Blue Rose Fabrics.
At Blue Rose we select all of our fabrics in advance of the season. This allows us to choose fabrics that are suited to the design of a particular piece and also allows us to
consider a variety of other factors like the Irish weather!!
At one time, cotton was considered to be the only fabric of choice for cloth hats and headcovers, as it was believed to be comfortable and easily available. While still a comfortable and natural fabric, cotton is now complimented by a range of fabulous and comfortable fibres, thanks to the selection of weaves and finishes produced by modern day manufacturers. When it comes to hats and headwear, this broad selection of fabrics, solves a particular problem - wearing appropriately warm headwear in the winter and cooler headwear in the summer. For example, wearing cotton on the head in the depths of Irish winters or changeable Summer evenings offers very limited warmth or protection from low temperatures. At times it can be very chilly and draughty in the absence of the subtle warmth of hair. Similarly, wearing too heavy a cloth in Summer can contribute to overheating and discomfort.
When choosing our fabrics, we select our cottons and other fabrics on the basis of its colour and it's weight - lighter weights for summer, medium weights for winter and some heavier clothes for sub zero temperatures. At one time, other fabrics like polyesters were considered to be a very tough fibre and were mainly used for cheaper items in mass production. These days, designer polyesters can be finished to feel like silk or they can be woven to feel like linen offering warmth in certain conditions which can not be matched by lighter fabrics. Fabrics have come a long way in recent years and manufacturers can produce fabulous weaves and finishes with a variety of fibres. This allows for greater choice and allows the customer to choose headwear based on a more realistic set of considerations, regarding lifestyle, leisure, work, weather and special occasions to name a few.
Our range of headwear changes with the season. Throughout this site, you will find a broad selection of styles and fabrics. From stretch cottons for nightwear to silks, lace, velvet, cottons, mixes and blends of colourful fibres in comfortable and stylish designs. We buy in our fabrics by the bolt, mainly from designers in Europe. This gives us the added benefit of being able to use top quality designer fabrics and offer a little luxury in every headpiece we make. Accessories, such as the slip scarves used in our turbans, are made from top quality organzas; taffetas or silky polyesters, while most of our buttons are vintage or contemporary from designer ranges. Our aim is to use only the best!!

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Choosing Your Headwear.
What Will I Need?
For customers with hair loss from chemotherapy, planning ahead for the next three or four months is a wise option. There are some basics to consider at the beginning and a few other options listed in the guide below. A good general rule of thumb is to invest in an everyday piece, also opt for a warm piece (regardless of the current season) and to invest in a sleep cap, which can also double up as indoor/casual wear.

1. Sleepwear.
A sleep cap is a good option for those with hair loss, as at the beginning, it can feel cold and chilly in bed at night without the natural warmth of hair. The sleep cap also catches any falling hairs, and can also act as a great indoor cap for days at home, or to wear immediately following a bath or shower as it stops the scalp from getting cold.
Our sleepwear is made from comfortable cotton with double lined panelling. The panelling adds greater comfort and a better fit. Sleepwear made with single layer fabrics can have a tendency to 'roll up' and crease too easily, which can cause discomfort. So, opt for the double panelling when buying sleepwear and avoid any problems at night. (Double panelling means that the cap is lined all along the inside with the same fabric that you see on the outside.)

2. Day wear.
Choosing daywear depends on a few factors. Firstly, consider the season. If for example, it is autumn or coming into winter, warmer wear is a good investment with a lighter piece for wearing indoors. In Summer, the opposite will apply, opt for lighter wear and invest in one 'warm' piece for unpredictable cold days or evenings. However, in planning your daywear, another consideration might be your schedule for the coming months. You may prefer to select headwear that will match what you are wearing to work for example, or indeed, you may prefer to select headwear to match a few outfits that you wear regularly already. If you are a busy mother, with school runs, teacher meetings etc, you may decide to opt for very casual pieces and invest in a 'special' piece for occasions. You may want to consider if there are any family events or celebrations coming up in the next couple of months, a 21st party, a christening or an engagement party. If so, you may be looking for something in a particular colour to match a planned outfit. Alternatively, you may just want to wear something that is pretty, looks good every day and goes well with a favourite colour lipstick. Whatever your plans, a good rule of thumb is to invest in a piece that matches your needs and schedule currently and to invest in a warm piece for when or if the famous Irish weather turns (even in the Summer).

Special Occasions.
Many of our pieces are suitable for wearing to special occasions as they stand. For example, our special turbans can be transformed into a totally different look simply be changing the scarf. If you are seeking something more specific, we also carry a range of lace, silk and velvets. These can be found on the toolbar to the left of the site marked 'silks and lace'. Our speciality fabrics are listed in that section regardless of the design. As with all of our products, we aim to keep the price affordable, even for our top of the range silks and laces.

Pricing.
When it comes to quality headwear, inexpensive does not mean cheap or inferior goods in any way. Our pricing is based on costs and a modest margin from a business point of view. This allows us to offer very good value for money prices on all of our stock. As an independent business, we are in a position to manufacture and retail directly to you - the customer. Our headwear is only available from our own website, as we do not supply wholesale to any other outlet. This ensures top quality at best prices, directly to you, our customer.

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Made in Ireland.
We conduct all aspects of our business in Ireland and in doing so; we support other Irish business and services that can benefit from our business. We earnestly believe in supporting Irish business and choosing Irish made as a first option in every aspect of our operation.
Here in our workshop, we draught our own patterns by hand, cut our own cloth's individually as per pattern pieces and all machine work is undertaken locally. Our 'made in Ireland' stamp also extends to the services and products, which we require in our business. We use Irish web design, an Irish web hosting company based in Ireland, Irish printing facilities, Irish labelling, Irish machine services and parts, Irish postal services, and any other aspect of operating we require, we choose Irish. It's a simple motto, yet we believe that we, like other Irish businesses, can produce Irish made goods and services to a high standard without incurring vast expense. Hopefully, by adopting this policy, we can all help to support each other.

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A Few FAQ's re our designs.

Double Panelling.
Double panelling is the use of double panels of fabric, all round the sides or walls of a hat or headpiece. Ideally, the fabric on the inside of the hat should be the same as the fabric on the outside of the hat. This ensures greater comfort, protection from finished seams and a greater fit. Blue Rose Waterford sleepwear is double panelled, as are all of the hats in the 'hat' section to the left of the toolbar and our tailored bandanas.

Full Crown Insets.
Many of the 'pull on' hats available today are finished with a seam, joining two parts together at the top. We believe in the more traditional approach to hat making, even for soft hats, where a full crown is cut from pattern to fabric and is inserted into the headpiece. A full crown gives the overall hat a better appearance in the finish and is more comfortable to wear. Full crown soft hats also compliment any face shape and can be pulled to one side, almost like a beret, without affecting the overall neat appearance of the hat. Unlike single seam hats, full crown hats never lose their shape and are ultimately much more comfortable and secure to wear.

Tailored Bandanas.
All of our bandanas are cut to a particular pattern, which we have designed to fit any head size. The pattern for these bandanas takes into consideration the round shape of the hairline - to the front of the head, and the 'slope' required from ear to nape of neck for a truly comfortable fit. This cut ensures a perfect fit, with no unsightly 'gathering' of fabric around any part of the head. The bandanas are sewn together using only a single seam. This method of sewing is quite traditional in hat making and combined with the traditional double panelling of the bandana, it ensures that no seams are either visible or touching the head. We produce our tailored bandana in a whole range of different fabrics - cottons with a slight stretch, jersey cottons, mixed fibres, linen weaves, silk finished polyesters (for cooler evenings) and a whole host of other comfortable mixes in great designs and prints for every season.

Turbans.
Our turbans do not require any tying, wrapping or fixing. They offer a convenient alternative to the more traditional turban in that they can be conveniently pulled on with no fuss. The turbans are tailored to fit and great attention is paid to the finishing, the loops, the pleated seams along the front of each piece and the regularity of all seams. In keeping with our traditional approach to hat making, we pay attention to the small details of each piece we make as this ensures that the finished product is always of the same quality standard. The scarf that accompanies each turban is cut to fit the piece itself and is of the right dimensions to offer a full look to the front of the head yet fit nicely through the loops.

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Fringes.
Wearing a hair fringe is a great alternative to wearing a full wig. The right fringe can look natural and feminine underneath any hat, scarf or turban. At Blue Rose, we carry only the finest quality human hair fringes, as these have multiple benefits over synthetic hairpieces. Our fringes are made from 100%, top quality, European human hair. The fringes can be washed with a regular shampoo, conditioned with regular conditioner and can withstand any styling products, including a GHD straighteners or even hair dye! In short, anything that can be applied to human hair can be applied to our fringes. We do not carry synthetic hair as we find the fibre finish of synthetics rather artificial and can draw unnecessary attention to the hair and hairline of the wearer. It is also unable to withstand heat and hair appliances, giving it a rather dull appearance over time. Our hair fringes come with a strip of Velcro attached to the inside and a matching strip, which can be sewn onto the fabric of a favourite hat or scarf. The fringe itself will also stay in place even if the matching Velcro is left unattached.
Our human hair fringes are slightly longer than an average fringe. They are cut to this length to ensure that they will fit all face shapes, including broad or long foreheads. The extra length means that they can also be trimmed or worn to the hairdresser for a specific shape to be cut into the fringe. This little extra allowance in the length, gives an opportunity for the wearer to 'tailor' the fringe exactly as one might do with personal hair at the hairdresser.

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Chemotherapy and hair loss: What to expect during treatment
Find out what to expect when it comes to chemotherapy and hair loss.
Plan to use your energy staying healthy rather than worrying about how you look.

You might not think about how important your hair is until you face losing it. And if you have cancer and are about to undergo chemotherapy, the chance of hair loss is very real. Both men and women report hair loss as one of the side effects they fear most after being diagnosed with cancer.
Whether or not you have hair loss from your chemotherapy depends mostly on the type and dose of medication you receive. But whether you can maintain a healthy body image after hair loss depends a lot on your attitude and the support of your friends and family.

Chemotherapy and hair loss: Why does it occur?
Chemotherapy drugs are powerful medications that attack rapidly growing cancer cells. Unfortunately, these drugs also attack other rapidly growing cells in your body - including those in your hair roots.
Chemotherapy may cause hair loss all over your body - not just on your scalp. Sometimes your eyelash, eyebrow, armpit, pubic and other body hair also falls out. Some chemotherapy drugs are more likely than others to cause hair loss, and different doses can cause anything from a mere thinning to complete baldness. Talk to your doctor or nurse about the medication you'll be taking. Your doctor or nurse can tell you what to expect.
Fortunately, most of the time hair loss from chemotherapy is temporary. You can expect to re-grow your hair three to 10 months after your treatment ends, though your hair may temporarily be a different shade or texture.

Chemotherapy and hair loss: What should you expect ?
Hair usually begins falling out one to three weeks after you start treatment. It could fall out very quickly in clumps or gradually. You'll likely notice accumulations of loose hair on your pillow, in your hairbrush or comb, or in your sink or shower drain. Your scalp may feel tender.
Your hair loss will continue throughout your treatment and up to a few weeks afterward. Whether your hair thins or you become completely bald will depend on your treatment. Generally, you can lose about 50 percent of your hair before it's noticeable to other people.
It may take a few weeks after treatment for your hair to recover and begin growing again. When your hair starts to grow back, it will probably be slightly different from the hair you lost. But the difference is usually temporary. Your new hair might have a different texture or colour. It might be curlier than it was before, or it could be gray until the cells that control the pigment in your hair begin functioning again.

Chemotherapy and hair loss: Can hair loss be prevented ?
No treatment exists that can guarantee your hair won't fall out during or after chemotherapy. The best way for you to deal with impending hair loss is to plan ahead and focus on making yourself comfortable with your appearance before, during and after your cancer treatment.
Several treatments have been investigated as possible ways to prevent hair loss, but none has been absolutely effective.

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