Can we talk about hair?

[TerriLynnCD]

Unfortunately, with the bald spot I have, I have no choice but to go with a wig. But that means doing my hair is pretty much the shortest part of getting ready.

[BrendaPDX]

I love my wigs, in fact the only thing I don't like about them is watching in the mirror as I take it off; heavy sigh.

[GeminaRenee]

Go for it! Wigs can be useful, and I appreciate the variety of styles one can have at their disposal. But for my money, there is nothing quite as satisfying as real, long hair.

How you get it cut/styled will depend very much on your hair type. For example, my hair is very fine. It can be difficult for me to tie back, because it falls out. Or when I try to curl it, it can be tough to get the curls to hold. I usually ask my stylist to cut it just off the shoulder, with a little face framing. Anything longer than that, I find it hard to get enough volume to make it look good.But the cut works for me. It can be styled either mass or femme, and my very talented stylist can make it look great with a blowout. Unfortunately, I don't have a ton of good, recent photos. But the one I've included should give you some idea of what works for me.

IMG_4612.jpg

Don't be afraid to shop around for the right stylist, either. I've had some good ones and bad ones over the years. My current one is my wife's stylist, and she's great. I always feel so good walking out with my curls bouncing. Keep us posted on your hair journey!

[Genifer Teal]

Getting fresh color as I read this. I'm happy to stay the same color. Got to keep the gray away

[abby054]

Though my hair is thick enough to look acceptable from the front, my huge bald spot in back rules out growing my own. It is wigs for me. I try to get mine in my natural color so my eyebrows and skin tone blend welll wit( my hair and do not contrast needlessly.

I have had good fortune with wigs. A good wig band keeps them in place. I put money into them, so what I buy, I can style easily. My wigs, with good care and not too frequent use, they last a long time. I now have three that are top quality synthetic pieces and two other that are cheap but manageable. About a year ago, I just retired my favorite wig at 25 years service, replacing it with the exact same model and color.

It takes a few hours to get accustomed to them but I soon feel as if they are a natural part of my head. More expensive fibers usually wear nicely and itch less. And taste better. I grew up in a place with hot humid summers, so hot weather in a hot wig does not bother me.

I like the range of styles available, a different hairstyle, a different wig for nearly every day of the week. They can be put on and taken off quickly and easily. Styling them off my head is a convenience that makes a wig look great and its hairstyle as creative as I happen to feel. Wigs are work but I find them worth the effort. And my bald spot, as I said, gives me little alternative.

[JenniferR771]

I hope this works out for your, Dani.

My alternative suggestion is to visit a good hair stylist.
And see if she can find a good "fall", extension or hairpiece.
Easy to attach with pins or clips as the need arises. Glue? Sew it on--that is up to you.
You can get her to color and style your regular hair to match. Curls? Streaks? Waves? Perm?

[LaSirenaBella]

I'm used to wearing wigs. My own hair is extremely thin, especially at my hairline and crown. Wearing wigs to bother me more in the summertime, but I just go wefted wigs most of the time. I wear short/medium styles, and they make it easy to finish off my look. I appreciate the pros that Abby mentioned. I also try and get higher-quality wigs, if I can help it. I like changing colors and styles anyway, although I've gravitated to a more limited range as I've gotten older.

[KristyPa]

Danni,
Your hair looks really nice in your pic.

Wigs are very easy to make look nice and easy to take care of but are hot in the summer. I would get so hot with one on in the summer my face would sweat.

Over the last year or so I've let my hair grow out to the point I no longer wear wigs I had long hair to begin with. I've had a few comments from people that know me that I look like an old hippie.

I get blond highlights every 6-8 weeks or so the stylist simply cuts my ends. I usually wash my hair everyday and use a good conditioner. It is so true its much easier to style your hair if you don't wash it everyday.
When I wash and style my hair I use a blowout serum the blowout serum is key to make my thin hair better looking. I part on the side brush it us as i blow dry it then use a light hairspray to hold. On the days I don't wash my hair which I actually plan because it is so much easier to make your hair look good if you didn't wash it that day I brush my hair up using a very light styling gel then spray.
My profile pic is a Raquel Welch wig.

A few years ago I wouldn't let my hair grow this long do to work. I'm very close to retirement I don't care now, work is usually a difference maker on your hair length.
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[KristyPa]

I?ve updated my aviator with a recent pic with my own hair not a wig.

A lot of people have no choice but to use a wig. In that case buy a good one, wigs have gotten so much better in the last 15 years or so. Raquel Welch wigs was my favorite.

[sweetdreams]

I can only comment on wigs. I do wear them when I go out and wouldn't have it any other way. I do get used to them and don't find them particularly uncomfortable if they fit right.

I have two wigs, a cute little bob that is my favorite, and a mid length. Both are ash blonde color that looks good on me.

[Suzie Petersen]

Danni,

Good for you if you are able to grow out your natural hair, that is a dream for many of us. I used to have long very thick hair when I was younger, below my shoulders but not quite to my bra strap, loved it. I have had girls come up to me and say they wished they had hair like mine! But, those days are way over.

Don't know if you saw some of my recent picture posts about installing wigs with glue? Girl, that's a game changer for me! I am with you on the not so natural feel of a wig, but this feels completely different and very close to it being your own. During my current "adventure", I have kept a wig glued down for up to 6 days in a row, and it feels great. It is _not_ coming off, and not moving around, so you can brush it and work with just as you would with your own long natural hair.

I can even shower and wash it, and then do the towel up top wrap to get most of the water out before blow drying or just letting it dry on its own.

Quite a few YouTube videos available, but not all of them shows the whole story. PM me if you like.

Suzie

[danniUK]

Thanks everyone for your replies!
My hair is now still only a couple of inches long (having started from a #2 cut all over) but still growing - though still no idea of what style will work best for me (I do really love the idea of a shoulder length bob cut though no idea if I can make that work as a "mens" hairstyle while in drab mode).

Suzie - glued wigs sound intriguing but, having a family with almost-teen kids, I'm not sure I'd be able to explain the sudden fuller head of hair! I'm going to pm you anyway though, would love to hear about your experiences with them.

[Suzie Petersen]

Danni,

I will reply to your PM with more details in the morning, but I want to let everybody know that this method can be used for a single day/evening thing if you want to. It is not complicated, it just takes some extra time both for the install and the removal.
I have glued on my hair for one evening, and I have had it on for 6 days, all up to you and whatever fits your need.

The last couple of days, I glued on a standard, non-laze, synthetic wig, and it was a completely different experience from wearing it in the traditional way. You know how a wig often feel like it is sliding around a little if you pull on it, or if you comb or brush it! It feels like if you are not careful, you could pull it off of your head, or at lest make it sit crooked and look out of place.
With a bit of glue, it will not do that and will feel like it really is attached to your scalp ... which of course, it is.

Another thing that was important for me with the one I wore the last few days, is that it is actually a little small for my head, so the tabs in front of the ears do not reach down enough to cover my gray hairs right there.
With a little glue, now the hair is right where they are supposed to be and the risk of someone seeing "up under" your wig in that area, is basically gone.
I also glue it down in the back to prevent it from creeping up. Again, this one is actually a little small for my (big) head, but with the glue and the stretch of the elastics of the wig, it stays back where it is supposed to be and you don't have to worry about it.

Even if you just do a few dabs of glue on the sides and in the back, it will make a big difference in how secure it feels, and you will be able to brush it without loosing it.

[Genifer Teal]

Go for it. One suggestion I'll make is that there will come a time when you can do a ponytail. it will be tempting and there's nothing wrong with it. I wonder in retrospect, there's talk that it puts a lot of tension on your hair and they can say it leads to hair falling out. how you feel on this. I don't know. Just saying, maybe when you get to the point where it's tempting to wear one every day, don't do that. It's fine. I'm fine but I wonder if Things might have been even better. Had I not done so much ponytail for a couple of years.

[Maid_Marion]

I started growing out my hair in 2018. I love that it is now reaches the middle of my back. I've gotten better at keeping it out of zippers. ugh!