Readers of VELVET know that one of my favourite salon & spa chains is Tips and Toes. The branch recently hit the BIG 35 (branches), with recent openings in Mira Town Centre, Springs Souk, Al Khobar- Saudi Arabia, and now City Centre Mirdif, there’s even more venues to enjoy the quality services and innovative treatments you’ve grown to know and love.

Another incredible thing they do is take part in fantastic initiatives, like having their ‘Hair Artistic Director’ Cat Hawkes, take part in this year’s Breast Cancer Awareness initiative ‘Hair for Hope’ where the Tips and Toes team cut & styled wigs for sufferers who have lost their hair due to chemotherapy treatment. We sat down to have a chat with her.

What is the process of cutting and styling a wig?

The process is slightly different as I cut and style the wig on a wig stand, rather than a head, but with all human hair wigs you can cut and style like regular hair – you just need to be careful with layering and texturizing and be aware of the direction each hair was sewn into the lace of the wig.

Does this differ in any way from the technique for a normal cut and style?

Yes, it does because each hair had been carefully sewn into the lace of the wig – these are created to fall in a certain direction so when cutting and styling you need to be very aware of the natural direction of each hair and how it’s going to sit; I always cut wigs dry.

‘Hair Artistic Director’ of Tips and Toes, Cat Hawkes, is taking part in this year’s Breast Cancer Awareness initiative ‘Hair for Hope’. 

How do you care of these wigs after if you are a recipient?

With human hair wigs they should be kept preferably on a wig stand to keep the shape. The hair can be washed and styled but not as often as your own hair – if you wear the wig everyday it can be washed every week or every two weeks.

Do these wigs feel like natural hair on?

If the wig has been fitted personally to you then these can feel very natural on and it would be hard to tell the difference. It does take a little getting used to having something on your head, but once you get used to it and you’re confident with your style it will feel like you.

Obviously, this is an incredibly noble cause – is this the first time you have taken part in an initiative like this?

This is the first time I have taken part in a campaign like this in the UAE and I’m very privileged to be able to give new hair and confidence to someone suffering.

What was your favourite part of this initiative?

The best part was taking selfies with the ladies after they had their wigs styled. They felt glamorous and we were taking pictures with different snapchat filters and really had so much fun. To light up a person’s world just for a short while is just an incredible feeling of joy.

To learn more about their initiative; ‘Hair for Hope’, and their branches and offerings, please see more, here.

For more beauty reviews, follow Lama Zalat @mzalat