October is breast cancer awareness month. As patients fight the disease with often aggressive treatments, one side effect can be hair loss.

While there is nothing wrong with being bald, a lot of breast cancer patients do opt for wigs. To help with the process, we had Hairstylist of the Year and owner of Bang! Salon Chicago, Eli Mancha, in our ABC 7 studio, along with model Logan Ochoa. Mancha explained the reasons for hair loss, ways to cope with it, and tips for getting ready for a wig. Mancha often recommends the hair vitamin Viviscal to clients who either lost their hair due chemo or are facing thinning hair.

Mancha brought examples of human hair and synthetic hair wigs from John Crager in Chicago.

Hair Loss and Your Children
- Prepare your children for your hair loss before it occurs.
- Let them help you pick out a wig or scarves.

Tips on Getting Ready for a Wig
- Cut your hair short before you start chemotherapy.
- A short-haired wig is easier to wear and care for.
- Look through salon books and hairstyle magazines for a becoming cut.
- Interview hairdressers.

How do you find a wig?
- Your hospital’s cancer center or your local breast cancer organizations may have a list of wig specialists.
- Your hairdresser can suggest a wig shop. Some wig specialists come to your home.
- Some beauty salons offer special services for women going through cancer therapy.
- Pick out your wig BEFORE your chemotherapy begins. You’ll have more energy, and the stylist sees your natural hair color and style. Get used to wearing the wig in trial sessions, alternating with your own hair.
- A wig made of real hair could cost between $800 and $3,000. It requires a lot of care.
- Synthetic wigs look and feel good, need very little attention and care, and cost much less ($30 to $500).
- Go for the best-quality wig you can afford.
- Choose one that doesn’t have an obvious part line, won’t get matted or is difficult to care for, and doesn’t look like a bad toupee. It should fit well on your head.
- Your wig should not be lined with material that feels scratchy against your scalp.

Caring for Your Wig
- Wash every two weeks.
- Set them with sprays or gels.
- Don’t dry them with a hair dryer or curling iron.
- Be careful when you’re cooking.

(Copyright ©2011 WLS-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)

At Bang! Salon, 1425 N. Ashland, stylists are taught how to help cancer patients cope with hair loss and manage it in the meantime.

“It’s becoming more and more common, unfortunately,” said owner and stylist Eli Mancha.

Mancha says often times, women become reclusive and depressed but a trip to the salon changes that.

“It helps them a lot to see a stylist because a stylist is there to give them options that will make them look good and feel good with their new change,” he said.

Macha also educates his staff and talks to others in the industry about better serving clients with cancer.

“I think it’s very important as a hair professional to know not only all variations of working with hair styling, but also the knowledge of the medical conditions that can cause change in the hair.” he added

“You are going to have clients that are going through these experiences and in order to relate to them and connect with them and give them the most knowledgeable information, you should be knowledgeable yourself.”

Mancha recommends patients stick with short hair so it appears thicker and to go with a lighter hair color so it doesn’t contrast to your scalp.

He says vitamin supplements also help with hair growth.

“It’s very rewarding for me. You see a lot of appreciation from people because I think that this is something very hard for them.

“Of course, the medical treatments are hard on them physically but when it affects your appearance, it’s very hard to stay positive about the experience. So I think it’s important to them and I see a lot more appreciation going through this situation if you can help them even in the smallest way.”

As part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the salon is offering 50 percent off for every client that comes in to donate their hair. It will be collected and sent off to Locks of Love, which is an organization that designs wigs for people with cancer.

Mancha recently won as Hairstylist of the Year hosted by the Professional Beauty Association. He has presented his looks globally in Australia, Asia, and across the U.S.

This year in the United States, over 230,000 cases of breast cancer were found in women, and over 2,000 men.

(Copyright © 2011 Tribune Company.)

(Copyright © 2011 Tribune Company.)

Announcing a total of 65 finalists in 13 categories, NAHA is known as the pinnacle of beauty competitions in North America, where only the top stylists and leaders in the beauty industry are recognized for their talent and skill. NAHA 2011 winners will be announced during PBA Beauty Week at a star-studded Awards Ceremony on July 31, 2011 at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada.

“I love what I do, and it is a tremendous honor to be in the running for this prestigious award,” says Eli Mancha “Not only am I extremely passionate and devoted to my work, I am also truly inspired by my peers in this industry.”

NAHAs are given in several distinct categories including: Master Stylist, Hairstylist of the Year, Editorial Stylist, Avant-Garde, Contemporary Classic, Fashion Forward, Haircolor, Salon Team, Salon Design, Texture, Makeup Artist of the Year, and Salon MBA.

With his recognizable talent and passion for hair, Eli Mancha is one of the industry’s leading stylists. As a former Senior Stylist at Rusk, to previous Artistic Director at Esuchen International, Eli has presented his looks globally from Australia to Asia and all across the US. When not on stage as Artistic Director for Lock & Loaded, Eli is behind the chair as owner and lead stylist at Chicago’s Bang! Salon

The NAHA competition has received over 700 entries by beauty professionals from across North America truly demonstrating the magnitude of the event. Via a blind entry process and judged by a diverse group of leading international hairstylists and makeup artists from across the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Australia, and Switzerland, entries were narrowed down to five finalists per category, and one winner in each category will be chosen.

Judges included distinguished beauty professionals such as Angelo Seminara, Kris Sorbie, Vivienne Mackinder, Tabatha Coffey, Ruth Roche, Mary Brunetti, Darren Bain, Bennie Tognini, Robert Lobetta, Kendall Ong, Jamie Carroll, Gary Sunderland, Heather Wenman, Antoinette Beenders, Dean Banowetz, Nicholas French, Sam Brocato, Anthony Morrison, Mark Hayes, Sharon Blaine, Eveline Charles, Leon Alexander, Jonathan Lovett, Damian Stoney, James Morrison, Dami

NAHA 2011 tickets are available online at probeauty.org/naha or by calling 800.263.0516. The Awards Ceremony will be broadcast live via free, streaming video at hairdesignertv.com. NAHA is part of PBA Beauty Week, North America’s largest, most inclusive beauty event, offering unlimited networking, education, and professional growth opportunities to all sectors of the beauty industry. PBA Beauty Week is produced by the Professional Beauty Association, probeauty.org/beautyweek