If you’re treatment plan includes chemotherapy, in all likelihood it means losing your hair.  Not everyone does, but most do.  And, you what, it isn’t that bad. No, it’s not your normal look which can be disconcerting when you look in the mirror, but it can be your choice to make it an opportunity to experiment with different looks.

A few tips, though.

• If you are going to get a wig, the best time to get it is before you lose your hair.  That way you can match hair color and style.
• When hair starts to fall out, just shave it all off.  Less messy and gets the job done.  You won’t have the trauma of handfuls of hair coming out in the shower or bath.
• Make sure you have some soft hats to wear.  You’ll want a basic cozy hat for nighttime.  Your head will get cold; hence you will feel cold.  Treatment often makes people feel colder than normal.
• Have a variety of chemo hats, scarves and wigs to help you dress for different occasions.

Scarves are versatile and can be wrapped in very chic styles.  Chemo hats are quick and easy providing protection and often have hair pieces added so no one will know you have no hair.  Wigs are your normal look – or if you want to try a new look, now is the time.  Try out a few different styles.

For those of us who have been through chemotherapy, we know about the hair loss that comes with it.  There are many options for dressing our bald heads – chemo hats, turbans, scarves and wigs.  When you look around, suddenly you now see more people wearing these chemo hats than you could ever have imagined.

Did you also know that thinning hair happens to a lot of women as they age?  Many of these women wear wigs.  Our society is not accustomed to women who are bald or have thin hair.  For men, it seems to be okay, but not for women.

Alopecia is another disease or condition that results in thinning or baldness.  Wigs come to the rescue as these women are not into wearing chemo head wear that would identify them as having cancer.

Luckily there are wonderful options now that years ago were either be too expensive or just didn’t look good.  I even remember wearing wigs to just have a different fashion look.  It had nothing to do with cancer, thinning hair or baldness – it was fun – a new look.

So, join the fun crowd and find a wig.  You can sport a whole new personality with a wig.  Who knows – people may not even recognize you.  I know from experience how much hair makes a difference in  a person’s look.  When cancer patient’s hair grows back, they often have to re-introduce themselves to me as I’m accustomed to seeing them with either a chemo hat on or no hair.  I sometimes don’t immediately recognize them with hair.  We both then have a good laugh.

The other day, I noticed a woman – she was bald – and she was beautiful.  What shone through creating this vision of beauty was her spirit – undaunted by her journey through cancer.  She was not going to let cancer define her.

Not everyone can allow themselves to be that vulnerable.  That’s okay.  There are times in the cancer journey when we need to protect ourselves while we heal.  And for most of us, this is quite often.  Wearing chemo hats and scarves, even real looking wigs, does give us protection – not just our souls, but protection from the environment whether it’s the cold of more northern climates or the heat of southern climates.

About being bald, here is a funny story of my time going bald.  My hair was just coming back in.  It was July in Ontario which means hot and muggy.  Way too hot to be wearing scarves or wigs, even a hat, although I did wear it on occasion so I wouldn’t get sunburned.  I wore bald plain and simple.

At the same time, my Mom had just had a cancerous lesion taken off her top lip.  She had stitches and a fat lip to boot.  So, we are over at the shopping mall next to my Mom’s apartment – me with no hair and my Mom with a fat lip.  The looks we got were totally hilarious – disbelief, shock, a smile.

Having a sense of humour makes life so much easier.  We laughed about this incident many times.  Priceless.

Chemotherapy often means losing one’s hair.  It doesn’t happen to everyone, but it does to the majority – male or female.  Men can wear a cap and be comfortable – or go bald.  Lots of men are bald irregardless of having cancer.

Women – well – this is a bigger issue.  People are not accustomed to seeing bald women, although some women do accept their baldness, have beautiful heads, and look absolutely stunning.

For those who do not wear bald as beautifully, there are wonderful options for chemo head-wear.

I always went for the scarf because I could vary the look, feel and color according to how I felt that day.

There are very fashionable chemo hats and turbans that come down far enough over your ears and hairline to cover the bald. Some even have hair attachments so that no-one would know the difference.

And, then there are wigs in both synthetic hair and real hair according to your budget and needs.  In my day, they were hot and scratchy.  Nowadays, they are light and airy – comfortable.  If you’re wearing a synthetic wig, be aware that heat can singe them.  My sister found this out when she opened a hot oven.  Surprise!

Have lots of scarves, chemo hats, etc.  to brighten your day and match your mood or event.  Have fun with it.  I’ve heard some really funny stories that will make your sides ache from laughing.  And, laughter is good medicine.