I have an obsession. Whereas most women covet shoes, I covet wigs.
Many would consider "too many" to be over 10. My current wig count has reached 22.
I love the flexibility that wigs allow me, and I will rarely be seen with my natural locks. I have the ability to be a blue-haired siren, a 1920s starlet, or a Victorian secretary with a quick brush through and a few handy styling tips.
In this post I'll be going through some questions concerning wigs, where to get them, how to take care of them and more!
Common Question: Where do you buy your wigs from?
Always, always, always from sellers on ebay. This is where you will find the best quality for the cheapest price. Personally I like to go for a wig between the bracket of £10-£25, which means that you will NOT be able to purchase a human hair wig (usually costing over £100) but with the recent advantages in synthetic hair fibres, you can often find something heat-resistant. What you need to avoid at ALL COSTS is anything that looks bad quality, as it will not last 5 minutes, and then you have to deal with tangly wig death. Here are my golden rules for ebay wig shopping:
1. Be different. If you have seen a red wig one one girl, don't put blinders on and only look for a red wig in exactly the same style.
2. Take your time and try to narrow down the search with the correct search terms. For example, I am looking to purchase a green wig. Searching for "Green wig" on worldwide search comes up with 3,310 results. "Long green wig" narrows down to 1000.
3. Automatically disregard anything with "fancy dress" in the title, and anything which hasn't been photographed well. Look for items with product codes in the title (usually a letter followed by some numbers).
4. Look for wigs with good product shots showing close ups, the back and the top.
5. When you have found a wig you like the look of, try to search for the product code for a cheaper deal. Many of the ebay sites use the same suppliers and therefore the same product codes.
Some wig shops I have purchased from before include..
Wigfashion - Lulu's wigs - Vogue wigs - Annabelle's wigs - Cog and marc
fykodona asks: How can you know if the wig is going to suit you if you can't try it on?
Truth is, you won't know until you either find a friend with wigs, or bite the bullet and purchase one. If you are really worried about it, you could try using the old Photoshop however it really is hard to say how the wig will look in reality. If you are about to buy your first wig and you are worried, I would suggest sticking to natural colours and styles and branch out from there.
Kaebambi asks: is it okay to brush a pre-styled wig? I have a few that are curly/wavy and I've lightly brushed it and it just got messier!
It depends on the quality of the fibre, and how heavily styled it is. For example, I have various long wavy wigs that tend to get matted easily, and I also have a short fingerwave wig. As the long wigs don't have a set style, they are often easy enough to brush through, whereas I wouldn't dare brush the fingerwave wig at the risk of disturbing the style. Unfortunately curly/wavy wigs are just more likely to get matted and they will not last forever. It also depends on the way they are being stored.
Autopsyjude asks: how do you get your wigs to stay on through out the night? are you allowed the headbang or jump around or dance? also, how do you wear your hair under the wig? i can't get mine to be as flat as possible without having hair bumps show through..
To be honest I wouldn't suggest any hard headbanging! But yes you can dance around without feeling insecure about your wig if you attach it securely. Most wigs will have elastic around the inside that joins together with two adjustable clips (this video will explain a little easier). Once connected the elastic will fit tightly around your head; if you still don't feel secure you can always use hair pins to attach it to your wig cap.
One problem with wigs is that it CAN feel uncomfortable and hot, especially if you are not used to the extra weight. This moves on to the second part of your question: you absolutely must use a wig cap. As embarrassing as they are, they do work wonders at hiding your hair. If you have long hair, I suggest tying in a ponytail and pinning upwards before putting on the cap. Try to go for a skin-coloured wig cap rather than black, as you don't want it to show through your wig.
Yukidoll asks: do you have tips for styling wigs and keeping them in good condition? mine tend to go a bit frizzy after a while, and it gets worse if i brush them, i usually get knots out with my fingers! x_x
Again, it all depends on the quality of the wigs, but you have to remember that wigs won't last forever and there is only much care you can give it before the fibres start looking frazzled. Some of my wigs I have had for about 3-4 years, whereas others have given up home in a matter of months (oddly enough, these were mostly black ones). I find that it is mostly the back underneath of wigs that start to go first. I have been told that brushing them will just make it worse, so it is probably best to use a wide tooth comb and at least try to break up the mess into sections with your fingers. Also, there would be no point in washing a wig without first detangling.
I think my luck with wigs is mainly down to the way I store them. Re-sealable plastic bags (ones meant for food will be best) are your friends! Usually the original wig packaging is perfect (if they come in their own plastic bag with black netting); if you happen to have kept the packaging I suggest folding the wig in half and popping the net over it. Pop it in the resealable bag, squeeze the air out and keep them all together in a box or bag somewhere.
And thats all for now! If you have any other questions, please send them over to my formspring.
