It's more than a Wig

Leona McPhillips senior hair stylist at Bellissimo brings a unique insight into the whole process - not only is Leona one of Galway's best known stylists she also studied psychology in NUIG and subsequently practices ESP (Emotional Freedom Technique) part time. Leona with her trade-mark laugh jokes that hairdressing is often as much about psychology as it is hair design and the fact that she is such a good listener is part of what has made her a successful hairdresser.

'When you meet so many different people in one day doing a job like mine you get a great insight into what makes people tick and that is what spurred me on to study psychology' explains Leona.
Along with most of the senior stylists in Bellissimo, Leona has always been acutely aware of the sensitivities in dealing with clients who have thinning hair or are losing their hair as a result of treatments for cancer, however when her mother, a very young 63 year old, was diagnosed with cancer last year the magnitude of the affect that hair loss had on her strong resilient mother shocked Leona.

'With my love of hairdressing and my study and research in Psychology I really did think that I understood what clients were going through when they came to Bellissimo for wig fittings but there was so much that I didn't fully appreciate until Mum had to go through it.' Leona explains, 'Mum could cope with the cancer diagnosis but losing her hair was like an invasion of her privacy - it was an outward sign that she was ill. As soon as she put her wig on she felt that she could discard the label 'Sick' and blend back into society as an outwardly 'healthy' person'.

'We tried borrowing wigs for Mum' explains Leona but it is such a personal thing that nothing was working for her. When she had her fitting at Bellissimo and had her own wig made for her she knew that it really was the only option.'
‘Cancer patients don't want to stand out or look different - there is already too much change going on in their lives - they want the wig to make them look like they always looked. This is the main learning point that I have shared with my colleagues in Bellissimo who are fitting wigs for Cancer patients on a daily basis. We gently guide each client away from trying out new styles and towards a look that is more in keeping with their usual style.'

Bellissimo have worked with the HSE for several years to help make the cost of a Wig more affordable especially as two wigs are recommended. If you would like to talk to one of the Bellissimo Wig fitting experts please call 091 558555 or email dympna@bellissimo.ie. If you were not a regular Bellissimo customer, bring along a photo of yourself which shows your usual hair style.

Of course there are a whole host of people who wear wigs for the convenience, fun and the sheer glam factor and Bellissimo have a great selection of fashion wigs and hairpieces to choose from.