WURTSBORO, NY — Pat Morris owns and operates Fantasy Hair, where she designs hairpieces for individual customers who need them for a variety of reasons. She also sells wigs to customers undergoing chemotherapy.

“My initial hair replacement business was mostly hair extensions,” she recalled. But when a gentleman asked her if she could do a hairpiece as well, she said, “Sure. Why not?” Although she still sells wigs to customers, she took her business in a new direction. 

She took classes and learned the different methods of making hairpieces. “Most of the companies that I deal with offer education,” she said. “So, between that and my experience because I was a hairdresser, I learned to do hairpieces.” 

She designs them for both men and women. “Men have male pattern baldness and need a top-of-the-head hairpiece,” she explained. “Women can develop medical conditions that can cause hair loss through heredity or through thyroid problems.” 

Hair can also become thinner as people age. Morris might suggest hair extensions, hair that is sewed in, glued in, or taped in. “That’s done for length and thickness,” she said. 

Someone who has cancer and has total hair loss would need a full wig. “Usually, with a chemo patient, we don’t have time to custom-make a wig because it can take three or four months to have one manufactured,” she said. Those customers come in; Morris does a fitting, and she puts them into a ready-to-wear wig.

Most of her hairpiece customers choose human hair, while most of her chemo patients prefer synthetic hair, which is easier to take care of, less expensive than human hair, and is lighter in weight.

People whose hair is turning gray might opt for synthetic hair as well. “Human hair oxidizes and loses its color,” Morris said. “If we are coloring a hairpiece back to the original color and you have human gray hairs, all the gray hairs would go away because it would color the gray hairs just like the dark hairs. So, if you have synthetic gray hairs and human dark hairs on the hairpiece and use color on it, you’ll maintain your percentage of gray.” 

When she works with a customer who comes in for a hairpiece, Morris starts by measuring his or her head and designing the base, which is the piece that goes on the scalp. There are different kinds of bases. Some have a polyurethane edge and some are called “lace,” which are see-through. Which base customers choose depends on their hair loss and what their needs are.

Morris makes a mold of the customer’s head, using plastic wrap and transparent tape, and indicating the location of the front, sides and back of the hairpiece. Since she doesn’t actually construct the hairpiece, she fills out an order form with the specifications as to the material for the base and the edging; hair density; and wave pattern (straight, wavy, curly)—and sends it out along with the mold to the U.S. headquarters of one of the factories she uses. 

If the customer wants the hairpiece to include a part, Morris indicates where that part should go on the order form. She’ll also send along some hair samples. 

It now takes from three to four months for Fantasy Hair to receive the finished hairpiece. Morris inspects it, checking on the color and feel, and washes it to see how it behaves. If she isn’t happy with the hairpiece, she’ll send it back.

When the customer comes in, they decide how the hairpiece will attach to the head. Will it be with clips or adhesive? If clips, Morris gives the customer a haircut, clips the hairpiece on, and gives the hairpiece a haircut so it fits in properly. 

If the customer decides on an attached hairpiece, Morris shaves the hair where the hairpiece will be bonded to the scalp, applies the hairpiece with its adhesives and waits to make certain that the hairpiece is properly bonded to the scalp. The bonded hairpiece remains in place for four weeks. 

The procedure is the same whether the hairpiece is for a man or a woman. “With a bonded hairpiece, they shower in it, they sleep in it, they wear it 24/7,” she said. “But with the clips, they can take it off.” She added, “The hairpiece is water- and air-permeable, so when you wash your hair, you’re washing your scalp, even with the hairpiece on. It’s very see-through.” 

Fantasy Hair is open by appointment only. Potential customers can call Pat Morris at 845/888-0739 and leave a message. She will return the call.