This blog is extracted from the article 'Hair Loss Hell Turned into Hair Loss Heaven' originally posted by Lisa Bobby on 24 October 2017.
Seven years ago when this awful Cancer road trip started I was told that I was going to need 6 rounds of chemotherapy treatment (initially) and that one of the most common side effects is hair loss.
Now the first time I went through chemotherapy I was definitely upset about losing my hair. I remember my good friend who is also my hairdresser crying as we cropped my long hair down to a pixie cut and then I remember even more vividly playing with my 7 month old son on his playmat when he grabbed a massive chunk of my hair that came clean out in his little hands. It didn’t hurt, it didn’t phase him at all but I remember feeling absolutely sick to my stomach.
The next morning I got Kieron to shave the rest of my hair off. At this time, my mum and Emma booked me an appointment to choose a wig and call it pregnancy hormones, chemo brain……who knows but somehow I came out of there with a synthetic wig which was brunette and nothing at all like my natural hair.
Me in my first synthetic Brunette Wig
Now I know that some people think ‘why not go for something different, it’s the perfect opportunity to’ and at the time that’s probably the angle I was going on however when I look back, what I needed was my confidence back and really and truthfully for me that meant choosing hair that matched my natural look. After my cancer came back I booked another appointment with my mum, Emma and Nicky and we chose a lovely synthetic wig that fortunately I didn’t actually need to use. The chemotherapy which I was on at that time worked very well with the cold cap and I didn’t lose hardly any hair. Result!
My 2nd, more natural Synthetic Wig
Fast forward a few more years and a couple of new Chemo’s later I found the need to source another wig for my own confidence. I was using the cold cap system called the Paxman which is brilliant, however over time it left my hair thinning on the top and with my latest chemotherapy, my hair is coming out all over. I’ve been told it may settle down so will persevere with the cold cap for the time being. Call it Sod’s law but just before I was told I would need to change chemotherapy treatment during the summer of 2016, I’d had a short hair cut styled which I loved but when your hair is already short and then thinning on top, you have moon face and redness from steroids along with a thyroid condition which makes you resemble a Pob lookalike it doesn’t do much for your self esteem!
POB or Lisa????? Who is who???? Lol!!!
(I have to add a little side note here to say that my thyroid condition has settled down, my steroids have been reduced so I don’t look anywhere near this puffy but anyone on steroids will tell you the redness struggle is real!!! Nothing a bit of clever make up trickery doesn’t sort though! I personally can recommend ‘ ‘Clinique’s Redness Solutions’ Foundation along with ‘L’Oréal’s CC Redness’ cream which you use over your moisturiser and as a base for your foundation).
It was at this point that I came across the amazing Vanessa Cowan from Glamorous Butterfly who has created a business based in her hometown of Whitehaven, Cumbria.
I am going to hand you over to Vanessa now so she can explain where her amazing idea for her business came from and believe me when I tell you that after seeing her this year I KNOW she gave me my life back!
Over to the incredibly amazing and overwhelmingly clever Vanessa.
Hi my name is Vanessa Cowan and im not ashamed to tell you that my hair was my crowning glory, it was my best feature. Now that may sound big headed but it was, everybody used to tell me. I remember not long after I left school I bumped into a girl, who I didn’t particularly like. I will never forget what she said to me; she was giving my friends compliments on the clothes they had on and how beautiful they looked and then she turned to me. It took her a few moments to say it but she said ‘and you have always had gorgeous hair, Vanessa’. Now this was said through gritted teeth but I could tell she meant it.
I have always had a keen interest in hair and make up; it’s actually one of my passions. I studied Art and Design and have always been creative. I have had so many different hair styles its hard to list them all, but I finally settled into a style by growing my thick wavy hair into a very long layered style and I loved it. I could wear it up, straighten it, braid it, wear a big quiff at the front or have lovely loose or tight curls.
The styles were endless … that is until July 2014. At the age if 38 I noticed one day when washing my hair and combing the very expensive conditioning treatment through it that there was some noticeable shedding. Enough to concern me in that moment, but forget about it until my next hair wash. The second wash was even worse and that is how I became aware of my Alopecia. As you can imagine, I panicked. I couldn’t sleep with the worry; and the fear that I could lose all of my beautiful hair was paralysing. It took only four months to lose all my scalp hair completely and a further two months before I lost all my eyebrows, lashes and body hair. I don’t mind saying this was the worst time of my life, I had crippling anxiety and the fear that somebody would notice my hair loss was over whelming.
Not only did I lose my looks I was also experiencing the most excruciating pain. My hair felt like it was being ripped out of my skull. Most nights I couldn’t even put my head on my pillow. Once all my hair was gone, the pain stopped, it was almost a relief that I was bald! In December 2014 I was officially diagnosed with Alopecia Universalis and to this day i dont have one hair on my head.
During that horrendous time, I found that there was very little to no help or support in West Cumbria (where i live) and I had to travel to Newcastle for my first wig (which was awful, by the way). Through trial and error I have been able to source amazing wigs and hair pieces that not only feel comfortable, but look fabulous. Most of my friends and family have no idea that I have lost all my hair as my wigs are so similar to my real hair and my makeup is so convincing.
So at Christmas 2014 I knew that my calling was to create a service for all women and children with any form of medical hair loss. I wanted to create something that not only supplied truely stunningly natural and comfortable hair but to provide a safe haven. A place where people can feel nurtured, important, loved. A place where all questions about wearing alternative hair can be answered and where as much time as you need can be given. This is where Glamorous Butterfly was born and emerged from the chrysalis.
I hope, i feel, i have achieved ny calling. Its essential to feel good about ourselves and to look in the mirror and feel good. When you feel good, you look good. And then everything else seems to fall into place. Our hair and looks are so so important and as a woman or child of any age losing them is a devastating experience. I want you all to know there is light at the end if the tunnel in the world of Glamorous Butterfly hair.
Love Ness xx
How Beautiful is Vanessa! To check out more of her stunning looks follow her on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter
I wanted to take this opportunity to conduct a bit of a Q&A session with Vanessa. These are Questions that I know I had going into my search for the ‘perfect wig or ‘Alternative Hair’ as Vanessa so wonderfully puts it. I thought these may help anyone in the same or similar position to me however if any of my amazing readers have any other questions please do not hesitate to contact me and I’ll either answer as best I can from my point of view or I can put you in touch with Vanessa, who will be more than happy to help.
Q&A
Hi Vanessa,
Thank you for taking the time to feature as a guest blogger for ‘learning how to make lemonade’. Firstly I’m going to be all gushy and explain to my readers that you started my whole way of thinking when it comes to ‘living the life I have been given regardless of the fact that it’s not how I planned it’! Hearing your story and understanding how that pushed you to build your business inspired me but when I understood that you were not motivated to start your business to gain financial success I was overwhelmed by the beautiful person standing in front of me. Your aim is to make people who’s confidence has been buried so deep through their hair loss and the actual trauma that it leaves them with, feel beautiful again!
I remember when I came across your website, I just felt this amazing, instant connection and just knew you were going to be the lady to turn this around for me.
1)Can you explain the process you take when a new client approaches you?
EVERY INTRODUCTION AND FIRST CONVERSATION WITH MY CLIENTS IS DIFFERENT. IN SOME CASES WE CAN CHAT FOR SEVERAL MONTHS (USUALLY VIA MESSENGER OR EMAIL) BEFORE A CLIENT IS EVEN READY TO TALK ABOUT NEEDING AND WEARING A WIG. OTHERS ITS ONLY ONE EMAIL OR PHONE CALL. THE KEY IS TO LISTEN, ADVISE, UNDERSTAND AND LET MY CLIENTS GO AT THEIR OWN PACE. IN TRUTH I LIKE TO HAVE A LEAST ONE TELEPHONE CONSULT (WHICH CAN LAST OVER 2 HOURS) BEFORE ANYONE COMES FOR FULL CONSULTATION TO MY SALON. I PRIDE MYSELF ON SPENDING AS MUCH TIME THAT IS NEEDED AND AGAIN EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT. I ALSO PROVIDE A FULL AFTER SERVICE AND OFTEN GET PANICKED TEXTS OR MESSAGES AT ALL TIMES DURING THE DAY WHEN THEY ARE NOT SURE IN SOMETHING OR HAVE FORGOTTEN WHAT WAS TALKED ABOUT IN CONSULTATION. I WANT ALL MY CLIENTS TO FEEL NURTURED AND THAT THEY KNOW IM ONLY A PHONE CALL OR MESSAGE AWAY READY TO HELP, ADVISE, LISTEN AND CARE.
2)During a consultation, when your clients find the hair for them can you explain what other steps you take to give them even more confidence.
CONSULTATIONS ARE NORMALLY 2 HOURS LONG BUT HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO LAST SEVERAL HOURS. THIS IS BECAUSE OF SEVERAL REASONS; TALKING ABOUT OUR EXPERIENCES AND TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS OF HAIR LOSS, TALKING ABOUT HEALTH CONDITIONS THAT KEAD TO HAIR LOSS OR THINNING, TRYING ON MANY DIFFERENT WIGS AND TALKING IN DEPTH ABOUT EACH ONES CAP CONSTRUCTION AND HAIR TYPE , CUTTING AND STYLING THE WIG, TALKING ABOUT AFTER CARE AND MAINTAINENCE AND JUST GOOD OLD GENERAL CRAIC
CONFIDENCE WHEN YOU ARE A FIRST TIME WIG WEARER IS SOMETHING, ON THE MOST PART, THAT COMES QUITE QUICKLY FOR MOST OF MY CLIENTS. TGE KEY IS HAVE A GREAT LOOKING, FEELING AND FITTING WIG OR TOPPER. MY WIGS GAVE ME MY LIFE BACK AND TO SEE THIS HAPPENING TO MY CLIENTS IS A WONDEROUS THING AND TRUELY AN HONOUR!
3)Although I really needed the normality that a human hair wig can give you I understand that their are pro’s and cons for both Human hair wigs as well as Synthetic wigs. Could you explain a little bit about the differences?
YES THATS RIGHT LISA THERE ARE PROS AND CONS TO BOTH.
LETS START WITH SYNTHETIC PIECES AND THEIR PROS;
SO THERE ARE MANY TYPES OF SYNTHETIC WIGS FROM A VERY BASIC FULLY MACHINE MADE WIG (THE MOST AFFORDABLE) THROUGH TO A FULLY HAND MADE, LIGHTWEIGHT SYNTHETIC. SYNTHETICS ARE THE MOST AFFORDABLE TOO RANGING FROM £150 (BASIC) UP TO £450 (HAND MADE AND HIGHER GRADE SYNTHETIC FIBRES). SYNTHETIC WIGS ARE GREAT FOR LADIES WHO PREFER SHORTER STYLES. YOU CAN GET THEM IN SOME AMAZING CUTS AND COLOURS (IF YOU HOP OVER TO MY INSTAGRAM PAGE YOU WILL SEE ME DONNING THEM!) AND TO BE HONEST WE WOULD NEVER BE ABLE TO RECREATE THESE LOOKS WITH HUMAN HAIR. SYNTHETICS ARE PRE-STYLED SO YOU SIMPLY POP IT ON, USE YOUR FINGERS TO STYLE AND AWAY YOU GO. THEY TAKE MINUTES TO WASH AND A FEW HOURS TO AIR DRY. SHORT SYNTHETIC WIGS CAN BE COOLER AND LIGHTER AND GREAT FOR HOTTER CLIMATES.
NOW HERE ARE THE CONS OF SYNTHETICS (UNFORTUNATELY THERE ARE QUITE A FEW);
GENERALLY THEY ONLY LAST A VERY SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME (BETWEEN 3 AND 6 MONTHS) BEFORE THEY START TO DEGRADE, DEVELOP FRICTION FRIZZ AND GENERALLY BECOME VERY ‘WIGGY’ LOOKING. THE HAND TIED PIECES DO SEEM TO LAST A LITTLE LONGER THOUGH. SYNTHETIC WIGS HATE HEAT AND YOU MUST STAY AWAY FROM EXTREME SOURCES OF HEAT (OPENING THE OVEN DOOR, OUTDOOR GAS HEATERS, OPEN FLAMES, HEAT TOOLS ETC). ANY SYNTHETIC WIG LONGER THEN A COUPLE OF INCHES WILL VERY VERY QUICKLY START TO DEGRADE AS THE FIBRES RUB ON YOUR NECK ANX COLLARS. THE FIBRES ONCE THIS STARTS TO HAPPEN BECOME VERY SHARP AND BRITTLE ON THE SCALP AND NOT ONLY CAUSE DISCOMFORT AND IRTITATION TO THE SKIN BUT LOOK VERY ‘WIGGY’ IN PLACES. THE WASHING OF A SYNTHETIC WIG ANX THE PRODUCTS USED NEVER SEEN TO COMPLETELT CLEAN THE CAP OF THE WIG AND THEY CAN BECOME SMELLY QUITE QUICKLY. UNFORTUATELY STYLING AND RESTYLING CANNOT BE DONE UNLESS YOU ARE A TRAINED PROFESSIONAL AND THEN SOMETIMES STEAM CAN BE USED TO ADD PERMENANT CURLS AND WAVES TO LONGER SYNTHETIC PIECES BUT ON THD WHOLE WHAT YOU SEE IF WHAT YOU GET.
SYNTHETICS WIGS CAN BE VERY HEAVY, HOT AND UNCOMFORTABLE ESPECIALLY IF ITS FULLY MACHINE MADE.
IN SHORT SYNTHTIC WIGS ARE GREAT FOR PEOPLE WHO PREFER SHORTER STYLES, DONT WANT TO OR CANT STYLE AND MAINTAIN HAIR AND HAVE A SMALLER BUDGET.
NOW ONTO HUMAN HAIR WIGS WHICHARE MY PASSION AND ARE WHAT I PERSONALLY WEAR (I’M ALLERGIC TO SYNTHETIC WIGS). I THINK AGAIN I WILL START WITH THE PROS;
THEY LOOK AND FEEL AS NEAR TO HAVING YOUR OWN HAIR AS WE CAN POSSIBLY ACHIEVE. COMING IN A HUGE VARIETY OF HAIR TYPES FROM BASIC REMY HAIR RIGHT UP TO SILKY SOFT VIRGIN RUSSIAN HAIR (VIRGIN MEANS ITS BEVER BEEN TOUCHED BY CHEMICALS OR HEAT STYLING) AND BEING CUSTOM COLOURED TO AS CLOSE TO YOUR OWN HAIR AS WE CAN GET. WE CAN MAKE THEM FULLY OF SEMI CUSTOM MADE FITTING YOU LIKE A SECOND SKIN. THEY HAVE MOVEMENT, SILK TOP PARTINGS (THE MOST REALISTIC PARTING YOU CAN GET), STYLES CAN BE CHANGED UP EVERYDAY, THEY CAN LAST A LIFETIME (THESE WOULD BE CUSTOM MADE WIGS WITH SOME ANNUAL OR BI-ANNUAL MAINTAINANCE) BUT FORVTHE MOST PART UP TO 3-4 YEARS , THE COLOURS CAN BE CHANGED TOO (DEPENDING ON HAIR TYPE) .
NOW THE CONS OF HUMAN HAIR WIGS;
THEY ARE USUALLY THREE TO FOUR TIMES MORE EXPENSIVE THAN SYNTHETIC WIGS.
THEY DO TAKE A LITTLE TIME TO WASH AND STYLE (JYST LIKE YOUR OWN HAIR).
STYLING CAN TAKE SOME PRACTICE ESPECIALLY IF YOURE NOT USED TO DOING THIS ON YOUR OWN HAIR.
THEY DO NEED MAINTAINED WITH TRIMS, RECONDITIONS SND COLOUR TREATMENTS.
IN CONCLUSION THERE IS NO RIGHT OR WRONG IN TERMS OF WEARING HUMAN HAIR OR SYNTHETIC HAIR. ITS ALL ABOUT WHAT YOU AND I FEEL IS BEST FOR YOU AND OF COURSE GREAT KNOWLEDGE AND EDUCATION OF THEM BOTH IS ESSENTIAL. THE KEY IS IS TO LOOK, FEEL, TRY ON AND COMPARE THEM BOTH.
4)Can you tell us the ranges of wigs that you offer your clients.
YES SURE, THE RANGES OF WIGS I PROVIDE ARE FROM VERY BASIC MACHINE MADE SYNTHTIC WIGS RIGHT UP TO FULLY CUSTOM MADE AND COLOURED VIRGIN RUSSIAN HAIR WIGS AND ANYTHING IN BETWEEN. THERE ARE NOW WIGS THAT ARE CREATED WITH HEAT RESISTANT SYNTHETIC FIBRES THAT MEANS YOU CAN HEAT STYLE THEM (STILL ONLY LASTING AROUND 6 MONTHS) OR A BLEND OF HUMAN HAIR AND HIGH GRADE HEAT RESISTANT FIBRES ( THESE CANNOT BE COLOURED). TOPPERS AND HAIR PIECES ARE ALSO SOMETHING I SPECIALISE IN.THESE ARE FOR LADIES WHO HAVE PARTIAL HAIR LOSS AND THINNING SUCH AS ANDROGENTIC ALOPECIA OR TELOGEN EFFLUVIUM. I ALSO SPECIALISE IN CHILDREN AND TEENAGE WIGS TOO WORKING WITH THE LITTLE PRINCESS TRUST.
MY GOAL AND PASSION IS TO PROVIDE YOU WITH YOUR DREAM HAIR….OR AS CLOSE TO THAT AS I POSSIBLY CAN. WHAT HAS TO BE REMEMBERED THOUGH IS THAT I CAN NEVER RECREATE WHAT YOU HAVE LOST. A WIG IS JUST A WIG, EVEN THE MOST EXPENSIVE BEAUTIFUL PIECE CAN NEVER TOTALLY REPLICATE YOUR OWN HAIR. THAT BEING SAID THEY GAVE ME MY CONFIDENCE, ZEST FOR LIFE AND HAPPINESS BACK SO I KNOW HOW POWERFUL AND IMPORTANT THEY TRUELY ARE.
I ALSO QUICKLY REALISED THAT NOT EVERYONE IS IN A POSITION TO BE ABLE TO AFFORD A WIG SO THATS WHERE I DECIDED TO CREATE A WIG BANK. THIS WAS CREATED IN MEMORY OF MY BEAUTIFUL MUM WHOM PASSED AWAY WHEN I WAS YOUNG FROM BREAST CANCER. THE WIG BANK IS MEANS TESTED (A SMALL MEANS TESTED APPLICATION FORM IS ALL THATS REQUIRED). WE HAVE AROUND 20 SYNTHETIC WIGS AND ONLY ONE HUMAN HAIR WIG CURRENTLY AVAILABLE IN THE BANK. MOST OF THESE ARE RECONDITIONED BUT SOME ARE BRAND NEW (MACHINE MADE). I TRY TO FUND THIS AS MUCH AS I CAN BUT AS A SOLE TRADER OF ONLY 2.5 YEARS I DO RELY PRETTY HEAVILY ON DONATIONS. THE WIGS CAN BE FITTED, CUT AND STYLED FOR FREE IN MY SALON OR SENT OUT FREE IF CHARGE IN THE POST.
5)What I loved when I saw your Instagram pages was ‘at last someone who gets what a girly girl needs from her hair, this is not necessarily an age thing in my view but I love how I could see you and your clients styling your/their hair and it gave me so much hope. Where do you get your inspirations from for your styles and is this something you are looking to help clients with via you tube etc?
THATS REALLY INSIGHTFUL TO HEAR AND A REALLY GOOD QUESTION LISA. MY INFLUENCE, INSPIRATION AND DRIVE CAME TO ME FROM THE VERY FIRST DAY I KNEW I HAD TO WEAR A WIG. AS A YOUNG-ISH (OK AT NEARLY 42 YEARS OLD I’M YOUNG AT HEART LOL) WOMEN WHO HAS ALWAYS TAKEN GREAT CARE OF HER HAIR AND THE WAY IT LOOKED I KNEW I WANTED TO TRY AND RECREATE THIS IN WIGS AND TOPPERS. LOOKING AND FEELING GOOD AND FEELING FEMININE OR SEXY IS EVERY WOMENS RIGHT AND IF THIS CAN BE ACHIEVED BY SOME REALLY GREAT ALTERNATIVE HAIR THEN THATS AMAZING TO ME. MY INSPIRATIONS COME FROM A FEW DIFFERENT PLACES FROM TOP STYLISTS ON INSTAGRAM TO THE YOUNG TRENDY GIRL WALKING DOWN THE STREET. I LOVE CREATING THE LATEST LOOKS AND STYLES BUT SIMILARLY I ALSO LOVE CREATING CLASSIC LOOKS AND STYLES. I LOVE FINDING A SYNTHETIC WIG THEN TAKING MY SCISSORS TO IT AND CHANGING IT UP OR PUSHING THE BOUNDRIES OF WHATS POSSIBLE WITH HUMAN HAIR COLOURS AND STYLES.
I TRY TO SPEND AS MUCH TIME TALKING THROUGH WITH MY CLIENTS HOW TO LOOK AFTER, CLEAN, MAINTAIN AND STYLE THEIR WIGS BUT I AM VERY AWARE THAT THIS USUALLY IS NOT ENOUGH. THATS WHERE I LAUNCHED MY YOUTUBE CHANEL WHERE I TALK ABOUT STEP BY STEP ON HOW TO CURL AND WAVE YOUR HUMAN HAIR WIG, HOW TO SET A PARTING , HOW TO STRAIGHTEN, WHAT PRODUCTS TO USE ETC ETC. THIS IS A WORK IN PROGRESS AND OF COURSE ALL MY CLIENTS KNOW THEY ARE WELCOME BACK TO MY SALON OR TO CONTACT ME AT ANYTIME FOR FURTHER ADVICE, GUIDENCE AND COACHING.
I WOULD LIKE TO ADD TO THIS Q&A BY SAYING THAT ALL MY UK CONSULTATIONS ARE COMPLETELY FREE AND 100% PRIVATE AND CONFIDENCIAL. I ALSO WANT TO SAY PLEASE NEVER EVER SUFFER IN SILENCE. THERE IS LIFE AFTER HAIR LOSS AND A GOOD LIFE AT THAT. LIFE IS SO SO PRECIOUS AND PLEASE KNOW ALTERNATIVE HAIR IS A-M-A-Z-I-N-G
I WOULD LIKE TO END MY GUEST BLOG BY JUST SAYING HOW BLESSED I AM TO HAVE MET LISA. SHE TRUELY IS ONE OF THE MOST INSPIRATIONAL, KIND, BRAVE, COURAGEOUS, FUNNY, BEAUTIFUL YOUNG WOMAN I HAVE EVER HAD THE PLEASURE TO MEET AND CALL MY FRIEND. RARELY IN LIFE ARE WE TOUCHED BY A TRUE AND GENTLE SPIRIT AND LISA IS NO EXCEPTION. SHE IS A SHINING LIGHT AND I WILL FOREVER BE GREATFUL FOR HAVING HER IN MY LIFE. LOVE YOU LISA XXX
Vanessa is a true Gem, as I said above from the moment I first spoke to her on the phone I just knew I was going to be able to feel positive again. I’ve just added some photos from my consultation where I felt like a pampered princess by Vanessa in her wonderful Salon. In my first consultation for the Brunette synthetic wig I was marched through a salon full of people having their own beautiful locks done and had a consultation in what can only be described as a cupboard, in fact I’m pretty sure the cleaning products and tools were stashed away in there too!!! Oh the glamour! At Glamorous Butterfly you get the full ‘Salon’ experience and more. My Mum and Auntie were so lovely and came with me, we made it a bit of a girls road trip and it was lovely to have them there with me. Vanessa made them feel so welcome and included them in the consultation. Vanessa totally understands that it’s a scary process for everyone involved and not only did she ask them what questions they had, she also made sure that she asked their opinions on the different wigs that I tried on and along with all of that Vanessa kindly supplied us all with a vast array of beverages and yummy cakes and biscuits. For me it made the experience, just totally unbeatable. I felt like me again, like I was in a beautiful hair salon getting a wonderful pamper session. I loved every minute of it! Next time we go I am definitely staying in Whitehaven for longer, a) to be able to enjoy more time with a lady who changed my life and I am now lucky enough to call my friend and b) because Whitehaven/Cumbria/The Peak Districts are just the most beautiful places in our country. The scenery on our drive home was stunning and I wished we had a bit longer to enjoy them.
Just one of the amazing wigs I bought on the day.
This beautiful wig is on my wish list.
Also treated myself to this lovely Trendco Wig.
This was a selfie of me and my beautiful Auntie Mandy on our way back home. I literally couldn’t remove that smile from my face for the entire 8hr journey home!
My final piece of advice for anyone looking for a human hair wig is to understand that when it comes to styling your hair it takes practice and time to get it to look how it did when you left the salon. Vanessa cut and styled my hair and it looked perfect but it took me a while to learn how to wash and style it. The other great thing about Vanessa is that she is always on the end of the phone,text or Instagram and whenever I’ve got myself into a state she has talked me through what I need to do get my hair looking as awesome as it did when I came away from my appointment with her. With her guidance and just taking the time to practice I can now style my hair in so many different styles which I absolutely love. Being able to wash it, blow dry and style it with my straighteners or curling wands (all brand new ‘Cloud 9’ products which are perfect for human hair wigs) just makes me feel like me again.
Here are some pics of me experimenting with different hair styles:
I decided to write this collaborative post with Vanessa at this very poignant time in my cancer treatment. Unfortunately although I’m using the cold cap system with this, it doesn’t look like it’s going to be successful. Seeing clumps of my hair on my pillow or in the hands of my baby nephew takes me right back to the beginning of my cancer treatment and whilst I’ve been advised to persevere with it for a little while longer I don’t feel scared or lost like last time. This time is different because I have my beautiful hair from Vanessa which helps me see me when I look in the mirror. It’s given me part of my life back and I will always be grateful to Vanessa for giving me that gift back! Love you lots Vanessa xxx
To all of my readers, thank you so much as always for taking the time to read my latest post and for all the support I receive after each and every post. Your cards and messages get me through the darkest days and I really can’t thank you enough.
Lots of Love
Lisa
xxx
You can read the original blog here.
