If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, or just know me, you know I tend to get an idea in my head and then have a really hard time letting it go. Some ideas are small, and some… well, they take on a life of their own. But underneath every one of them is the same thing: the desire to help someone while doing something that brings me joy.
Many of you know, I’m the founder of My Happy Place, and I’ve been doing it for 15 years. I remember exactly how it started – walking on a treadmill, watching Secret Millionaire, and seeing a little girl’s face light up when she saw her newly made-over bedroom while in the arms of her father. The lump in my throat was so big and uncomfortable, I had to get off the treadmill and cry it out. That moment was divine inspiration – and later called, My Happy Place.
Well, here we go again.
For years now, I’ve been mesmerized by wigs – you heard that right. Not because I need one, but because they look fun. And then one day I happened upon a reel about a salon down in Georgia run by the sweetest southern belle and before you knew it, one reel turned into watching at least 100 reels. The more I watched, the more the algorithm sent them – faster than I could watch them.
But it wasn’t the wigs themselves that caught my heart. It was their wig gifting program for women going through chemotherapy. She had applied for her 501(c)3 so she could accept donations. As donations came in, more women received a wig. That simple act of giving someone back a piece of themself lit a spark in me I couldn’t ignore.
My mind started racing. It reminded me so much of My Happy Place – the before and after, the transformation process. Since I was a little girl, I loved watching different makeover processes, whether that be the barber who gives the homeless man on the street a haircut, beard trim – the whole works, or a woman being given a new do and makeup. What that must do for a person’s self-image.
Mention the word chemo to any woman and her mind immediately goes to losing her hair. Hair is her identity. It gives her confidence. Hair is self-esteem. If a bad hair day can change how we feel – imagine losing it all.
I watched reels of women telling their stories: one said her knees buckled in the shower when a clump of hair came out in her hand. She screamed out for her daughter. Another hadn’t left her house in years because of alopecia, and she couldn’t afford a wig. Those stories grabbed me by the heart.
And suddenly, I knew what I was suppose to do.
Enter… MY HAPPY HAIR, a project of My Happy Place. (just the name makes you feel good).
I already have a 501(c)3, so I can legally accept donations for a wig gifting program. And I have that cute little brick house I bought a few years ago – the one I always said would reveal its purpose someday. Well, maybe now it has.
I want to create a private, one-on-one wig fitting experience. Not a busy salon. Not people coming and going. Just an hour devoted entirely to her. She can bring her husband, daughter, sister or friend. We’ll offer coffee, tea, maybe even a glass of wine if her nerves need calming. We’ll talk, listen, laugh, cry and try on different styles until she looks in the mirror, her eyes sparkling, and says, “Yes… this is me.”
And then, I’ll keep dreaming… of the day we move into the perfect bigger space where we can add another private room, hire an aesthetician to do their makeup while their wig is being curled, maybe even a massage. If we can make this hard thing the woman is going through a little less hard, then I want to do it.
Wigs aren’t only for illness. They’re fashion. They’re fun. They’re confidence. Women do lashes, brows, Botox, fillers, hair color, new clothes, fake boobs – why not slip on a beautiful head of hair? It’s actually the easiest of them all.
I envision the day friends raise funds to purchase a wig for a colleague, friend, or family member who’s losing her hair and simply can’t afford one. She’s already carrying medical bills, loss of income, and the weight of fighting for her life. What a gift it would be to give her back a piece of herself.
And yes – I look forward myself to trying them on. Imagine not having to style your natural hair every day, shampooing your piece only every two or three weeks, and finally being able to style the back while it’s right in front of you. With alternative hair every day becomes a good hair day.
This just may be the answer to my never-ending cycle of coloring my gray roots every 3 – 4 weeks. Maybe it’s finally time to let my hair grow out and become the gray it’s been trying so hard to be, without suffering through that awkward in-between stage. My hair is practically waving a white flag at this point – a wig might be the only way to let it surrender gracefully.
The days of spotting a wig a mile away are long gone. Today’s pieces are so natural that it’s the reason celebrities rely on them – not because they need to hide anything, but because they’re tired of over-processing their real hair and want to protect it. Slipping on alternative hair lets them keep their bio hair healthy while enjoying gorgeous styles no one would ever suspect aren’t their own.
You’d be surprised how many women you pass in a single day who are wearing one. You never knew… because you couldn’t tell.
I want My Happy Hair to be a destination – classy but not intimidating, high-quality but not out of reach. Whether she’s coming because illness took her hair or simply because she wants a new look, I want her to find something she loves at a price she can afford. Looking beautiful shouldn’t require a luxury price tag.
If you can’t tell – I’m pretty excited by this idea. It feels like all the puzzle pieces are coming together. If we can give a woman one of the best days she’s had since her diagnosis and hair loss, then My Happy Place will have blossomed into something even greater – another beautiful branch of what we already do to help people feel cared for and lifted up.
We’ll soon be working on a website and Facebook page where people can make appointments, apply for the My Happy Hair Gift Program, and donate. But for now, I’m starting right here in my little corner of cyberspace, sharing this dream with the very first people to hear it. I believe all things first start with an idea. Then we start speaking about it. Then, it becomes reality. I believe by sharing my vision, the right people will come forward to make it happen.
My longtime hairstylist and friend, Laura, jumped in with both feet the moment I shared this dream, and I’m thrilled to have her as part of the foundation. But I’d like to grow a small team of helpers. If you’re a hairstylist, have experience with alternative hair, or simply have thoughts, connections, or stories to share, I’d love to hear from you. Let’s build the momentum and bring this vision to life!
And because I always end with a toast –
Cheers to listening to my lump in my throat. As uncomfortable as it was, it got my attention.
Here’s to My Happy Hair, to another divinely inspired idea.
To beautiful hair, big dreams, and hopefully a whole lot of women finding their happy place in front of the mirror again.
Cheers!
