Basic Wig Facts and Helpful Tips

Hair		Wigs
Made from protein Averaging 800-1000 fibers/square inch Porous Self-moisturized by scalp oils Exposure to peroxides removes surface caratin Exposure to medium heat results in deformation of surface caratin Exposure to high heat results in carbonization (burning)		Made from plastic Averaging 150-250 fibers/square inch Non-porous Unable to absorb moisture Exposure to peroxides has no effect Exposure to medium heat results in increase in pliability Exposure to high heat results in liquid state (melting)

Think of it this way: sugar and salt look pretty much identical, but you'd never think of using one for the other's purposes, now would you? (Unless you LIKE salty coffee...)

It's the same thing with wigs. They look like hair, but they're not hair. Because of this, you need to treat them with an entirely different set of rules.

How to find a GOOD wig...
I'm sure you've noticed there's plenty of places on-line that sell wigs for a wide variety of prices. I can tell you right now, you get what you pay for when it comes to unstyled wigs. If you are looking for a crappy wig, you probably wouldn't be on this page in the first place, so I'll just give you some "Buyer Beware" tips about finding a good quality synthetic wig.

1. Expect to pay between $25-$35 for a good chin-length wig.
2. Expect to pay between $35-$50 for a good shoulder-length wig.
3. Expect to pay between $50-$60 for a good butt-length wig.
4. Look for Kanekalon or Toyokalon fiber. (Kanekalon is the best.) If the website just says "Synthetic", email them and ask. If they don't know, don't shop there.
5. Beware of places that sell those super-long Godiva type wigs. The quality level varies a lot, and you might end up paying $75-$100 for a lower fiber quality, just because it's long.
6. Beware of people selling wigs on Ebay. They know you've only got a limited amount of time to decide, but you don't want to spend $40 + shipping on a wig that's really only worth about $10. Check their feedback, and ask them about what the wigs are made from.

By buying a cheap wig, you aren't saving any money, you're throwing money away. The price ranges shown above are for a good, usable wig. There are wigs that cost literally ten times as much, and those are called "designer wigs". If you (or your parents...) aren't willing to spend that extra 20 bucks for a quality wig, you may as well save what you would throw away on a bargain wig, and just wear some knotted garbage bags on your head.

This is, of course, why I get my starting wigs exclusively from Amphigory. I tried getting some from a couple other sites, just to compare the quality and prices, and I've found that Amphigory is consistantly the best bang for your buck.

Why is fiber quality so important?
The quality of the fiber directly relates to what you can do with the wig. Poor fiber quality means more tearing, more kinks, more tangles, less possiblities with heat styling, and less shine.

Although you can't always tell from online photos, there are a few ways of determining the quality of a wig before buying it. High quality wigs should:

• Have that "Pantene Shine" to them, not appear dull.
• Be soft to the touch, not coarse like fishing line.
• Not have ratting (lots of tiny tangles to create "body") at the base of the scalp.

Tools o' the Trade
There are plenty of hair tools and styling products that work equally well on wigs, and some you should avoid altogether. These are the basic tools and products I keep stocked in my wig studio:

Tools:
Wide tooth comb with rounded handle: This is my primary "comb out" tool. I use the handle to work out the initial large tangles, then the comb itself to separate the fiber. It's important that the tines not have any rough plastic junk on them, as these can cause the fiber to frizz.
Narrow tooth comb with pointed handle: This is my primary "smoothing" tool when I'm working color through the wig, parting out small bits, or trying to smooth pieces into place. I don't use it for actual "combing", or for removing tangles, as the tines are too close together to do that without risking tearing or kinking the fibers.
Parallel bristled brush: I very rarely use my brush, as brushes really don't play well with wigs. Brushes are designed for real scalps, where a little pull isn't going to pull the skin off your skull. They also work under the premise that removing loose hairs from your head is a healthy thing. Well, you've only got so much fiber to work with in a wig, and pulling it out in great gobs isn't a excactly a good idea. So pretty much the only time I use my brush is when I'm working at the ends of the fiber to blend and texture, or when brushing out a wig for repeated straightening. Note: If you MUST use a brush on a wig, avoid brushes where the bristles go in a radiating pattern. (Like paddle brushes or round brushes.) Paddle brushes are designed to remove loose hair, and will wreck your wig, and round brushes will just become hopelessly trapped in your wig.
Scissors, Normal and Supersharp: Any hair stylist will tell you that having a good pair of scissors is the key to success. It's just as true for wigs, but I'm not the type to spend $100 on a pair of shears that I'm not using on real hair. The reason for this is that cutting synthetic fiber will dull and weaken the blades much faster than cutting hair does. So I just have the scissors that came with my clippers, and a tiny pair of Fiskars for detail work.
Hairclips: It doesn't really matter what type, just as long as they can keep sections of fiber separate while you work. I use all shapes and sizes, and most of them are leftover from when I had long hair. (So you don't need to go out and buy ones specifically for hair-styling.)
Straightpins: You should have plenty of these on hand whenever working with wigs. They're what I use to secure the wig to the form, and depending on how much you need to stretch the limits of the mesh, I might end up using near to 60 or so of these to keep the wig in place. They're also great for attaching wefts to foamcore or accessories. The long ones are Quilting pins, and the short ones are Map pins.
Hairpins and Bobbypins: I keep finding that people don't know there's a difference between these two types of pins, and keep using one for the other's purposes. Let me give you a quick run-down on these guys... Bobbypins are designed to hold sections of hair or fiber parallel to the rest of the fiber. Their gripping power is based on the strength of the metal vs. what you're trying to contain. They are most suitable for holding back small bits of hair or fiber that might otherwise being falling out of place. They are not well-suited to keeping a wig on your head, as they need to be "open and shut" to be properly secured, and the meshing of a wig is too thick to allow the pin to shut. (So it just stays open, and slips out.) Hairpins are designed to hold sections of hair perpendicular to the rest of the hair or fiber. They are generally twisted or pinched into place, so their gripping power is based not only off the "teeth" of the metal, but also the weight of the fiber itself. These are used for many styling purposes, including creating up-dos, securing accessories, creating volume, and adding stability. These are also what you should use to secure a wig, as they can be jabbed into place from many more angles than bobby pins, and actually gain gripping power from being stretched beyond their normal capacity.

Other handy tools to have include: Tweezers, pliers, plastic curlers, electric clippers, and a low-power blowdryer.

Styling Products!
Ok, for starters, I'm not being sponsored by any of these brands, so if I recommend something, it's because I have actually used it, and have been impressed by the results and/or price. With that out of the way, the most common styling products I use with my wigs are:

• "Bargain" Hairspray - You don't need and fancy moisturizers or suncreens, just the lacquer.
• Paul Mitchell Styling Glue - I use it to give instant volume to J-Rock hairdos. You only use it in small amounts, so it lasts a long time.
• Pomade - Used to give light texturing effects.
• Clear Drying Adhesive Caulk - This is my favorite extreme styling product, as it sticks well to synthetic fiber, dries clear, and remains flexible. (However, it is not a replacement for hair glue!)

I don't use any special "wig styling" products, but you might want to pick up some wig shampoo, as normal shampoos are too strong for synthetic fiber. (They weigh them down, and sometimes make them brittle.)

NOTE: Gel and Mousse don't work very well in synthetic fiber wigs. Both products are designed to work with your hair's natural oils and porosity, which wigs don't have.

Wearing a Wig
This seems like something I wouldn't get a lot of questions about... but oddly enough, it is. I'm surprised how often I see people wearing wigs like they're hats, or stuffing their hair awkwardly underneath so it makes their head look lumpy, or just not using pins or a wig cap and wondering why it keeps slipping off. So here's Katie's guide to wearing a wig:

1. Use a wig cap!
   I send a matched wig cap with every wig I make for a reason. Use it. It doesn't matter how short, long, thick, thin, curly, straight, spikey or smooth your hair is, everyone can benefit from using the cap. Yes, even bald people.

   Not only does it help mask the meshing and keep your hair neatly contained, it gives the pins something to hold on to.

"But my hair is too thick/long to fit under a cap."

Unless your hair is way past your butt and as thick as Shiva's it's not too much to fit under a cap. They're designed to contain large amounts of hair, and I've never met someone in person who claimed that it wouldn't fit that didn't find much to their surprise that it in fact did.

I'm a fine example of this... That's all my own hair, and when it was down, it went to the small of my back. It is also so thick, that I regularly broke the handles off brushes while trying to brush it, and sent hairties flying across the room at high speed as they snapped under the pressure of trying to contain my ponytails. However, I was easily able to get it all to fit under a wigcap by: Getting my hair wet, Twisting it into an upside-down ponytail at the base of my skull, And pulling the cap on starting from the back. I didn't need to do any fancy-twisty braids, or make it into a dozen tiny buns. I just let the cap do its job, and it worked perfectly.

I find that a lot of people try to make an over-complicated production out of getting your hair into a cap, and it just ends up not working correctly. You don't need to do any tricky "Princess Leah" buns, or the kind of braidwork reserved for bridesmaids. Your hair is going to be under a wig so all you need to do is stuff it under the cap, preferably with the mass of it at the base of your skull.

Why the base of your skull and not the sides or top? Because wigs are designed to stretch in the back, and the back only. The top and sides are made from rigid material, but the back is just a loose system of elastic bands. So putting to extra hair in the back not only makes the wig look better, it helps it stay on better by improving the fit.



2. Use hairpins, not bobbypins!
   Use them all along the edges of the wig at every angle you can muster. I use no less than 20, even for my short wigs, and my long and elaborate designs can easily use twice as many or more.

   If you've got enough pins in place, you'll easily be able to shake your head, touch your toes, dance a jig, or jump up and down without it slipping.
   
   

3. Put it on from the front.
   Once you've got your cap on, and all your hair tucked underneath, it's time to put on your wig.
   1. First, take the wig off the form, and hold it by spreading your fingers out underneath it from the sides.
   2. Now tilt you head forward and rest the front edge of the "scalp" slightly above your eyebrows.
   3. Slowly stretch the sides down over the sides of your own head and slide your fingers out from underneath.
   4. With the wig resting on your head, reach back and pull the base of the wig over the back of the wig cap until the front edge of the wig is slightly below your natural hairline. (Or on your natural hairline, if your wig has bangs.)
   5. Pin it in place, and you're ready to go!