Salon helps women look, feel good 1995
By Michele Martinez
The Business Journal - Lake County
Highland Park, Illinois - Lori Irsay is not a doctor or a therapist, but what she does for her clients who are sick makes them feel better.
Irsay offers hairstyling for clients who are experiencing hair loss from chemotherapy, alopecia of radiation. She also works with clients who have thin hair because of illness or other reasons.
In addition to fitting, cutting and styling wigs, Irsay offers methods of hair attachment, such as weaving and bonding. Irsay began her career as a hair stylist 29 years ago and worked as a supervisor for a national hair replacement company before starting her own business.
Her first experience with clients who had been ill was when two women who had rheumatic fever as children came to her for help.
Their hair was extremely thin and brittle, and Irsay decided to try weaving.
"I took one look at them and said, "If I can do it for men, why can't I do it for women?" she said.
Since then, her business has blossomed onto a mesh of clients who come in for hair treatment. For the safety of the clients who are ill, the business meets hospital - grade sanitation levels, something Irsay said she would insist upon even if she weren't serving some clients who are ill.
Besides wigs and hairstyling, Irsay has her clients bring in scarves from their wardrobes them tie them into turbans. Making people to teach feel good, whether they are sick or not, is what Irsay's business is about.
"We teach them about cosmetic changes that are going to happen and about skin sensitivity," she said. "People, when they're looking good, they feel better. It's a morale booster.
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Salon 475 & Special Needs for Special People.
by Chris Lumber
The Business Journal (Lake County), November 1999
With 29 years in the hair business and $50,000 in hair replacement training, you could say Lori Irsay knows her stuff.
She applied this experience when she opened her own business in 1994 and then when she launched Special People with Special Needs in 1995. Special needs works to mainstream people with hair loss, whether from trimming hair, cancer treatments, or alopecia.
"I've wanted to do hair," said Irsay, who also has been involved with hair replacement for about 22 years. Her background began by recreating hair from other eras for area theaters.
I knew what I wanted and I had a vision. Irsay said, "My vision is not to be this famous person. My vision is for the industry to take a more professional turn and give clients more information."
And Irsay is doing just that. She recently hosted an informed conference for clients working one-on-one with them, Irsay strives to best serve them, even if it means telling them a particular haircut or style may not be best.
"I'm interested in their health and wellness, and their well-being," Irsay said.
The decision to launch Special People with Special Needs was easy: "We determined that there were other programs out there that weren't meeting their needs."
The program helps individuals with hair loss problems to not feel ostracized or ashamed to go out in public.
"We don't just work with wigs. I believe we offer a lot more options," Irsay says.
In addition, Irsay established an image enhancement program at Midwestern Regional Medical Center in Zion almost two years ago, where she spends about two or three days a month working with cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy or radiation. Because there are cosmetic side effects related to cancer treatment, she assists them in becoming more knowledgeable about skin maintenance, hair alternatives and make-up strategies.
"We help them to restore some of the looks they've lost to make sure they have increased self-esteem," Irsay said.
Having the ability to make someone feel better about themselves and help empower themselves is something Irsay enjoys about her business.
"Cancer, hair loss, whatever the medical reason, people feel vulnerable," she said.
Not only do they feel vulnerable, but angry.
"I don’t take it personally. Peoples own mortality is being put up in front of them," Irsay said. "People are angry that they have to go to someone to have their hair put back on. I take them through the walk so they're not alone."
She also gives them space and time to grieve over the loss of hair. "It's an identity; It's the way the world perceives you."
Through Special People with Special Needs, Irsay - who has seen everything from crazy glue used to replace hair - hopes to make consumers more aware of options and alternatives in the industry.
"Because we've helped so many people with special needs be mainstreamed, many of them come and stay with us even after their hair has grown back," she said.
Irsay also is certified by the state of Illinois to teach continuing education classes to hair dressers.
Since starting Look Alike Solutions and Special People with Special Needs, the business plan has been reconstructed several times to meet new needs.
"Our plan is to take our program, Special People with Special Needs, to a higher level," Irsay said.
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Local salon supports its Avon Walker
By Kenneth L R. Patchen
Pioneer Press Staff Writer
When the Avon Breast Cancer three-day Walk strolled through Highland Park Saturday, the banner of support at Look Alike Solutions was more than a casual display of merchant supports for cancer research.
The Avon Breast Cancer Walk from Kenosha, Wis., to Chicago is a major event for those who have cancer, are survivors or are their friends or relatives. "They've raised millions of dollars over the last three years for breast cancer research." This year, about 3,600 participants raised $7 million, according to Irsay.
Their support for the walk is a very natural response to the lives of many of their clients, according to Irsay.
"We've collected donations before," she said. The Avon walk is an extension of their previous involvement with raising funds for cancer research.
The average Avon walker raised between $2,500 and $4,000, according to Irsay’s estimate. As they walked, a small city of tents, sanitary facilities, food, doctors, and people to rub muscles moved with them. At night, walkers rested at North Chicago High School and then Skokie Junior High School.
Irsay has high praise for the crew preparing each evening's rest facilities. "These people did an absolutely incredible job," she said. There were no complaints by walkers.
"This walk is a project of kindness," she said. "They're kind to one another, very mutually supportive."
Near the end of the three-day walk, everyone started the final mile to Montrose Park in Chicago. "It was a silent walk," she said. However, along the final mile, people on the sidelines offered encouragement with cheers.
"Everybody's got a story," Irsay said of cancer survivors and their friends. "All the people on the sidelines also have a story.” The final, silent mile was a key inspirational part of the entire walk.
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Coping with Cancer's side effects, cold feet and cropped hair
By Anne Marie O'Connor
Special to the Tribune
Q. - What can women suffering from cancer do to look their best while undergoing treatment?
A. - "Cancer and its treatments have an enormous impact on your physical image," says Kathleen Payton, a registered nurse and director of community health and wellness services at Midwestern Regional Medical Center in Zion. "And for women, these changes can be particularly devastating." Her hospitals program, Image Enhancement for Women Fighting Cancer, includes seminars, brochures and other materials to help women with cancer deal with the many side effects.
Because chemotherapy can rob the skin of moisture, good skin care is crucial. "We suggest you use a very gentle skin cleanser.” Irsay says. “And that you remoisturize the skin. We suggest a line of products [that are] non-carcinogenic and hypoallergenic. The most obvious appearance-related issue facing chemotherapy patients is hair loss. Some women prefer not to disguise their baldness, but Irsay suggests other women undergoing treatment prepare themselves for the possibility of hair loss by consulting a wig professional before hair falls out. This gives the wig fitter a better idea of your hair color, style, and texture. (Bringing a photo is a good substitute.) To find a wigmaker, ask hospital's cancer support groups for recommendations. When shopping, it's also a good idea to bring a friend for a second opinion.
Cancer patients can also lose their eyebrows, which give the face expression. "What we suggest is that we can help you to temporarily replace some of your facial features.”
This rather tricky skill is taught in the Image Enhancement seminars.
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