keeps it from slipping. I have a few wig liners which I wash regularly.
I always wear a cute, patterned bandana tied at the nape with a visor cap, whether I’m excercising outside or working out at the gym. It’s much cooler than wearing a wig, plus I don’t wear out my wigs as fast.
For me I do avoid sports as I find wearing a wig very hot and I get hot quite quickly, which makes me feel a bit self conscious.
But I think it’s fantastic that women are wearing their wigs for sports and swimming, I think a lot to do with it is how comfortable you feel in your own skin.
I’ve had alopecia since I was five. I’ve worn wigs during my childhood and majority of my adult life. I’m generally quite sporty and i try not to let my wig wearing get in the way. Usually if I’m down about my Alopecia or have a lack of self confidence then I don’t exercise. There is a pattern to this and it can last several months. Swimming- ive tried a swimming hat and wig. Both are hot for me and I tend to stay away from the pools. The longer the hair the harder it is in the gym, classes, running or cycling etc. Recently I’ve bitten the bullet and gone short. So much easier and cooler. Luckily the style works for me and so I’m on a positive exercise plan. Very rarely do I use any adhesive for security as it is so much of a hassle and hurts my skin. Overall, I’d say don’t let alopecia stop you doing anything you want to do. Life’s too short.
Last year on holiday i wore one of my old Wigs (I wear short Wigs) with a broad headband ( the scarf type which is elasticated at the back) over the top to keep my wig in place and this worked well for me in the swimming pool. It soon dried off again when i left the pool as the weather was warm.
Hi!
I do ashtanga yoga, I wear a bandana, but when I get too hot or it comes off I just practice bald. I also cycle (bandana under helmet) and run (I’ve got a bandana with a little peak attached to it).
I have a great wig (freedom hair, vacuum fitted) which I could use for sports, but I’m actually quite happy I can get rid of my hair for sports!!! We have to have some advantage out of this! 🙂
Sandra
Hello MA, I can really identify with your question. Since my hair line has receded about 6 inches I stopped my greatly loved swimming because I was too embarrassed. I have in the last couple of weeks purchased two Lizzy Wigs in different shades, just to wear for swimming. They are a tight fit as my head is a little larger than some average wigs that have a small fit, which these do, but it means that I will feel more confident in the water. I will let you know how I get on! Good Luck!
Hi,
I wear synthetic wigs with an elastic headband and the the rest back into a plait when I’m working out. Keeps the wig securely on my head, and easy to wash.
I train at the gym 5 days a week and go cycling and running and have found that works best for me.
Hope that helps.