Where there’s a wig, there’s a way: three women share how they got their new hairdos

Individuals purchase wigs for one reason or another, as detailed in another article of this special RHSR series. Three everyday women shared their stories with us, explaining what led them to wear wigs and how they currently feel when looking at their new locks.

Roshni Kamta, 23

New York, New York

Kamta was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer in late April 2019 after a breast biopsy revealed she had three lumps. Triple-negative breast cancer, according to breastcancer.org, makes up 10 to 20 percent of breast cancer diagnoses and is considered to be more aggressive than other types of breast cancer.

In an article she wrote for Brown Girl Magazine six months later, she chronicled her experience and explained how shocked she was, given her young age and no family history. She endured 16 rounds of chemotherapy, surgery and radiation therapy at Mount Sinai Hospital.

“After my first chemo treatment… my hair started to fall out after a week. I decided to shave it off. I could not deal with touching my head and having chunks in my hand,” Kamta told us. “I just wanted to feel real hair on my shoulders again.”

She purchased three wigs this past summer: blond, purple, and long and curly. She got the synthetic purple and blond wigs for fun through Amazon for under $20. [Kamta noted that the blond wig was bought specifically for a wedding in August and that she likes to wear her purple wig with different hair clips – one of her favorites being a pearl clip from Urban Outfitters.] The curly locks – which resembled her old hair – were purchased in-person at The Hair Place. This “perfect” human hair wig had a price tag of $200 and was covered by Kamta’s insurance prescription.

“My curly hair wig makes me feel like my pre-diagnosis self. I feel like a normal 23-year-old and no one is looking at me like I am a young cancer patient,” Kamta said. “When I first put it on, I cried in the mirror because of how natural it looked.”

When asked what advice she would give to other patients who are going through chemo or radiation and might consider getting a wig, Kamta emphatically said to do research and to ask the doctor for a prescription.

“If you don’t want to wear a wig, that’s OK too,” she continued. “[But] if you do go to a wig shop, bring a friend and take pictures. Going bald is really weird and scary, but if you chose to embrace it – I found it [as a] time to really express myself – hence the purple wig.”

Susan Kanoff, 58

Greater Boston area

Kanoff is a professional wardrobe stylist and style blogger who gives midlife women fresh, modern and easy-to-wear style inspiration. She was also diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia – one of the most common types of leukemia in adults – in January 2016. She isn’t currently on any medical treatments, but may need chemo in the future.

“It was quite a surprise since I didn’t have any symptoms, except swollen lymph nodes. It came at a crazy time in my life as I just started a non-profit called Uncommon Threads [an ‘empowerment boutique’ for low-income women and domestic violence survivors] and was in the middle of building a house with construction issues,” Kanoff told us. “My husband and I had sold our home and were displaced for a year, moving three times in and out of short-term lease apartments. I truly believe that stress has a lot to do with getting sick.”

Kanoff was approached by Shevy Wigs a few months ago to be part of a partnership. Though she has a receding hairline and thinning hair, she never considered wearing a wig before and almost said ‘no’ to it. However, she changed her mind once she saw how natural-looking and beautiful their human hair wigs were. It took a little more than a month between Kanoff’s first virtual consultation with Shevy Wigs’ owner Shevy Emanuel and when she received her custom wig in the mail. Emanuel cut, colored and highlighted a shoulder-length wig that resembled Kanoff’s current hair and matched her hairline.

“Shevy really takes the time to understand your needs and style preferences,” she said, later adding that she feels confident, beautiful and younger while wearing the wig. “I was shocked at how close my wig looks to my own hair. Shevy is truly an artist!”

The way Shevy Wigs function is simple, according to Kanoff’s blog. Kanoff adjusts the clips for it and then ties her hair back in a ponytail or a bun. “The wig has little combs and an elastic band that keeps it snug and in place,” she wrote. “I can swish my hair around and brave the wind. It really stays put.”

At the moment Kanoff wears the wig occasionally, and noted that the wig is a lifesaver when it comes to bad hair days. However, if her hair continues to thin, she’ll be wearing it more often. “If and when I need chemotherapy for leukemia and I lose my hair, I’ll be wearing it all the time,” she noted.

Michelle Foster

Brooklyn, New York

Foster was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer in April 2019 and underwent a mastectomy in July. She started chemotherapy treatments and just received a wig from the American Cancer Society (ACS) a few weeks ago.

Some local ACS offices – like the one located in Park Slope, Brooklyn – are able to offer new, donated wigs for free or at reduced cost to active cancer patients who cannot afford to buy a wig. At the Brooklyn office, synthetic and human hair wigs are available for women in financial need who are suffering hair loss due to cancer treatments. New, donated scarves, hats and turbans, which are dropped off at or mailed to the office, are also usually available onsite.

In Foster’s case, her doctor connected her to the ACS, where she was eligible to receive her free short-length wig. “[I said,] ‘Wow, I’m so used to a full head of hair. Just wow,’” Foster recalled, reflecting on when she tried on the wig for the first time at the Brooklyn office.

ACS offers free wig fittings in their Brooklyn office every other Monday. Anyone interested can call 1-800-227-2345 for information or to set up an appointment.

Though Foster received her wig in Brooklyn, free wigs are also offered in Manhattan at ACS’s Hope Lodge. Andrew DiSimone, owner of HairPlace NYC, has been volunteering his time, expertise and services with ACS since November 12, 2008 – cutting and styling synthetic wigs at no cost for the American Cancer Society’s free wig program. DiSimone, who specializes in medical hair loss, told us he and his staff always go to the Hope Lodge to help as many cancer patients as possible.

“It’s my church. I have to go there every week for the hugs,” he said. “And to make them look and feel good.”

On December 17, 2019, DiSimone also donated 52 Jon Renau wigs and wig grips to the Hope Lodge.

Top photo: Andrew DiSimone cuts hair for American Cancer Society. Photo from HairPlaceNYC’s website.