What to Wear?

Getting dressed to leave the house has taken on a whole new dimension now that I have lost my hair.  (Although whether I have lost my hair is a debatable point, as I still have a scalp full of stubble.)

I have well over a dozen beautiful scarves hanging in my closet. They are from my days as a manager when I dressed a good bit more professionally than I need to now. Some of them even carry names like Ralph Lauren and Oscar de la Renta, although my sources tended to be places like TJMaxx and Syms. The trouble is that I favored long narrow scarves then, which I am sure can somehow be wrapped into headwear, but I have not yet scoured the videos on YouTube to find out how to do something so elaborate.  And I’m not sure I have the stamina to pull that off.  I should have been toning my upper arms for a year or two in preparation for raising them in the air for long periods of time as I wrap turbans around my crown!

I do have a couple of square scarves and some old bandanas, but I have discovered that the bandanas are way too small to do the job adequately.  Heaven knows, the last thing I want to do is to freak out some poor unsuspecting soul when I’m out in public and a headpiece slips off, exposing my chemotherapy-induced bare head.  A frightening and embarrassing thought! 

So here it is, the beginning of winter, and a very cold one at that, and I have only a couple of square scarves large enough to do the trick.  I have tried to shop for more – nothing fancy, but ‘tis not the season for that kind of scarf.  All I found were winter scarves and a few lighter weight, but long, narrow ones.

On this front, I have benefitted from the kindness of friends and strangers. I reconnected with an old college friend, Pip, on Facebook, where I discovered that she had been treated for breast cancer. Although she was fortunate enough to avoid chemo, her mother was not, and the minute she heard I’d be going through chemotherapy, Pip sent me a lovely soft sleeping cap of the type her mother had loved for keeping her bare head warm at night.

I visited the cancer resource center at my hospital and found that, as a cancer patient, I was entitled to a free turban or cap, as well as a wealth of great informational resources.  I selected another cozy looking cap. I went to the American Cancer Society office, because they also help with wigs and headwear. Although I didn’t find an appropriate wig, I did find a lovely textured oatmeal crocheted cloche, which I like a lot and feel comfortable wearing out in public.  Again, this was a freebie for which I am most grateful. 

Although I don’t spend a lot of time combing all the amazing resources for breast cancer that are online, I did come across the fact that there are a couple of sources that supply women dealing with hair loss with a free scarf or turban.  I wrote to two of them and they both kindly agreed to my request.  One of them is the Gaila Fund for Women with Cancer, a not-for-profit organization that provides women with cancer with hats, based on an African headdress, the gele.  Their web site is www.gailafund.org.  Their hats are very stylish and I consider them to be more for dressing up. They are definitely not for hanging around the house – or at least, my house! 

The other company is actually a for-profit company that donates free head wraps and scarves to woman dealing with hair loss.  France Luxe has the Good Wishes program. If you qualify you get to choose one of their lovely patterns and they’ll make a head wrap just for you. These are not inexpensive items, and it is quite a treat to be able to select one for myself. Their web site is www.franceluxe.com.

In the meantime, I have bought some material to sew up for some more casual, everyday headscarves. Luckily, Lydia has a sewing machine and the know how to sew a straight line, unlike me!  I am also looking on line for patterns for knit or crocheted hats, similar to the cloche, which I can make.  But if you happen to feel inspired and want to whip up a scarf or knit or crochet a cap, let me know and I’ll happily supply the material or yarn.  Heaven knows that with a good four or more months before my hair grows out enough for me to shed scarves and hats, I could really use a larger selection of options to clothe my balding pate!