“The 5 questions every newly diagnosed woman asks about hair loss”

(First published in Nov 2020 and updated Mar 2026.)

The 5 questions every newly diagnosed woman asks about hair loss – there are probably many more. There’s certainly a heap of information to take in the first few days.

The medical treatment side of things, let alone the time needed to get your head around what’s happening.  You may be working on a specific time frame until your hair loss occurs, or no specifics at all.

You may take the immediate decision to purchase a wig – for extensive women’s hair loss (hair loss during chemotherapy or rapid alopecia totalis), that can be quite a clear cut decision.  But you may have too much remaining hair to wear under a wig, but significant patches that need covering, or diffuse thinning hair that needs managing.

This post will focus on headwear questions rather than medical drug regimen that will or will not cause hair loss;  how quickly hair will grow back post treatment forms etc.  See – How quickly will my hair grow back? for answers to these questions. This post is about hats for chemo patients and hats for ladies with hair loss – how a headwear option can be useful, even if it’s only to take time out from wearing a wig.

If you’re struggling with well-being and live in the Surrey, Sussex and Hampshire areas in the UK, here is a link to some useful resources. The SSCA have a  Virtual Health and Wellbeing Patient Resource Pack providing information and contact details for physical, emotional and psychological support available across Surrey and Sussex.

Can headwear really help with hair loss? Here’s why we think it can.

1. How can I best manage my hair loss along with everything else?
   
   It sounds obvious but worth saying, we know headwear won’t replace a full head of bio hair, BUT it can be really useful in managing your ‘everyday’, 7 days a week. So if you need a quick casual cover up for the school gate, rugby match, supermarket trip – there are great styles you can ‘pull on and go’; in rain, wind or sunshine.These styles will be different to going into the office, or for an evening out and wanting to look dressy.  Think about where you spend most of your time and when purchasing bear it in mind.
2. How do I figure out what suits me?
   
   Choose your headwear for the lifestyle that you lead – if you work in an office, smarter turbans are likely to work; if you want to keep up your exercise routine – an exercise hat, something with secure coverage is a good idea; and if you’re in and out throughout your day, a cap style can be a ‘casual’ option – there are many, many styles that can work in all ‘situations’.Colour is really important – you know the colours that suit you. Your wardrobe is full of the clothes that you’ve been drawn to because of their colour.  If you love green then consider wearing a green hat, it will probably suit your eyes / complexion and certainly match with whatever you choose to put on that day.Face shape – this is important because there is a hat style to suit everyone of us, a style that simply ‘works’ when we try it on. Discover your face shape and you’ll quickly identify what works. It is handy to recognise why certain hats suit you more than others,Some hats have more width or height to them, a peak, small brim, turban twist at the front, asymmetrical detail off to one side – whatever it is, when you put it on and look in a mirror, you’ll begin to see what suits.

   Here in the studio we’ve really noticed this at the moment, with customers coming in for a fitting masked up.  We can’t accurately assess whether the hat is working without seeing 100% of the face underneath it. A quick socially distanced ‘reveal’ helps us assess if the shape is working and colour is complimenting skin tone.

   

3. ‘I’ll buy a black hat, it will go with everything.’

Many women think black is an easy option for this reason. Above is our Genevieve cap – the same style seen in 3 different colours.  Notice how the colour changes the shape and look of the hat, (the Claret Rose is by far the most popular colour in this style).

Colours around our face work slightly differently – consider colours that lift your complexion rather than close it down.  For evening it can be super chic but we tend to wear more make-up and possibly a brighter lipstick when we’re in ‘evening’ mode.  Every day, black can drain colour, particularly if you are about to undertake any treatment that will add to fatigue levels.

4. ‘Hats worn over a bald head, never look right and everyone knows you have hair loss.’

There is an element of truth to this statement, so think of your hat as not just a practical head covering.  It needs to have fabric volume to disguise defined head shape.  We create this volume when we style our hair around our faces.

We can recreate this with fabric – scarf turbans, Baker Boy caps (‘puffed out’ hat shapes with structure), any pleating, draping of fabric distracts the eye and people won’t notice head definition.

Hats with elasticated head fittings or turbans made in stretch fabrics, styles that hug the head help to avoid any gaping around the sides of the head.

It’s understandable though to think everyone must know I’m undergoing treatment because I’m wearing a hat.  Many women wear hats everyday, it won’t be the first thought on people’s minds, even if they’re thinking in the first place.  Much of the general public is far too focused on their own day to notice.

Admittedly friends and colleagues are a tougher audience to sashay through, my advice would be make it ‘deliberate’.

Whether that’s with colour, or print, it doesn’t have to be neon, simply a colour you feel confident in. A fashion turban, everyday headwear styles as opposed to ‘patient wear’, YouTube is saturated with turban tying guides.

Ask the right friend to a ‘try on’ session in front of a mirror, someone who knows you well and will critique well i.e notice colour on you, shape on you, where height or volume work well. A second opinion can really help verbalise what you’re looking for.  (Your partner maybe another good source.  If they’re male hopefully they’ll push on through, ‘Which is the right answer here?’)

5. How many will I need?

Any expenditure with a new diagnosis and possible loss of income, needs to be worth the out-going.  I’d suggest 2 minimum allows you to have one in the wash / drying, without worrying about if it’ll be dry in time for tomorrow.

Your hats won’t need a lot of washing, dependent on how much perspiration you’re experiencing. A change can also be welcome rather than wearing the same thing day in, day out.

How do you want to feel in your hats?

A good hat can become an extension of your own style.  In the early days there will be feelings of being self-conscious, but headwear can help you face the world and slip by unnoticed.

A hat for hair loss needs to cover the necessary practicalities – good coverage, keeping warm or shading from the sun, but they can also boost confidence and enable you to carry on with your lifestyle. Here @SuburbanTurban we don’t believe in the ‘make do’ or the ‘purely practical’ – every hair loss headcover / hair accessory needs to lift your day and improve it.

How do I select the right hat shape for my face? – keep reading and follow our next link.