My favoritesYou are going on vacation and would like to take your hair topper or wig with you in your luggage to better live with your alopecia? But is it possible to wear your hairpiece at the pool or in the sea, or even to swim with it? How to protect your hair topper from the sun?
I'll tell you everything in this article so you can feel comfortable this summer while protecting your product as much as possible 😉
Can you swim with your hair supplement?
Since the launch of Comme un diadème in 2020, this is probably one of the questions hair asked most often by women who want to purchase a hair prosthesis! It seems that three-quarters of people live their lives on vacation all year round! 😁 🌊
I'm joking because I know that behind this question lies a slight anxiety about dealing with those moments when you can't wear the product, even though you've finally gotten used to your new image. That's why the question of sports comes up regularly too.
Yes, our toppers wigs are made from natural hair, so they won't melt in water (phew 😅). But be careful: just like your own hair, they don't like salt, chlorine, or the weird chemicals sometimes found in certain swimming pools. These can dry out the lengths, change the color, and damage the material over time.
To be clear:if you decide to swim with it, you can... but you do so at your own risk 😉. And if there is ever a problem (drier hair, color change, deformation), Comme un diadème cannot be held responsible.
My heartfelt advice: pamper your topper you would your own hair (or even a little more 😄). And if you really want to go in the water, set aside a "special vacation" wig or an old one that you wear less often.
As we know, sea salt and chlorine can dry out and damage natural hair, and sometimes even alter the color, especially for very blonde hair. Unfortunately, topper wigs are no exception. What's more, they don't grow back and are quite expensive, so I would advise you to take good care of them by avoiding getting your head wet. It's also possible that the structure of topper wig may become visible once the hair is wet, so let's avoid taking any unnecessary risks 😁
Watch out for the sun ☀️!
It's not the pool or the sea that are most "dangerous" to your hair topper or wig on vacation, but the sun ☀️. The toppers, especially those with light hair, such as light browns and blondes, are particularly sensitive to the sun. These styles may experience color fading if exposed to very high light intensities for several days or weeks. Blondes will tend to turn yellow and light browns will lighten significantly.
When on vacation, I would therefore advise you to protect your product by wearing hats or staying in the shade as much as possible. This will protect your skin at the same time #discoursderabatjoie 😁.
Brown hair and European hair (Leïla, Meghan, Chicago, Katie, Sofia, Kate) are less sensitive because they are virgin hair and therefore less damaged by bleaching/coloring processes. The color will therefore lighten more gradually and naturally over time.
With daily use, i.e. outside the vacation period, a hair topper light brown or blond hair will also tend to lighten a tone or two after a few months. So don't hesitate to have the color refreshed after a year of daily wear if you want to give your hair topper a new glow.
I am sometimes asked if the hair protection oil is effective in protecting the hair from the hair topper. I can't vouch for this because I don't think it's verifiable. I personally would not have taken the risk with any of my hair toppers.
Sunscreen can turn your hair topper pink 😱
When applying sunscreen, be careful not to run your hand through the hair of hair topper or your wig, especially for blonds. Indeed, this can alter the color of your hair in a surprising way. Indeed, it could then sport pink highlights not necessarily desired 💕 You also have to be careful with hydroalcoholic gel and all products containing alcohol.
My best advice: Don't wear anything and enjoy life!
For women with moderate alopecia, or in any case who do not attract outside attention, I would advise not to wear the hair topper or your wig to the sea or the pool.
Why impose such a constraint on yourself when you can still enjoy going out freely? This won't necessarily always be the case, and my opinion is that you should enjoy doing so while you still can! Because it's clear that when our alopecia becomes visible to everyone, it's much less easy to accept.
This is just my opinion, but wearing a hair topper when you're on vacation and it's hot, is a constraint that is hard to bear. The hair topper or the wig are not there to lock you into a life of constraint. They are not products that should make you hide 24 hours a day. They are simply products that can allow you to feel beautiful whenever you want.
But wearing a topper 35°C heat is not pleasant, so I advise against it if your alopecia allows you to go without. People on the beach or by the pool won't be looking at your scalp. Anyway, everyone's hair looks messy at the beach—it's all part of the fun 😉
Give yourself a break and, if necessary, wear a cap, hat, or headband.
For women with very severe alopecia that people notice, I understand that it may be more difficult to consider. A cap or thickening powder may be a solution. But if that's not enough, I understand that you may still want to wear a hairpiece.
Acceptance at any cost is not something that should be imposed. Everyone must move forward according to their own alopecia, their own complexes, and what is acceptable to them. The current "body positive" discourse pushes us to excessively show our complexes, accept them, and change attitudes about beauty standards. These are Instagram-worthy statements that are easy to write in five minutes on your couch.
But a woman who walks down the street or goes to the beach with significant alopecia does not necessarily want to shoulder the burden of changing attitudes about beauty standards or becoming a model of self-acceptance. People have the right not to want to show their alopecia, their complex, for all to see. It is something that is private, and everyone should therefore have the choice to deal with it as they wish. The choice to keep one's alopecia private is just as respectable as the choice to show ourselves as we are.
It is therefore important that you feel comfortable during your vacation. And if that means wearing a hair hide your androgenetic alopecia at the beach or pool, that's fine, and you can do so without damaging your product.
So this summer, do whatever makes you feel good! And above all, have a great vacation!
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