My New Hair

Here it is - my new hair! I'm glad to have the wig already, so that I don't feel as nervous about the process of losing my real hair. Even though I don't consider myself a particularly vain or high maintenance person, I have to admit that I'll mourn my hair a bit. I don't wear much make-up or jewelry, I buy my clothes at Old Navy and Target, I'm not really into fingernails (though I do enjoy the occasional pedicure!), I've never had a facial, and I can count on one hand the number of massages I've had, but I've been coloring my hair since I was 17 years old. My favorite shade is "Just Like Sappha's," and the regular treks to the salon chair have been my one beauty indulgence for a long time. On the plus side, you never need to get a root job on your wig! So good-bye hair - hello wig! Don't I look cute?

I picked up my new 'do and a slew of free beauty products at a make-over and wig-fitting session at the cancer center, sponsored by Pantene and Bobby Brown. (You might not be able to tell from the photo, but I'm wearing eyeliner!) What an amazing afternoon. There was a stack of wigs of all different lengths, styles, and colors, and each woman chose one, after which it was fitted on her, trimmed, and styled. The stylists spent a terrific amount of time carefully giving each woman the perfect "haircut," and everyone walked out of the building feeling incredibly beautiful. I wouldn't be able to believe the "before" and "after" pictures of I hadn't seen the process myself. It's astonishing how natural the wigs look and feel. I mean, they are made from human hair, but still.

But of course it was so much more than just another haircut. Nearly all of the women had started or completed chemo and already sported bare heads. The atmosphere was very festive, friendly, and supportive; people introduced themselves, made connections through their shared doctors and treatments, exchanged email addresses, talked about Tina Turner and American Idol, exclaimed over our new looks, and joked and laughed. We were especially entertained by one woman who recently finished reconstruction surgery and was thrilled with her "boob job" - she said that she hadn't been quite so bountiful before and was really loving her new figure!

Anyway, with my Noxema exfoliating something and my Olay age-defying and more moisturizer, my organic lime basil mandarin cologne and my Bobby Brown pink sparkly lip gloss, my American Express gift card and who knows what else in this full-to-bursting goody bag, I'm going through chemo with style.

P.S. I tried on Barbie blonde. It just didn't work for me. But I'll probably invest in at least one more "hair prothesis" (as covered under our insurance policy). The are lots more shades of red out there to try!