Archive for February 2010
Do you have to be bald to wear a wig?
No you don’t.
I don’t have enough fingers and toes to count how many times I’ve been asked that question.It’s even funnier when I say that I have a full head of hair but I’m just a bit lazy when it comes to doing something with it. People don’t seem to believe me until I whip out of photo of myself, which I sadly have on my phone. As my hair is natural, aka afro, it seems to shock and confuse people and all they say is ” You fit all of that under a wig?!”
One day I’ll post a photo of myself without the wig…..
I wear a wig as I like to look good but don’t want to be spending what precious time I have doing my hair. However some people wear wig as they MUST to due to one reason or another. I really hope that this blog gives people both views of the coin and to show how much wigs have come on since the 1800′s!
Talking of people who MUST wear a wig, Naomi Campbell is definitely one such person who needs to speak to me. With the amount of money that she earns I really would have thought that her hair piece, whether it’s a weave or a wig, would be attached correctly. At the very least it would cover up her stressed out scalp.
I can’t say for certain why she has a receding hairline like that, this can happen when you constantly put pressure on your hair with hair extensions. This is why Wigs especially Front and Lace Wigs are good, when attached correctly, as they are attached to your skin and not your hair.
She could have Hair Transplant surgery. Yes…Hair transplant surgery I can’t believe that this is available. I thought it was just something that was on the Simpsons for fun, Homer had it done, and not a REAL form of surgery. As you can probably tell this is not something that I would ever endorse and think that there are less painful ways of having a full head of hair. Then again if I couldn’t wear wigs any more I’d go natural. Hair Transplant Surgery is just too extreme.
Katie Price and her love of wigs.
Whoa hoo! Katie Price wears wigs.
I’d had a long day and decided that I wanted my brain to relax so I switched on the TV, channel hopped for a while and then settles on “What Katie did next” on ITV2. Now I’m not a big fan of Katie Price but I do admire what she has done in her life with regards to where she started off and where she is today.
Anyhow, she was getting ready to head off to the Brit Awards and her make up/hair stylist pulls a wig out of the bag and Katie Price explains that she wears a wig now and again. I did surely sit up in my seat and take notice. She didn’t let the camera’s film her putting it on but I think it may have been a 3/4 wig where you blend your own hair into the wig.
Don’t get me wrong I knew she wore hair extensions, however, I’m well chuffed that she wears wigs as well.
Some people still think that if you wear a wig you must be bald…One day I’ll post a picture of myself with my natural hair, it’s a sight to be seen.
After the programme I went hunting for a picture of Katie Price wearing a wig and could only find an article with her wearing a shockingly obvious wig. Her partner, Alex, is wearing an even more shocking outfit…
How to attach a Lace Front/Full Lace Wig PT:2
Now we come to the cutting of the wig itself. I was told to cut the lace back, please see photo of mannequin with Full Lace Wig, and to leave about 2cm of lace around the edge. By leaving that lace around the edge everyone can see it even if it is Swiss Lace. As you are paying £150+ for this lace technology which is meant to be virtually undetectable then why show everyone the lace?
Excess lace on a Lace Wig
Lace visible on the Lace Wig
A really good tip is that when you are cutting the lace around the hair line of the wig only cut a 1-2cm with each snip. This is so that you don’t do what I did and cut loads of lace off in one go then realise that you had cut too much. When you cut a little at a time you have time enough to see if you have made any mistakes. Plus you’re not left with a £200 Lace Wig that now does not fit your head……Hey I make the mistakes so that you don’t have to.
Anyhow as you will see from the photo below I was in shock at how amazingly awful I looked……I’ve never shown anyone this photo before and I’m guessing you can see why.
Yep..I couldn't believe how bad it was...
My own attempt at attaching a Lace Wig
Please compare that this photo to my own attempts of attaching a Lace Wig.
Anyone can attach a Lace Wig as all it takes is practice, patience and determination. You’ll need these qualities if you are attaching a Full Lace Wig as the back is slightly tricky when you’re doing it by yourself and using a mirror. As it is the back of the head if you do make a mistake no one is going to see. It took me a good few attempts to work out how much adhesive to put on in that area. I found that, for me, I needed to put on more there than on the rest of my head.
It all depends on your own body chemistry how much glue to put on. All I can say is that trail and error is the key to success.
Then again if you don’t have that then seek out a good professional.
How to attach a Lace Front/Full Lace Wig: PT1
For me it’s been trial and error when it’s come to getting the application of these wig correct. I am nothing if not a perfectionist. So I’ve been through the fires of trying new types of double sided tape. I was very wary about using liquid adhesive however it’s good to use if you use it correctly.
The glue will damage your hairline if you apply it directly to your hair and hairline. How do I know? In my never ending quest for perfection I decided to pay a “professional” to attach my first ever Full Lace Wig.
Now remember I had been putting on my Lace Front Wig myself for several months to this. Now there are a few pointers I want you guys to know so that when you’re hunting for a “Professional” to also attach your Lace Wig you know what to look for.
- The “Professional should be wearing a Lace Wig or at least have good photo’s of themselves wearing a Lace Wig. When you book your appointment ASK!! If they are good they will have no problem with this and plus as they want the business they should accommodate you in this. I know I would…
- When you see them with the Lace Wig on/photo’s see if it looks natural. If not then I’d go elsewhere as this shows that they haven’t got a clue on how to attach the wig correctly. This could mean that they do as poor a job on your hair as they did on their own.
- See if they have photo’s of past clients as well. They usually will and then at least you have an over few of their work.
By doing the above you will probably avoid the mistake that I made.
The “Professional” who attached my Lace Wig had also attached her Lace Wig and as she hadn’t applied the liquid adhesive correctly it looks as if she was in a constant sweat. With the liquid adhesive you apply it in thin layers that you leave to go tacky before applying the next layer. When you paint the glue on in one go it turns a misty colour which, when wearing a Lace Wig, especially Swiss, is very very noticeable. The aim of the game is to make this wig look natural..
She had also used the method of spreading the glue onto your hair. Remember this glue can be super strong and can last up to 6 weeks. When you come to take the wig off you will find that getting the glue, and when it’s thick it’s more difficult to get off, will come off with bits of your hair.
Another technique used was that if you left a bit of glue forward of the lace you would plaster the baby hair to it. Having the glue there reflects the light so once again you look like a sweaty betty. The glue doesn’t hold the baby hair there for long anyhow, plus it’s really messy and gets in the hair, as you see from the photo’s below.
Lace Wig Attachment
Spot the glue in the hair
As you can see from the above images the shiny areas on her face is where the liquid adhesive has gone tacky. That is where the baby hair would be pushed onto, with a comb. I understand why this technique is used but I have never used it as I like my lace wig to look as natural as possible. As you can see below.
Rocking my new hair cut!
My new hair cut
People think that you need to go to a special hairdresser to get your hair cut. I went to Francesca’s in Newcastle under Lyme in Staffordshire and had the lovely Matt cut my hair. Matt had never cut a wig before and I am really pleased with the results. The first photo was taken on the day it was cut as I was going to a charity ball that night. The second photo is at Christmas and I had bed hair.
Why? Why is it that when you go to the hairdressers you look stunning then spend hours trying to achieve the same look… Oh it may be because I’m not a hairdresser and that’s what they train so many years for.
One thing you must get and I can’t live without is……GHD’s. If your going to get a wig of any sort get some of those and you can’t go wrong.
The difference between a Lace Front Wig and a Full Lace Wig
I’ve been doing a bit of research on the net to see what information is available regarding Full Lace Wigs, or as they seem to be also called, Full Lace Front Wigs.
As the name suggest the base of this wig is completely made of lace. The lace can either be Swiss Lace, which is thin and delicate and due to this it is almost undetectable. French Lace is thicker but is more durable.
If you’ve never worn a Lace Front Wig, then I would suggest that you start off with one that is made from French Lace. I started off wearing the Sleek Diva Lace Front wig, which is made from French Lace, and even though I made mistakes when attaching the wig the lace was strong enough to take my pulling on it when I realized I hadn’t aligned the double sided tape or liquid adhesive correctly to the wig.
Lace Wig with strech cap
The above picture is of the base of a Lace Wig. The material sown into/around the lace, is the stretch of the cap. Why is it there I hear you say. Well imagine if the whole wig was lace you wouldn’t be able to put it into a ponytail without ripping. However the stretch part of the cap does what it says. It stretches so that the lace base can be more flexible.
Now to put this all into some type of perspective, a Lace Wig is the type of wig that Beyonce, Tyra and other celebs wear. This is the type of wig that I’m wearing in the photo at the top of the page.
