How to put on a Wig

[auroraceleste]

Doin' Tutorials 'cause I'm teaching at Naka Kon:


Materials needed:
A wig
a wig cap, pre-stretched
bobby pins - the ones that are straight on one side, wavy on the other, and come tightly closed
hairpins - the ones shaped like Us with waves on both sides. I like the huge ones (yes, you need both)
hair gel (nice, not necessary)


Start with a pretty model like solan_t


Next, in the center of your forehead along your hairline make a big pincurl. Separate out 2 square inches or so of hair and curl around your fingers:


Then pin with two bobby pins shaped in an X. If you have really, really fine hair then you can gel the curl:


Repeat this step to create 5 pincurls at your *anchor points*- One in the center of your forehead, one at each temple right above and in front of your ear, and two in the back of your head at the nape, each one around where those long trails of hair go down your neck:



Next we're going to put the actual hair up. Start in one place on your head and gather the hair. Then, using your head like a big roller, swirl the hair around the head so that it all goes the same direction (clockwise or counter-clockwise) and lays flat against the head:


Then, still holding the hair against your head with one hand, put the wig cap on. Growing an extra arm or two is useful for this step. As you put the wig cap on tuck the band under the *anchor points*, it will take some of those wispy hairs with it and the *anchor points* will prevent it from sliding off. Also, if you have lots of wispies around your temples or in front of your ears, gel them, let dry a bit until gummy, then pull the wig cap over them to pull them back:


Next we put on the wig! The wig should go on from the front. I've seen people say to bend over then flip it on, but it seems to be a lot of work and messy for the wig, and as long as you carefully pull from the front it's not that much of a difference. To start, open the wig and find the two temple tabs. They are usually a sturdier fabric than the rest of the wig. These are going to go in front of your ears, and they're used to position the wig. To start, center the wig on the forehead. If you have two people, have the wearer hold the front of the wig into position on the forehead while you pull the two tabs down to in front of the ears. When the tabs are in position pull the back of the wig down to the nape of the neck. Then slide the front of the wig back until it is in a natural position, ensuring the temple tabs stay positioned in front of the ears.


Next, we're going to actually secure the wig. Starting at a temple take a hairpin and, pushing in slightly on the tines, push it through the fabric of the wig. After it's through the wig angle the pin to go under the wig cap and the pincurl beneath it. This secures the wig under the *anchor point*, preventing it from sliding around or the pin coming out. Repeat with the other temple, then the neck nape points. These four should be enough to secure most wigs. The center forehead point should always be done last. It's also incredibly difficult to secure if you have a wig that has a plastic skin top, so if yours does just skip making a pincurl here. If you have a really heavy styled wig that has a skin top but needs the security, add pincurls on the sides of the forehead right outside the skin top to prevent the wig from sliding back.


And there we go! You can wear a wig! I still need to get a model and pictures for the hair-too-short/bald version of this tutorial, so look for it soon.

Comments

[lordofhaladin.livejournal.com]

yay! thanks! :D

[queza7.livejournal.com]

Awesome, thanks! I was sad that I was doing info desk during your wig panel (having forgotten most of the pointers from last year's thing at the costuming meetup), so now I can actually do a *good* job of putting on my Rei wig. :D

[leiac.livejournal.com]

Add yet another reason to the list of why you rock. :-)

[auroraceleste.livejournal.com]

*blush* Thank you. I'm just passing on the info I forced from the lips of anyone who would speak . . . in this case I'm passing it along as much as possible because it comes from the lips of an almost-retired-and-irreplaceable wig stylist who's done her thing for places like the Santa Fe Opera, and now works in Kansas City at the Lyric Opera. Decades of wig experience and putting wigs on actors has to count for something, right? She also spent time and patience debunking truisms I held dear, like pincurls are the tightest way to put up your hair (we did both, and the bulk from pins holding the curls added almost an inch to my head over this way) and that wigs can't be restyled (steam and hot water works wonders :D ). I'm working on more wig stuff for later this week, so stay tuned :D

[karisu-sama.livejournal.com]

I had waist-length hair for around 20 years until this past Winter Solstice, and I could get it all under a boy-short wig. My secret? super-fine weightless crappy hair... :(

This is a good method for people with thicker hair than me (like your lovely model.) Pincurls never worked well for me though, and would take too much time to do, but because my hair IS super-fine, I could just put it in one (very skinny) braid, run it up the back of my head, at the top of my head grab the middle and tied end of the braid, drop the remaining loop to hang against the back of my head, and just pin the whole braid TO my head with 2-3 bobby pins - voila, two hands available to add wig cap. Pull on cap from front to back (start halfway down forehead & push back), use clips to hold it on at temples and in back so it wouldn't slide off my head. :p (Oh yeah, I have always had to tie a knot in the hem of wig caps to make them tighter - and I don't even have a "petite" head.)

Then: before adding the wig, makeup... :)

This is all moot for me since I got my hair cut really short. I'm wondering how well my heavier wigs are going to stay on now, with less and unsecured hair to pin them to.... resisting the giant rubber band things so far. :p

[starstraf.livejournal.com]

Very well done - although I think I have worn the only wig / hairpiece I will (the C/Lex hair cap I made) this would have been useful - but now I know for any futureness. Very interesting and makes much sense