Today’s question is…
How do you store your wigs? How do you style your wigs?
I am no wig expert. I’ve just kind of felt my way along and learned from other costumers. One of the biggest issue with wigs is that there is a dearth of information out there; on buying them, wearing them, and taking care of them. Only in the past few years with cosplay becoming more prevalent has wig information become much easier to find.
Where to Buy
I’m guessing most cities are the same – we have a LOT of wig stores around town. I typically don’t buy actual wigs here, but of course you could! The one I like to go to has a HUGE selection of wigs, mostly natural colours but also some “party” colours. I mostly use them for accessories like wig caps, toupee tape, and extensions. I like to buy extensions (both wefted and loose hair) in person so I can match the colour to my wig or own hair.
EBAY is where I buy a ton of my wigs! You can find pretty much any kind of wig you’d want on ebay, and there are now a ton of overseas sellers who specialize in costume wigs. (Just remember if you’re buying a wig from China, give it plenty of time to get here and through customs!)
I have used both Arda and Epic Cosplay in the past couple of years and really love both of them. Nice quality wigs, made with costuming in mind, and great prices.
Finally you can always check out places like Etsy.com for custom wig creators. These options will be more expensive but if you’re looking for something EXACT that you don’t have to style yourself, this is the place to go.
Storage
I have a lot of wigs. If I kept them all on wigheads I would have no room for anything else!
Only a few special wigs get to stay on wigheads – the ones that are very large and/or styled. I used to keep them on a shelf, but they were getting dusty, so I started storing them in wigboxes. I was able to clear out a large space in the upper part of one of our closets, and that’s where all of my styled wigs live now. Unstyled wigs get stored in large ziplock bags. If they’re long, I’ll braid them or tie them off in sections, then flip it inside out and tuck it into the bag. If I have one laying around, I’ll wrap a hairnet around it, too.
Care
The most important things you’ll need wig spray and a wig brush!
You can by a wig de-tangling spray at wig or hair care stores; I’ve previously used a brand called Brandywine and it works well. I used to use a specific wig comb (also bought at the wig store), but now I use the same kind of hairbrush I use on my own hair – it’s called “The Wet Brush,” which also works on wigs. I’ve been using this kind of brush for a while now, and it works just as well on my wigs as my own hair! If there are any bad tangles in my wig, I attack it with the de-tangling spray and work the knots out with my fingers before brushing.
I’ve since started making my own wig de-tangling/smoothing spray – 1 part fabric softener, 4 parts water. It smells so good and works just as well as the store bought stuff! And also much easier to replace when you run out or lose it (somehow I lose wig spray a lot. I don’t know.)
If for whatever reason you need to wash your wig (say, you wore it to somewhere people were smoking and now your wig smells like smoke), you can do so in a sink with gentle shampoo. I recommend googling tutorials if you need to do this; I have (thankfully) only had to do this once, and for me, just soaking it in cold water for a little while and then letting it air dry on a wig head did the trick.
When transporting styled wigs, I usually make a custom carrying box for it – I talk about this a little in Transporting Costumes.
Wearing It
Always pin your wig to your head! I’ll never forget the masquerade where a girl in costume came out dancing, flipped her head, and off came her wig. Even when I feel like the cap fits well and it’s not going anywhere, I go ahead and bobbie pin it at least twice just so it doesn’t slip. If it’s a REALLY heavy wig, I’ll bobbie pin the front edge, and then use clips in the back (hidden under the hair) to clip it to my own hair further back, so that the pressure of holding the entire wig on isn’t focused on my forehead. (see my basic costume faq for a list of bobbin pins, clips and barrettes I like to use with wigs!)
(Here’s my wig making a backwards escape because I didn’t pin it.)
For wig caps, I always used the netted ones. My local wig store carries them in blonde, brown and black. I generally keep all colours on hand. The netted ones make it easier for you to clip or pin the wig in place; it’s harder to work a bobbie pin or barrette through a pantyhose-style wig cap.
Styling wigs
Every wig-styling job is different, so is hard to give one definite set of answers to how I style my wigs. For starters, here’s a list of products I generally use.
-loose or wefted hair – either for adding volume or wrapping extra pieces in. Wefts are easier to sew-in place onto the cap of a wig.
-Got2B hair spray. This stuff is awesome.
-Clear Elmer’s Glue for styling
-floral wire
-foam
-regular hair spray
-a hair dryer or either styling tools
I suck at cutting hair, so generally I don’t. The guy who cuts my hair will usually do it for me if it’s anything major! When I do have to cut something, I slice at it with the edge of my scissors; you don’t even want to cut straight across. (Last time I try to cut the bangs of my own wig, it looked awful so I took it to him to fix… he told me to never put scissors to a wig again LOL)
To use one I’ve done as an example (and taken a lot of progress pictures of!) there’s my Marie Antoinette wig – I broke it all down in an FAQ here!
Most wigs you buy these days are heat-resistant, which means you can style them with heat-related products like curlers or curling irons/straighteners. Generally the cheaper the wig, the less likely it is to be heat-resistant. ALWAYS – even if it says heat resistant – test a spot in the back first! I once thought I had a heat-resistant wig, but tested a lock in the back by the neck area, and it melted. I was just able to cut that piece out without too much loss. and try a different method. Once you find the wig is ok with heat, you can style it as you would your own hair, but always err on the side of “too cool” when using things like curling irons, and work your way up.
I only discovered several years ago that the reason I always had trouble curling wigs is because I didn’t let them cool. I would remove the curlers while they were still hot, because I worried about leaving them on too long… and then the hair would simply fall back as it was. Leaving the curlers in until the wig hair has completely cooled down sets the curls in place, generally.
Hairdryers – Using hairspray and a hot hair dryer can melt hair into place over a form. I’ve used this several times, and as long as you don’t leave the heat on too long, it still looks ok (leave it on too long and it will start to melt TOO much and look icky.) I like to use this method over foam forms that I then cover in non-melted hair – like my Corde wig below.
(That’s the way I melded my Corde wig hair over the foam forms.)
Clear elmer’s glue is good for if you absolutely don’t want the hair going anywhere. I don’t use it as much as I used to, but my Belldandy antenna and Rally Vincent wig were done with Elmer’s Glue and floral wire (the wire was twisted into the wig cap and just made a skeleton to wrap the hair around). You have to let it dry for a long time and I usually don’t have the patience for that; I also know folks who use caulk, but I have never ventured there.
These days I mostly use Got2B instead of those two options, though. It holds really well but can be fairly well brushed out if needed. Generally, I’ll use the heat+hairspray method on an under-layer, and then layer non-glued/Got2B sprayed hair over the top of it.
The foam I use is a very dense packing foam, similar to what you can find at fabric stores. It comes in big blocks. I’ll either cut out my shape with a regular knife or an electric carving knife, glue fabric around it, and sew it into the wig cap. It’s lightweight enough it will usually stand on its own. Once it’s in place I cover it in hair, or whatever is needed. I’ve used this on Yuuko, Alyss, Marie Antoinette, Sally Jupiter, and Ame-Comi Wonder Woman. I talk a little more about this here.
(This is what the foam looks like before being covered by fabric).
Dyeing a wig is not terribly hard! Just remember – you cannot go lighter. You might be able to dull it with powder or (eek) paint, but the rule of thumb is, if you are wanting a custom colour, start light and work your way up. I personally use the sharpie ink in a spray bottle method and have had great results.
Want more great tutorials on styling wigs – or anything else wig related? Check out Arda’s Tutorials Section.
Finally…. early on in my “career” I was lucky enough to be given a hair-dresser’s dummy and the adjustable wig holder/clamp that went with it. That holder/clamp makes life so much easier when working with wigs! It fits on regular foam wigheads, too. I don’t know what I’d do without it. Although Ms Kim, who came with it, is fairly evil and plotting to kill us all.
