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FREEDOM
HAIR E-NEWSLETTER As
in the past, we hope to share our collective insights into living
with alopecia areata and in particular, getting the most out of our
vacuum wigs made by Freedom Wigs. We look forward to getting your
feedback including areas of interest for future newsletters.
From
Karen Peterik, owner of New Life Hair Hi
everyone! The hairpiece that I am wearing above is over 4 years old
and has had a couple of repairs. This
past summer, it was one of my favorite “looks”. Must be nice to be able to say that with an
old piece that you almost gave up on, right?
Let me share some insights into repairs so that you too can
say the same thing about one of your older pieces.
New clients always ask about what a hairpiece will look like
when it needs a repair. Questions
like how long will it take, what exactly is done and how much will
it cost come up just as frequently. Those
of you that are past your first hairpiece repair will recognize the
following photos and text, but I hope to add to your knowledge with
information on how to best refurbish your newly repaired hairpiece.
In
the photo above you see a silicone interior that is beginning to thin
in a spot and peel in another. Repairing this hairpiece now will prevent it
from getting to the point where the implant layer becomes exposed
to scalp oil and perspiration. At that point, the adhesive bonding
the hair to the inner cap deteriorates causing rapid hair loss.
The more hair that is lost the more expensive the repair. With the current cost of hair on the rise, this
has brought our repair quotes up to the $300-$500 range. If there is very minor surface silicone peeling
this does not require a repair immediately, but rather, just keep
an eye on it so that it doesn’t spread.
If it looks like it is getting bigger, an effective quick-fix
is to apply a very small amount of 100% pure clear silicone in between
the peeling layer and the base layer.
Smooth over with a finger dipped in diluted dish detergent
(to prevent sticking), cover with a small patch of Glad Wrap and weight
it overnight to dry. (This technique also works when you get a small
silicone bubble that breaks open revealing the rough silicone liner.)
Let your dealer know and she will make a note in your file that you
will need a repair within 6 months or so. This may require a little
planning since the usual repair time frame from start to finish is
8 weeks. This is especially
important if you don’t’ have that second hairpiece yet.
Time to order #2!
The
photo above shows interior “ridging” - a distortion of the silicone
cap that occurs from improper placement on the head. Repeatedly forcing the cap into the wrong position
creates air bubbles that don’t go away until they are eventually forced
to flatten to the head. I have
actually seen donut-shaped ridges around a top-of-the-head air space
that have caused the soft tissue on the scalp to dent in!
This is, of course, temporary, but still disconcerting! By the way, it stands to reason that a large
air bubble on the top of the head is actually caused by the hairpiece
being worn too far forward so that the crown space is now on top of the head instead of the crown. Some clients want to duplicate the way their
conventional wig had to be pulled down over their head in order to
provide better security and attempt to do the same with their vacuum.
They end up trying to wear their hairpiece way too low on their forehead
and this causes the air bubble on top. We
all know that this is not necessary with a good vacuum fit!
The
photo above is an example of hair loss at the crown.
This is a vulnerable area since our hair radiates out from
here and combing and styling usually begin at this point.
Try to reduce the stress at the crown and part by infrequent
combing. Never use a brush unless it is a plastic vent brush - the
bristles can pull too hard and rough up the cuticles. And prevent mechanical breakage by never sleeping
in your hair, inadvertently pulling on it, scratching the scalp repeatedly
or playing with your hair. Thank
goodness Freedom Wigs has an excellent repair staff - this piece will
be good as new when they are done with it! When
you’re ready for a repair, here is the drill: Mail your clean, dry
hairpiece to your dealer with some protective inner fill, like your
fit cap and bag of foam peanuts and place inside a plastic zip-lock
bag. Make sure to track your shipment and insure
it for peace of mind. Your
dealer will fill out the appropriate paperwork and mail it to the
Take
advantage of this opportunity to refurbish your newly repaired hairpiece
by having both the color and the cut re-evaluated. It’s surprising how much a trip to the salon
can perk up a repair and actually give it a whole new life! You’ll most likely need to reverse the damage
from sun bleaching and oxidation by having your hair colored. This can be accomplished with either overall
color or my favorite technique – lowlighting. Choose at least two low-light colors one a bit
darker than the original color for the best effect. You will end up with very natural-looking highlights
left by the uncolored hair – awesome effect! Next address the cut by not only trimming the
added hair but perhaps changing the geometry or “weight” of the hair. The ends may also need a trim if you’re fond
of using heat for your styling. Remember
our mantra: “You can always
go shorter, but you can’t go _ _ _ _ _ _ .” You can fill in the blank!
My
topic this time is very exciting!! Karen Peterik and I have
both purchased the brand new Freedom Hair® proprietary SCANNER TECHNOLOGY!!
This means that from now on, new molds on new customers or remolds
on existing customers (such as when you lose or gain a considerable
amount of weight) will be done by scanner. You sit in a chair
in the middle of the room and we walk around you making approximately
7 sweeps with a laser scanner. The image of your head appears
on our computer screen. When finished, we e-mail the results
to the factory where your exact image is routed out of a block of
wood. This head mold is now an exact replica of your head and
accurate to within 1 millimeter. The entire process takes about
10 minutes. No muss, no fuss, no plaster, no water, no drips,
no gyrations to get the mold off of your head - quick, accurate and
easy! This scanner technology has been used for medical purposes
for some years and is completely safe. The type of laser used
has been used to make scalp coverings for babies with cranial soft
spots as well many more medically related prostheses. Now, it
is available exclusively from us at Freedom Hair®.
If
you look below you will see photos of one of our clients wearing the
latest silicone and hair eyebrows.
Aren't they fabulous! They
are called “Classic Brows” and are available through "Feel Good
Look Good" in Their
photos don't look as good as these, but I've seen this client in person
and can confirm that the client is AU and they actually do look this
good! I feel they are a great
alternative to pencils and tattooing and definitely will help those
who are unhappy with the 'one dimensional' look that goes with those
choices. Hope you all enjoy this new product.
From
Martine,
These styles you should all have your hairline wispy pieces pulled out before hand to give us coverage around the capline.
Section hair from behind the ears pulling into a high pony tail. Leave hair above the nape section loose. Separate pony tail into two and pin each piece by the ends to form a bow-like shape (1-1). Using the hair at back divided in half, bring one section up to opposite side under pony tail. Loop on top of head and secure with pins and hair spray. Repeat on opposite side (1-2). Use front pieces of hair to bring around to the back and again secure with pins and hairspray. Use a curling iron to curl any long pieces left loose (1-3).
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