Wig care and advice, from a habitual wearer
Yay, a post! I know, it's been too long. Facebook killed the Livejournal star, and all that.
Okay, so, I wear a lot of wigs. I actually own more wigs than I have had real hairstyles - not just cuts, but styles - in my life. I have an entire drawer in my bureau full of folded wigs, in sealed bags. The frequency with which I wear wigs actually was part of my motivation for originally cutting my very long, cumbersome hair off, a few years ago (well, that and the oppressive Sydney humidity making it horrendously high maintenance and uncomfortable). It has been four years since I have played a single Cam character that did not require a wig, and that's across multiple genres. What's more, the wigs I own are generally cheapies (not the sort you buy at the local party store type of cheap, but not one hundred dollars plus a pop, either) because, frankly, I've found that with a little care and attention, you can make a well-chosen cheap wig off eBay or a cosplay site look just as good as a Raquel Welch or Revlon branded one.
Firstly, when choosing your wig, no matter what sort of wig it is, if you want any kind of realism at all, try to make sure it has a skin top - this is a section at the parting of the wig where there is a visible plastic 'scalp' which the fibre is embedded in - as this makes the wig much more convincing as your own hair, even if it's bright green. Furthermore (and here's one I'm often surprised how many people overlook), try to make sure the tone of the skin top matches your own skin, or the foundation makeup you plan to wear - I've seen too many pale people wandering around with dark olive skin at their part; a dead giveaway that they're wearing a wig. If your costume involves, say, green skin, it is possible to very carefully colour in the skin part with a suitably coloured marker, or even a soft crayon, taking extra care not to mark the wig fibres.
Secondly, buy the style you want. Don't bank on being able to style a wig, unless you know a cosplayer or someone who specialises in wig styling. It's not enough to know a hairdresser, because wigs don't behave like human hair rooted to a scalp; they're actually more like a shaggy rug in terms of what you can do to them. Cut hair away in one place, and you may expose the cap underneath. Attempt to put a long wig into an updo, and you'll have the same problem. Unless you're just teasing and frizzing, wigs tend to respond less to hairspray and gel to set them in styles, and more to things like varnish and wood glue. Putting wigs up temporarily using clips and combs is difficult, as plastic or nylon fibre tends to be smoother and thus more slippery than human hair, and there's no scalp underneath for the ornaments to grab on to; the wig will probably fall out of the style very quickly. The only alterations I would suggest making to any wig is that you can cut the fringe, very carefully, shorter, if it's poking you in the eyes, but you must start a few milimetres at a time and go slowly, otherwise you risk ending up with a too-short fringe that completely ruins the look of the entire wig.
One question I get asked a lot is, given how cheap my wigs are, how do I keep them looking so fine? I have wigs I've had for years that are still shiny, tidily in their original style, and perfect. The trick is really simple; detangling, before and after every single usage. Never put a wig away before you've given it a good going over with a comb; if you're too tired to do it before bed, then leave it out somewhere you'll have to look at it, so you're motivated the next day to fix it. Do not use products designed for human hair on wigs - not even spray-on conditioner to help detangle; this product is made to be left in the hair for a few days and then rinsed out the next time you wash your hair, it is not made to stay in hair, let alone plastic fibre, for months or years on end, and can be destructive long-term. Remember, your wig is not hair; it is many strands of very fine fabric. Instead, fill a spray bottle set to 'mist' with diluted Cuddly fabric softener (you can try other brands, but I find Cuddly to be the best for this particular task), watered down to about a sixth, and use this. It will ease combing, and leave the wig shiny, the fibre neat, it's safe to leave in long term, and the wig will smell nice. Always use a comb to work out any tangles. If your wig is a straight style, you can also use a brush to tidy it up, afterwards, but brush very gently, and only ever with a brush that has padded tips, as sharp tips can tear and damage the fibre. Never brush a curly wig unless you want it to become a wavy wig. Regardless of what the label may say, the curls will not spring back into place after this kind of treatment if you wash the wig. You will have to reset them entirely and, as mentioned above, setting styles into a wig is not for the amateur wig-wearer.
Finally, storage. Work out any tangles and comb the style back into any wig before you put it away, then, if it's a long wig, fold the cap in half along the centre of the 'scalp' (this applies even if there is no skin top), take the tail of the hair in your hands and gently twist it into a long roll, then fold this roll upwards, against the facing side of the 'scalp', and carefully wrap the whole lot up in a hairnet. Fold the hairnet around the wig multiple times, if you have extra, and then slide the whole package into a suitably sized plastic ziplock bag. Force all the air out of the bag, and seal it. If your wig is a short one, with no 'tail' to worry about, then you need only fold it in half, and then hairnet and bag it. Keep wigs away from heat, and store them low in Summer; whatever your fibre is called, whether it's kanekalon, toyakalon, or anything else, it's either plastic or vinyl based, which means that excessive heat can and will damage the look of the wig. If you have multiple wigs in the same coloured fibre, it's worth purchasing some labels to attach to the bags, so you can tell at a glance which one is which. If you want to leave a wig out, for display or later care, try to make sure it's on a wig head; styrofoam wig forms are available very cheaply, for around five to seven dollars each, at your local craft, costumes or haberdashery shop. If even that isn't available, then gently hanging your wig over a bedknob is an acceptable short term solution.
I hope the benefit of my experience has been useful to you! Happy wigging! :-)
Okay, so, I wear a lot of wigs. I actually own more wigs than I have had real hairstyles - not just cuts, but styles - in my life. I have an entire drawer in my bureau full of folded wigs, in sealed bags. The frequency with which I wear wigs actually was part of my motivation for originally cutting my very long, cumbersome hair off, a few years ago (well, that and the oppressive Sydney humidity making it horrendously high maintenance and uncomfortable). It has been four years since I have played a single Cam character that did not require a wig, and that's across multiple genres. What's more, the wigs I own are generally cheapies (not the sort you buy at the local party store type of cheap, but not one hundred dollars plus a pop, either) because, frankly, I've found that with a little care and attention, you can make a well-chosen cheap wig off eBay or a cosplay site look just as good as a Raquel Welch or Revlon branded one.
Firstly, when choosing your wig, no matter what sort of wig it is, if you want any kind of realism at all, try to make sure it has a skin top - this is a section at the parting of the wig where there is a visible plastic 'scalp' which the fibre is embedded in - as this makes the wig much more convincing as your own hair, even if it's bright green. Furthermore (and here's one I'm often surprised how many people overlook), try to make sure the tone of the skin top matches your own skin, or the foundation makeup you plan to wear - I've seen too many pale people wandering around with dark olive skin at their part; a dead giveaway that they're wearing a wig. If your costume involves, say, green skin, it is possible to very carefully colour in the skin part with a suitably coloured marker, or even a soft crayon, taking extra care not to mark the wig fibres.
Secondly, buy the style you want. Don't bank on being able to style a wig, unless you know a cosplayer or someone who specialises in wig styling. It's not enough to know a hairdresser, because wigs don't behave like human hair rooted to a scalp; they're actually more like a shaggy rug in terms of what you can do to them. Cut hair away in one place, and you may expose the cap underneath. Attempt to put a long wig into an updo, and you'll have the same problem. Unless you're just teasing and frizzing, wigs tend to respond less to hairspray and gel to set them in styles, and more to things like varnish and wood glue. Putting wigs up temporarily using clips and combs is difficult, as plastic or nylon fibre tends to be smoother and thus more slippery than human hair, and there's no scalp underneath for the ornaments to grab on to; the wig will probably fall out of the style very quickly. The only alterations I would suggest making to any wig is that you can cut the fringe, very carefully, shorter, if it's poking you in the eyes, but you must start a few milimetres at a time and go slowly, otherwise you risk ending up with a too-short fringe that completely ruins the look of the entire wig.
One question I get asked a lot is, given how cheap my wigs are, how do I keep them looking so fine? I have wigs I've had for years that are still shiny, tidily in their original style, and perfect. The trick is really simple; detangling, before and after every single usage. Never put a wig away before you've given it a good going over with a comb; if you're too tired to do it before bed, then leave it out somewhere you'll have to look at it, so you're motivated the next day to fix it. Do not use products designed for human hair on wigs - not even spray-on conditioner to help detangle; this product is made to be left in the hair for a few days and then rinsed out the next time you wash your hair, it is not made to stay in hair, let alone plastic fibre, for months or years on end, and can be destructive long-term. Remember, your wig is not hair; it is many strands of very fine fabric. Instead, fill a spray bottle set to 'mist' with diluted Cuddly fabric softener (you can try other brands, but I find Cuddly to be the best for this particular task), watered down to about a sixth, and use this. It will ease combing, and leave the wig shiny, the fibre neat, it's safe to leave in long term, and the wig will smell nice. Always use a comb to work out any tangles. If your wig is a straight style, you can also use a brush to tidy it up, afterwards, but brush very gently, and only ever with a brush that has padded tips, as sharp tips can tear and damage the fibre. Never brush a curly wig unless you want it to become a wavy wig. Regardless of what the label may say, the curls will not spring back into place after this kind of treatment if you wash the wig. You will have to reset them entirely and, as mentioned above, setting styles into a wig is not for the amateur wig-wearer.
Finally, storage. Work out any tangles and comb the style back into any wig before you put it away, then, if it's a long wig, fold the cap in half along the centre of the 'scalp' (this applies even if there is no skin top), take the tail of the hair in your hands and gently twist it into a long roll, then fold this roll upwards, against the facing side of the 'scalp', and carefully wrap the whole lot up in a hairnet. Fold the hairnet around the wig multiple times, if you have extra, and then slide the whole package into a suitably sized plastic ziplock bag. Force all the air out of the bag, and seal it. If your wig is a short one, with no 'tail' to worry about, then you need only fold it in half, and then hairnet and bag it. Keep wigs away from heat, and store them low in Summer; whatever your fibre is called, whether it's kanekalon, toyakalon, or anything else, it's either plastic or vinyl based, which means that excessive heat can and will damage the look of the wig. If you have multiple wigs in the same coloured fibre, it's worth purchasing some labels to attach to the bags, so you can tell at a glance which one is which. If you want to leave a wig out, for display or later care, try to make sure it's on a wig head; styrofoam wig forms are available very cheaply, for around five to seven dollars each, at your local craft, costumes or haberdashery shop. If even that isn't available, then gently hanging your wig over a bedknob is an acceptable short term solution.
I hope the benefit of my experience has been useful to you! Happy wigging! :-)