Have you ever heard the saying “You’re a hairy piece of change”? I’m not sure if it is an old saying about someone who’s somewhat cheeky,or if my dad made it up. But he used that expression with all of us kids when we were rather difficult and sassy.
For some reason, the saying was used on me more than any of my sibs.
I thought about that saying when I received my bloodwork back from my thyroid testing. Once again, there was nothing wrong.
But I have to come out of the closet and be upfront with everyone. During my doctor’s exam, and when I explained all the hair loss to my doctor, he asked me how long I’ve been “twirling” and “playing” with my hair. He asked me this because I was twirling and playing with my hair while we were speaking. I told him as long as I could remember.
And then there was more. Any one of my hairs that was filled with split ends; I pulled from my head and split the ends more. It gets worse. I’ve been pulling my hair out for years. I started when I was around 12 or 13. I’m 61. Do the math.
This is what happens from years of pulling and tugging hair. It doesn’t grow back! Not now. Not ever. Never! Note that the Toppik no longer works!
It is more than a horrible habit; it is an actual obsessive compulsive disorder called Trichotillomania. It is caused by anxiety and stress. On one hand, I’m lucky that I only pull the hair from my head and not my brows or lashes. On the other hand, I’ve pulled for so many years that I have permanent hair loss. Add to that thinning from menopause and I can tell you…
Anywhere you pull over and over and over again for years and years, you will do permanent damage…
This is not pretty. It is not fun. It is a disorder and I have to say I’m a bit ashamed to have kept it a secret!
I am no longer a “hairy” piece of change!
But—let’s not go into the fact that I still pull my hair. Let’s look at the solutions.
My Toppik no longer does the disguising job for me. And I’ve started wearing top pieces, or toppers and wigs. I know—I’ve written about the fake hair and hair loss before but I wasn’t 100% upfront and honest. Please don’t be mad at me for not coming clean about this sooner but it’s really difficult to admit our issues sometimes. I’m not perfect and I goofed!
So let’s talk about the fake hair items and how I’ve been changing them up. They truly are hairy pieces of change!
If you wear fake hair—for medical reasons, or fun reasons, or for any reason, you know that sometimes, you just can’t wear the hair straight outta the box. Sometimes you need a bit of equipment to help you.
You need wig clips…
Thinning shears, scissors, thread, a needle and…
Tweezers, T-pins and a styrofoam head (which has more brains than I do at times)!
Case in point: I ordered a Milan topper by Noriko from the site Brand Name Wigs. This site has GREAT prices BTW and the ordering process was quick and easy. Anyway, when I opened the box, I was shocked at how much hair was on this piece. I cut bangs into the piece but still, the bangs were thick and Milan just didn’t give me a lot of love.
The Milan. A very popular top piece by Noriko. I originally cut bangs into this piece but they were way too thick and I was afraid to cut them shorter. Bonaparte hated the way this looked–but I knew I could make it better!
But I realized that I need the coverage. So I took matters into my own hands. I purchased a pair of thinning shears. I trimmed the bangs a bit more and thinned out the piece. Let me tell you, there was a lot of hair! I thinned out some more until I liked what I saw. And now—Milan is just right for me.
I took my thinning shears and went snip, snip, snip in a downward motion the length of the bangs. I trimmed the bangs a bit more with the scissors cutting with the scissors pointing upwards..
The finished product–a far thinner bang. I also thinned the fake hair around the front and my Milan is so much better and ready be be worn!
Another wig I purchased is from Escara, a line from Bobbi Boss Wigs. The wig is the Jenika. Although I love the side swept bangs, they were way too long—so I thinned them out and cut a bang into it. I thought I would love this wig but I’m on the fence about it. Although the wig itself is incredibly airy and light, the wig just isn’t “me”.
Jenika before and after. I think perhaps if I put some makeup on the wig may look better but I’m just not feeling the love right now with this! I thought I would but this is good practice!
But—on the bright side, it’s a great wig to work with and practice on!
Here’s and example of when a mistake purchase turns out to be fine! I purchased what I thought was a front-lace closure. It kind of isn’t. It’s a weave piece. It was $29.99 which is really a great price considering all toppers are far more expensive—but compared to the price of some great wigs……
Um. What was IN the box is tons shorter than what is ON the box! I am learning the difference between a top lace closure and a weave closure!
Anyway, I thought the piece would be longer, like my uniwigs topper. But it wasn’t. Maybe 8 to 10 inches total and somewhat thin. Nevertheless, I trimmed the lace, which was more like netting, and sewed four clips into the top. Surpirse!!! It turned out to be a great little top piece to cover the worst of my spots. This is great for the warmer weather when I don’t want a lot of weight on my head. In fact, I think I’ll go back and pick up another one at some point.
I sewed four clips into this closure. Note on the upper left, there is a tiny piece of netting. That netting was all around the closure and I cut it off. Also, I’m no great hand sewer–but it doesn’t matter–these clips ain’t going anywhere!
Here’s the weave closure. It isn’t that long at all but…
It blends nicely into my bio hair. I like this. It IS on the thin side so for extra protection, I actually CAN sprinkle a bit of Toppik on me.
This weave closure is virtually undetectable! I think for a mistake, I did a good job!
Easy steps to a mistake that turned out to be a plus!
I have a wig that I loved until I cut the bangs too short. Looking on the bright side, I turned the wig into a topper. It is still a work in progress because I have to run to the store later to purchase more wig clips to sew them in. The wig is Glow Girl by Forever Young. It is a great length and wavy. I ended up cutting the bottom wefts off and now can be used as a top piece. I had to thin the hell out of the bangs that I ruined but I like the way it turned out.
I also put some makeup on to appear a bit more human! Anyway, here’s the Glow Girl wig by Forever Young that is now a topper. I did cut the bangs too short but with thinning shears I was able to rescue the look a bit. AND with turning it into a topper I can place it lower on my head, making the bangs longer. This blends nicely into my bio hair as well!
I cut the bottom weft out to open the wig up and allow it to sit as a topper. I started sewing clips into it around the edges. I’m not done!
Now I’ll show you two wigs that I am in love with and all I had to do to make them look a bit more natural was to take a tweezer and widen and lengthen the part. The first one is by Model Model and is the Jazzy wig. Model Model is an African American wig brand and the hair closest resembles my bio hair. It’s true—not all white ladies have white lady hair. It is a myth. Most of us white women don’t have perfect hair at all! We have thin hair. We have coarse hair, curly hair, frizzy hair! You name it—we got it!
The Jazzy, from Model Model wigs. I LOVE this piece. It is the closest thing to my bio hair. I’m serious when I tell you that when my hair was this length, I could NEVER get it into waves that looked this good! And….
All I had to do was tweeze a wider part into it!
Don’t be afraid to tweeze. You won’t take too much out and it’ll look more natural!
Anyway, I ordered the Jazzy from SistaWigs.com. If you have coarse hair, then by all means go check out Model Model, Freetress, Bobbi Boss wigs and Viveca Fox wigs. SistaWigs also has plenty of stock and the delivery is quick.
So…I tweezed the Jazzy and that was it. I love the waves they are incredibly natural looking and this is a comfy wig. The only other thing I did was to sew a couple of wig clips in the back to ensure a more solid fit. The combs that are sewn into the inside are also a good form of insurance to keep the wig on.
Then there is the Model Model Jota wig that I purchased at a local beauty supply store. Very similar to Jazzy, it has a looser wave—more of a lob. I did cut a bit off the front ends to give it a more blunt edge and added more of a part with the tweezers.
This is the Jota wig by Model Model. I like the looseness of the waves but I felt that it needed a more blunt edge for me. I’m happy with the end result.
I am also happy with the deep parts of the Model Model wigs. A bit of tweezing and it looks very natural!
BTW, THIS is the mess that Bonaparte never saw. He would have had a heart attack if he walked in on this mess!
You can bet your bippee that I cleaned up THAT mess in record time!!
So that’s it. Basically, that’s how I spent yesterday! I feel good about being open with my hair problem. And please don’t think I’m a liar—even though I’ve been lying to myself for years. Anxiety is something I’ve been suffering from since childhood. It was suggested to my parents by our family doctor to take me to a therapist and they completely balked and never spoke about it again. What’re you gonna do?
I’m off to Barnes and Noble in a little while to get Ina’s new book—Cooking for Jeffrey. I’m so excited I could cry!
I’ll be singing “Someone’s in The Kitchen With Ina” tonight!
Instead for now here’s some Isley Brothers—”It’s Your Thing”…and paying with fake hair is my latest thing. What’s YOUR thing????
