A Carlisle hairdresser has shared how her new female hair loss services are giving people life changing confidence.
Lucy Dutton, from Carlisle, has worked as a hairdresser all her life, but first decided to train in providing hair loss services in 2020, during the COVID-19 lockdown.
She said: “I think it’s an important service to offer in Carlisle where options are quite limited and lots of people don’t actually know these services exist.
“It really is life changing, it just totally picks people up and changes their whole world. It gives them that extra boost and confidence in so many different areas of their life.
“When I trained I learnt everything from making bespoke wigs to mesh integration systems where you build a wig that is attached to a person’s hair to cover balding areas, that is then refitted every so often.
“I feel like most people are aware of male pattern baldness but to be honest there’s just as many women dealing with female pattern baldness, it’s a lot more common than many people think.
“For women, hair loss can be caused by anything from medical reasons to stress. I’ve had clients go from full wigs to mesh to extensions and back to their normal hair and some who have long term wigs.
“Everyone is different as well, with some people their hair is thinner all over and I commonly see people with finer hair on top. I also have a lot of young girls with alopecia caused by wearing tight bobbles or incorrectly done hair extensions that lead to hair loss.”
Lucy runs her business – Lucy Dutton Hair Enhancements – from hairdressers Ruby Jules, on English Street.
Lucy added that alongside the physical hair services she provides, offering advice and support on coping with the emotional side of hair loss was also a big part of her job.
She said: “I don’t offer advice on a medical or surgical level but I do offer scalp treatments to help with hair growth and things like that to help stimulate the scalp.
“A lot of hair loss cases I see are from lifestyle and stressing about it can make it even worse. If people have patches in the back of their hair I always say don’t look at it, let me look in eight weeks and tell you what it’s looking like.
“Looking everyday just drives people crazy and makes it worse, so it’s all about encouraging and promoting healthy lifestyle habits and treating hair in the same way we might treat skin.”
Lucy said she also aims to make her hair loss services accessible and as relaxed and welcoming as possible.
She added: “Because it is a specialist area you can charge a lot but I really try to find a middle mark, most people these days don’t have £800 to spend on this kind of thing.
“I also help guide people to other places and services around us where they accept NHS vouchers and referrals if needed.
“Being a hairdresser for this long you learn that it’s about meeting people at their level and not thinking just because someone is getting a wig that it’s an exciting thing for them, it’s a different process for everyone.
“I can make first consultations private on request and I’ve never had anyone uncomfortable. I think coming in private first helps you get familiar with the space and feel safe.
“People can also come in and have their options explained, there’s no rush and they can bring their partner or family member with them to take the edge off if they need to.
“All the stylists and clients at Ruby Jules are aware of the services I offer and it’s all very discreet and respectful and everyone is lovely, I don’t think we’re a stereotypical beauty environment.”
Lucy is aiming to further expand her hair loss services in the future.
