Wigs and wig accessories
Sometimes you just get sick of the stuff growing out your head and no customisation is going to save it. If you’re having a “what-the-hell-I’ll-shave-it-all-off” moment, step away from the clippers for a second and buy yourself a new head of hair instead. Ladies (and Gentlemen), the wig is back…
First, make sure you can tell the difference between the wigs and the long-haired guinea-pig cunningly hidden in the pictures to the right. Then…
Pick a wig
Ignore the bright orange and tinsel things you see in the local joke shop – there’s far more variety out there. Wigs have evolved past the scary white powdered Georgian things and can now be made to look very real, out of the best synthetic fibres or even from human hair (If you can deal with wearing another person’s hair on top of your own). Decide how you want to look- whether you’re just after a new style that won’t get you fired, or if you want fluorescent purple knee-length hair with glittery dreads! (Or similar.) If there is a good costume shop near you, go and try some on so you can see which colours and styles suit you.
Wig beauty tip: White and black either suit you or they don’t. Different shades of browns, blondes and reds suit most people. If you are after another colour, try it on and see- there will usually be a shade somewhere that will look good. A silver wig will just look grey. Even if you stick a neon sign above your head saying “silver”- don’t go there.
Going shopping for wigs
Some accessories shops will have wigs or hairpieces in, but that usually depends on where you live. You may be lucky, but if not…
E-bay! The endless variety of online shops and bargains… If you have an idea of what you want, it is relatively easy to find what you’re looking for. If not, just browse- you may get some inspiration. (Typing “wigs” into Google isn’t a good idea as you will have to go through literally hundreds of bad sites to get to one good site.)
Again, go to a good costume shop, they usually sell wigs as well as rent them out. Have a look around, just don’t get carried away with the novelty wigs (unless that’s what you want), as what looks a bit unusual in a costume shop will make you look at best slightly weird in the street and at worst, a colour-blind circus performer.
Wig beauty tip: A good costume shop has a large variety of wigs, costumes and props in store and will often have catalogues lying around too. The staff will be happy to order you in a wig (or anything else) if the one you want isn’t in store. A not-so-good costume shop will have the wigs sealed in bags so you can’t try them on, and will make most of their profit from dodgy hen/stag-night stuff.
Wig beauty tip: Once you’ve found a wig, buy hairgrips- you will need them!
How to attach your wig with hairgrips
Step 1: It is easier to put a wig on if you have short hair- just pull it over your natural hair and tuck the ends under the wig at the back. If you have longer hair (past shoulder-length), it takes a bit longer.
Plait your hair tightly and secure it at the end, then pull the plait up so it lies along the top of your head. Pin it tightly in place with hair grips. If you want to, you can then put a swimming hat over it to flatten the hair down even more.
Step 2: Pull the wig on top of your head like a hat. Try and get it roughly the right way round (unless you want to look like “Cousin It”!) Adjust it so that the parting- if there is one- is in the right place- usually at the centre of your head. Secure the wig on with hairgrips- you’ll need a lot if you have long hair.
Step 3: Arrange the wig in the style you want! Wigs can be hairspray-ed or gelled into place, or customised even more…
Customising your wig
Here are a few things you can do.
– Attach clip-in hair extensions for streaks of another colour that can be removed easily, or even a clip-in fringe.
– Make it into a dread wig! First divide the wig into sections, then take one section and divide it into two. Twist the parts around each other, backcombing them to keep them in place. Then do this to the rest of the sections. You may need a lot of gel or hairspray. Be warned – be sure you want to do this as this is NOT a reversible style!
– Buy some hair slides or alice-bands and either paint them to match your wig, or leave them as they are. You can attach feathers, flowers, anything you want! (Pssssst! Chinese and Japanese shops often sell really cute charms and accessories.)
– If your wig is styled into an up-do, add a brooch or a fake flower to it. You can even clip a diamante necklace into the hair. Be careful though as you don’t want to pull the style out. Up-do wigs can be delicate.
– Yes, you can attach falls to a wig! Just make sure the wig is very secure on your head, pin the wig up into little buns and attach the falls as you would to your own hair. You can even make mini-falls to attach to your wig.
Online wig accessories
If you love the idea of customising your wig but you’re busy people, then I sympathise- sometimes you are just too rushed off your feet to spend time making pretty things, so here are some websites that you can buy accessories from with minimal effort. It’s just the choosing that takes a while.
– www.missneedles.com sells stunningly unique accessories including goggles, flowers, bows, fringes, falls and even wigs themselves. Check out the specialty wigs and foam flowers.
– www.lickorishlatex.com for cute and slightly alternativey latex hair-ribbon clips. Unique and quite adorable!
– www.angelemma.com is mainly a site for falls, but they also sell clip-in fringes, hairclips for retro ladies and… hand-painted leopard-print flowers!!!
– www.minitophat.com sell… mini top hats. There is a variety on sale in the online shop, but they make custom designs too.
– www.spellowhouse.com is a fashion site for gothic ladies! The hair accessories page stocks diamante hair clips and “hair sticks”- gothic chopsticks!
Now go and be creative!
