J.Crager Alternatives

Very disappointed in follow up service. My mother in law was very excited after first visit then sadly disappointed with no follow up. Beware girls he is not who he says he is.

Five stars for John, no doubt about it. For his passion and talent, customer service, humor and knowledge. I don’t think there’s anyone in the Midwest, let along just Chicago, who can do wigs as John can do wigs.
I lost all of my hair three years ago to Alopecia and found John simply by Googling. I had a few options: buy something for cheap online or at a costume/​wig shop on Milwaukee Ave. and risk feeling or looking like a drag queen, OR investing into a human hair wig, that would basically replace a very important part of my body that I had lost. Yes, human hair wigs are not cheap, but: it looks REAL. I remember John joking around at one of our first appointments and he said something like, «I can make this wig sing and dance, baby!» and he did. I went from my hair to bald to wig in about three months on my maternity leave, and was able to proudly go to a baby shower with college girlfriends in my new wig, duping everybody! In fact, I am not «out» about my Alopecia, and this is due to the natural look of the wig that John sold me and created. I say created, because he gave my wig low-​lights, roots and perfectly placed wispy pieces framing my face. I now have two wigs that I bought through John, and will go no where else for future pieces. This guy is TALENTED, and will work with you until you are HAPPY. He wont nickel and dime you for a quick appointment to trim the wig or cut more wispy pieces. He budgets in time to teach you how to wash and style your new hair. He taught me some tips for styling a low, soft up-​do for a wedding I stood up in! And I remind you, no one (except close family and a few select friends) officially knows about my baldness! If Alopecia is my long term plan, and unfortunately it’s looking like it will be, John will be seeing a lot of me! I joke with him that I worry about his health and safety because I don’t know what I will do without him!

I’ve had a wonderful experience with John! One of the worst things about chemotherapy is losing your hair. Look no farther! It was a no brainer when I met John. My wig is human hair. John used to be a hairdresser. He gave my wig roots and cut it to look more natural. Not everyone knows I’m going through chemotherapy. When people saw my new hair they couldn’t stop telling me how much they loved the style and it looks so much healthier! Whenever I want my wig washed John always fits me in.

John is an amazing person who legitimately cares about his clients. His human hair wig service is easily one of the best that I have come across, and it shows in all of the people I have met who have gone to him and are still so happy. Definitely recommend!

John is amazing! He knows this business very well hence the care and compassion he has for his clients. My friend that loved him, sent me his way. Not only did he have a perfect product, he was fantastic to work with. This is obviously an emotional journey and he brought laughter and light into mine. You can reach him on his cell anytime and cares for you/​talks to you, as if you are his only client. Love John and his company! I hope I don’t ever have to give any friends or family a recommendation for hair alternatives due to cancer, but if I do, this is the only place I will guide them to! Thank you JCHA!

I highly recommend John and his expertise when it comes to choosing wigs and caring for your bald head :) I was diagnosed with cancer last May, and after learning I would lose my hair, I booked an appt quickly with John. He is funny, easy going, flexible and works with you in order to make the hair-​loss process as un-​traumatic as possible. In fact, when I went in to have my head shaved, I brought my parents and friend and we were laughing and having fun the whole time. He cuts your hair in phases so you can imagine how your hair will grow back after certain amounts of time once the treatment has ended.
Concerning the wig: he helped me chose one that best fit my needs and he even high and low-​lighted it: perfectly designed to match EXACTLY how my hair looked. He trained me how to care for it, style and use it and sent me home with a plethora of supplies to help adjust to the bald life: including a satin pillow case, various products for the wig, warm caps to sleep in, stands for the wig, and combs.
Additionally, I could always call him and set up times for him to wash and style my wig (lets be honest, he does a better job haha) particularly for times when I wanted it to look the best (visits home, weddings, etc)
Yes the entire process is expensive, but he does help you with insurance reimbursement if thats available. Yes you can always find cheaper options online, but I wouldn’t trade a thing for the personal care I had with John. He will make you laugh, share stories, and help you through on the the toughest times in your life. He cares about making sure you are confidant and feeling good during this time. I highly recommend him to anyone going through this transition.

My hair stylist’s name is Evelyn. She has worked thoroughly, diligently and carefully on several haircuts and color jobs for me. I appreciate her finesse and attention to details (my 2 colic’s) giving me a great hair cut! If I understand correctly she is a recent graduate of the excellent Pivot Point school and she is leaning the process of doing incredible hair work. That being said, I wish she could be faster in the time from start to finish. Most likely my entire family will go to J Crager in prep for my brother’s November wedding. If Evelyn does the same great cut she does on me, we will all have kick-​ass hair!

I am glad others have had a positive experience with hair transitions due to chemotherapy. I did not. The prospect of losing your hair can be very emotional. John had been recommended as someone who could support me in this process. I must echo everything the others who were unhappy had to say. The appointments were long. I felt I was mandated on the best course of action — it was not a dialogue. The cost for the wig and the service were crazy expensive. I could have had a first class vacation for the price. The wig I got was uncomfortable and does not fit properly.
I received my wig, wore it a couple times, and have not been back. No one from the salon has called has called for follow-​up. So much for service. This was a very expensive venture. A very expensive mistake. In the end I ordered several wigs from an online source, asked a trusted friend for her opinion, and settled on a $ 100 model that is adorable. So comfortable and I get loads of compliments.
Save your money, time, and frustration. Use it for your healing.

I have been going to Chrisie Nelson to get my hair straightened with the keratin treatment or Brazilian Blowout for a while now. I am delighted that I have found her. She is meticulous and it always comes out perfect. My hair is very thick and frizzy so if I dont blow it out, I look like roseannadanna! After Christie I look like Demi Moore, well, at least the hair;-) Christie is fabulous with color and cut too. She also happens to super sweet and funny so I enjoy chatting, but she will also let me chill with my book too, so the time it takes to get gorgeous goes by fast. I highly recommend her!

I’m so excited to be joining the team at J. Crager, the staff is so friendly! The newly remodeled space is gorgeous. I can’t wait for my clients and friends to come and see the space!

I think very highly of this salon. John is an amazing man with a strong, deep passion for what he does. He has an extremely capable, caring staff who work for him. They all share the same passion to help people!
A good friend of mine found John while going through the life-​changing process of losing her hair during chemo. I am so glad the J Crager Salon exists! My dear friend speaks highly of John and what he does for her, STILL! What a sweet man. There needs to be more people like him. I would definitely recommend the J Crager Salon to anyone who needs to start wearing a wig, for whatever reason.
I happen to know someone else very close and dear to my heart who now works there. He’s always had the same passion that John has. Helping others feel good and look good… the J Crager Salon cares about you and wants to help you heal. It’s a place to go where you don’t have to be afraid because they understand.
Even if you just need a haircut, you will get nothing less than 5 star treatment from the moment you walk in the door to the moment you leave. You just need to go and experience it for yourself!
Sincerely,
GWB

Almost 10 years I’ve searched for someone knowledgeable and caring when it comes to a woman losing her hair. Finally I’ve found that person who posses both — — John Crager. I walked out of his salon last April feeling the best I’ve felt about my hair looks in more than 15 years! Thank you John for the care and training you provide to all of us women who wrestle with this problem. Sincere gratitude and thanks!
Dixie Drake

John is skilled, creative and caring. I lost a lot of hair after a surgery, and John created a hairpiece that looks just like my natural hair. I love the color! I feel so much more confident and most of my friends did not realize that it is not my hair until I told them. John is always willing to meet me late or even on Sunday when I need a trim or color. He does not nickel and dime me if I need my piece washed or styled. I am very surprised by the other reviewers here as I have never been happier with my stylist.

This establishment is not what it advertises on it’s web site. I ended up with a wig that was not useable and wasted $ 1,000.00. He doesn’t listen and he was always late, He always left me sitting while he took care of other customers, like my time didn’t matter. The appointments were always at least 3 hours long. They would have been shorter if he had spent less time talking about himself. I got very tired of his Harley. I went back 4 times and finally gave up, tossed the wig in the trash and wrote it off as a bad experience. The room in the basement is not what you would expect from a salon, tacky.

I found out I had cancer and my husband went on line to try to find me a wig. So we first tried a few places out, I was told to have fun with this and look for different colors. My husband and I said no I want to look like me. So we went home again and my husband went on line again and found J. Crager Alternatives. It was a far ride for us but it was SOOOOOOOOO worth the trip.
John took a lot of time with me to explain and answer any questions we had. He took my hair off a little at a time so I could see the different stages of my hair growing back after treatment, then he shaved my head and put on the wig. When we left him I looked just LIKE MYSELF, my kids didn’t know I had a wig on and they are in their 30’s.
We spent 2 hours at dinner with my sister-​in-​law, she never knew I had a wig on and my girlfriend of 40 years did not know after spending the same amount of time with me that I was wearing a wig.
John is amazing, he was put on this earth to help people like me feel great about them self and the way they look. I wish I had the money to put his name and phone number on a BILL BOARD that’s how great this man is. John Thanks SOOOOOOO MUCH U-​R-​THE BEST!!!
— Debbie Urban (posted by Jenny Urban)