If you need a wig, Merle Norman in Manhattan, KS is a great place to go! In addition to wigs, they have make-up, spa services, and more!
If you had asked me in Oct. 2023 if I cared about my hair I would have told you, "Not really." Doing my hair wasn't a skill I possessed or wanted to spend my time doing, so it was up in a clip or ponytail every day. Then I found out I had cancer and in addition to all the things that were racing through my mind, the fear of losing my hair kept creeping in. The thought of how and when my hair would fall out was worrying, but the time I knew it would take to regrow it is what saddened me.
Many people and places in town have been lifesavers for me, but not many like Merle Norman. Since it was important to me that I was able to work while I was going through chemo and the Dignicap wasn't going to be an option, I knew I would need a wig, but I knew nothing about them. My hair stylist is amazing so I knew she would have the answer for me, and her answer was, "Go to Merle Norman."
I had no idea the Merle Norman store sold wigs, honestly though, I was not even sure I had been to their new store by Target. Make-up, hair, keeping up with trends, none of those are my thing so I said, "OK" and got ready to enter my new world.
I did look online to see about booking but was sure I was going to screw it up, so I just called in. When I called to make an appointment the receptionist told me I would need to speak with Brenda. When Brenda got on the phone, she was so patient and explained what my appointment would consist of.
Having Brenda give so much of her time has meant so much to me. From my wig to my eyebrows, to regrowth products, I would have been lost without her.
The wig consultation appointment at Merle Norman is booked for one hour, and Brenda is quick to mention, that if more time is needed it is no problem. When I asked her what the fee was for the consultation, she said it was free! What? I was shocked! The generosity of giving an hour and possibly more of your time to a complete stranger was touching. There aren't many places you go especially during cancer treatment where you do not receive a bill so this felt pretty special.
The day of my appointment came, the weather was horrible and it was the last thing I wanted to do. I also wondered if the weather and this feeling of trepidation were a sign I should not go. Regardless, I heard my parent's voices, like when I was young, telling me it would all be ok. Fortunately, I had a friend meet me at Merle Norman, I knew I would need a second opinion. I was happy she was able to go with me and from my experience, going wig shopping alone would not have been as much fun!
When we walked in Brenda told us to look around and choose several wigs to try while she was getting ready for me. We grabbed three, I didn't want more than that. I can suffer from analysis paralysis so too many choices aren't helpful. I was going for a style I normally would wear in hopes that no one would know I was wearing a wig.
Merle Norman in Manhattan, KS has wig options you can try to see what style suits you best.
In full disclosure, my friend told me I had to try on one fun one so I did. It was a long pink bob that was pretty awesome and if I didn't need this wig for my professional life, I would have done it. I mean how many times in your life can you justify having pink hair?
In the end, I made the responsible decision and went with a bob cut like I almost always have. Another blessing, since I still had some of my hair Brenda and my friend could color-match it perfectly! Going while I still had hair was not something I thought mattered, but I am so happy things worked out and we could match it perfectly.
About a week later, my wig came in. I scheduled another appointment with Brenda to learn about caring for my wig, putting it on, taking it off, and even some make-up tips. As I said before, I had never worn make-up in my life and I was definitely on the struggle bus when it came to drawing on my eyebrows. They were thinning and it was only a matter of time and trying to figure it out myself wasn't going great.
Having someone help you like this during treatment is huge.
I had tried other places in town and didn't have good experiences so I was again thankful Brenda took the time. When I casually mentioned to Brenda that my eyebrows were thinning she asked if I needed help with them. YES! Yes, that was the answer to that question! Thankfully she asked a few more questions and quickly realized we needed to start at the basics of make-up application, especially for eyebrows!
After practicing with my wig and eyebrows, then asking Brenda a million questions I was on my way. I felt so much better when I left my appointment. Cancer is hard enough when you are trying to figure so much out on the fly, having someone able to help you solve things like this is huge.
When I left that day I felt like I had more tricks in my proverbial toolbox and a new wig to help me get through moments that warranted me "covering" up my current situation. Since I was revealing what was happening in my time this helped me feel more in control of my life, this was all thanks to Brenda and I will forever be thankful to her for that.
