BAM Bamboo Beanie - review by Sue Mercer
Since losing my hair I have tried a lot of different headwear. At first I wore
scarves and practiced with tying different styles but I always had the nagging
fear that the scarf would come undone and I would be unawarely walking
around with a half-exposed bald head - not a good look. After a while I learned
to be bald and proud and had no difficulty in walking around with a bare head
- especially in the summer when the warmth of the sun felt particularly
sensuous and healing. However there remained a fear of being 'caught out'
unsuccessfully trying to conceal something deemed socially unacceptable. I
likened it to a time in Bangladesh when I had gone out wearing a very
modest, long pashmina, wrapped around me like a skirt, only to catch it on a
wing mirror and end up standing in the crowded street desperately trying to
conceal my legs amidst assorted children, cattle, amputee bands and
rickshaw drivers whilst my teenage son accused me of turning it into a circus.
However, I digress ...
I tried a couple of beanie hats that were ok, in that they stayed on my head,
but I always thought that they made me look vaguely like a channel swimmer
and I am someone who can swim without getting her hair wet anyway.
Ordinary hats were not suitable at all; my head had strangely shrunk since
losing my hair, so the hats tended to fall down over my eyes.
Now the BAM is cool! It's more generous than a regular beanie. It looks stylish
and I can dress it up with a fancy pin. I would actually go so far as to say it is
elegant - certainly not a word I would use to describe a regular beanie. Mine is
a lovely grey colour and well made. It is double layered and stretchy. I can pull
it down over my eyebrows if they are looking particularly werewolfy (no-one
ever told me that when your eyebrows grow back they can grow a little curly
and in my case with white stripes) and it still looks good. It's generous enough
to be able to turn up the brim or pull up at a jaunty angle that I like to think
looks very 1930s movie star.
The hat is made in Turkey of 68% bamboo, 28% cotton and a bit of stretchy
elastane. Bamboo is a natural fibre that does not damage the environment
and most importantly does not add any toxic chemicals to my delicate head. It
is very soft and warm and does not make my head feel stifled.
Mine is a lovely grey colour. I am very pleased with my BAM beanie and will
be keeping it to wear even when my hair comes back.
Editor's note: The BAM Bamboo Beanie is now on sale at only £7.50
