Investing in a wig after my hair loss has restored my confidence

At the age of 12 my eczema, which I’ve had since birth, caused hair loss on my scalp. Kids at school called me ‘cancer girl’, which really upset me. After consulting specialists, eliminating dairy and switching to natural hair products, after a few months my hair began to regrow and I was able to have extensions throughout my adult life.

In 2020, I read a feature in Woman’s Own magazine supporting Breast Cancer Awareness Month and realised I hadn’t checked my breasts in a long time. I discovered a lump in my armpit and, that October, I was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Chemotherapy caused my hair to start falling out in clumps again but this time, I chose to shave it all off. It felt liberating to go bald on my own terms.

After treatment finished in November 2021, my hair grew back a bit, but within weeks started falling out again. Doctors couldn’t tell me why. Menopause, stress, alopecia or Tamoxifen, the post-cancer medication I have to take for 10 years, could all be contributing factors.

In fact, female pattern hair loss affects around 40% of women by the age of 50.

People told me I’d lost my hair during chemo so it shouldn’t be a problem to lose it again, implying that I should be able to cope without making a fuss, but it affected me so much more this time and was a huge knock to my confidence.

I didn’t have cancer any more, I wasn’t on chemo. My hair was symbolic, it made me feel like me, and without it, I felt like ‘cancer girl’ all over again when I just wanted to feel and look better.

I’d go for brunch with my girlfriends and they’d look so glamorous. I’d wear bright red lipstick to detract from my balding head, and knew I was lucky to be alive and shouldn’t dwell on my hairstyle, but I was just pretending to be fine.

I don’t think I’m particularly vain, but I was so self-conscious that people would think I was going through chemo again, I’d pre-empt their questioning, bringing up my hair loss before they had a chance. "The cancer isn’t back, my hair’s just falling out," I’d say, before anyone even asked.

I bought a £50 wig online but it was so ill-fitting and uncomfortable, I didn’t like wearing it. I guess my algorithms had me pegged, because wigs kept popping up on my feed and I was curious. I needed to supercharge my confidence, so I decided to invest in a made-to-measure human hair wig made by High Definition Hair.

I had a three-hour consultation last November, during which my head was measured, and we discussed styles and colour, and made sure the scalp would match my skin tone, and that the hairline started at the perfect distance from my eyebrows. I decided to have the hair longer than I usually would, so I could cut it one day when I wanted to change the style.

The wig took three months to make. I went back for my final fitting in February and, as soon as it was on, I could not stop swishing my luscious locks from side to side! I felt instantly feminine and confident again.

There was a spring in my step as I called my husband Gary and said, "Let’s go out tonight!" Gary has – along with my parents, friends and family – always been so reassuring, but at last I wanted to be seen.

It can be curled or tonged and the parting can be moved. I can wear it up or down. I can swim in it and it’ll last for three to five years.

It’s snug and secure but not too tight, so I never worry it’ll slip or fall off, and yet I forget I’m wearing it. It’s as good as the real thing and I don’t feel like me without it.

I opted for the deluxe package (prices start at £2,300), but I’m so impressed with how it has transformed how I feel about myself, I think it’s worth every penny.