Stay cool in your alternative hair this summer!

07/18/2022/1 Comment/in Fresno, Hair Loss, Hair Loss Solutions, San Diego, Wigs, Wigs Fresno, Wigs San Diego/by Helena Gibson

Who else is feeling the summer heat?   For those of us who have long hair, it’s easy to pull it up into an updo. But what about us who wear alternative hair, like wigs or hair pieces? How do you make a wig feel cooler? How do you wear your wig in an updo?

Well, that’s what we’re here for at Strut! Let’s get you glammed up for summer.

First, let’s look at the difference between synthetic and human hair pieces.

This is a pretty big factor when it comes to staying cool in the heat. Synthetic fibers are made from plastic, and while the wefts inside of the wig cap are breathable, the material itself doesn’t lend to a cool feeling. Human hair wigs and hair pieces are, just like our own hair, a 100% natural fiber. Plus, most of our human hair wigs and hair pieces are actually hand tied. This means that someone legitimately tied every single strand of hair on the cap, which makes the cap extremely breathable.

If you choose to go with a synthetic hair piece or wig during the summer, we always recommend shorter styles, as they keep any heat off your neck.

Also, when it comes to staying cool in synthetic wigs…don’t forget that synthetic pieces never lose their style! This means that if they get wet, they go back to their original style as soon as they dry. Do you know where we’re going with this?

That’s right–take a spray bottle and spray your head if you’d like! If that keeps you cool in scorching weather, don’t fear for your hairstyle! It’ll go right back to its original ‘do.

Note that this would work for human hair pieces too, but they’re NOT like synthetic pieces, so they won’t go back to their original style after (just like our own natural hair). You’ll need to restyle just a bit.

Lastly, let’s take a look at some ways to put our wigs and hair pieces in updos!

Here are a few tips to consider first:

1. Use WIG-friendly hair products.

We always recommend using styling products that were specifically made for synthetic hair on your synthetic pieces, and ones made for human hair pieces on those.

Here are some of our favorites:

Synthetic wig shampoo and conditioning spray
Styling and drying wig stand
Synthetic wig detangler
Synthetic wig hairspray
Or, a synthetic wig styling kit, which comes with shampoo, conditioning spray, a comb, hair spray, and a plastic wig stand.

2. Don’t forget to style your wig using a styling head, a styrofoam head, or securely on your head.

We like to use a Wig Grip.

3. Use hair tools specifically for synthetic wigs when you style synthetic pieces.

Because the hair fibers are made of an ultra-thin plastic, the styling process must be more delicate than on your own hair.

We love using these styling tools:

4. Style your wig LOOSELY!

Because what you’ll be styling is not attached to your scalp like your natural hair is. Make sure you don’t tug too much on your piece. Also, because there’s a wig cap underneath the hair, always make sure your styles hide the edges of the cap.

It all comes down to what type of hair piece you’re wearing (a wig or extensions), and the length.

If you’re wearing a short wig, you can:

Pull the sides back with bobby pins or decorative clips.
Take a center section from the front of the wig and create some top volume.

If you’re wearing a long wig, you can:

Put it into a low ponytail
Pull it up into a half updo
Secure the edges with bobby pins or decorative clips

If you’re wearing extensions:

Put your hair into any updo you’d like! Just, as mentioned above, don’t forget to pull it loosely when styling to a.) protect your scalp from too much pulling and to b.) make sure the extension wefts remain hidden so they look completely natural.

We wish you the best of luck styling your alternative hair!

Much love,

The Strut Team

Pandemic Hair Loss: What Gives?

01/06/2022/in Hair Loss, Wigs Fresno/by Helena Gibson

It’s been almost 2 years since the Covid-19 pandemic started. It’s no surprise that it has affected stress levels worldwide. Huge life changes as well as changes in health take a toll on our lives, there’s no questioning that. The fact that stress can so tangibly manifest itself in our body, though, is becoming clearer and clearer in the world of medicine. (Hence, this blog!)

So, what’s the effect that stress has on our hair? Is the pandemic causing hair loss for men and women around the world? Is it exacerbating the hair loss we already experience?

Let me give you a brief recap of the hair cycle

Our hair growth cycle has four stages. The first is the anagen phase (i.e. when your hair grows from the root; the most active of the stages).

The second is the catagen phase (i.e. the transitional period, when the anagen phase ends and the hair detaches from the blood supply which helped it grow originally).

The third phase is the telogen phase, when the hair follicle no longer actively grows, but simply rests and slowly shrinks until it’s ready to come out of the follicle.

The fourth and final phase is the exogen phase, which is simply when the hair is released from the follicle and the anagen phase can begin yet again!

Image sourced from this article[1] about hormones and hair loss.

One last important thing to note about the hair cycle is that all of our hairs are NOT on the same schedule. Each one of our follicles (where the hair grows) is on its own independent schedule—or else all of our hairs would grow in at once and fall out at once! This is why you notice 50-100 hairs a day that you lose when brushing your hair, or sometimes by the shower drain.

Let’s talk about stress and its impact on hair loss

Stress is something that can impact our hair cycle. Just last year, a study[2] published in the National Library of Medicine led by Dr. Ya-Chieh Hsu of Harvard University concluded that stress indeed inhibits hair growth.

When they studied the effects of stress on mice, they noted that increased periods of stress actually kept hair in the third cycle of hair growth (the telogen phase, when hair no longer grows—simply rests). Conversely, when the mice were no longer experiencing stress, the hair growth cycle continued as normal. What we can conclude is this:

Stress can cause your hair to remain in the telogen (resting) phase for extended periods, inhibiting normal and regular hair growth.

We can now see why so many people during 2020 and 2021 experienced what we’re calling pandemic hair loss. Witnessing a global pandemic, political unrest, supply chain issues, and dealing with job insecurity and/or losing loved ones due to Covid, it is no surprise that these factors can take a toll on the health of not only our mental health, but also our physical health. We have seen this with an influx of clients in our studios stating increased stress in their lives.

So, what are some ways to keep your stress levels lower?

It’s important to take care of ourselves, not only during a pandemic, but as often as we can. Balancing our stress levels is critical to staying as healthy as we can be. We may have different ideas of de-stressing—some may exercise, others may cook, sleep, meet with friends, take a nice bath, or do something artistic like painting. Here’s an article[3] published in the NIH (News in Health) which shows us some scientifically-proven ways to de-stress.

What are some ways that you can use alternative hair solutions when suffering with hair loss?

And what do you do if you’re experiencing pandemic hair loss? As mentioned above, it’s important to take care of yourself and try various methods of de-stressing. Everyone deals with stress differently, so we highly recommend you try various activities to see what works best for you.

As far as what to do aesthetically while you’re working on restoring your hair, you can consider alternative hair solutions, such as wigs, extensions, or hair pieces in order to keep your self-confidence up.

There are topical hair products as well which help minimize the shedding of your hair when going through a stressful period in life.

Your hair is one of the first things someone sees when they interact with you, so it’s no surprise that feeling self-conscious about thinning hair can affect how you interact with the world around you. We all know what it feels like when our hair is not looking its best.

STRUT Hair Solutions was created with the intent of restoring women’s self-confidence by making them feel comfortable in their own skin again thanks to beautiful hair. We know what it’s like to not want to date until your hair looks good, or to dodge family/friends photo opts because you don’t like your hair. We are here to help you and show you different solutions to fit your unique needs.

We’d love to get you strutting your hair with us.

Love,

Helena

[1] https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21155342

[2] https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03417-2

[3] https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2021/01/feeling-stressed

Best Wigs for Hair Loss

07/06/2020/in Fresno, Hair Loss, Hair Loss Solutions, Hair Pieces, Hair Toppers, San Diego, Wigs, Wigs Fresno, Wigs San Diego/by Helena Gibson

Losing one’s hair can be an emotional process. Fortunately, many of our clients who wear wigs have been able to cope with hair loss. We’ve compiled a list of the best wigs for both mild and significant hair loss.

How to Wear Wigs and Make them Look Real

05/01/2020/in Fresno, Hair Loss, Hair Loss Solutions, Hair Pieces, San Diego, Wigs, Wigs Fresno, Wigs San Diego/by Helena Gibson

Perhaps you know exactly which wig you desire, but you’re not so sure how to wear it so that it looks natural. I want to share some tips and tricks that will make your wig look like it’s growing out of your own scalp, so you can look and feel confident!