Looking for advice on a first wig, tips for care, where to look, etc.

Okay, so I have been living with Alopecia Areata for quite some time now (roughly 4 years) and it has recently gotten to the point where the patches are no longer easily hidden. A majority of the right hand side of the back of my head is gone, and I've lost a section in the front where I was parting my hair. It hadn't ever bothered me terribly but as the spots become much larger and more noticeably it's been a blow to the self-esteem (I recently had a women in a museum ask me if I had shaved a '4' into the side of my head because of the way the patches look, needles to say I was off-put). 

Anywho, I've been looking into lace front wigs, and I'm extremely interested. Partly so I can go about my day without constantly worry whether or not a spot is showing and also for the fun of changing hairstyles. However, I am naturally a redhead and I would really like to keep as close to my natural color as possible, it's sort of my signature among friends and family. ;) Any fellow gingers have advice on the best shades of red for wigs? I think the combination that matches my color the closest is a 27/30/33 blend. 

Another thing that comes with being a redhead is that I am also quite pale and freckle-faced. As I look for wigs, most of the stock wigs and colors are laced in shades for African-American women (light brown, brown, etc). I was wondering if the front lace color is a problem for pale skin and where I can find transparent lace wigs online.

Along with that, I would love some basic advice on things like: maintenance, your favorite online stores for reasonably priced (Something that could be affordable on a college student budget) lace front wigs, transitioning to wearing a wig (how to explain it to friends, feeling comfortable, etc), and whatever else a first-time wig shopper would need to know.

I know this is a lot, so I thank anyone in advance who takes the time to read and respond. :)

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Hello

I can't help you with information about lace wigs. There is a lady here who I hope comes in soon as she swears by the lace wigs she gets from China for her daughter.

I just wanted to pass on some information about hair so you are aware of the differences in human hair.  Most who start looking for wigs do not know that their are different types of human hair.  Each type has a totally different outcome for the wearer.  

Processed Human hair.  Is as the name says.  It has been processed in some way before it is attached to the cap and made into a wig.  This hair is really great for short term wear as wigs made with this type of hair are usually reasonably priced.  The downside is that the hair does not look or behave like people's growing hair.  It is often silicone coated to make it shiny and healthy looking, but after a couple of washes this can disappear leaving the wearer with a wig that is dry and tangly.  (Not a problem if you need your wig for short term wear).  But for those that need an answer long term it can be a very disappointing outcome, causing a lot of stress and concern. So, when you are looking for a wig ask what type of human hair is in the wig....often you will get some very vague answers such as....'it is European, or mongolian or chinese hair'.  The ethnic background of the hair means nothing.  It is more to do with the colour you require the diameter of the hair (fine or coarse) etc.  that will mean more to you.  I particularly take issue with the European hair name....if the hair is processed in any way it will have issues....so make sure you ask.  

Just a small anecdote ...recently I rang a Wig onseller in New Zealand for a lady as she was a bit confused.  I asked if the hair in the wigs they were selling had been processed.  The answer I received was both confusing and offputting.... They told me that the hair was virgin hair in the factory.  I then said what is in the wigs though....a very cagey it depends on what you want came back.  I know a lot about hair and these sort of answers are really to confuse people.  So be thoughtful on your decisions. 

100% unprocessed virgin human hair.  This hair is supplied by the general public of the world with all it's variations and limitations.  Very few companies deal with this type of hair as it is rare and sadly very expensive.  In my opinion for long term wearers this is the best choice, but not everyone can afford the price tag...which I wish was not the way.  For you in particular as you want red hair...there would be a wait to receive the colour that you may be after. My personal choice for my daughter is this type of hair.  It is beautiful, durable and absolutely realistic (of course as it has come from human beings without any processing done on their hair). 

Good luck with your investigations and I hope you find a alternative that you love.

Rosy

Hello, I wear lace front's pretty much all the time. There are a lot of options when it comes to choosing them. I visit so many different website's to purchase them also. The few that I can think of now is lacefrenzy.com, samsbeauty.com, hairstopandshop.com... they have affordable one's there and there are others when I think of them i'll send them to you. When choosing a lace front you of course have human or synthetic. The synthetics are always cheaper and don't require much maintenance other than shampooing unlike the human hair wigs which you would probably have to style. Some of the lace fronts come with lace that you have to cut. If you get that type you just want to be sure you cut as close to the hairline of the wig as possible leaving maybe half an inch left out for gluing purposes. Also there are lf's that come with lace that is pre cut. That would be easier for a first time lace wig wearer but all wigs don't come that way so you will just have to do a little searching for them. As for the color of the lace, a lot of them are a bit darker for women of color but there are some that you can choose the lighter lace on it's just not as common and again you may have to go to a few different websites to find them. I have been wearing lacefronts for probably 6 years or more so if you have any other questions please don't hesitate to ask! Good luck!

There are lacefront wigs of very good quality made by major wig brands like ; Raquel Welch, Jon reneau. Rene of Paris etc.. Check out www.wigs.com or www.voguewigs.com to see lacefront wigs you would also like a wig with a monofilament top too that makes it possible to part your hair. Lacefront wigs are not just the wigs from China.

Www.wigsupport.com has ladies that wear wigs and can advise you of a good colour for your complexion and the various redhead colours too.

A good quality synthetic lacefront monofilament wig will suit your complexion and red hair. It will be easy to maintain just wash in cold water abd leave to dry, synthetic does not need styling.

You have lots of nice wigs in red shades to choose from.

Enjoy your new hair it will really boost your confidence.

Second picture down...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2566411/Sex-symbol-Raq...

Wonder why this lace in the front, shows up in the photo, wouldn't Raquel Welch have noticed it when she put it on?

At namebrandwigs.com you have to choose any color, then add it to the cart to get the actual low price.  You can always delete them after you finish looking.  The monofilament tops are so realistic!

Kimi hi it's Debs again, I live in the uk and use Ellen Wille wigs this is a German brand and also Jon Reneau an American brand. You can now get Ellen Wille wigs in the USA on www.wigs.com they are very lightweight and a friend of mine who is also a redhead like yourself has bought a lovely synthetic from Ellen Wille that is really natural. Shop around online to find the cheapest website but this brand would be a very good option for you. They do lacefront with a monofilament top in the synthetics abd the fibre is excellent.
I get great prices at namebrandwigs.com; instructions for my synthetic wigs clearly state; no heat or hair dryers, wash in cool water. Mine are rinse, shake, air dry, no styling. I avoid heat and sun, it dulls the top layer and makes the ends look awful. I put wig conditioning shampoo directly on the top and ends and let it sit a few minutes before rinsing but doesn't last long. I will try the coconut oil suggestions, but I'm hesitant to try ironing, boiling water, etc. Anyone have bad experiences with boiling water, I fear mine would melt?

Tested boiling water on small section, no damage. So, hot water warning is to ensure curly wigs remain curly. Put coconut oil on ends then poured boiling water with a little coconut oil over wig. I used too much, it looked dull. When fibers dried I rinsed it in warm water to remove oil. The bangs were too straight to begin with so I put a large roller on them and a little boiling water on them. It isn't dry but the bangs look better.   Will do this to my bob style wig when it gets older, to keep from straightening the ends. Thanks everyone for the boiling water tip.

To me there is no better place to purchase wigs than from Kathy on GalleryofWigs.com.  She is wonderful!  If you call her, she will return your call.  You can describe what you like, and she will suggest a wig and a color.  If you find the same wig cheaper on another website, she will match the price.  I hope this helps.  Also I love her wigsupport.com website.  You get tons of info about wigs on this site. 

I got a Water Wig by Amy Gibson
Her company is createdhair.com. She has AU and is really compassionate
My wig looks really great I love it I've had it for almost a year
it looks just like my hair and you literally don't feel like you have anything on your head because it's made of all lace
I use tape with it for extra security but if I'm running around just doing errands I usually don't use anything with it but it worked out great
Good luck I hope it works out for you

I have been wear wigs for a decades as I can't stand my hair.

From my experience you should consider lace wigs as they are the most natural.

Aliexpress.com have a great array of wigs.

They sell heaps of lace front wigs for fair skin.

Lots of reviews from purchasers on the website.

I have owned human and synthethic lace front wigs.

I found human hair wigs are a lot of maintenanc as you may have to blow wave the wig straight etc after washing. 

Also, the lace can be fragile and break.  There is usually a lot of shedding with cheaper human hair wigs.

This is not a lace front wig but the Shilo wig by - Noriko is a quality wig.  It has a hand made mono top which looks more natural.

In Hairs Culture, we custom hair replacement system. A lace wig or a ribbon front wigs is an uncommon sort of hairpiece or wig in which human hair or engineered hair is fixing by hand to a sheer lace base which goes over the scalp. 

Both wigs and handcrafted lace headpieces were regular with South American privileged societies as day by day design. Wigs were made of human, stallion, and yak hair and sewn onto a casing with luxurious string were intended to be clear as wigs and not the wearer's genuine hair.

There are many type of hair wigs, further details you can go through the Woman In Disguise and gather more information from there.

Good fortunes with your finding.

I agree if you order a unit, specify for the lace to be transparent, most wigs that are mass produced are often dyed already, but if you specify at the time of order to keep it transparent that should suffice. Also, try blending any of the exposed lace with a matching concealer you wear if that helps. As for affordability, try a lace-front or catch units on clearance. 

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