Review: Suburban Turban, and a Contest

SUBURBAN TURBAN

I tried to tuck my hair up..

Now that you have saved some bangs using the Shebangz system, you need headwear.

When you think of hats, you think of the Queen of England, amirite?  Okay, maybe you are younger - so Kate Middleton?   Nobody does hats like the Brits, they have that particular thing all figured out.  Here in the US, in my personal experience, it is hard to find hats that are comfortable and cute.  This is particularly true when you are planning to cover a bald scalp as well as find something cute to go with an outfit.

It's near impossible to find a hat that doesn't leave you looking - well, bald.  Most hats are not designed properly for hair loss, they leave you exposed above the ear or in the back.  In winter, skullcaps, while not always beautiful, will do the trick, as long as you can find a soft and unscratchy one, but for those of us in mild climates, a thick wool pullover won't do.   There are many kind souls who will give out free, hand-knitted one to canceer patients  - but if your skin is sensitive, they may lie unused in your drawer.

Casual girls can just throw on a baseball cap but I was working in a professional environment, and I wanted some style.  Hats that might fit when you have hair will slide around when you don't - a few times I found myself turning my head  and discovering my hat stayed in the same position.   I found exactly one turban style hat that I would wear and that was disappointing.  It was the most comfortable and stylish option and I wanted many of them, but I could only find the one.

The USA and hats, something doesn't mix.

Scarves became my go-to, but they are not without issues either. I had some lovely vintage scarves leftover from my ebay selling days, but silk is, well, silky and you want it to stay in place.  Bandanas are okay but again, not great for a workplace environment and also tend to be scratchy.

Putting something on my head became the hardest part of getting dressed in the morning.  I'd have to start with my hat or scarf and match the rest of my outfit, and my lack of good choices was frustrating.

So as you know: my criteria for review is that a problem must exist and the company must solve it, and that happened to be the case in headwear.

In comes Suburban Turban, a hat and scarf company located in the UK but now selling in the US via Etsy. Remembering my difficulty finding cute hats, I checked the website and was drawn to them. What cute styles!

The hat I reviewed is called Bea, and I love it with hair and I believe I would have loved it more without. (I took pictures with my hair tucked in so you can get an idea.)  It's incredibly soft, yet has strength enough so that you get the feel that it will stay on, even on a windy day. I have a dusky plum with a darker purple lining; but they are available in different colors.  These hats are work appropriate as well as weekend casual.  You might have noticed I talked a lot about how sensitive my head was (not an uncommon problem) and this hat is made of a soft jersey.  They also come in a felted wool. Super, super comfy and cush.   The thing I love the most is they are styled so that that weird, flat look you get in most cancer hats and turbans won't show.  The piping and the flower pattern is going to help to hide that odd shape, and is very clever.  Believe it or not, every hat is made individually!  Purchase from Suburban Turban and you will get a hand-made piece of millinery couture you can use years after the real need is over.

Don't trust my taste? This hat was also featured in Vogue.  They did a special section about hair loss, well worth the read. You can see the Bea hat in two of the video features.

Suburban Turban also has some lovely scarves that are designed for hair loss, and their website has scarf tying instructions.

Leave it to the Brits to design a fashionable hat for women facing hair loss.

Visit my facebook page to enter a contest to win a Bea hat!  Tell your friends.

Disclaimer:  I sometimes review products designed for cancer patients.  I don't get paid to do these reviews,  and I am not affiliated with the companies in any way.  The only thing I have received is the product itself. It would be hard to review something without seeing it,  although you'd be amazed at how many ask me to do just that!  Those of you who know me understand that I believe a product must have value for a patient for me to even consider posting it. I worry about the morality of marketing to cancer patients at a time when they are most vulnerable - on the other hand, I support people who see a problem and fill a need.  So when I do reviews, it's because I think the product does the latter.  All three of the products I'll review over the next few days were designed by and for cancer patients.

Review: Shebangz, and a contest

SHEBANGZ

(I can't hear the phrase "She bangs" without thinking of William Hung from American Idol, can you?)

Like listening to Hung, losing your hair is truly every woman's nightmare, more so than most any other aspect of chemotherapy.  Being bald hits us in a primal place, one that you don't have to be vain to experience. Most women destined for neo-adjuvent chemo lose their hair and few of us look good bald.   At least, I sure didn't, but honestly, I've seen some bald beauties.

 (For the record, those of us on chemo for metastatic breast cancer may be on a drug that doesn't  cause hair loss - this is important to know so that you don't think somebody is lying if they tell you they are on chemo and yet have a full head of hair.  The length of your hair plays no role in how sick you may be.)

Despite what the movies portray, many of us are able to keep our lives going fully while on chemo. We go to work, go out with friends, have lunch dates, take our kids on field trips or volunteer - yet we have to do it bald.  Being bald pretty much announces we have cancer to all who see us, which can be hard on the psyche of women - even those who have never been much into appearance.  Being bald is a challenge because it means that everybody knows your health status with a glance - or thinks they do.  So one goes bald and endures the questions, sympathy, and stares - not to mention the weather.  Or, one might prefer wigs, scarves, hats, and some even do henna tattooing.  Some do them all, however they feel that day.  Believe it or not, you can have a good bald day or a bad bald day.  "Damn.  This scarf keeps sliding off my head."

One thing I learned is that even with the sweetest vintage Echo silk scarf fetchingly tied, or an adorable roaring 20s style hat, you'll still look a little funny and flat-headed, big earrings aside.  After puzzling about it for a while, I realized it's because no hair is showing anywhere, giving an odd appearance. It's hard to get a scarf or hat to remain completely flat on your forehead and without hair, it just looks a bit confusing.   If you were throwing a hat on for fashion on a normal, cancer-free day, you'd still have some hair showing somewhere.

In comes Shebangz.  There is that problem solving I was talking about.   Shebangz is a handy kit that contains everything you need to make bangs (or fringe for you Brits)  from your own hair.   It is really true that putting bangs on underneath your hat or scarf makes a huge difference to your look, and can take you from "sick" to "style" instantly.   You can buy some artificial bang strips, but they are rarely of good quality and don't come in many colors.  So if you know you are going to lose your hair, why not use your own? For about the same price, you know it's the right color, texture and style.

Shebangz helps you save your own hair and make your own fringe.  You must have 4 inches of hair, but all you do is place a special strip on your hair, pull the right pieces through, use the glue that comes with it, and cut.  You then have bangs made of your own hair that you can wash or curl.  A real human hair wiglet, of your own hair.  What could look more natural?

Because I now have a head of hair, I'm not going to demonstrate it for you, but if you look on the website, the instructions don't look too difficult.  You will need a friend or stylist to do it with you. When I shaved my head, my stylist did it and I'm quite certain she'd have helped.

I wanted to put off chopping my hair - partly because I found the way it came out fascinating, but also because I really didn't want to cut it off.   I procrastinated.  To use SheBangz easily, you may want to accept this hair loss and do it at the right time, because - and I don't know, am just guessing - if you wait until the end when it's coming out in huge chunks, you may not get a nice long strip of hair to turn into a good bang.  During that intense shedding period, it might be hard to pull hair through the holes without pulling it all out, and it might get rather messy in the process.  So do it when you know your hair will go but before it comes out in huge handfuls.

And if you are one of the people who wants to do a mohawk or something ahead of time, no problem.  Get this kit, have your stylist help you with the bangs, and then cut your mohawk or dye your hair purple.  Have fun.

This is a very good, affordable solution to a problem you probably don't realize you will have if you are a first-timer to chemo.  Bangs, and little pieces around the ears, can make all the difference in appearing more normal during your treatment, and looking like you are making a fashion choice rather than being sick.  You can use it or not as you see fit, but why not have it available?  Truth is,  I really wish I'd known about this the first time I lost my hair.  I did buy a fake bang when I was supposed to lose my hair for the second time, and it was cheap, but the color was very wonky.  My own would have been better.

I also would have loved to have a souvenir of the color it used to be.  I saved a breast as a souvenir, why not a chunk of hair?  Who knew it'd grow in grey?

You can purchase the Shebangz here.  It seems to be a one-woman operation by a survivor living in Hawaii, so it's nice to support somebody who has been there and understands.

The good news is she sent me two kits, so I am going to have a contest and give one to a lucky winner.  All you have to do is like my facebook page and follow the instructions that will be there shortly.  I'll have a contest and use randomizer to pick a winner.  Tell any friends who are going to lose their hair to cancer, it doesn't have to be breast cancer.


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I have a beautiful product for tomorrow's review.

Disclaimer:  I sometimes review products designed for cancer patients.  I don't get paid to do these reviews,  and I am not affiliated with the companies in any way.  The only thing I have received is the product itself. It would be hard to review something without seeing it,  although you'd be amazed at how many ask me to do just that!  Those of you who know me understand that I believe a product must have value for a patient for me to even consider posting it. I worry about the morality of marketing to cancer patients at a time when they are most vulnerable - on the other hand, I support people who see a problem and fill a need.  So when I do reviews, it's because I think the product does the latter.  All three of the products I'll review over the next few days were designed by and for cancer patients.