hair loss

Help! My Hair Is Falling Out!

Your guide to beauty and self-care during hair loss. Whether this is normal, why it may be happening, when to call a doctor, and what helps when it starts to show.

Hair loss can be a devastating experience, regardless of why your hair is falling out.

Whether it's because of aging, stress, chemo, alopecia or an autoimmune disorder, hair loss is never fun and always stressful.

We've been working with and supporting women (and men!) going through hair loss since 1995, and know a thing or two about staying strong while your follicles are going weak.

In our experience, the women who find this hardest are the ones it takes by surprise: a handful of hair in the shower, no idea whether it is normal, and nobody to ask. You do not have to be one of them.

the short version

Work out whether this is normal.

Everybody sheds, and a handful in the shower is often a normal day's worth. The next section is how to tell normal from not.

Find out why, if it is not.

Hair loss is a symptom and the reason changes everything that follows. If nobody has told you why yours is falling out, that appointment is the thing to book.

Cover it in whatever way costs you least.

Most women do not need a wig on day one. Moving your part is free. A root powder costs far less than a topper or a wig. There is a whole ladder of smaller steps before you get to the big ones.

how much hair loss is normal

and who to take the rest of it to

Everybody sheds. The usual figure dermatologists give is 50 to 100 hairs a day out of the 100,000 or so on your head, and most of that arrives at once on wash day, because washing dislodges the hairs that were already loose. A frightening handful in the shower is often a normal day's shedding, collected in one place.

Pay attention to a change: much more than your normal, week after week, or scalp showing through where it did not before.

A first appointment can often narrow this down considerably, and for hair loss that usually means a dermatologist. They can tell a lot from your history and a look at your scalp, though some causes need blood work, a follow-up or occasionally a biopsy before anyone is certain. Your own doctor is the right call if you want the blood work first, since thyroid trouble and low iron both show up as shedding. And if you are in cancer treatment, the answer is your oncology team rather than either of them.

The hard part is knowing which of the three to call, and women sometimes lose months worrying about something an early appointment could have started sorting out.

What you may be seeing, what it is commonly called, what usually happens next and who to ask
what you are seeing	commonly called	what usually happens, and who to ask
sudden shedding all over	Telogen effluvium, the shedding that can follow a shock to the body two or three months later: a high fever, surgery, childbirth, sudden weight loss, a new medication, a long stretch of severe stress.	Usually temporary. It commonly settles over several months once the trigger has passed, and the hair regrows. Take it to your own doctor: thyroid trouble and low iron both show up this way and both are simple blood tests.
a widening part	Female pattern hair loss: gradual thinning on top, a thinner ponytail, more scalp at the part.	Gradual, and it does not usually reverse on its own. There are treatments and they have more to work with the earlier they start, so this is a dermatologist. For coverage in the meantime, our guide to hair pieces for female pattern baldness.
round bald patches	Alopecia areata.	Unpredictable, and it can regrow on its own or persist. There are several prescription options now, and as of September 2026 US expert consensus puts oral JAK inhibitors first for adults with severe alopecia areata. One to take to a dermatologist rather than wait out.
loss during cancer treatment	Chemotherapy, and sometimes radiation to the head.	Usually temporary, and the next section has the timeline. Your oncology nurse can tell you what your own regimen normally does.
thinning at the hairline	Traction, from braids, weaves, extensions or ponytails worn tight in the same place for years.	Often reversible early, and it can become permanent if it goes on long enough, which is the reason to raise it sooner. See a dermatologist, and read our guide to hair loss in African American women.

Sources: American Academy of Dermatology, Cleveland Clinic, DermNet, Mayo Clinic, American Cancer Society, and the 2026 US expert consensus on severe alopecia areata published in JAMA Dermatology with the National Alopecia Areata Foundation. Last checked September 2026.

That is a rough map and not a diagnosis, and more than one of them can be happening at once. On a bad day, remember that most of the reasons hair falls out are temporary or treatable, and that nearly all of them do better looked at early than waited out.

If you have no idea which row you are in, start with the dermatologist. That is the appointment that sorts the others out.

making the appointment count

Hair loss gets short appointments, and a lot of women come away from the first one feeling they were not taken seriously. Going in prepared changes that conversation.

Take photographs. One now, another in a couple of months, in the same light and at the same angle. They show change that nobody notices day to day, and they give the appointment something to look at besides your word for it.
Ask for the numbers, not just "normal." Blood work comes back as a range. If your doctor checks your iron, ask what your ferritin level means alongside your symptoms rather than on its own. Low iron stores can contribute to diffuse shedding, though there is no one ferritin level the experts agree is ideal for hair.
Ask how the visit is being coded. Hair loss appointments are sometimes billed as cosmetic, which can leave you with the whole cost. It is a fair question to ask at the desk before you are seen.
Ask what the first weeks will look like. Some hair loss treatments cause more shedding before they cause less. Where it happens it usually starts within the first month, settles within two or three, and is expected. Ask whether the one you are given does that, because women stop perfectly good treatments over it.
If you are brushed off, that is not the end of it. Some dermatologists have a particular interest in hair, and it is reasonable to ask for one, or to ask for a second opinion. You are not being difficult.

Make the appointment for any of these. Hair coming out in sudden clumps, patches of bare scalp, shedding that has not let up in a few months, or a scalp that is sore, scaly or itchy. Many causes are treatable or temporary, and some are important to catch early, so an appointment you turned out not to need is a much smaller problem than one you put off.

if chemotherapy is the reason

what to expect, and where the full guide is

Not every chemotherapy drug takes your hair, and your oncology nurse can tell you what your own regimen usually does. When it does happen it usually starts two to four weeks after the first infusion, often speeding up after the second or third. Ask your team what to expect from yours, so that you can decide about cutting it short or shaving it, and about what you want to have in the house, while you still have the time to choose.

Everything else about it has its own guide. Chemo and hair loss covers what to expect, why the scalp hurts before anything falls out, whether to shave, and what other women who have been through it say. Hair growth after chemo picks it up at the other end.

One thing that will not wait. If you want to try scalp cooling, sometimes called cold capping, it has to start at your first infusion. It does not work for everyone and it does not suit every regimen, but it is a decision with a deadline. Our guide to scalp cooling and cold caps covers how well it works, what a capping day is like, and who pays for it.

what to do when it starts to show

smallest thing first, and most women never need the rest

The first worry is usually whether people can tell.

Less than you think. Scalp shows through long before anyone else notices, because you are looking at your own part under an overhead light from six inches away and nobody else is. And it is worse at home: wet hair clumps, oily roots stick together, and a bright bathroom bulb pointing straight down flattens what volume you have. The worst your hair will ever look is in your own mirror, just out of the shower, at night. But you still have to get through the day, so this is the order we take a customer through, cheapest and least drastic first.

1. move your part, and loosen everything

A part looks wide for two reasons. Thinning shows there first, because that is where the scalp is already bare. And hair parted the same way for years lies flat on that side, so the line looks wider than the thinning alone would make it.

Moving the part fixes both. The roots lift, and hair that has been lying down for years falls across the bare bit.

A few things to know before you try it:

Train it, do not force it. A quarter to half an inch at a time, and let it dry in the new direction before you go further. Forcing a whole new part in one morning means over-brushing, which snaps the short hairs right along the part line.
Set it wet, and give it a week or two. Part it on the new side straight out of the shower, comb it over, and let it dry that way. Do it again the next day, and the next. Stylists generally put it at a week or two of doing that before the hair starts falling the new way on its own, and longer if you have worn the same part for decades. The usual mistake is giving up on day two, when it still looks wrong. No dryer needed, which matters when your hair is already fragile.
Make it a soft zigzag, not a straight line. A ruler-straight part is a clean stripe of scalp with nothing interrupting it. A zigzag gives the eye nothing to follow.
Keep oils and heavy gels off the roots. Anything that makes strands clump together shows more scalp rather than less. And stop pulling it back tight, because tension costs you hair you are trying to keep.

And expect to keep it there for as long as the hair underneath takes.

from our founder

My own hair has thinned at various times over the years. One of those times I moved my part to the other side and kept it there for about a year. It covered the thin patch the whole way through, until the hair came back.

It took training. Hair parted the same way for years does not go the other way just because you asked it to. I could not tell you now how long mine took, it was twenty years ago, but it was not long, and it was worth every awkward morning of it.

I am not making you a promise about your own hair. I do not know why yours is thinning and neither does anybody else until you have been looked at. I only want you to know that the cheapest thing I could have done is the one that worked.

Danielle

2. color the scalp, not the hair

Most women have never heard of this one. Thinning reads as thinning because pale scalp shows through darker hair, and the contrast is what the eye picks up. Take the contrast away and the thinness mostly disappears.

A tinted powder brushed onto the part does exactly that. Our root touch up powder is made for it: it goes on with a brush, matches to your color, stays put through the day and washes out at night. It costs far less than a topper or a wig, it is not a commitment to anything, and it buys you a normal-looking part in about a minute. If you try one thing, try this.

Powder holds up better than you would expect in the rain and under a hat. Match it to your roots rather than to your lengths, go on lightly and build it up, and keep it off wet hair.

3. get more volume out of what you have

Thin hair lying flat against the scalp shows more scalp. Lifting it at the roots covers more with the same amount of hair. A lightweight root lifting spray or a thickening product does this without weight, and our hair thickening range is built around it. Drying it upward and away from the head helps too, on a cool setting.

Your hairdresser can do more than you think, so ask. They can make your hair look thicker by cutting it shorter, adding in layers or feathering it, and they can dye it to cut the contrast between your hair and your scalp. If you're stumped or overwhelmed, that is exactly the conversation to have in the chair.

None of this regrows hair. It changes how much scalp is on show today.

4. cover the front with bangs, or the crown with a topper

If the thinning has gone past what powder can handle, the next rung is a piece rather than a whole head of hair. Clip-in bangs cover the front hairline, which is where most women are looking, and they clip in in seconds.

A hair topper clips into the hair you still have and covers the crown and the part, or a patch if that is what you are dealing with. It is the step before a wig and it is the one most women with thinning hair end up at, because it blends with your own hair rather than replacing it. One limit. On very fine hair the clips can pull. If they ache or drag by the afternoon, the fit or the attachment needs rethinking: a different base size, different clip placement, or a different way of attaching it altogether. Worth a call before it ends up in a drawer. Our hair topper buying guide covers the sizes, and the rule is that the base needs to be bigger than the thin patch.

5. cover it completely, on the days you want to

A hat or a scarf is the easiest part of this to enjoy.

Hats ask nothing of you on a morning when you have nothing to give. You put one on and you are done, no mirror, no ten minutes, no decisions. They also come in more colors and shapes than you will get through in a lifetime, which makes a hat the one thing about how you look that you can change on a Tuesday for very little money. Berets and slouchy beanies are what our customers come back for, and plenty of women end up with a signature: one shape they love, in half a dozen colors, worn because they like it.

If you have never been a hat person and have no idea where to start, our guide to how to wear a hat goes through which shapes suit which faces, and how to wear the one you pick. It is the quickest way to narrow down a lot of options.

Your own hair does the work at the sides and the back, and the hat covers the part, which is the only place it was showing.

A headband pulls your hair back over the part, so the widest and most visible stretch of it ends up under your own hair rather than on show.

6. a wig, when you want to stop thinking about it

Last rather than first, because most women do not need one on the day they notice, and choosing one in a panic is how you end up with a wig in the back of a closet. When you do want one, the women's wigs are there whenever you are, and we will help you choose over the phone.

You do not have to climb the whole ladder. Plenty of women stop at the powder and never go further. Plenty go straight to a hat because that is what suits their life. There is no correct order for anyone except you, and none of it is a step you cannot take back.

best tips for coping with hair loss

how it feels, and what helps

The hardest part of coping with hair loss is that you cannot control it, and the struggle is the worst part of that. You can cover it, you can treat it, you can wait it out. You cannot make it stop by minding about it more, though a lot of energy goes into trying.

Some women make their peace with it inside a month. Others are furious for a year and come out the other side perfectly well. There is no correct way to do this and nobody is grading you.

What we can tell you, after thirty years of these conversations, is that it gets quieter. You do not talk yourself into that. You go on with your life, and one morning it is not the first thing you think about.

And if it turns out to be permanent, that is a different thing to carry, and you can still carry it beautifully. Either way, we'll be here to get you through it, wigs, scarves, pretty hair pieces and all.

when people tell you it is only hair

They mean it kindly and it lands like a slap. It is not only hair. It is how you have recognized yourself in the mirror your whole life, and watching it change is a real loss. Being upset about it is not vanity.

The version you are more likely to get is "I cannot even tell." That is offered as reassurance and it often arrives as something else, because you can tell, and now you are being told you are imagining it. Both things are usually true at the same time: they cannot see it yet, and you are not imagining it. You know your own head better than anybody.

And if you are otherwise perfectly well, there is usually a second thing sitting underneath the first: the feeling that you have no right to be this upset, because nothing is actually wrong with you. Put that down. Hair is not a small thing to lose and being healthy does not disqualify you from minding.

You do not owe anybody a brave face, and you do not have to reassure the friend who is more upset about it than you are.

the checking

Most women do not avoid the mirror. They do the opposite. Part it, look. Part it the other way, look again. A photo under the bathroom light, another by the window, one from above because that is the angle that frightens you. It is a hard habit to stop and it makes the whole thing feel worse than it is, because you are inspecting your own scalp at a distance nobody else will ever see it from.

Wash day is usually the worst of it. Washing shows you what came out, every time, and women describe dreading it for days beforehand. You are allowed to not look. Throw it away or send it down the drain without counting it, and do not keep it to show anyone. Nobody needs to see the hair to believe you.

If you can manage it, check properly once every couple of months with a photograph and leave it alone in between. That will tell you far more than daily inspection ever will, and it gives you your mornings back.

And if somebody close to you keeps asking how it is going, it is perfectly fine to say you will let them know when there is news.

find somebody to talk to

Plenty of women want nothing to do with a support group, and if that is you, skip this one.

What helps is one person who has already done it. The people who love you will say the wrong thing now and then, not because they are careless but because they are guessing. Somebody who has stood in her own bathroom looking at her own hairbrush is not guessing.

That can be a group, where you'll find advice, support, and hugs that aren't just out of pity. It can just as easily be one woman who will take your call, and your doctor, your hair stylist or an oncology social worker usually knows who that is. And if meeting anyone is more than you have in you, an online community asks nothing of you at all. You can read other women's experiences at two in the morning without saying a word.

or a therapist

If you're like any of us, you might be trying to downplay the experience in your mind. Telling yourself to toughen up and deal with it, or similar. This self-talk is actually pretty cruel, and won't work the way you think it will.

Talking to a therapist is a reasonable response to hair loss, and is actually an extraordinary act of kindness to yourself. Medical care tends to deal with the symptom and leave the rest of you to get on with it. You may be surprised by how much better you feel, by getting those feelings off your chest.

No, it's not superficial to cry about hair loss.

care for your scalp

it has never had to do this before

Hair provides a natural layer of protection from the elements, so if your hair falls out, your head may be more susceptible to irritation, redness, and overall sensitivity. Take care of this, and protect the hair you still have, with targeted TLC.

For cancer patients, we recommend Alra's mild shampoo, which is specifically formulated for those going through cancer treatment.

Your scalp has spent its whole life under hair. It has had no practice at this. It burns faster than you expect, and some treatments make skin more sensitive to sun, so keep something on your head outdoors and ask your care team what applies to you.

For others, here are some of our favorite solutions for sensitive scalps with thinning hair:

Nioxin Scalp Relief Shampoo. If you are experiencing dryness, itchiness or sensitivity, this cleanser is made for a sensitive, irritated scalp. The Scalp Relief range is built around aloe vera, niacinamide and vitamin E.
Scalp Relief Conditioner. Soothe and hydrate, with the matching conditioner for sensitive, thinning scalps.
Scalp Relief Soothing Serum. We absolutely love this one. A leave-on treatment for dry, sensitive, itchy scalps. Used together, the three are made to soothe, hydrate and thicken.

If it's thickening you're after, we also have 3 part kits to help restore fullness to thinning hair. The leave-in treatment also contains UV-protecting ingredients. You can see the rest of the range in hair thickening products.

Be gentle with the hair you still have. If it is shedding or feels fragile, let it air dry when you can, go easy on the heat tools and on color and perms, and use a wide-tooth comb rather than tugging through tangles. That will not stop the shedding, but it can help reduce the breakage on top of it.

if your scalp is sore or tingling

Your scalp can hurt while you are shedding. It burns, or prickles, or goes tender, usually right where the hair is thinning. Women tell us it feels like sunburn under the hair, or that they suddenly cannot stand to use a hairbrush.

It has a name: trichodynia. You are not imagining it, and you have a word to use at the appointment. It may improve as the shedding settles.

Wash in cool water instead of hot. Wear something soft, in cotton or bamboo. Do not pull your hair back tight. And if the skin itself is sore, scaly, blistered or broken, that is something else, so tell your doctor about it.

buy something you want to wear

a tradition thousands of years old

Women have been covering their heads beautifully for thousands of years, and for every reason there is. We are proud to be part of that.

While we have hundreds of options for your perusal, here are a few of our popular styles to get you started. And no, you don't have to revamp your entire wardrobe to match. We chose these headcoverings for versatility and ease.

popular headcoverings for hair loss (crowd favorites)

Trinity Cotton Turban. We're obsessed with this trendy yet low-key turban, which can be worn three ways for maximum usage. It's the cap for bad hair days and no hair days, because it matches every outfit while providing the ultimate comfort that you need, thanks to super soft cotton and gentle seams.
Slinky Pre-Tied Scarf. We've got dozens (no, seriously, dozens!) of scarves in this convenient, pre-tied style, to match any occasion and outfit in your wardrobe. With or without hair, it looks fabulous, and the silky fabric will feel oh-so-good on your head.
Pure Silk Head Scarf. Cool in summer, warm in winter, and about as kind as fabric gets against a tender scalp. It ties a dozen different ways, it packs into nothing, and it reads as an accessory, which is how women who were quite sure they were not scarf people end up owning three.
Cotton Snood Slouchy Cap. Pulls on like a hood. Nothing to tie, nothing to adjust, and the slouch at the back gives it shape and a bit of volume. This is the one women reach for on the mornings they want to leave the house without thinking about their head at all.
Pleated Newsboy Hat. It comes in khaki, gray, denim or charcoal, all classic colors for this classic style. The pleats give the crown some shape and dimension, and it reads as a hat you chose.

If this is your first piece and you would rather not think about it too hard, two soft everyday styles and a sleep cap, in colors you already wear, will cover almost every day of the week.

find the hat you did not know suited you

So you've never worn hats before. So what? Now's the time to embrace the hat personality you never knew you had. From of-the-moment bucket hats to timeless styles like berets, cloches and beanies, you'll find a style that boosts your mood. Our sun hats are particularly appealing, as they are designed to be both stylish and easy on the scalp.

play with scarves

Whether you are just covering up a patch or looking to distract from overall thinning, a strategically placed scarf can create the illusion of fullness while offering the utmost in glamour. Silk scarves channel such icons as Jackie Onassis and Liz Taylor, not to mention sensual, mysterious women throughout the ages.

Our scarf-tying guide can get you started with ideas, while pre-tied scarves provide elegance without the fuss.

fall asleep in (affordable!) luxury

the hours nobody plans for

Coping with hair loss isn't just for the day. We know you feel it even at night, when your scalp may be more sensitive against the pillow, and the fear of further hair loss and breakage is a waking nightmare. Never fear, we have solutions. Our sleeping caps keep the hair contained and reduce the rubbing and snagging against the pillowcase that happens every time you turn over, while soothing your scalp in the process. (We even have sleep caps for cold climates, if you've got a chilly head.) And we have cotton sleep caps for men with a more masculine appeal.

Don't forget the value of a soft pillowcase. Our silk pillowcase is made with the highest grade premium silk and absorbs less of your natural oils. Silk creates less friction than many cotton pillowcases, which may mean less snagging and breakage for fragile hair, and it promotes a velvety feel by morning.

consider a wig

easier than it sounds, and freer than you expect

Plenty of women with thinning hair wear a wig for a reason that has nothing to do with how bad it has gotten. They are tired of fussing with their own. A wig looks full every day. It goes on in a minute, it needs no styling, and it does not fall apart in the rain.

That is the part women do not expect. In our experience most of them are glad they tried it, and they wear it far more than they thought they would, because it turns out to be the easy option rather than the dramatic one.

It buys you privacy, too. You don't owe everyone an explanation or even an acknowledgement about what you're going through, and a wig means the subject does not have to come up at all.

Most start with synthetic. It is lighter, it holds its style through a wash, and there is less to do to it. Our wig buying guide covers cap types and color, or call us at 1-800-264-4287 and we will help you choose.

beauty hacks for hair loss

when it is not only the hair on your head

Some kinds of hair loss, particularly some cancer treatments and some forms of alopecia, can affect brows and lashes too. If that is happening to you, both are easier to recreate than you may expect. It's possible to reclaim your experience and actually enjoy your beauty routine with a few simple tricks.

We have affordable, high quality false eyelashes, and strip lashes with a latex-free adhesive sit on the lash line itself, so a bare lid is no obstacle. For brows there are eyebrow wigs and temporary eyebrow tattoos, or you can draw them on with a brow pencil. Brows do more for a face than almost anything else, which is why women often notice them going more than the hair on their heads. Our guides to applying false eyelashes and drawing eyebrows walk through the first few times.

remember that you're naturally beautiful

It's no small feat to go through an experience like hair loss with your self-love intact. Remember that your physical appearance is just part of the beauty you bring to the world. We are all equipped with far more than hair follicles to spread love and experience joy on this wonderful planet.

questions we get asked

open only the one you need

how much hair loss is normal in a day?

Dermatologists generally put normal shedding at 50 to 100 hairs a day, out of roughly 100,000 on your head, so ordinary shedding barely shows. It looks like far more on wash day, because the hairs that were already loose all come away at once. Watch for a change from your own normal that keeps up week after week, or scalp becoming visible where it was not before. If that is what you are seeing, it is worth an appointment.

why is my hair falling out in clumps?

Sudden shedding all over the head, starting two or three months after a shock to the body, is usually telogen effluvium: a high fever, an operation, childbirth, rapid weight loss, a new medication or a long stretch of severe stress can all set it off. It is usually temporary and usually settles once the trigger has passed. Clumps during cancer treatment are a different mechanism and follow their own timeline. Either way, a doctor can tell you which it is rather than leaving you to guess.

when does hair start falling out after chemo?

Usually two to four weeks after the first infusion, often speeding up after the second or third, and generally complete by around the third month. It depends heavily on the drug and the dose, and some regimens do not cause hair loss at all, so ask your oncology nurse what to expect from yours.

will my hair grow back?

After chemotherapy, usually. Most chemotherapy hair loss grows back, and most women see soft fuzz within a few weeks of the last treatment and real growth by about six to eight weeks. It often returns a different texture or shade at first before settling over the following year.

Not always, though, and this is worth knowing in advance rather than afterwards. Some drugs and regimens can leave persistent thinning, or less commonly permanent hair loss. The risk is higher with certain regimens, including high-dose docetaxel and some combinations of taxanes and anthracyclines. If that matters to your decisions, ask your oncologist what your own regimen is known for.

Shedding that followed an illness or a stressful stretch usually regrows too. Female pattern hair loss and scarring types of hair loss behave differently, so it matters which one you have.

can I stop my hair from falling out?

It depends entirely on the cause, so finding out comes first. Shedding that followed an illness or a shock usually stops on its own. Female pattern hair loss and alopecia areata both have treatments, but they are treated differently. Over-the-counter minoxidil is commonly used for pattern hair loss. Alopecia areata has prescription treatments, including newer FDA-approved medications for severe disease, so a dermatologist should be the one guiding that. For chemotherapy, scalp cooling is the only thing that reduces hair loss, and it has to begin at your first infusion. Most other things sold for hair loss have far less behind them, so ask before you spend.

why does my scalp hurt before my hair falls out?

It can happen, it has a name, trichodynia, and it is almost never mentioned to anyone in advance. A sore, prickling or burning scalp can arrive alongside shedding, and it may improve as the shedding settles. Cool water, a soft cap, nothing tight or pulled back. Tell your care team if the skin itself is broken, blistered or looks infected, since that is a different problem.

should I shave my head?

Only if you want to. Many women say cutting it short or shaving it once shedding starts was the first decision in months that felt like theirs, and it puts an end to finding hair on everything. Others would rather let it happen in its own time. If you do, clippers with a guard are kinder to a tender scalp than a razor. Our guide on shaving your head before chemo talks it through properly.

does wearing a hat make hair loss worse?

No. A clean, soft hat that is not tight does not cause hair loss, and it protects a scalp with no practice at being uncovered. What can pull hair out over time is tension: braids, weaves, extensions and ponytails worn tight in the same place for years.

Sources for the clinical points above: American Academy of Dermatology, Cleveland Clinic, DermNet, Mayo Clinic, American Cancer Society. Last checked September 2026.

why we care about this

specialists in hair loss since 1995

In 1990 my mother Carol lost her hair to breast cancer treatment. She was wheeled out of surgery with the surgical cap still on her bald head, and there was nothing to buy that she would have chosen for herself. In 1995 she and I started Headcovers so that the women who came after her would have something better than nothing.

I have been fitting women ever since. The hat has never been the part I care about. It is the moment she looks up and sees herself again.

Most women who call here have no idea what they want yet, and that is where nearly all of them start. You do not have to arrive with your mind made up, and you do not have to make it up today. When you want us, a person answers the phone and we will take as long as you need. And if you work the whole thing out on your own and never call at all, that is a good outcome too.

Something to wear while you decide. Hats, scarves and wigs made and fitted for hair loss, since 1995.

shop hats & scarves → wigs & hair pieces

keep learning

how to choose a wigCap types, color, length and what to spend. how to tie a head scarfFourteen ways, with video. chemo and hair lossWhat happens, and roughly when. scalp cooling and cold capsHow well it works, what it is like, and what it costs. hair growth after chemoThe first year, stage by stage. hair pieces for female pattern baldnessCoverage for thinning at the part. hair loss in African American womenTraction, breakage and what helps. free wigs for cancer patientsPrograms, insurance and where to ask. should I shave my head before chemoHow to decide, and how to do it kindly.

written by Danielle Galland-Yates President of Headcovers. Designing and fitting wigs and headwear for women with hair loss since 1995. page last updated September 2026

This guide is for informational purposes only. It does not replace advice from your doctor, oncologist or dermatologist. If you have questions about your own hair loss, please ask your care team.

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