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Permalink Reply by Leah Ingle on February 19, 2011 at 4:02am

Hi Julie,


You probably already got your wig by now, but I just joined the forum and thought I could give my opinion. Maybe it can still be of any value to you or help other people who might read this post too.

I am not a wig expert since I have been only wearing one out in public for 4 months. But I have researched about wigs a LOT and I have had a few synthetic wigs that I bought for experimentation and also wore to Halloween parties.

Wigs that are not lace wigs tend to be fuller because that has to be enough hair to hide the fact that there is no appearance of natural scalp under the hair.

I know it is possible to thin out wigs but it is never good to thin out a wig too much because the hair is thinned by using the thinning shear (the ones with teeth) and there will always be very short hairs left in the wig that can stick out like growing beard.

If you look up on You tube you will find videos teaching how to thin out wigs, but I am not sure that you can thin out non-lace wigs and have good results. If it is just a little bit, maybe.

However, if you are buying at a local shop, where you can actually try on the wigs and know what the wig is like before purchasing it (unlike ordering over the internet), I think it is better if you purchase something that is already in the density you want.

Being shinny is a characteristic of many synthetic wigs. Synthetic fibers are usually made of plastic or polyester and tend to be shinier than real hair. I saw a video on Youtube about diminishing the shine of synthetic wigs. Just look up " Bringing down the shine on Sienna synthetic wig" . Not every synthetic wig is made of the same kind of fiber though and I don't know how well any method works for each kind of fiber.

I do know that some synthetic fibers are better than others, less shinny and , look more natural, and even allow for styling with heat to a certain temperature. But, again, it would be better just buying something you don't have to do too much to make it look the way you want.

The best wig base (lighter, more natural looking, etc.), in my opinion is the full lace or at least lace front. If you don't want to deal with bonding, there are glueless lace caps. Monofilament tops are also a good option for a more natural scalp look and I believe that there full monofilament caps. However, these better options are more expensive and don't know how much you are willing to spend. Unfortunately, I don't understand much about different kinds of non-lace caps but the internet is full of sites showing different styles of caps, many times with detailed descriptions, and maybe by researching these sites you can find something you like and take picture samples to your next wig appointment.

Many people love synthetic hair and, as far as keeping the style, good synthetic hair is better. However, personally, I definitely prefer human hair. It takes a bit more work if you want a wig with a style that washes out and has to be redone after every wash. However, with proper care, a quality human hair wig should look good longer than a synthetic one. If you go for human hair, you have to make sure that it is virgin hair (not processed or colored at all, with cuticles intact, from one single donor, and hairs all positioned from root to tip) or at least Remy hair, which is 100% human, has been processed for texture or coloring, and even though has lost some of the cuticle from the processing, it is still from one donor, and is applied to the wig all from root to tip. Remy hair is more expensive than non-remy hair and virgin hair even more expensive, but if you don't get one of these, the hair will tangle like crazy and will starting looking bad really fast.

Synthetic hair, as you noticed, tends to be too shiny, and even with proper care, tends to look good (when it ever did) for a shorter period of time than human hair. Just the heat of the sun can slowly damage some kinds of synthetic fibers. The tips often become frizzy easily.

There is no way I could give you all the information necessary to help you make the best decision, but I hope I helped a little bit.

Do try researching the internet for pros and cons of human vs. synthetic hair wigs, types of human hair, types of synthetic hair, proper care for human and synthetic hair. This kind of research can help you make the best decision, and you can also take options you prefer to your next hair appointment and see if your vendor can meet your needs. If the vendor can't, I think that it would be best if you found a local vendor that could or took advantage of your experience from actually trying on wigs and your research on the internet to order something online.

Good luck!

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Permalink Reply by Lexi on February 19, 2011 at 1:31pm

Wow, that reply was great...very informative> I live in FL and never even considered the fact that the sun would do a number on synthetic wigs! Of course, they are so awfully hot, not like you can really wear one out in the blazing sun for very long. My biggest problem with wigs is that ...I like to take walks outdoors..and never know how my neighbors view me, and I feel oftentimes embarassed to go out somewhere wearing a wig, then come home, and have my own straggly mess to walk around the block in with a baseball cap....they must see me, and say "whatever"...It is a predicament for me. So consequently I don't wear my wigs as often as I might ....I am starting a new job end of March, and will be wearing wig every day...I can't wait to see how that goes...should be interesting to say the least. I hate the shiney aspect and wish they made a non-shiney wig...I have tried baby powder, I have tried fabric softner...still...they shine on. Also, so very hard to find a decent blonde shade...they scream it's a wig...nobody has blonde hair for real in the shades they make...what is up with that>????

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