Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Whew... I have a round head!


We ended up having a lot of fun tonight, all things considering.

Losing hair to cancer is not fun.

Having your head shaved and having your friend take pictures through the process while getting a wig custom made for you was super fun!!

On to the pictures:


This is the "Before" shot - my 'regular' hair.

Here we go - first step.

I'm not happy with the chunks coming out.

Who's NOT a punk Rocker?!

All gone. G.I. Jane style.

Woah. Where did it all go?!

First try with the wig. Way too long.

And waaay too red.

I asked the wig lady to dye the front of it some more brown.

This is after the brown hair dye put in, and more cutting.

Ahhh... that's better. More like my hair.

What do you think? Does it look real?

17 comments:

Sayre said...

You are too cute! Loved the punk look, but the shaved look was cute too! You're lucky - you have a lovely round head. Mine is kind of lumpy and oddly shaped. Much as I kid about shaving my head in the summer, I'll probably never do it because of my funny-looking head.

The wig is very cute. And it actually is quite close to your real hair! Your real hair is beautiful - if I had to do a wig, I'd get BETTER hair than what I have! Something thick and curly instead of the straight, limp locks I currently have...

Unknown said...

The wig looks wonderful. Mind if I ask about it? Are these made from real hair or is it a synthetic? I'm glad you had fun yesterday. There's nothing like laughing with a friend is there?
xx

VV said...

You are lucky you are young, cute and have a nicely shaped head. The wig looks real and very attractive. Great job. I still think you should get multiple wigs for your various moods, punker/biker chick would be good for your "don't mess with me days," maybe a really short, angled bob, ala, Victoria Beckham, for your "I'm too sexy for my shirt" days, and maybe some big hair for the occasional parents meetings at your kids' schools.

Attila the Mom said...

Whoa---the wig looks great!

I have to say though, you have a very nicely shaped head---no neanderthal knobby things. The short cut looks adorable too!

Knock knock - it's cancer! said...

Sayre - I would have gladly gotten something a bit different than MY hair look, but I wanted to keep the continuity for the kids... hence no 'in between' shorter cut first. I wanted them to almost not notice that it's a wig... not sure if that makes sense.

Andrea - The wig was expensive, let me start with that. It's a lady named Helena, in Langley that makes them, and she works for the movie set in Vancouver. It is real hair, tied in strand by strand... it took her 8 weeks to make (I ordered it a couple of days after I got diagnosed, haha - talk about thinking ahead) and it was (you ready for it?) $1,200. But I get about half back from my insurance company, and I figured it will need to last me a year, so I went for it. It really does look better than the wigs I tried at the store, and it was molded for my head so I don't have to be afraid it will accidently slip off.

VV - Thanks. I love the idea of the 'many' looks - but again, same as I said to Sayre... the continuity was for the kids more than me. (who am I kidding, probably the same for me too, such Type A personality cannot handle too much change, lol) But maybe I should get a naughty wig for just me and Brad? Wink.

Attila - Thanks. I'm glad I don't have a neanderthal knobby thing too. (Never thought I'd say that sentence out loud, lol)

Laura said...

Way to go girl for taking charge and shaving it all off! You look fantastic with the short look (honestly, you look so tough! like "I'm gonna kick this thing's a$$!") and your wig is the best I've ever seen. Looks gorgeous! If you want to invest in some fun ones down the road there is a company called Forever Young that makes super trendy ones for under $45. I own 5 of them ;)

Anonymous said...

Could you be any cuter? Seriously. Hair or not, wig or bald, you are adorable.

Kathy said...

You look great Michelle! I never thought about the shape of one's head and how that can play into how one might "look" bald. I do think that you are beautiful with and without hair. I too got a kick out of all the various looks you showed off throughout the night, but totally get the continuity that you are going for with the kids.

I am inspired by how you have approached this milestone in your journey. I imagine that it was not easy for you to shave your head, but I love that you had some fun with it. I also think it was a very worthwhile investment to get such a quality/well made wig.

Lastly, over a year ago, about a month after Abby was born I donated some of my hair for Pateene Beautiful Lengths. I had been growing it out during my pregnancies with both Molly and Abby and because it is naturally curly had never been able to get it "long enough" to donate. But when I found out that Panteene didn't require as many inches as Locks of Love I went for it! I have always thought of it as a gift that my daughters and I gave, not just me, since the horomones in my body from my pregnancies with them helped my hair to grow faster and stronger during that time. Reading your post jogged my memory about that experience and thought I would share.

Thinking of and praying for you tonight and hoping that you are hanging in there.

Mary xo said...

Very cute, I love it! I agree, it looks VERY close to your real hair. I haven't even thought about wigs yet. My sister said I could borrow hers from when she went through chemo. I may go the kooky route, a la 'Samantha' from Sex and City, and get a colored one to wear when I feel like making trouble. I'll see how it goes after surgery...

Anonymous said...

Great photos and the wig looks really terrific!

Beth L. Gainer said...

Your photos were great, and I admire how candid they are. Loved the punk look. Your wig not only looks like real hair, but it is beautiful!!!!

nancyspoint said...

You look so darn cute! Really! Thank you for stopping by my blog and commenting. Like you, I am constantly taking pictures, well, because you just never know when "that shot" might come in handy! I waited to shave my hair off til I was done with chemo. I managed to keep some that hung out under my cap and that worked well. Of course, I blogged about shaving the hair off or not! This hair thing is such a biggy. I might have to do a hair update post soon. Thanks for sharing yourself so openly and you really do look great.

Sami said...

Ah phew, I am caught up now ;-) I wish I would have done something fun like this for my mom! She went to get her hair shaved off by a friend/hairdresser-- her friend went with her, but I wish I would have now looking back on it!-- and she just went from shoulder length hair to nothingggg. She cried a lot :-( Such a sad day when it didn't have to be. But it's a learning experience, and what you did is pretty great! And YOU look great! You can definitely work this look.

Anonymous said...

Michelle - you are a beautiful person inside and out, with hair or without. It is all just aesthetics (sp??)You definitely have taken control of this process/journey that you are on and I applaud you every step of the way. today is day 3 after chem, how are you feeling?
Anna says hi! (I'm at work..)keep fighting warrior girl
Wendy

tweetey30 said...

I had a hard time telling the differnce between the top photo and the bottom photo.. so yes it looks real.. hope all is going well otherwise..

Kathy said...

I think the wig is pretty and real looking. You are cute as a button.

Unknown said...

Hi Michelle,
I came across your blog through But Doctor - I Hate Pink. I'm catching myself up on your posts and wanted to tell you that your new wig is beautiful (and so are you)! I began my breast cancer journey a little over a year ago. I waited until my hair started to fall out before my husband shaved it. Just know I am thinking about you and hoping you are feeling okay after your first chemo treatment.
Kristi