Your first wig consultation: what happens and what to bring

Booking a specialist hair appointment can feel disproportionately difficult. It may be the first time you have said the extent of your hair loss aloud. You may worry that you will be expected to remove a head covering immediately, make an expensive decision or explain personal medical information.

That is not how the appointment should feel.

The £120 consultation at Sarah Afiovana Hair Couture is a structured conversation and assessment at the Matlock atelier. Its purpose is to establish what you need, what is technically realistic and what each route would ask of you after the fitting.

You will find the studio at 6–8 Bank Road, Matlock, Derbyshire, DE4 3AQ. Appointments are held one-to-one and by appointment only.

There is no perfect way to prepare. If useful, bring:

• photographs of your hair before loss or thinning;
• examples of styles you like and dislike;
• your everyday glasses, hearing devices or headwear;
• NHS referral or voucher paperwork;
• a trusted person for support;
• questions about price, timing, maintenance or wearing the piece at work.

You are not required to share a diagnosis beyond what is relevant to the service. Sarah does not diagnose hair loss. If you need medical investigation, that remains the role of your GP, dermatologist or treating team.

Sarah will ask where you need coverage, how your hair has changed and what you want the piece to make possible. That may include returning to work, exercising, observing a religious practice, performing on stage, managing school life or simply leaving the house without thinking about hair all day.

Lifestyle questions are technical questions. They influence attachment, base, fibre, length, density and maintenance.

Budget and timescale should also be discussed early. Ready-made wigs normally require 10–14 days. Bespoke commissions normally require 6–10 weeks. A realistic recommendation must fit the calendar as well as the head.

With your consent, Sarah will look at the areas requiring coverage, the remaining biological hair and the way it grows. Measurements may be taken. Colour, texture and density are assessed in relation to your own features rather than selected from a screen in isolation.

If you are exploring a topper or integrated system, the condition and distribution of the remaining hair matter because the attachment must be appropriate. If the scalp is painful, broken or inflamed, medical advice may be needed before fitting proceeds.

The consultation may cover ready-made wigs, bespoke wigs, toppers or integrated hair systems. You will hear the benefits, limitations, expected upkeep and likely cost of the relevant routes.

You should be able to ask direct questions:

• What will I need to do each morning?
• Can I remove it myself?
• How often will professional maintenance be needed?
• What happens if my hair changes?
• Can the colour or cut be adjusted later?
• What is included, and what would cost extra?

If an answer depends on inspecting a piece or receiving a supplier quotation, Sarah should say so rather than inventing certainty.

A consultation is paid professional time, not an obligation to commission a piece. You may need to think, speak to your medical team, review the written recommendation or compare the ongoing commitment of different options.

If you proceed, the next step, deposit or order terms should be clear. If you do not proceed, you should still leave understanding the routes more clearly than when you arrived.