How You Again Wigs Came to Be

You Again Wigs. Our STORY:

1988. This fist wig I was ever asked to make was for a woman named Sarah who had lost her hair during chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer. Custom wigs used to take about 2 months to design, build, color and cut for wear. When I finished the piece and contacted her, I was excited to call and share with her that we were ready for her to come in and get her wig. When her husband answered the phone, I was able to tell him that we could make our appointment to see her when he regretfully shared that she has passed away 2 weeks prior. My stomach dropped to the floor.

This experience devastated me, and as a result, when people called asking for cancer wigs, I would refer them to a wig store.

1993. A friend of mine contacted me whose mom was going through chemo for uterine cancer. He had purchased 2 wigs from a wig store for her and when she went to return them because they didn’t look natural to her, they would not take her money back and she left in tears. His pleas to help his mom touched me. The truth is, I didn’t know what I was going to do when she came in. I asked him to have her bring in the wigs and some photos of her before the cancer diagnosis and we set up an appointment.

As she (Muriel) and I were sitting there together, it was clear that what she was seeking, neither wig could provide. Over our time together, what became most clear is that she wanted to look like herself again. These commercial wigs were built to do one thing and have only one style. On a whim, I went into my closet and found Sarah’s wig. I had held onto it over the years and it had remained as an expensive and painful reminder of when I had let someone down. I took it off the shelf, dusted it off and brought it to Muriel. It fit. The color was off and the style was not right, but because of the quality and time put into the craftsmanship, the hair was adaptable and malleable like natural hair. After a color and a cut, we all cried together. Muriel was able to see a reflection of who she really was.

1995-2002 During slow periods, I would utilize my employees to make cancer wigs that I could color and cut and cut to fit any style so that they would be ready when someone in need would call. I never wanted someone who wanted a wig to not be able to have it in a short period of time. What became most apparent to me was that what women wanted the most was to have an experience of normalcy in their lives. Having their hair back could give them that.

2002. Marilynn. She was referred to me by a hairdresser friend of mine who knew that I had a soft spot for doing wigs and hairpieces for cancer patients. She was about 30 years old and undergoing chemo for breast cancer. Her friends had come together in solidarity to purchase her 3 wigs; she chose a Marilyn Monroe, a vixen-red and a glam wig. Her intention was to “rock this wig thing” and meet cancer with a sense of humor. When she and I sat together during our consultation, she mentioned how people responded awkwardly to her, as if she was in costume. What I recognized from our dialogue is that what she wanted most was to have those that she was closest to treat her as they always had, not as if she was sick or pretending to be someone else.