ADVICE
DARREN STUART AND TREVOR SORBIE WITH MY NEW HAIR CLIENTS
How Macmillan link is breaking new ground Macmillan Cancer Support’s Strength in Style partnership has since 2009 put 95 Toni&Guy and essensuals salons through a training programme on how to support clients suffering from cancer-associated hair loss. One of its beauties is it takes hair loss out of the clinical environment, explains the charity’s Aimee Aldersley. Often it just does not occur to people who have been diagnosed with cancer that there is, potentially, all this expertise and knowledge about hair loss and what is going to happen to their hair right on their doorstep. The sort of feedback we get all the time is, “if only I’d known my stylist round the corner knew all this information”. Another real advantage is that it will be in a “normal” environment rather than a hospital, which can help to combat the fear factor. It can be really valuable to speak to someone you perhaps already know well, and knows you, who will understand about things like the loss of confidence that can accompany feeling as if your hair is looking rubbish or once you have lost your hair completely. It can be quite daunting sometimes for a stylist to talk to someone who is being affected by cancer, so proper training is important. Through Strength in Style we’re training salons in much more than wig cutting and fitting – that’s one thing that sets this apart. Our training covers haircare advice and support but also tips and strategies for dealing with the emotional and practical issues surrounding hair loss and hair thinning because of cancer treatment and the effects chemotherapy will have on hair.
www.nhf.info
Styling and dressing a wig The charity My New Hair (www.mynewhair.org) was founded by celebrity hairdresser Trevor Sorbie and is working to develop a network of salons around the country offering wig styling services to people with, or recovering from, cancer. It runs a training seminar programme covering issues such as wig cutting and styling, maintaining wigs and the different types of wig you might come across, communication and counselling people with cancer and aftercare issues post-chemotherapy. When it comes to cutting and styling wigs – which will normally be made from either synthetic or human hair – this is something many stylists can find intimidating at first. “It’s a bit like cutting a hedge or creating a sculpture. It’s really important that you don’t try to cut a wig like a normal head of hair, as it’s not!” argues Trevor. “I nearly always use a razor because I feel that sculpting a shape and reducing bulk is much easier using this tool. Also, you get a more natural look with a razor as the edges of the hair are not as blunt as when cut with scissors. “In my experience, most wigs have about 40 per cent too much hair in them and I normally concentrate on first removing the bulk and then customising the shape to suit the face. I do also use my scissors and thinning scissors – it’s a combination of the tools you feel most comfortable with. “The single most important thing about making a wig look real is to ensure that the wig is customised to suit your face shape,” he explains. My New Hair is running Level 1, Advanced Skills and Aftercare seminars throughout 2012. For details contact L’Oréal Academy London on 020 8762 4380 or email Max Oliva at moliva@uk.loreal.com
MARCH/APRIL 2012 SALONFOCUS PAGE 29