Before you do the roll-eye at me and go “Oh no, not another hair post, please—“hair” me out. OK? I realize I covered this topic a bit only a couple of weeks ago. But today, I want to do a more in-depth post so read on mature ladies. Read on!
No! Don’t yawn. This is informative! And fun. I posted bad pics of me!!
First, I’m becoming increasingly annoyed at the amount of advertising I see for products and potions that promise to grow hair. In 99 percent of the cases, hair will not grow back. I am also very wary of taking any product internally—you do not know the long-term results on your organs.
I have tried topical lotions that promised my balding scalp locks of luster and regrowth. They were messy to deal with, took the time to apply and did NOT grow so much as the beginnings of a fuzzy strand.
Be honest. Be real. For reals,man. For reals!
Truth in advertising counts. Read the fine print. Many products carry a microscopic little caveat that state the product won’t work for everyone. They should reword it to doesn’t work in most cases.
The only product I’ve ever used that worked to grow any sort of hair was Latisse. It not only made my lashes longer but I was very messy in my application and it spilled a bit on my skin. And where it spilled, I grew little fine hairs that needed to be plucked. When I lost my corporate healthcare, I also lost the affordable price of Latisse.
Besides, I didn’t need extra eyelashes on my cheeks.
In addition, I once went for a “free” consultation at a salon in Wayne, PA that “specialized’ in hair loss. The cost? A couple of thousand bucks for months of treatments. And false promises of hair regrowth.
And once that fuzz appears, it is a continuous process to keep up with it.
At 62 years of age, I have not the time, nor the money or the patience to deal with this. And I don’t like the idea of businesses taking advantage of women with hair loss. It’s wrong!
So, what is the solution? I’ve spent too much time in my life blow drying the hair that I once had. I spent too many hours in needless worry of what others think of me with my thinning hair and even more time worrying about what people would think if they could tell I was wearing helper hair, alternative hair, fake hair or a wig.
Trust me, this has been a journey. Come along on the trip with me…
At first, I used Toppik, which I’ve written about many, many times. And if you notice that your hair is beginning to thin in spots, this product, as well as others like it, is excellent. It can be a bit messy for the beginner, but after repeated applications gets easier and easier. To this day, I use it when Adam cuts my hair. And I don’t get the chance to go 100 percent bio hair these days!
Over ten years use and still using–although much less these days!
When the loss became more apparent, it was time for toppers. Toppers are, well, I guess you could call them clip-in toupees for women! They clip into the top of your hair, covering the areas of hair loss. If you need further information on toppers, please see the videos of June Penny. She is a riot and makes no bones or BS about hair loss. She works together with Uniwigs. I’ve ordered a few toppers from Uniwigs, thanks to June, and have been very happy with the product, the customer service, and the quality. Only once was I disappointed in the topper and it was a wavy-haired one that was my error in ordering.
June Penny is no BS. That’s one of the reasons I love her so much! She’s an expert on toppers and will answer any questions you may have!
The toppers work more for me these days when I wear a messy bun or updo.
The two messy bun looks photographed here were done with my Tony of Beverly topper. The density is great and lends itself perfectly for that messy bun look! PLEASE NOTE: I ironed the blouses that are hanging up. I ironed them this morning!
Last year I was also very lucky to be gifted with a very dense set of hair extensions by the generosity of Irresistible Me Hair Extensions. I wore these extensions a lot last summer. Almost a year later, my hair loss has gotten severe enough that the extensions no longer work for me. I saved them though because I’m trying to figure out how to turn them into ponytail extensions.
When my loss wasn’t as severe, these hair extensions were great!!!!
These days I’m wearing wigs more and more. I no longer care if others can tell I’m wearing a wig. I no longer care what others think.
And it isn’t just about hair loss either. The hair that I do have just hasn’t aged well! In its natural state, without the aid of a roller set or blow dry, my hair is damaged from the years of blow-drying, dying, hairspray, bad haircuts, sun damage. It is dry. It is brittle. It is a freakin’ mess! You name it, I’ve done it. Some of us are blessed in many ways. I was not blessed with gracefully aging hair. I was blessed in the fact I don’t have a lot of wrinkles. I’ll take what I got!
I took this photo earlier in the morning after I did my roots. Hey. It is what it is. Or in THIS case, what it isn’t! The loss has gotten worse on the top of my crown! Oh well.
Anyway, my first wig was Scorpio, by Revlon. I ordered it from Wigs.com when I started losing hair but I hardly wore it. I felt “funny” and “odd”. And when I wore it to my sister’s house one weekend, my nieces started laughing so badly at me that I felt awful and more self-conscience than ever. The wig was put into a box where it still sits. In hindsight, I should have just worn the damn wig. My bio hair was cut into a short bob at the time and took me a good two hours of blow drying to achieve that sleek look. I woulda been better off plopping the wig on my head!
I still have this wig in a box. And I still like it. If I want to go back to a short bob–I can! Scorpio still remains one of Revlon’s best selling wigs–especially with the older, mature woman. It’s a great wig for the older gals because it remains modern!
When my hair got longer, I ordered a couple of longer wigs. Among them “Brie” by Vivica Fox wigs. I happen to be a fan of her wigs. And Brie has remained a “go to” for me. I have two Brie’s and they have held up very well over the four years I’ve had them. Yes. This under-thirty dollar wig is remarkable in her long-lasting ability.
I’m wearing Brie in this photo. In fact, it is the most used wig I’ve worn into the office. Bonaparte loves this wig on me due to the waves.
I was ready to trash one of the Brie wigs because she was starting to look a bit raggy, but I went onto YouTube and found a very informative and educational video by Tiffany Hudson of Tiffanys TempTresses. Where June Penny is the Queen of Toppers, Tiffany is the Queen of Wig care. She has a very sweet and soothing way of explaining things.
If you already do wear wigs, this video is priceless in its education of washing synthetic wigs. If you are thinking of wearing a wig, watch this video. It is educational! I went out and purchased fabric softener to use as conditioner for my synthetic hair thanks to Tiffany!
And if you are going through hair loss and are thinking of purchasing a wig, please look at reviews before making a purchase. There are a great many reviews both online and on YouTube. One of our own WordPress bloggers has a fantastic blog (I think she should be a professional photographer because her photographs are wonderful but that’s another story but look at her photos and tell me they are not fabulous!) in which she reviews many wigs. MareyMercy.
Cynthia has a TON of great wig reviews but I wasn’t able to upload any from her site. Trust me, go to her blog, MareyMercy wig reviews and check them out! Oh. And she took these pics. I wish I lived next door to her because I would have her snap a few of me–I would pester her so much that she would move away!
Wig reviews are a tremendous help because it gives a better picture of how a wig really will appear in real life. You can also see for yourself that many affordable wigs look terrific and you don’t need to spend a fortune!
For my happiness, the Divatress site is my favorite place to shop for wigs. The customer service is stellar and quick delivery. Free shipping over $49. And—I love their selection of lace front wigs! Wigs are shipped in boxes like this—they don’t scrimp on their shipping.
Two wigs came securely packaged in this huge box. Divatress knows how precious our hair cargo is!
Some of my recent purchases have been made because of YouTube reviews. Here’s a look at some of my new hair and the reviews that have sold me on the wigs:
Outre Perm Yaki 18. I love this so much that I ordered two more as backups. And would never have ordered if it were not for the two video reviews below. See how natural she looks?
Manda Panda’s review sold me on the wig because she put the front up and it looked so natural. In addition, she is so adorable and those glasses of hers!!!!
Kiara Cymone’s review of the same wig finalized my decision to repurchase. And I’m thankful to these young ladies for helping this older lady!
Front and back of stock card for this wig. I like to keep these filed because of the descriptions and care for the units.
Another favorite of mine is Storm by ModelModel. I love everything about this wig..
See how well the lace front blends in well with my natural hairline–even when I hadn’t done my roots it still looks great!
Thanks to Dee Dee Woods, I made the purchase I will never regret. I have two Storms and will need to order another backup as soon as Divatress gets my color back in! Dee Dee has a great YouTube channel on hair, beauty–she’s a doll. Look at her eyes too. She has very kind eyes and you know how much I love kind eyes!
I was on the fence about ordering this wig. Texana by Freetress Equal. The review below was helpful in my deciding to go for it. I like it a bit messier and it is the only wig that I recently purchased where I had to pin my bio hair up because it didn’t blend well with my bio hair. Doesn’t matter though because I really enjoy the shorter length. This is a PERFECT wig for the mature woman!
Lovely Lasean’s review was the decision-maker with this purchase. She got hers from Sistawigs.com. I ordered mine from Divatress.
I sometimes miss having bangs. This wig, Soft Volume by Freetress Equal Premium Delux is a monofilament top. The part is basically non-existant. I liked the wig but was unsure about purchasing until I saw this review by BodiedBykeira..
She cut bangs into the wig!!! She cut bangs! I followed her advice and am happy I did!
This is Sage. I should have looked at a few reviews before making the purchase. I was looking for a long wig that I could put into a braid or pony. Unfortunately, I lack the know-how and the wig is way to dense for me to pull back…..but…
I cut (and rather unevenly, I admit) about three inches off the bottom and pulled my bio hair back for a very Catherine Deneuve look. I love this 1960’s look and personally, any mature woman can rock this wig.
This wig was purchased at a local wig outlet in Norristown. I paid $19.99 for it. It’s a Vivica Fox wig and I’m sorry that I didn’t save the stock card. I went back to buy another one and found out the wig had been on final clearance because it was discontinued. I wish I knew what wig this is because I DIG THIS WIG!
It reminds me a LOT of Storm but is longer and the part is so natural looking! The Yaki texture is another plus. Oh. I wish I had another one of these wigs. Why did Vivica discontinue this beauty? Whatsamatter with her?
It’s a nice length and from the back looks nice and thick and like my bio hair!
Some wigs need tweaking in the form of tweezing the part to give it a more realistic look. Don’t be afraid to tweeze because you can’t mess it up!
And because I don’t wear a wig cap and just plop the wigs over my bio hair, I usually sew in a few extra combs for extra security.
I think I paid all of three bucks for this bag of sew-in wig combs. I’ve been procrastinating because I need to do some sewing!
Oh—and this is important. I still color my roots regularly so the color blends in better when I’m wearing my natural hair off my face and pulled back.
I also don’t wash my bio hair often. The more hair I lose, the less I wash. I can go two weeks these days. Don’t cringe!! My hair doesn’t smell. It doesn’t look greasy because it is as dry as the Sahara dessert. And I roller set because it is less damaging than blow-drying!
I did my roots this morning and washed and set my bio hair so it looks better when I pull the front out when wearing wigs and toppers. BTW, the only makeup I’m wearing is a long-lasting lipstick that has been on since 9:00 AM. It is now 4:18 PM. I’ll be writing a post about it when I finish up with this post!
Just took the rollers out. No makeup today. Boy do I look like sh..I have Toppik in my hair and I also have…..
…this Oil Free wig shine for Human and Synthetic Hair sprayed on my bio hair. It works great for taming frizz and keeping hair smooth and shiny. I found it on the Divatress site! Only $1.95!
Look. I realize that hair loss can be painful. It can be embarrassing. It is also an incredibly private topic that many don’t want to be open about. But we need to address it. As we age, we still want to look great—am I right? And why spend hours worrying about our hair when it is easy just to plop a wig or topper on?
Mature us can rock every look—even when it comes to hair that isn’t our own! So let’s do this! Bring out your inner Haironista!!!!Let’s make a purchased head of hair as regular and normal as our skincare routine or getting dressed!
Ain’t nothing’ like a great head of hair–that you can buy!
There are all types of wigs out there. There is also a huge price range. Some women prefer human hair. I like synthetic because it is affordable and inexpensive. Regardless of your choice, the solutions are out there. You just need to research. Or just ask me!!
We may not have perfect hair, or skin, or weight or whatever. But–we gotta be ok with our imperfections. I’m giving Des’ree’s “You Gotta Be” a revisit. Do you remember this song? It’s so inspirational and Oona and I used to listen to it together all the time. I love when songs have meaning–and remind me of time with my daughter and my sons.
© 2017 Atypical60.com
You look fantastic – and I love how informative this all is. I have always subscribed to the “it’s your choice and you are wearing it” so unless I can say something nice I won’t say it – you never know what personal demons people are battling with – and I say that particularly as a mother with a daughter and the concern that even one smart-arse comment either directed at her or said in front of her could do untold harm. Therefore not only do you look fantastic – but you can never underestimate the effects of other people (so I feel bad about your nieces laughing – not cool). I also think we forget how much our identity is bound up in our hair, I have only really thought about this really deeply recently – I had a complete colour change – I gave up trying to get my hair dyed (it wasn’t taking so well and I have really fine, curly hair that tends to the frizzy), and got it cut quite short – from brown and chaotic to short and fiesty and white. Let me just say people treat me different – all I did was change MY HAIR – ’nuff said – hair way more important than we think
Thanks Juliet! OH, I know too well about what a change in hair can do. When I went blonde (Yeah. I did. and it completely destroyed my hair!) I was treated much, much differently than as a brunette. I was treated as though I were a bit daft. It’s so weird. But it’s true and having a daughter, I agree with you completely!!!! XOXOOXO!!!
What a great post! You are so lucky you can wear such a dark brown hair color – gives you so many more options than blondes seem to have. And you look great in all of these!
Thanks for the link here – yeah, I keep as tight a lock on my videos as I can due to previous troll experiences. The joys of the internet!
Hi Cynthia, Thanks for the heads up on the video lock. You KNOW, your blog is one of my faves. Trolls. Ugh. They are just pathetic people!! XOXOXOXOXO!!!
Hey Catherine, I do admire you for being frank about your hair-loss, and you look amazing, girl! I (still) have a big head of hair, but I can´t help wondering if a wig would´t make my life easier sometimes? Waking up in the morning and looking into the mirror, I can’t help screaming when I see my hair:) I have dry, curly, wavy hair and it just doesn´t follow orders, so these days I just let it be most of the time. Would be nice to change it into sleek, long tresses sometimes:)
Hi Angelin. It sounds like you and I have very similar hair. My own hair was always unpredictable–still is. That’s the beauty of a wig. Every day will be a decent hair day. If it rains. Who cares? Your bio hair is protected!!! Thank you for your positive comment. It’s always a pleasure!! XOXOXOXOXO!!!
Catherine, bless you for being so honest, this topic is so liberating and helpful. You’re rekindling my love of wigs. Lately my hair has been so unpredictable, I think it would be nice to experience good hair days again. I’m ordering the wig tomorrow!
Karen. I read this post to Bonaparte and started to cry because I was so touched! I’m very emotional about this hair loss stuff. But hey, go and order that wig and wear it proudly!!!!! XOXOXOXOXO!!!
First, you look great, with or without makeup! Second, I’m happy that you took the positive route and embraced wigs, rather than falling into despair about the hair loss. And again, you look fantastic! I recently started taking Biotin, because I’m too impatient in the process of growing my hair long again. It’s working, not miraculously, but it is growing a bit faster. Whether it’s bio or not, our hair is important to us!
Thanks Lori! You are one of the lucky ones who are having positive results with Biotin! And you’re right. our bio hair IS important. That’s essentially why I haven’t cut mine short. I still want long hair!!! XOXXOXOXOXOXOXO!!!
Catherine, I requested this topic before but not sure if it ever posted. Would you please offer tips and recommendations for good bra support? It would be very uplifting 😄 pun Intended!
Ok. I promise I will try to post about it! I already have a “tit”le!! “Here Tittie Tittie”!!!!! It’s a great subject !
😄 looking forward to it!
Please include some non underwired bras 😏
Your wigs look fantastic and natural! Whenever I buy clip in hair extensions, they always seem way too shiny. I have heard that dry shampoo spray can tone down the shine. I will have to check out some of your sources.
Hi LN. I shoulda written about getting rid of the shine. That’s one of the reasons I love yaki hair–it’s not shiny at all. Anyway, dry shampoo DOES matte the shine. There are even some dry shampoos that are specifically made for brunettes, blondes, etc. Also, baby powder helps to get the shine out too. I’m pretty sure if you go on line you can get this Wig Wand by jon reneau: https://cysterwigs.com/products/magic-wig-wand-jon-renau It is supposed to take the shine out when you put powder on it!! Hope this helps!! XOXOXOXO!!!
Great blog as always. Can I ask: doesn’t your head get hot/sweaty in summer and secondly what’s the effect on your scalp and bio hair of being covered up all day? Maybe you only wear them part of a day so your scalp can breathe the rest of the time? 😘
Hi Olive. I have to be honest. This will be the first summer that I’ll be wearing full-on wigs because the loss has gotten worse than last summer. However, I’ve been wearing my wigs during the few 80+ days we’ve had so far and it really doesn’t bother me. I’m in an air conditioned office and when I get home, I take my hair off. You can’t cook with a synthetic wig on because the heat from the oven can damage the wig. On the weekends I’ll wear the wig when we go out–which will be for a couple of hours and so far so good. I WILL bring my lightest wigs on vacation next month and that’ll be a great test. But–I also don’t wear a wig cap. I just lay the wig on top of my bio hair like a hat. It’s all good! XOXOXOXO!!!
Hi Catherine , i love love love you with the bob one !!! may be because in france we don’t like very much big wavy hair !!! but anyway you are fantastic et trés trés jolie !!!!Nathalie
Hi Nathalie. I had my hair bobbed for so many years!! It was so much work because of the natural wavy nature of my hair. But its so funny because Bonaparte loves my hair when it’s big!!! I’m still a fan of the bob!! XOXOXOXO!!!
Hello there form France again. It is noon for us in Paris and you’re still sleeping (bless you). I would like once again to thank you for this post, although I would have liked to have more (again french bla bla bla) especially on how to choose a wig, on what size (we do not have all the same size), which one for whom … I live in the suburbs of Paris and we have large communities of people who wear wigs hence a rather large market for my area. It is more complicated for rest of France, except of large cities. After reading your post earlier this morning (my morning), I went to look for websites selling wigs, whether with natural hair or man made : lots of website are US oriented (so not really what french women would appreciate style wise) or very expensive or … depressing. This is also a huge taboo in France this hair loss not speaking about wigs! Here wigs are only (well not only I do exaggerate a bit) for people suffering from hair loss because of cancer treatment. I am not yet 50 but already with menopause (Yeh yeppe I am very happy!! this is a joke) and I can say that our society does not give a care to some treatment about hot flushes, hair loss, joint aches, depression, bladder leaking (another taboo, would you consider a post about this or even you would not dare about that… challenge challenge, I am sure even your partner would be horrified in earring me speaking about this…) and so on. I am also following some good UK mature women blogs, some that even recently won some prize. But even if they are writing about menopause and hormonal substitute openly, they stay still rather vague about “the rest”. S…t (yes I know I can’t write that, this is US politically correct stance) for me this is also feminism, to not be afraid and ashamed of what is happening in our bodies, our mind, our life. Regarding wigs, as I also suffer hair loss, very dry and fine hair (but still quite a lot of volume, just to say that I had a LOT previously), I just can’t find what I would like to look natural. I have never had tame hair: I like my wavy messy hair and really hate hate tame hair. Unfortunately, this is what we are offered. Yuk it is not me. Why should we be tame?
Bonsoir Eve! Oh..wearing wigs is a bit of a taboo subject here with white women. African American women rock the wigs and are proud and open about it. Personally, there is nothing taboo about taking a head of hair that you paid money for and plopping it on your head like a hat. It’s so much easier than going to a beauty salon and having your hair styled. Easier than blow drying your hair every day. And you can go longer without washing your hair!
I have sent an email to Divatress asking them if they ship to France and what the shipping would be. You have naturally wavy hair. I have naturally wavy hair and African American wigs work much better for my hair. I’ll bet you would look great!
In Brooklyn and other areas–where Jewish Orthodox communities are, wigs are very popular and very, very expensive. The most I’ve spent on a full wig was $50.00. I’ve spent more on the toppers. Go figure.
No woman should be ashamed to openly discuss any body part or function. Anyone who stymies that is not a feminist. We should be able to discuss hot flashes, weakness, pain, hair loss and all those other issues like bladder leaking (don’t make me laugh too hard or I will leak).
Honesty is needed in all aspects of life. There are many blogs out there that ARE vague and it bothers me to no end. My favorite blogs are written by real and honest women. And ones with a sense of humor!
I do know that there is a wig shop in Paris in the 6th because my Frenchman’s aunt, Daniele, got her wigs there. I’m pretty sure she spent a good deal of money on them though.
I’ll keep trying to find companies that will ship from here to France for you!!! XOXOXOXO!!!
Hi Catherine. I think this is a great post. While I don’t have a problem with the hair on my head I do have a problem about the hair on my chin!!!! I love that you’re out there informing and encouraging other women to look at YouTube and research and wear wigs – because as you say at the end of the post – there IS a solution out there. You are such a good writer x
Penny. Your head of hair is swoon-worthy. But I’m laughing because earlier this evening I was working on putting make up on for a future post and I saw a chin hair so long I could have rolled it with a roller. I swear it wasn’t there yesterday!!!! Thanks for your kind words!!!
XOXOXOXOXOXO!!!
Thanks for educating us. there is this remedy a friend of mine tried and it worked. Click Here to see details.
Hi Emmanuel. Thank you so much for the link. I will be looking at it later this evening!! XOXOXOXO!!
Hello Catherine
I loved ur blog. Iam always so excited to read ur blog. When u buy a new wig, everytime wil u customize that? Bcoz urs looks different from the packing
Hi Bhuvana. Thank you!!! I customize just a bit. That’s why I look at the YouTube reviews because the wigs always look different in real life than on the stock cards!!! XOXOXOXO!!!
Which wig looks natural to buy ? Bcoz first time iam going to buy a wig. Iam so scared . All the reviews are confusing me to choose . Most of the wig reviews are good in you tube. My friends knew tat I have less hair , so I don’t want more volumised wig. And also suggest me for natural part wigs.
Hi Bhuvana. The wigs that I feel are the best are the Yaki texture and the light yaki texture. They aren’t shiny. The best solution is to really look at the reviews and see which wigs show up on the videos that aren’t as volumonous! Hope this helps!! Xoxoxoxo!!!
Catherine, you have a great attitude to your hair loss and you sure have nailed how to style your wigs. Seriously, it looks quite hard to put them on, do they ever go wonky? I have found this post so interesting and it’s good to know there are products out there…although here in the UK I don’t think the choice is quite so good. My hair has always been fine and quite thin and since the menopause getting thinner. I had my tatty hair highlighted this week which I blogged about and it did make me feel a bit better. My grandmother had extremely thin hair and my mum’s was sparse at the front as she got older, I see mine going this way. Thanks for such an informative post, I really admire you for being so honest on this subject.
By the way I love the bob wig and can’t see why your nieces found it so funny. xx
Hi Fiona. Thank you!! Remember. I am a lazy broad. And if I’m wearing a wig, you can bet I’m doing it the lazy way. I literally plop them on my head like a hat. Right atop my head. Luckily, the wigs have combs in them so I can secure the hair without it getting all wonky on me!! Please. Menopause completely ruined my hair and believe it or not, messed up my skin. Who the hell has body dandruff? I’ll tell you who does–I DO!! I saw your hair and it looked GREAT!!!!!!! Oh and by the way, I laughed my ass off at the video you added–especially when Paul Taylor said he puts milk in his tea! That’s how we grew up. We all put milk in our tea!! XOXOXOXOXO!!!
Catherine,
So happy to see another 50ish woman sharing her knowledge of hair thinning or hair loss.
I love another sassy 60 year old being totally honest with her audience because you are sharing your story to help other women deal with their story.
Hugs,
Robin
Hi Robin! I’m glad you stopped by. I saw the tuck or no tuck post while I was at work and need to go over to you and put my two cents worth in! But yeah, I do try to keep a completely honest blog. I’m tired of smoke and mirrors. It isn’t happening for me and I find that I’m reading less blogs these days because of the less-than-honest posts. I think it is really important to keep it real –especially when we get older because its bad enough that the fashion and beauty industries ignore us. I’m off my soapbox now and off to see your blog with the tucking!!!! XOXOXOXOXO!!!
Really informative post, so helpful, love it! Oh yes, the microscopic-printed disclaimers on hair growth products is a big pet peeve of mine. I have literally used a magnifying glass and my reading glasses to try and decipher them and I still can’t read many of them. This is ageism against our eyesight!!
The 60’s look is YOU!! YOU have ne so inspired!! You are so brave!!
Thanks Chevy!!!!!!!!!!!!! I’m so glad you are liking the blog!! XOXOXOXOXOXOXO!!!