Wearing Wigs and Making them Look Real

You are looking to buy a new wig, but you’re not sure which one you should get, right? Whether you’re looking to buy a wig for your next runway show, or whether you need something more casual for daily wear, we have just the right wigs for you! There are many reasons why people wear wigs. Some people wear wigs because of alopecia, chemotopy, thinning hair, and trichotillomania. Other people wear wigs to build their self-confidence or to keep up with trends. Maybe you know exactly what wig you want, but you’re not so sure how to wear it so that it looks natural. I want to share some tips and tricks that will make your wig look like it’s growing out of your own scalp.

Choosing a Hair Type

Before you go to the bank or transfer money from your online account, you might want to figure out what type of wig you are going to buy. The price of your wigs will vary based on the type of wig you will purchase. My first tip for you is to know what type of wig you want to purchase. Your wig will look more genuine depending on the type of wig that you choose.

There are generally three types of wigs: synthetic wigs, human hair, and blended hair. You may have heard of cotton, silk, and wool. Well, those are all examples of natural fibers. Synthetic wigs are made from synthetic fibers like plastic and are chemically processed. These types of hair are usually inexpensive. You can purchase a synthetic wig for as low as twenty dollars at your local beauty depot. Synthetic hairs are generally under a hundred dollars, but depending on the beauty depot, the price may vary.

Human-hair wigs are made from hair that is donated to nonprofit organizations. Then, hair that passes inspection gets sent off to a manufacturer to begin the wig making process. This type of hair can run anywhere from a hundred dollars to thousands of dollars depending on the brand and the type of human hair you purchase. Spending thousands of dollars on human hair is not necessary to have a realistic-looking wig. However, spending that much money is an option if that is something you are willing to do.

Blended hair, as the name suggests, is a wig that is mixed with human hair and synthetic fibers. Most often, blended hair prices somewhere in between a synthetic hair and a human hair wig. Blended hairs are typically between forty dollars to a couple of hundreds of dollars. Again, prices may vary depending on the beauty depot you visit.

Advantage and Disadvantages

You may have already guessed it, but the wig that will give you a most natural look is the human hair. Since the human hair is made from actual donated hair, it looks and feels more realistic. If you purchase a human hair wig, you can do anything to it that you would be able to do to your own hair. For example, you can wash it, dye it, blow dry it and flat iron it.

Synthetic wigs, on the other hand, is limited. Most of the time, synthetic wigs cannot be manipulated because they are usually made from plastic. Adding heat to the plastic fiber will alter the design–or worst, burn it. It goes without saying that synthetic wigs usually have a glossy appearance. I don’t know about you, but my hair doesn’t normally shine, so that is one of the reasons why synthetic hair tends to look unrealistic.

If you’re not looking to spend too much money on a wig, but you want the wig to look somewhat natural, then the blended hair is a good option for you. You can usually treat blended hair like human hair with some limitations. Unlike the synthetic hair, blended hair does not burn automatically when you use heat on there. For example, you may have to set the flat iron to a lower heat level so that the hair does not burn.

Whichever the wig you decide to buy, another factor that will make your wig look more realistic is the density of the wig. The density is the thickness of your wig; the higher the density, the thicker the wig. If the wig is too thin, then it can look abnormal, but if the wig is too thick, it can look fake. The popular density people like to purchase is between 130% or 150%.

What Makes a Wig Look Natural

Along with the texture and appearance, what makes a wig look realistic is the style you can do with them. For example, do you want to wear your hair in a ponytail? Well, not all wigs are able to do this style. There are many, different wigs but the three different types of wigs that will give you a realistic appearance are the lace closure wigs, the lace frontal wig, and the full lace wigs.

A lace is sewn to the wig caps to give the impression that your scalp is showing when you part the hair. When people think they can see your scalp, it makes your wig look like your own hair is growing out of your scalp. The lace closure can only be parted from one end of your temporal to the other end. The difference between a lace front wig and a closure is typically the size. On a lace front wig, the area where you can part your hair is from ear to ear instead of from temporal to temporal. This gives you more options for styling your hair. My favorite is the full lace wig because the entire wig is made with the lace material and that gives it a more realistic appearance. You can pretty much do any style with a full lace wig that you can do with your own hair.

How to Style your Wig

Whichever wig you choose, there are three things you will want to make it look natural: bleach the knots, cut the front lace, and pluck the parting. You can purchase a wig with all these steps already done for you, but it will cost you a little extra. However, if you want to do these steps by yourself, you can click here to learn how to bleach your wig, here to learn how to cut the lace and here to watch how to pluck your parting.

Once you’re done preparing your wig, you are ready to wear your wig. You can glue the wig on, gel the wig on or just throw the wig on and use the straps to secure it. Whatever you decide, line the front of the wig up with your natural hairline. If you pull the wig too close to your forehead, it will be obvious that it’s a wig. If you push the wig too far back, it will just look awkward. For an example on how to wear your wig, you can check out a quick tutorial here.

You’re all set! If you know what wig you want to buy, go ahead and view our wig gallery by clicking here. If you’re still not sure which wig you want to buy, Strut Hair solutions will help you find a wig that looks just like your natural hair! You can speak to one of our experts by booking a consultation.