Nottingham project helps BAME women find 'flawless' wigs

Paula Edwards, chair of Sistas Against Cancer, said it was a "very valuable resource"

Women from black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds experiencing hair loss are being helped to find culturally appropriate wigs by an award-winning group.

The BAME Wig Project has worked to improve access to suitable wigs and headwraps for women going through medical treatment.

The scheme is led by the Nottingham-based group Sistas Against Cancer.

Chairperson Paula Edwards said it provided a "very valuable resource".

The 60-year-old is terminally ill after being diagnosed with kidney cancer 12 years ago.

Her group set about a plan to improve the selection and variety of wigs available to women from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds three years ago.

"Your hair is your beauty, especially within the black community. We live by our hair," she said.

"We were actually finding that although the NHS were providing the ladies with the vouchers, they weren't getting the service and they weren't getting the standard of wigs that they should've been getting.

"It's taken us three years to get there but we've got there in the end, and it is a very, very valuable resource, so I'm really pleased."

Hair specialist Alexie Hylton said losing your hair was a "massive thing"

According to the NHS website wigs are available on the health service, but patients have to pay for them unless they qualify for help with charges, with a full bespoke human hair wig costing £302.70.

Under-16s, those aged 16-18 in full-time education and in-patients are among those entitled to free wigs.

Alexie Hylton, who owns Elite 9 - a hair clinic in Nottingham city centre - said a person with hair loss could lose their confidence.

"Losing your hair is a massive, massive thing," she said.

"So if you've not got a choice to help you during those treatments, what are you left with? What are your alternatives? These women sort of felt like they were let down."

'Absolutely flawless'

The hair specialist provides wigs that match the natural hair styles of cancer patients from minority ethnic backgrounds.

"When you're wearing a wig, you don't want it to look like a wig," she said.

"You want it to look absolutely flawless and as natural as possible, so if you've got the wrong type of hair and it doesn't suit your hair type that's a big no-no," she said.

Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) NHS Trust won an Equity award at the first-ever Health and Care Awards for Nottingham and Nottinghamshire for The BAME Wig Project.

Aquiline Chivinge, assistant director of nursing at the trust, said: "When we started this journey it wasn't about the awards, it was about the patient experience and actually feeling that as a trust we are listening to what our communities are saying.

"So to me it was the icing on the cake getting the award, but the most important thing was the work behind it."