We were delighted to launch our Workplace support kit at the ‘Women in Leadership’ event on 1st March hosted by the Hertfordshire Camber of Commerce.

Cancer Hair Care ambassador Helen told her moving hair loss story on stage with Cancer Hair Care Founder Jasmin. You can see inspiring images of Helen below through her hair loss and new growth journey and others who share their Workplace stories. We also have an employers guide.

We hope that our Workplace guides will support and empower you. The Cancer Hair Care team is here to provide ideas and support. A chat over the phone or an email is always available.

5 top tips for confidence within the workplace 

The script – Quite often people tell us that they hadn’t thought about how they may respond to questions about their change in hair style or new choice of headwear. This then resulted in them revealing too much information. For example, in response to a colleague’s comment about a nice new short hair cut, the individual had said “It’s not a new cut, it’s a wig. I’m losing my hair and on chemo”. There is nothing wrong with sharing your circumstances if you choose to but for people who want to keep their hair loss and treatment private, here are some ideas that we, at Cancer Hair Care, call ‘The Script’.

1. The Script 

   Think in advance how you might respond to comments about your ‘new hair style’. For example, if you are wearing a wig that is shorter than your usual style you may choose to say something like “I fancied a change” or “it’s nice having a shorter style, less styling time in the morning”.

2. Wearing a wig

   You may like to practise wearing your wig at home for an entire day before embarking on wearing your wig at work. You can then be assured that your wig is comfortable to wear all day long. You may like to consider if your workplace environment is different from home. For example, if there is air conditioning or heating and how this may affect how hot or cold you feel whilst wearing a wig. It’s also a good idea to have an alternative item of headwear in your bag in case it’s needed.

3. Uniforms and dress codes 

   You may have a dress code or uniform at work. It can be a good idea to see if there is any guidance about wearing headwear. For example, you may need to consider headwear that is in appropriate uniform colours. Your employer or HR department should be open to discussing, in confidence, suitable alternatives for you that are inline with your uniform or dress code and meet your wellbeing needs. If you are scalp cooling (wearing a cold cap) you might find it helpful to start wearing wide headbands or scarves partially over some of your hair. We suggest this because it can help to introduce this change in your look in advance. If and when you may need to cover up hair thinning, your colleagues will have got used to your change in look.

4. Fringe benefit

   If you find a wig too uncomfortable but headwear too revealing, you may like to try a velcro or stick in fringe. This creates the illusion of your own hair being underneath your chosen headwear. Many women said this was a really good option and gave them confidence.

5. Transitioning from a wig to short hair

   Many people say that they kept their cancer treatment private at work by wearing a wig or headwear and it wasn’t until they decided to wear their own short new hair growth, that colleagues started to notice and ask questions. Think about point 1 (above) where you have some ‘script’, something planned in advance to say about your new short hair. This will then give you the confidence to choose who to tell and not tell about why your hair is so short. There are lots of myths around what you can and can’t do with new short hair. Such as when to colour and cut. Take a look at our New Hair Growth section for lots of tips.

For Workplace inspiration, images and tips take a look at Christie’s bald and bold approach, Julie’s Cold Cap experience and Lucy’s fake fringe options on our dedicated section: Workplace Inspiration & Images