The fear of losing your hair during cancer treatment is real and valid. Hair is often seen as a way of expressing ourselves and our personality. So when cancer treatment threatens to take your hair, the thought alone can be really upsetting.
Even before hair starts to thin or clumps start falling out, many people with cancer begin thinking about ways to make it less noticeable by using head coverings like caps, wigs, or wraps. This post reviews options for free head wraps for cancer patients.
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Benefits of Head Wraps
Head wraps go beyond just covering up cancer-related hair loss:
- They keep heads warm, especially in cold treatment rooms
- Head coverings can also reduce discomfort when going out in public – some don’t want a bald head to be a visible reminder of the disease or an announcement to strangers about what they might be going through.
- They can boost confidence and help express creativity. Want to wear a sassy pink wig? You can! You can tie a head scarf in different ways depending on how you’re feeling and how ‘fancy’ you want to get. It’s whatever you want to do, and having zero cost options helps you express yourself in even more ways.
Choosing the Right Head Wrap
Choosing the right head wrap is more than how it looks. Comfort, material, and style are also important.
You want something that feels soft against the skin, especially when dealing with post-treatment sensitivity. Breathable fabrics like cotton can help regulate your temperature throughout the day.
Then there’s the practicality of a head wrap to consider. You need an option that stays secure without constant readjusting, so you can move freely and confidently.
Wigs will need to be tested to ensure the size fits; other options can be adjusted as needed by tightening the cap or tying the scarf more tightly.
Finding Free Head Wraps
Below are some resources for finding chemo headwear. From national nonprofit organizations to local groups, free wigs, free scarves, turbans, and other head coverings can be found.
Your oncology social worker may also know of or coordinate an exchange group, where people donate their chemo head scarves or hats for others to use when they’re done with treatment or have found a different style they prefer. Rather than letting the headpieces gather dust, they pay it forward to help another person in need.
Courage for the Soul – provides a free scarf along with a message of courage for those currently undergoing treatment.
Heavenly Hats – offers brand new hats of all kinds to provide warmth, comfort, courage, and strength.
Hope Scarves – collects and sends out scarves to women in active treatment. Each recipient of a Hope Scarf receives a cancer survivor’s story. When you’re done with it, return the scarf with your own message to pass along in what they call The Sisterhood of Traveling Scarves.
Knots of Love Beanies – provides hand-knit or crocheted beanies to those currently in treatment.
Pink Wig Project – provides a beautiful pale pink wig to those in treatment.
The Turban Project – provides free headwear to those who have lost their hair due to a medical condition. View the photo gallery on their site and select from a turban, courage cap, beanie, or crochet/knitted hat.
Verma Foundation – provides comfortable, breathable cap wigs with 100% human hair attached to cancer patients in financial need. Caps are lined with soft material to protect itchy and sensitive scalps.
Wigs & Wishes – partners with salons around the nation for fittings where you select the wig you like and the salon orders it for you at no charge.
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Applying for Free Head Wraps
Once you’ve found an option you like, either in the free services listed above or a local organization, here’s how to get free hats:
- Check for Criteria: Most programs have specific eligibility requirements. You may have to be in active treatment, demonstrate financial need, or live in a specific region. Read through their requirements carefully, so you don’t waste time applying for something you’re not eligible for.
- Fill Out Online Forms: Visit the websites and complete the application process. Usually, the online form is simple and straightforward. Details about your cancer diagnosis, treatment, and how the head wrap would help you might be required. You may need to list your oncologist’s name, or the contact info for your social worker, so they can verify that you are diagnosed and currently undergoing treatment. The website will include information about how often applications are reviewed and, if you’re selected, when you might receive your free head wrap.
Other Options:
- Contact a Social Worker: Social workers may also be able to help. They often know about available assistance programs and can help you apply. These might be for a free wig program or one that offers discounts on synthetic wigs or human hair wigs, or an organization that will provide the funds to purchase some sort of head covering.
- Ask your Support Group: It’s likely that someone in a support group has already looked for and found even more resources for hair coverings after chemotherapy treatment or radiation therapy. Ask them to share where they got one for free or found one online at a good price. There are lots of new online shops popping up for chemo patients and cancer survivors to shop, and you KNOW people can’t resist sharing when they find a good deal!
From Courage Caps to Free Beanies: Feeling Love and Support with Each Hat
Hair loss can deeply impact one’s self-esteem and identity. Those who offer free head wraps for cancer patients have found a simple way to bring comfort to others during a difficult time.
The gift of a free head wrap is more than just an article of clothing, especially when it is handmade. You can see the care and love that’s been put into each and every stitch, and know that whoever made it was thinking of you and hoping it could bring you comfort and peace.
Do you have a resource for free head wraps to share? If so, leave it in the comments below!
