I kinda feel for you Scare. When I relied on a hairpiece salon to do my de/re bond every 4 or 5 weeks I would freak out in between times if the piece started to lift somewhere or start feeling loose...would be a real sick feeling in my stomach-I felt hopeless because I didn't know how to remedy the situation myself. It wasn't until I started reading up on doing your own care (back in late 2010) that I realized I could do everything myself-Can't tell you how liberated I felt. Yes of course there's times when fitments aren't perfect or I'm not in a position where I can do a full clean/tidy up, but I wear a cap those days. If you can look in the mirror from all angles & be happy with what you see then you can bet others will be feeling that way too. As you said, people notice a change but can't quite put their finger on what it is. My first thoughts were that the girl friend either knows someone who wears or knows about wigs...hence her thoughts. There is always a possibility that people are aware of hair systems, more so than other friends & family? There's really nothing that can be done if somebody who has experience suspects there's something false up there, either avoid or confront them. I think they're the only two viable choices. Regards