What’s With All the Wigs? And What’s With the Dark Roots?
Wig Shown Above NEW Alexandria by BelleTress in Butterbeer Blonde
Recently a friend asked me, as she was trying on my wigs, “why do you have so many wigs?” Since she is not an everyday wig wearer, she had many questions about my wig collection. I told her there were many reasons as I watched her look at herself in one of my short wigs, Ready for Takeoff by Raquel Welch. “But you can only wear one at a time,” she said as she admired herself in my wig. I took a deep breath and I tried to explain to her about the realities of wig wearing. She was also confused about what rooted meant and why anyone would want it.
I did my best to explain myself with the following:
- We fall in and out of love sometimes, so they go back in the box for a while maybe and we want to try something new.
- We like to try new colors and lengths.
- We like different styles for different occasions.
- Our tastes change over time, and then sometimes we re-discover older wigs and fall in love all over again.
- Rooted colors present with a darker base color at the root and blend out to a lighter color. This can give the illusion of naturally grown out hair color. This color choice is a personal preference I explained and there are many other options.
Shaking her head thinking I may have been upset with her, she turned back to the mirror and smiled. “Oh, well I do look so different, and maybe bit younger,” she said as she looked back at me for confirmation.
“Yes, I think you do,” I told her, “But you’re not getting MY wig! However, if you want to wear it for a day or two and decide you'd love one of your own, I can help you order one from WigStudio1.com!” Then I had to give her a brief tutorial about wig care and how to secure it. By the time I was finished with my mini tutorial I knew she wondered if it was worth it. But hey, she was going to walk off with one of my favorite and not so inexpensive wigs. She would get this lecture and like it!
I knew if I took the time to really explain things, my friend would walk away with a new understanding and appreciation for those of us who wear wigs, and she might decide to try it herself. She kept looking at herself in every available mirror as we finished the task we had before us. She might, just might, have been bitten by the wig bug herself.
As our opening of boxes, inspecting wigs, re-labeling boxes, and putting aside the ones I wanted to donate continued, she asked more questions. “Tell me about the caps, the fibers and the colors,” she said as she continued to hold up each wig to her face. I began to worry she may walk out with half my wigs. “But first, tell me about the rooted colors. When did showing roots become a good thing. I grew up coloring mine at the first opportunity.”
I don’t know exactly when the root thing started or why, but experts seem to agree that the best way to get the most natural look from a wig or topper is with rooted colors. Ideally, the process is all about the art of starting with a darker (and complimentary) darker root which gradually blends out into a lighter tone or color through to the ends. Well, some brands do this better than others. Also, there is a personal preference involved. For example, I don’t like and won’t wear the high contrast styles/colors that have the super dark roots and light blonde fibers/hair. But some like it and some wear it well.
In theory, the root color gives the appearance of re-growth from the scalp thereby making it look “natural” as it would if one had their hair colored or lightened.
Rooting is, no matter your personal preference, a bit tricky, especially with the blonde shades. Again, some brands seem to do it better than others. BelleTress is an example of a brand that has several rooted colors. Alexandria by BelleTress can be seen here in a rooted blonde as an example. There are so many blonde shades, it can be overwhelming to decide on one, and then add rooting or not-rooting to the equation, and it might take a long time to decide on a wig and wig color.
Most women do seem to consider a rooted blonde to be more natural looking. This said, others don’t like the idea of a dark root, and some often find the root to be too dark in contrast on some wigs (I am one of those).
The blending factor—what I love and so many others seem to as well, is that if your bio hair is darker than the lighter shades you love, having a dark root will allow you to pull out our bio hair on the side for a very realistic look. Any hair at the nape or if you put the wig into an up-do, will also be much better camouflaged.
As always, your opinion is the one that counts, and you are the one who must like the wig you choose. Everyone that I know has made a mistake are two, and we learn.
As lovely as some of those all-blonde wigs look on some (I have one in the closet that has never been worn), I can’t see myself ever giving up a rooted wig.
I am grateful we have so many choices in wigs, colors, styles, and that we have access to the wonderful instruction videos, and wig reviews on Wig Studio 1's YouTube Channel. I am so thankful for the reviewers and Wig Studio 1 Support who are always there to answer our many questions!
It’s a great time to be a wig wearer!
Until next time,
Vickie Lynn
