See What Mum Did To Help Bald Daughter

A mum has shown how much she cares after she shaved her head so her hair could be made into a wig for her bald daughter.

The Daily Mail  reports:

Jo Green, 41, grew her hair for three years and dyed it blonde so she could create the bespoke wig for daughter Lauren, 17.

Lauren lost all of her hair at the age of eight, after she was diagnosed with alopecia. She endured the cruel taunts of bullies at school, who constantly reminded her she was bald.

While Lauren tried various wigs over the years, they were usually ill-fitting, synthetic-looking and even fell off her head as they were designed for adults, so her mother decided to shave her head to create a natural looking wig which would boost her daughter’s confidence.

Lauren, who lives with her family in Bournemouth, said: ‘It looks amazing, I couldn’t be more happy with it. All my old wigs were ill-fitting and looked unrealistic but my new one feels like it’s my own head of hair. It feels natural and it is a lot more sentimental because it is my mum’s old hair, although it is a bit freaky that I now look like her.’

To create the wig, hairdressers carefully removed Mrs Green’s locks and sent them to a wig makers that specialise in life-like hairpieces.

Meanwhile, Lauren had a mould made of her head that was used to create a cap made of finely-meshed net. Each strand of her mother’s hair was then painstakingly hand-sewn into the cap using a knotting technique that took weeks.

The finished product is a realistic-looking hairpiece which perfectly fits Lauren’s head.

Mrs Green, who is now growing her hair again after being shaved bald, said: ‘I wanted to do something special for her. I normally wear my hair short so I had to grow it specially for this. I also had blonde highlights to make sure I could get a colour I thought Lauren would like.

“I cried as soon as they brought the wig out. It’s amazing, they’ve done a really good job and it looks lovely on Lauren. She can finally pull her hair back off her face and even go swimming in it, it’s just like the ones celebrities have.’

Lauren lost all her hair in just three days when she first discovered she had alopecia. To her devastation, her long blonde locks came out in huge clumps on her pillow. As she was due to go back to school, her mother rushed to get her a wig, but all they could find was an unflattering adult one. It was so big they had to pull it tight at the back so it would fit her head and she despaired.

“When she was eight Lauren’s hair literally fell out in three days. She woke up and found hair on the pillow, it just started coming out in handfuls,’ Mrs Green said. It happened ten days before she was due to go back to school and we had to just get something quickly. We went to a shop and they put her in a wig suitable for a 60-year-old, it was heartbreaking.

‘Growing up she usually had to have adult wigs because it was hard to get hold of children’s ones, but from the day her hair fell out she has never complained once.’

Lauren was donated a human hair wig from the Little Princess Trust in 2011 but it only lasted a couple of years. She has tried several adult-sized wigs over the last next nine years of varying lengths, but they sometimes fall off especially if she forgets to wear a special cap underneath.

She often wears a bandana on her head when she doesn’t feel like using a wig and is happy to be bald when around the house.

When she started secondary school, Lauren had to deal with bullying because of her bald head.

It was so upsetting her mother moved her to a different school, where she has flourished.

The A-level student now helps other young people coping with hair loss and tries to raise awareness of the condition.

Lauren said: ‘It hasn’t always been an easy thing to cope with, but I’ve always thought everything happens for a reason. Sometimes it’s hard when I hear girls complaining about their hair, I think “consider yourself lucky”. I would love to be able to tie my hair in a bun or play with it. One thing I really miss is washing it and being able to run my fingers through it. Most people think it’s a chore to wash their hair but I would love it.

‘I can’t wait to start back at school, a lot of people are really interested in it, which is great because it helps raise awareness of alopecia. A lot of people didn’t even know about alopecia before they met me.’