Wig Studio 1 News
Wig Wearers Ten Biggest Mistakes
(Shown above: EASIPART T HD TOPPER 18" BY JON RENAU)
1. Wearing wrong size caps – This is a common problem because wigs are made to a pattern and our heads are not. But trying to make your head fit into a wig too small or too large can mean all kinds of trouble. Not only will the wig not look right, or flattering, it can cause headaches, slip into wrong positions, and in general, make you want to forget about wigs.
2. Not securing the wig correctly – This is also a common mistake, especially for new wig wearers. There are so many different ways to do it that a lot of people get overwhelmed. There is a learning curve in this area, but it is worth learning. There is no best way or right way in that every wig wearer will have their preference. Do your research and find the best security measure for your comfort.
3. Having unrealistic expectations – Most of us look at pictures of highly styled wigs on models, or on experienced wig reviewers who know how to train and style a wig to its best advantage. We can learn from them. But it is not realistic for us to pull a wig out of a box, put it on her head, and expect it to look like those highly, professionally styled wigs you might see on television or a website.
4. Not being willing to work with your wig to make it your own. It’s easy to get frustrated when you pull a wig from the box and it’s just a bundle of fibers that won’t stay where you put it as you are working to figure out your styling techniques. At this point, some new wearers just give up. Know that there is an army of experts out there to help you with this. Some videos show us in detail, how to tame your hair, get rid of “box hair” and make a wig your own.
5. Trying to alter your wig when you don’t have the skills. I have seen more than one wig ruined by a new wig wearer who thought they could avoid the cost of a stylist by “doing it themselves” and some people can. But if you know that your skills are limited to a bang trimming, don’t attend any more than that on your wig. Yes, there are many YouTube videos out there showing you how to thin a wig, pluck, trim the lace, and make an artificial root—is this something that you feel comfortable doing? Are you saving $50 to lose a $300 wig?
6. Not learning how to style your wig – If you aren’t going to spend a little time getting to know how to work with your wig, style it, and care for it, then you will likely never be completely happy with it. We all love the shake-an-go wigs but if you are looking for something different, know that there is some work involved in learning how to style your wig.
7. Not using the right products on your wig, or not using them correctly. Again, there is a wealth of information out there about wig care products. It’s up to us to do our homework, and my advice is to do it long before you get that first wig. The more you know, the easier the process will be, and the more confident you will be in wearing and caring for your wig.
8.You are not perfect, your bio hair is or was not perfect, and your wig should not look perfect. Looking too perfect is a “this-is-fake” giveaway. Too much styling, and an over-sprayed, nothing moves style screams “wig” so don’t use a heavy hand with the spray or styling products. Less is best.
9. Positioning your wig incorrectly – I still see this even on some seasoned wig wearers. The wig is set too far back from the natural hairline or pulled down too low. This is another big mistake that is an instant giveaway. If you don’t have any bio hair to guide you to what was your hairline, use the four-finger rule. Hold your hand up over your brows to see if you have four fingers worth of space between brows and hairline. It’s a rough guide but is pretty accurate.
10. Not everyone should be a blonde – and I think we have all seen this mistake. Maybe you spent your life in your natural color, wanting to go blonde but it was too drastic. Now, it’s so easy to buy that pretty blonde wig that looks so beautiful on the model on the website. But STOP….and ask yourself if blonde makes you look BETTER or just different.
Until next time,
Vickie Lynn
It’s All About the Wig Cap
As lovely as your wig may be, and as beautiful as you may look in that style and color, it’s not a great experience if your head is uncomfortable. Is your head itchy after an hour, do you get a headache, is your head overly heated? This could be due to several things: how much helper hair is in your wig, the fit of the cap, the wig construction itself. What is touching your head? How is your wig secured?
You must be at peace with the wig you’ve chosen, and the cap plays a huge role. Maybe it plays a larger role than you thought, but if you are like me, you learned quickly that cap comfort can make or break your day.
When I first started on my wig journey, I was all about color and style. I didn’t know about permatese, the difference in fibers, what heat-friendly meant, or that all wigs with lace fronts were not created equal. Not to mention that I knew little or nothing about mono tops, partial mono tops, mono parts, or anything about the cap that I was going to be wearing on my head for many hours a day every day. Maybe you knew more than I did about wigs when you started, but I’ve since learned that so many people get discouraged about the very basics of wig-wearing—the cap, and how to keep the wig on.
As you can imagine, after wearing an uncomfortable wig for nine hours or more, I was unhappy with my first wig decision. Of course, the wig itself was fine. The color, style, and actual fit were good. My problem was that I had a sensitive scalp, and I needed a monofilament top, something easier on that area of my head that was most sensitive. I needed a lace front because I didn’t want to always wear bangs or worry about the wind blowing up and showing the edge of the wig. I needed a wig with a bit of stretch. Unfortunately, I just didn’t know what I needed until it was a problem. And worse, I had no idea what my options were. For fortunately for you and me we now have so much more information and companies like this that make a great effort to educate their buyers and help them make good decisions about what works best for them. We all have different needs when it comes to wig-wearing, just like we all have different tastes in styles and colors. It’s all about figuring out what we need to be happy with our wig. It’s a process.
After trial and error, I made peace with one of Raquel Welch’s wigs. It had everything that I had decided I needed to be a happy wig wearer. I have only strayed from the brand once and was disappointed. That’s not to say that there are not many other great options out there, and I will likely try others, but once I knew what would make me happy, I felt more secure in branching out with color and style. I came to see that a wig cap made all the difference. I’ve never made that mistake again.
If you are new to wigs, it is helpful to get some advice about wig cap structure and your options. Think about how you will be wearing your wig—many hours a day? What is your environment—hot, outdoors, moving around a lot? How sensitive is your scalp? How true to wig cap size are you—do you know how to decide between petite, average, and large and how to make adjustments to the wigs? How comfortable are you with wig security? Do you know the options available to you?
As you can see, and as many of you have already learned or are now learning, that cap that no one sees but you is just as important, if not more so at times than what everyone does see—the color, the style. Don’t shortchange yourself on the cap. You will never be entirely happy with your wig choice if you pick the wrong cap. And the one you want, or need might cost a bit more, but it will be worth it every single day if you can go through the day and not think about your wig. Trust me on this.
Happy wig days as we go into fall. I’m going to try a new style and color, how about you?
Vickie Lynn
