WHEN a regular customer at Bicester’s Gemini hair salon told staff she had cancer and would lose her hair, it got staff thinking how they could help.

But it was only after senior stylist Lisa Higginson went to a talk by celebrity hairdresser Trevor Sorbie that things started to fall into place.

Mr Sorbie realised there was a lack of choice for people who had to wear wigs so he set up a pioneering charity called My New Hair after helping a family member who was diagnosed with cancer by styling her wig.

Miss Higginson decided to sign up for the course and earlier this year Gemini, off Bucknell Road, Bicester, became one of a handful in the county to offer a wig personalisation service.

To celebrate, staff hosted a pink fun day and raised £500 for My New Hair selling cup cakes, wearing pink clothing and hair extensions and even pole dancing in the salon.

Miss Higginson, 35, has since learned a host of new skills including how to look after hair as it starts to grow back.

She said: “The course was not just about personalising wigs but also about communication with clients.

“They might be angry, upset or just have their head down.

“It has also got to be quick for obvious reasons, such as someone may be sick, and you’ve got to do a good job. Every situation is going to be different.

“I feel it’s very important for a woman to feel positive about herself, to be able to go to the shops without people staring.

“We don’t use the word wig, we say we are here to discuss your new hair.”

One of her clients who has benefited from the service is former Bicester resident Sue Haddad, 58, who still travels from Bradford to the salon.

She first got alopecia, an autoimmune disorder where the body attacks its own hair follicles, in her 20s.

She said: “I had to wear a wig that looked like a wig. Unless you pay a fortune wigs are made to a certain style and head size.

“Lisa cuts it to your face shape and cuts it to suit you.

“It makes me feel normal. You get hair that’s styled for you. It’s great. It gives you your confidence back.

“Lisa also handles things with great sensitivity.”

l The other Oxfordshire salons offering the service are Long For Hair, Didcot; Parker, Bicester, and the Maraedy Hair Co, Charlbury.