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BB Blog — Cancer hat

Why are Bold Beanies Cancer Hats So Special?

Posted by Emilienne Rebel on

Why are Bold Beanies Cancer Hats So Special?

For most it's the sheer sense of relief of having a soft comfortable hat that is snug enough to stay in place but not tight at all. One less thing to worry about when life can be difficult and complicated

Everyone loves the pretty and/or fun quality patterns and wide variety of customisable plains to match any outfit, style or mood. A style to suit everyone, day or night wear.

Bold Beanies hats are constructed from the highest quality thin stretchy natural cotton breathable Liberty Prints, famous for their beautiful designs and timeless patterns. Limited seams and with the label on the outside, give the wearer the most comfy fit and keep the head at an even temperature (warm in winter and cool in summer). Our head covers are sustainably made in the UK in a small factory on the borders of the UK and Wales. All Bold Beanies chemo sleep caps and headwear are all eco friendly products with a careful eye on carbon footprint. 

Our cancer hats are perfect to wear on their own during the day or night as a pretty night cap or layer up under scarves, head wraps helmets, hard hats to hijabs.

The idea for Bold Beanies was born out of necessity when Emilienne Rebel lost her hair at age 31 with chemotherapy treatment for grade 3 advanced breast cancer. Her head felt cold, especially at nigh-time when scarves would slip and woollen hats were itchy and too hot. As a younger person going through cancer she found the hair loss headwear available online too fussy and outdated and craved a simple, snug, breathable, comfortable hat which is easy to put on... but also something stylish and pretty to make her feel feminine again and keep covered up for her young family. She found her wig very uncomfortable and felt more self conscious wearing that head covering than anything else. Loosing her hair she felt very self conscious her whole face looked different having lost not just the hair on her head, but eyebrows and eyelashes too... not to mention puffy and bloated from the steroids. 

The Bold Beanies headwear range has extended to include Headscarves, Head Wraps, wonderful cancer Alopecia bouquet flower gifts and PICC line cover sleeves. All our cancer headwear is available for children, teenagers, ladies and men suffering from hair loss, hair thinning, Alopecia Areata or simply for those who just want to cover up and keep ears warm during outdoor sports or under all types of helmets, such as cycling or ski helmets and hard hats.

Emilienne prides herself on her business's caring customer service and will always do her best to accommodate personalisation requests. 

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Friends of Anchor Charity Men’s Chemo Hats

Posted by Emilienne Rebel on

Friends of Anchor Charity Men’s Chemo Hats

Liberty Mens Camouflage Blue Cancer Chemo Hat for Friends of Anchor Charity  https://www.instagram.com/p/B5X8oy7ngih/?igshid=1jcef3dn4ylvl Very proud to support this lovely charity Friends of Anchor with our Chemo hats for men, women and kids.  Friends of Anchor is run by a small team and stewarded by a committee comprised of senior representatives from the ANCHOR Unit wards and clinics, and the business community, the charity’s aim is to help provide the best possible treatment, care and support to patients. Find out more about this wonderful charity here: https://www.friendsofanchor.org/ Bold Beanies range of cancer chemo headwear for men, women and kids are designed...

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A 'Slow Down' Discount Code instead of Black Friday

Posted by Emilienne Rebel on

A 'Slow Down' Discount Code instead of Black Friday


One of my favourite stores is doing something rather interesting its really resonated with me, so I've decided to follow suit in an attempt to help us all slow down

A 10% discount ' SLOWDOWN ' will be available across every headwear product* including my book HOPE, chemo gifts and cancer accessories. The saving will be available for the next fortnight (18th - 30th November 2019), so there really is no need to hurry. It may not appear to be very much, but for a small business every penny is vital and its a very real way of showing my appreciation to my customers. 


"Hyper-consumerism poses one of the biggest threats to the planet, and flash sales can often lead to rushed purchasing decisions, driven by the fear of a sell-out. We no longer feel that Black Friday is an earth or consumer-friendly event."

So, on Friday November 29th, infamously known as 'Black Friday' I will be taking the day off for a moment of nothingness... giving myself a much needed slow day.

In previous years, Black Friday is the opportunity for customers to secure savings across a few products from limited lines. Last year, even as a small business I felt pressured to offer a discount and everything sold out too quickly, meaning many of you missed out (still sorry!). I believe that chemotherapy or Alopecia hair loss headwear choices should be based on the individual rather than impulse, and hope that a two-week long promotion will provide the time for consideration. Will I need a soft thin breathable cotton hat to keep my head at an even temperature in bed so I can sleep without extra heating the room? What colours will suit me... what clothes would I like to co-ordinate with... Would I like matching hats for the whole family?

Advice is always available either via our online chat service or via email. Phone calls and private consultations can also be organised, so please do contact us if you have questions.

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My cancer story, twelve years on... Lotte is now a teenager!

Posted by Emilienne Rebel on

My cancer story, twelve years on... Lotte is now a teenager!

Olivia was 3 years old and Lotte just 7 months old (still being breastfed) that fateful Wednesday twelve years ago when I was told I had cancer. My 'Cancer Journey' is very much linked to my children and being a mum 

Joking with the Breast Surgeon that I hadn't come to my appointment to get the results of the previous week's biopsy on my own... I had the baby with me! I had found the pea-sized hard lump under the skin whilst breast feeding and knew this wasn't 'my normal'... but still I wasn't really worried. I had no family history, I was not overweight, I'd never smoked, drank little, vegetarian and breast fed both my babies... couldn't be anything right? Wrong.

Investigations, lumpectomy and lymph node removal and various scans proved the cancer was aggressive... I had Grade 3 advanced Breast Cancer. Without intensive and immediate action my life was in danger and I wouldn't get to be a part of my children's lives; I wouldn't get to be their mummy. The worst thought for me personally was that they were too young to remember me. 

I had to do everything I could to ensure every year possible... to get to an age where they would remember me... feel my love for them and know how precious they were to me. I repeat, my cancer journey' is very much linked to my children.  

Twelve years ago this weekend just gone Lotte had her 1st birthday and whilst I was too ill to arrange a party for her we started our new tradition of 'Birthday Breakfast' and I vowed to make every other birthday very memorable for them.

I had my second chemotherapy infusion on that day at home. My hair had already started to fall and I'd shaved it in preparation. Quite a traumatic experience and I with hindsight urge any woman needing to shave her head to entrust this to someone they trust and is very sympathetic, whomever that may be (which may not be the obvious choice).

Losing my hair with Chemo whilst it was difficult to deal with at the time with my young family. I looked very ill. I lost the hair on my head and all over, including my eyebrows and eyelashes and combined with the bloating from the steroids, I looked very different.

My hair loss however set me on a path to start my business Bold Beanies and make a range of cancer alopecia headwear and gifts to make a terrible situation a little bit more bearable. I designed them with younger cancer patients in mind with an emphasis on style as well and for comfort and ease. 

I was unable to lift my arms for long after my mastectomy and lymph node removal and therefore tying traditional headscarves was too difficult for me. I needed something soft and simple to slip on and get on looking after my children. I also felt incredibly cold at night. The wooly beanie hat I wore was itchy and often got too hot, so I would take it off and then I would get cold quickly. My chemo headwear needed to be made from thin natural cotton material, soft, stretchy, breathable and temperature controlling. Its so much easier to face the side effects of cancer when you're able to get a good nights sleep. 

Having received a lot of flowers by post from well meaning friends and family, I also felt it very important to provide gift solutions for cancer patients, helping those around them feel less helpless. 

With every year that passes I gain strength in the bond I have with my girls. I teach them, I guide them to grow into confident young women who very much know they are loved whether I am with them or not.

Whilst I continue to battle with making my life count, battling the feelings of borrowed time, a bucket list of dreams and the normalities of being a single parent with a growing business and people in my life who are determined to make it harder than it needs to be... I hope that others who are at the start of their story with cancer that they get some comfort from my 12 years... sharing the positive stories is so important. I'm still here and enjoy every day with my children and look forward to the exciting times in their lives that I get to be a part of. 

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Chemotherapy Hair Loss Headwear UK

Posted by Emilienne Rebel on

Chemotherapy Hair Loss Headwear UK

Approximately 700 people a day are diagnosed with some form of cancer in Britain. About half of those will lose their hair with chemotherapy treatments. Emilienne was one of them. She found the range of head covering options very outdated and fussy and geared at older women with cancer. As a younger woman with breast cancer, she needed to cover up for her small family and get on with daily life as best she could, but also wanted something more stylish and pretty. The idea for Bold Beanies was developed in her sick bed when her woollen hat was itchy...

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