How To Rock A Wig

[ 2 May 2007 ]

“Oh my gosh, will you please write an article on how to wear a wig! I’ve tried cheap ones on at novelty shops before, but they just look like a Halloween costume on me. But your looks just wonderful, like I actually thought you dyed your hair for a minute. It doesn’t have to look completely natural, but I would love to know how you pulled that off without making it look like it was just a silly costume. Also, what did you do with your hair underneath it?”

Dear ~~Anonymous~~ (psshhh! I’m going to call you Greta),

The most important thing when it comes to wigs is that you spend as much money as you can. I know it probably seems like I say this a lot, but really, it’s true. You get what you pay for. Cheap wigs are obvious & it doesn’t matter what you do to it, it’s always going to look wrong somehow. While a more expensive wig is not necessarily superior, they tend to be better as a general rule. My black wig wasn’t very expensive, I paid $65 Australian for it (about $53 American), but it was bought wholesale so I got a good deal on it. It’s not amazing quality but it’s okay, & since I don’t intend on wearing it a whole lot, it will serve its purpose very well. If you’re planning on wearing your wig regularly (like more than once a week), you should spend more.

Definitely take your time when buying any kind of hairpiece. It really needs to suit you, & if you’re not sure, go away & think about it. There’s nothing worse than something expensive that doesn’t get any wear! You should feel comfortable in your wig — it’s like any other item of clothing, if you don’t feel good in it, it will be obvious & it won’t look right. If you’re not sure what kind of hairstyles suit you, I wrote an article on how to choose a flattering haircut which will help!

Having said that, buying a wig doesn’t need to be boring or predictable. Your hair doesn’t have to look “real”, per-say, just good! You have the ability to wear anything you want, so if you’d like to rock a purple bob or long white ringlets, you can! Have fun with your appearance; surprise yourself!

Make sure you take care of your wig! They’re usually sold in plastic bags, but a polystyrene head or something else which is round is optimal for the wig to sit it on. Brush the wig (with a steel comb) before you put it on & then brush it again once it’s on your head.

When I bought my wig, I knew the fringe (bangs) were too long, so when I got home I had my friend trim them. If you’re going to do wig surgery — which is almost always necessary, in my experience — go slowly! If you hack a big chunk out of it, it’s not going to grow back, so be careful! When we started trimming my bangs, we trimmed about half a centimetre at first, then looked at it & talked about it some more before doing anything else. After a bit of adjusting & fiddling, we decided the bangs would look best if they were sitting just above my eyebrow, so we trimmed it back to there. The good thing about this is that if I want my bangs a bit shorter or longer, I can change them by sliding the wig back & forth. If you’re nervous about screwing this up, take your wig to a salon & have a professional attend to it.

I wear a stocking over my hair when I put a wig on, as well as clipping the hair under it. It just keeps all your natural hair in place. Also, sometimes the rubbing of a wig will give you a bald patch, so a stocking is a good way to prevent this. Put the wig on (put your thumbs in the front of it & hook it over your head), shake it out a bit, give it a comb & once it’s in place, grab some bobby pins & pin it to your natural hair. Otherwise it will slide around & it’ll sit too far back on your head, which looks pretty ridiculous. When you’re putting it on, make sure it is pulled down all the way in the back. If the wig feels loose, take it off & adjust the band.

Try wearing a scarf or a hat over your wig.

If the wig still looks a bit fake, or you’re not entirely comfortable with it, put a hair or a scarf over the top. Since this covers a large portion of the wig, it’ll seem more realistic, & for some reason when you do this, no one will ever suspect you’re wearing a wig. I went out last night wearing a scarf over my wig & I felt fantastic & confident — kind of like a spy! My new hair gave me the confidence to be a different person, with more wiggle in my walk & coy little smiles.

I know a lot of women with cancer who are undergoing chemotherapy are terrified of having to wear a wig, but I have read a lot of accounts of women who find that it actually gives them a lot of freedom & a wonderful opportunity to expand the horizons of their appearance. In season six of Sex & The City, Samantha develops cancer & finds herself in a wig shop, trying to make herself look like “her” again. She’s very distraught because she’s going to a movie premiere & she can’t find anything which resembles how her hair used to be. However, later in the show, you see her at the premiere wearing a bright pink wig, & it looks magnificent. Keep that in mind when you’re wig shopping!

If your wig looks really shiny & unrealistic, a light coating of baby powder will help dull the sheen. Apply it with a powder brush, then shake off the excess. You can also buy special wig styling spray to keep a handle on flyaway hair & weird kinks etc. that your wig might have. Both of these things can help to make your wig look better on.

Above all, have fun with it! I now own two wigs — the black bob & a big pink afro, & I want more! I’d like a white bob & a beehive too…

Extra For Experts:
How to care for all different types of wigs — very useful information.
How to put long hair under a stocking cap — because if you just pull your hair into a bun, it’ll look like you have a tumour under your wig!

Hyper-love & bunny kisses,

Tags: advice, aesthetic, beauty, consumption, how to, madame

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I had to wear a black wig for a dancing concert last year, and I wish I’d known about all this back then, especially what to do with long hair under a wig. The worst part was the fact that I have a Giant Head (it was a non-giant wig) . . . or maybe it was that I had fifty million pins in so it wouldn’t fall off (ow) . . . or maybe it was that I look awful in black . . . or maybe it was that I was dancing to music from ‘Chicago’ and no wig in the world is going to turn me into Catherine Zeta-Jones . . .

(*quivers*)
Nadine · May 2, 07:25 PM · #
Oh no! Yes, black is very harsh around the face & quite hard to wear. I should also add that you can buy large wigs for big noggins! ;D
Gala · May 2, 07:32 PM · #
Oooh… now I want to go out and buy a wig. Off to Tokyo next week, so maybe I’ll splash out and go incognito when I’m out in Harajuku – not that anyone except my mate will know who I am anyway :) I see a Scarlett Johansson/Lost in Translation moment appearing on my horizon…
travelling_mango · May 2, 10:48 PM · #
I remembering desperately wanting to buy an electric blue bob wig while I was in Paris. I never did, but it is one of those things that I still kind of regret. Maybe next time my hair stops growing/starts falling out….

You do make wigs look awesome!!!!
Gwen · May 3, 10:57 AM · #
Travelling Mango — I love those light pink bob wigs. It looked good on Natalie Portman in Closer, too. Do it!

Gwen — I had one of those when I was about 10. I never wore it though, & then I think I threw it out. Silly! Thank you though!
Gala · May 3, 11:00 AM · #
What an odd coincidence that I happened upon this article today (it was linked through Buzznet)...

A week ago I got the odd notion in my head that I absolutely HAD to have a pink wig and ordered one on eBay. Then today, it came in the mail and I wore it all day – to the movies, too! I loved the funny little reactions I got from strangers and the looks on my family’s face (my grandma’s reaction was priceless!). It was tons of fun… and I felt like I could act a little more boldly. (I’m pretty likely to get more wigs in the future — possibly a black one next time.)

It took me a long time to get my hair successfully flattened with bobby pins before I could put it on… I’ll definitely use a stocking next time.
Kristine · May 3, 09:17 PM · #
ohh you look so different with black hair….but cute, its amazing how a wig can give you such a different appearance…its like ohh there is a new gala lets meet her jeje
vanessa · May 4, 02:15 AM · #
Thank you Gala, thank you thank you!!! I think your wig looks just wonderful, so I’m glad to know all your secrets. See, when I was in college, I used to dye my hair all sorts of wonderful colors, but now that I have a “real job”, I feel compelled to keep it rather normal and professional looking. But I still get these impulses to do something weird… lately, I’ve been thinking of a deep blackish merlot color (this would never fly for my job, since it involves lots of public speaking and professional appearance). So I’m totally inspired to get a wig now, and on those days when I can through off the blazers and pantsuits and panty hose, I sneak around the city in cognito with my wig. I’m so excited! (hmm, I have a first date next week with someone I just met. I wonder what he would do if I showed up with a new wig!)

You have the happiest blog that I know! I love your spirit and sincerity. Please keep writing such wonderful articles.
"Greta" · May 6, 11:16 AM · #
Hahaha! Hi “Greta”! I’m glad the article helped. One of the primary motivations for getting a wig was that I want to change my hair colour again, maybe back to pink or purple — but of course, when you do this kind of thing, people perceive you differently. I like to have the option of looking “normal”, especially if I’m travelling internationally/trying to find a property to rent/meeting with advertisers or whatever. So it’s definitely an easy solution.

Maybe you should take your date wig shopping! It would certainly be memorable…

Thank you so much for your looooovely words! xxx
Gala · May 6, 05:30 PM · #
Hey Gala! just wondering, when you said you should pin the wig to your natural hair, I’m confused as to how you do this if all your hair is in a stocking? or is that only if you are not wearing a stocking.?
Fantastic article by the way! I am wearing a wig to a party tomorrow and I remembered this article, and how awesome your wig looked :)
Francheska · Jun 20, 10:30 PM · #
Hi cutie!

Yes, if you’re not wearing a stocking, pin the wig to your hair. You’d be hard-pressed to get a bobby pin through a stocking cap! Have a fabulous time at your party!
Gala · Jun 20, 10:41 PM · #
After being taken to this site during my google mission to keep me ‘hive alive, i feel i must admit, this cavern of sparkles and baked goods makes me happier than i ever knew possible.
On behalf of myself and aforementioned ‘hive, i salute you
Sephy · Jun 23, 01:14 PM · #
Oh, thank you so much! I’m glad you like it! Show us yer ‘hive! xx
Gala · Jun 23, 01:18 PM · #
I can’t believe you’re displaying Samantha in this article! Fabulous! I just finally saw that episode and the finally around a week ago. I was thrilled to see such a display of styles. I’m happy to share my love for wigs with anyone who’s interested. Please contact me for support and any type of hair talk anytime. I rarely wear my real hair anymore because I make my “do” look so fabulous and realistic. Anyone who wants to be a diva can. XOXO
Beth · Jul 7, 10:14 PM · #
i just came across this article through a google search for wigs. i’m 19 year old art student and i’m always doing something bold with my hair. well, now my hair is really sensitive and weak. i change my mind constantly and all the chemicals have significantly altered my hair’s condition. so i have decided to invest in couple wigs! just for fun! i don’t have any health problems affecting my hair. i’m not aging and losing hair, i just want to give my natural hair a rest before it falls out and let it grow, but still be my funky, expressive self. i’m happy to find other girls like me! yay. : )
Gretchen · Jan 23, 09:14 AM · #
Hi, my hair is in such an awful state after 20 long years of mistreatment haha

so Im buying a wig or two to wear pretty much every day!

Never had one before so just wondering how likely they are to come off?..like would a tug from my niece do anything? Thats the only thing i really want to know before I get them.

loves xoxo
princess · Jun 25, 02:49 AM · #
:o gawshh i needa know where to get a pink wig like “Samantha’s”
or did she just get a blonde one and dye it?
do u kno if its human or synthetic?
cuz synthetic can be straightened by putting heavy books on it for a few days.
i have alopecia and i HAVE to keep my pink hair reputation. I MUUUUSTTTT!!!
and i really want my hair to still be pink after it all falls out.
youtube.com/vanessavandalism
VanessaVandalism · Jul 18, 03:12 PM · #
Hiiiiii!

I’m just like you Gretchen, unfortunatley i was cursed with hair that was curly in the manner of shirley temples scalp, and ive always hated it. So ive preceeded to straighten and dye it for years and years – needless to say it is now in a wee bit of a state.

Ive wanted to buy a wig for yonks, so i can wear it out and give my hair a break…and save about an hour of styling every morning, so i can actually sit and enjoy my breakfast!! Ive never been brave enough, but now i think, fuck it. I’m buying one. I have bright red died hair anyway, so it already looks a bit wiggish i suppose! I guess im hoping after a my own hair has had abit of a rest, it will be in better condition, so i can start all over again with experimenting!

I hope i dont get too many dodgy looks in the street..(well thinking about it…i hope i do. It’s time to challenge the folks of Dudley)

I love this site, so glad ive finally tracked it down!
Big love
xxx
Karen · Aug 7, 12:32 PM · #

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How To Rock A Wig

[ 2 May 2007 ]

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