A women's hair is her crowning jewel. Healthy looking hair has been associated to self-esteem, pride, desirability and an overall positive self-image. It is a women's ultimate accessory. Studies show the loss or thinning of a women's hair can impact her self-confidence and the way she feels about herself. To deal with the changes in her hair, many women will choose the option of wearing a wig or other hair enhancements, such as hair extensions.
Having the advantage of wearing alternative hair helps women maintain an attractive appearance. In addition, thinning and hair loss are not the only reasons, women choose to wear wigs and other hair enhancements such as, hair extensions; perhaps a style or color change is desired without a permanent change to the natural hair.
Hair extensions can include hair weaves, braids or clip-ons; and are worn by an ever increasing number of women. They are incorporated into their natural hair. For this reason, a woman who has a medical condition causing hair loss or thinning, would need the full coverage of a wig, rather than extensions. Also, a professional hair stylist is often needed to ensure the hair weave is done properly, looks attractive and is not readily noticeable.
On the other hand, for the woman who knows her own unique style and how to take care of her wig or extensions, a professional stylist is not needed to maintain the wig's appearance. There are many women who style and apply extensions themselves; which is mostly done to save money. Still, many prefer the added professional touch of a salon stylist, because the wig can be custom cut and colored to match a client's personal style. Furthermore, applying extensions without someone's assistance is difficult. It is important to note that while both men and women seek thinning and hair loss replacement options, this article will concentrate on how and why women resort to alternative hair; mainly because a women's appearance is often under more scrutiny and she will take action immediately.
Two Major Categories of Hair
Synthetic
This hair is made of artificial fibers like acrylic and nylon. It is easily maintained as curls stay in after washing, and do not require a great deal of styling effort. The downside of synthetic hair is that you cannot apply any kind of heat to it such as, a blow dryer, curling or straightening iron. The use of heat will damage the fiber and destroy the hair. With proper care, synthetic hair can last for many months. However, the longevity of hair extensions depends on many factors such as, fiber quality, how it's handled, and exposure to extreme moisture, heat and humidity. In regards to a synthetic wig, if the wig is worn everyday, it will need to be replaced more frequently. Also, keeping a wig on a wig stand will help to maintain its shape and style. The wig should be covered with a hair net.
Human Hair
The advantage of wearing this type of hair is that it can be treated just like your own hair. The strands are heavier in weight, which makes it last longer. Human hair can be cut, styled and colored in the same method you would use on your natural hair. Wigs are often custom made from the finest of Asian, Indian and European hair. Hair for extensions are heavily imported from India and Brazil which can be the most expensive, costing into the thousands of dollars.
Many women enjoy human hair from these locations because the hair is considered "virgin", untreated with chemicals or coloring. The downside of this type of hair is that it responds to the same humid conditions as natural hair. Also, as many women have reported, human hair does not hold a sheen as does synthetic hair. This is primarily due to the hair not being fed by nutrients from inside the body, which are considered hair food for your own natural hair.
Reasons Women Wear Wigs or Hair Enhancements:
Medical Conditions
Medical conditions such as, Alopecia Areata (a skin disease resulting in hair loss) and more seriously, chemotherapy treatments can be a factor in deciding to wear a wig as opposed to being seen without hair. Men, when faced with these conditions can shave their heads; however, most women will choose to wear alternative hair for appearances sake.
Fashion and Appearance
Wigs and extensions do not have to be worn out of necessity. Many women already have full heads of hair; however, they may opt for a different style or color that cannot be achieved with their own locks. In addition, perhaps these women are in high profile careers or prestigious positions, and are pressured to look their best most days. These women cannot afford to have "bad hair days" as they may be photographed at any given moment.
Quality of Original Hair is Undesirable
Sometimes, regardless of regular hair treatments and maintenance, a woman's hair still does not look healthy and vibrant. For the most part, a woman who wants to look appealing will never neglect her hair. For some, this may sound vain, however, mood swings and loss of productivity have been associated with "bad hair days". Rather than continuing to spend hours at the salon and money on one product following another; many women will decide that these day to day hair struggles are not worth the agony. They feel they can never have a "bad hair day" with an already styled wig.
Over-processed Hair
Over-processed hair can be visible, and cause the hair to become unmanageable. Further, overuse of chemicals for the purposes of straightening and curling hair, and hair dye containing harsh chemicals such as, Hydrogen Peroxide and Ammonia can cause allergic skin reactions. It has been documented that these allergic reactions can develop into skin conditions. Eczema, pimples, redness and blistering around the hair line, on the face and neck are all symptoms of an allergic reaction to hair dye. A Dermatologist will advise his/her patient with this problem to discontinue the use of all chemicals on the hair and begin using special hair products such as medicated shampoos.
In the meantime, a woman may not be happy with her hair being stripped of the usual weekly salon products applied to her hair. At this point, she may start wearing alternative hair to maintain the look she is used to while letting her skin heal. The truth is she may never be able to use these products again; she would be risking flare ups.
Busy Lifestyle
Women who have busy lives including taking care of families, jobs, community activities and active social lives, may prefer wearing a wig over spending hours in a salon to achieve the same results. The styles and textures of wigs or alternative hair today is such that a perfect match to one's own hair can be attained without anyone being the wiser.
Active Lifestyle
Many women have active lifestyles which involve regular or daily workouts. During this time, the hair may sweat and cannot be reverted back to its original style before the workout. This is especially true for women of color. While daily exercise is great for hair health, daily or regular sweating can be brutal for a black women's hair; having a spare wig on hand following a workout, will allow a woman the freedom of leaving the gym and then going to dinner looking and feeling great.
Finally, the variety of alternative hair options available to women has vastly improved from the time when jokes were made about women who wore them. Gone are the days when the family pet found a resting place on Grandma's wig. Today, wigs, hair extensions and other hair enhancements can be matched to a women's everyday natural look. They are classy, offer convenience and do not make women any less attractive. Women can wear wigs with confidence knowing that she will not have to sacrifice her personal, unique style simply because she is having a "bad hair day".
D. Barrow is a small home based business owner and online affiliate marketer, and enjoys writing about various subjects of interest and personal knowledge. [http://www.24-7healthandbeauty.com/hairwigsandhairextensions]
This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.
No comments:
Post a Comment