"Your hair looks great and you can't tell it's not yours at all! But I couldn't wear something like that, it's just not me." I have already read this statement from some women who have seen a video or picture of me with my hairpieces. And again and again the statement came up, "I can't get comfortable with hair replacement - it's so fake and then that's just not me".
Yes, in a way, hair replacement is fake. It's not my hair that's on my head. But honestly, how natural are we women in particular once we leave the house? I am absolutely not a makeup junkie and hate spending a lot of time in the bathroom in the morning. Still, I haven't stepped out the door without mascara in years - because without it, I look like death in slippers. Also, the one or other pimple wants to be covered even beyond puberty and a bit of powder for the more even complexion should not be missing. To compensate then but please a little rouge, it should not be too colorless. Not to forget the eyebrow pencil, so that the face gets a little contour. This takes just 5 minutes and I really belong to those who are almost without makeup.
"Being fake" is a matter of definition
Also, please don't forget the push-up bra, eyelash extensions, artificial fingernails, permanent makeup, teeth straightening á la veneers and the good old extensions. There are so many big and small aids so that women and men can pimp their appearance a little (or a little more) in everyday life. Sure, not everyone does it all, but a little makeup is simply everyday life for most. So it's not so much a matter of whether we're really completely natural - the way God or the universe created us - but how we define "natural" and "fake". That, in turn, depends on our cultural and social conditioning.
Alternative hair is as normal as artificial fingernails
At least in the USA and certainly still in other parts of this world. If only because of the greater cultural influence of people of color, hairpieces and wigs are a much more natural topic than in this country. The more mainstream something is and has become, the more normal it seems to us. For example, the distinction between extensions (totally normal, no one would ask twice) and hairpieces/wigs (shameful, often associated with illness) is completely nonsensical. Both types of alternative hair are foreign hair that is connected to one's own. If you are clear about this, then it also becomes clear that the difference exists only in your own head and can be changed only there.
Fake or not - only your opinion counts
I can tell you a thousand times that I feel absolutely natural and not fake with my hairpieces. That putting on my hairpiece and applying some mascara is part of my normal daily routine. If you have the idea in your head that alternative hair makes you look "fake", then you will feel that way. I will tell you, though, that I used to feel the same way. I too felt like a fraud - with a hair system that felt and looked unnatural to me. That only changed when I discovered hairpieces that look really natural and don't provoke strange comments or looks from outsiders.
Testing is above studying
I can only recommend all women who suffer from hair loss or thin hair to just give it a try. Especially if your life and mental state is affected by hair loss, you should look for alternatives that will make you feel happier again. Just knowing that there is a solution to your problem in the worst case scenario can alleviate some of the despair. And the more women (and men!) wear hair replacement and can stand by it, the sooner the whole concept will normalize. So in the future it will be easier and easier for affected people to talk about their problems and fears without shame.
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