WIG HACKS
Whether you’re a new to wearing wigs or a veteran, it’s helpful to know helpful tips and tricks for wig wearing. Our Alopecia Ambassador, Abby Andrew, shares some of her best wig hacks that she has learned since wearing wigs since childhood. We hope these are helpful!
SECURING YOUR WIG
It’s understandable why wig wearers are concerned about a wig feeling secure. Some worry a wig might come off in public or at an unexpected time. This is why some wear a wig cap or a wig grip under their wigs to feel more secure. Others, like Abby, choose not to wear anything under their wig. Abby is bald and prefers to wear the wig directly on her scape without a wig cap or wig grip. Daniela, who does have bio hair, prefers to wear a wig cap to secure her hair underneath the wig. Sometimes she uses a bobby pin to secure the wig onto the wig cap netting.
All of our wigs at Rene of Paris, Noriko, Amore, Orchid, Alexander Couture and Muse have adjustable straps in the back of the nape that you can use to make the wig smaller or larger to fit your head perfectly. They are either a tank top style adjustor or a velcro style one. We always recommend that you adjust the straps for an ideal fit. So if you feel like your wig is too loose or too tight, use the adjustments to make sure it fits better. The adjustments can add about an inch either direction to the size of the cap. If you still find that the wig cap is too big or small, we recommend taking your wig to a wig specialist who can further adjust your wig to make it bigger or smaller.
Once the wig is adjusted properly, it should feel comfortable to turn your head upside down and side to side, and it would still stay secure in wind and bad weather. When Abby had her wigs adjusted to the right size, she can even do cartwheels in her wigs even without any wig tape or wig glue.
WIG FIBER
The next wig hack is regarding wig fiber. Many people view human hair as the best wig fiber to wear. However, it truly depends on the type of care you want to put into your wig and the look it has. If you’re someone who wants to have the same experience that you did when you had bio hair – curling, straightening, etc, then a human hair wig would be a great fit! We do recommend you make sure that you purchase a high-quality human hair wig – the only kind we have here at Rene of Paris and Aderans. Human hair wigs are great for styling flexibility, but keep in mind that they act like bio human hair. If you curl a human hair wig, the curls will fall out, if it’s raining or humid outside, the fibers will become frizzy.
Another wig fiber option is synthetic fiber for wigs. The amazing quality of synthetic fibers is they are “ready to wear” in that you can grab them, throw them on and go! The way that you see it styled out of the box, is the way it will stay. Even if you wash the wig, it will maintain its style once it dries (as long as you dry it freely without anything hindering the style). If it’s raining outside or humid, it will still maintain the style. If it is a curly wig, the curls will stay in. So synthetic wigs are ideal for anyone wanting easy amazing hair that doesn’t require much effort. If you want to just throw it on and go, synthetic wigs are for you!
If you like the idea of both styling and having a wig that holds it style, then heat friendly or high heat wigs might be the best for you. These wigs are able to take heat up to a certain temperature (see your wig’s label for details, but it is lower than human hair can handle) and will then hold that style until a new heat style has been applied. This allows you to have more flexibility in customizing the style to your look, but you can also change it. We do recommend styling a piece in the back of your wig first so if it is too hot, you aren’t damaging the front where it is most obvious.
One other option to consider is that here at Rene of Paris we have created a Hot Tool that is safe to use on our synthetic wigs! It maintains a low temperature that will not damage the wig. A note is that once you change your style on your synthetic wig, it will stay in the new style, even if you wash it. But it’s definitely an exciting innovation for synthetic wigs!
LACE FRONT
The next wig hack is going to be about getting the perfect lace front. Some wigs that you can purchase do not have the lace front pre-trimmed which can be difficult to work with. Making sure you cut it in a way that lays flat and naturally can be challenging. That’s why here at Rene of Paris we pre-trim all of our lace front wigs, so you can just take the wig out of the box and put it right on! It’s ready to go as is. A natural looking lace front wig provides the ability to pull back hair from your face and it still looks very natural. The lace gives the appearance of the hairs growing out of your head. Not every style requires a lace front to look natural, but if you’re wanting to pull it back, this is very important! That’s why we take the extra step of pre-cutting the lace on our wigs, so no hassle is needed on the wig wearer’s side. If you do wear a lace front wig, we recommend always checking the lace after you put it on, to make sure no hair is caught under the lace.
DETANGLING
For this last wig hack, let’s talk about detangling. If you’re wearing a wig for longer periods of time, it will likely get to be a little tangled at some point, especially if it’s a longer wig. Any time you need to brush through your wig, always start with a wig comb or wig brush and work from the bottom up. Start in the back of the wig by the nape on the inside as that’s often where it is the most tangled. You can use our Revive Liquid Enhancement Spray to assist with detangling, along with one of our combs or brushes. If it’s a wavy or curly wig, we recommend using our Wig Lift Comb. If it’s a straight wig, we recommend our Rene of Paris Brush. We also have a travel brush that folds up! When you’re brushing or combing, be gentle and slow with your movements, ensuring you don’t pull too hard on the fibers. If you’re at home or in a comfortable environment, you could put the wig on a wig head or stand to detangle it there, rather than on your head. If you do feel like your wig is getting old, you could turn it into a swim, beach or workout wig – one that you can wear when it might go through unideal circumstances. You could also put it into an updo, ponytail or braids to hide any long term damage on the fibers.
We hope these wig tips have been helpful! If you’d like to see these tips demonstrated, please view this video with our Alopecia Ambassador, Abby Andrew below!
