What I Do
For most of my adult life, I have worked as a professional hair designer, makeup artist and wig specialist. During the last 20 years, my work has been focused mainly on supporting those who have been facing the challenges of appearance related side-effects of cancer. As coordinator/wig specialist at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre’s Wig Salon & Accessories Boutique from 2002 to 2015, and a volunteer facilitator/coordinator with Wellspring and the Look Good Feel Better program, I have fitted thousands of oncology patients over the years. This has allowed me to become accustomed with the unique challenges that face cancer patients and others who may be dealing with medically related hair loss.
Finding The Right Wig
Fitting a person with a wig can be approached in many different ways. Most people have had little to no experience with wigs and can easily get overwhelmed by the many different types, models and colors. Shopping online and sorting through the hundreds of synthetic and human hair wigs can be risky not knowing if the colour, fit and style will actually work. Using the expertise of a caring professional can ease your fear and help you find the perfect wig that makes you feel totally natural, comfortable and confident.
My Approach
Before I begin selecting wigs I think would work, it is important to take some time to get to know you so I can get a sense and feel of your personality and fashion preferences. Then, after explaining the pros and cons between human hair and synthetic wigs, alternative styles, lengths and colours, I’ll make a few recommendations that I think would work. Ultimately, the “perfect” wig is one that makes you feel the most comfortable and confident, regardless of whether or not you are dealing with cancer. In the vast majority of situations, we both know immediately after exploring a few styles and colors which ones constitute the “perfect” wigs. That’s when the real magic happens.
The Results
I find so much joy from this work and each client brings me sometimes as much or more than I’m able to give to them. For me however, there is nothing more satisfying than having a client who starts out a bit sceptical, but after a consultation, gains a full understanding of what they are looking for, and then together find a few styles they connect with and love. To see the ease, comfort and confidence come over them is very rewarding. Even more gratifying is when the same client comes back again and communicates to me how comfortable they were with the process and the end results. Nothing matters more to me than that. Nothing.
