Wig Fitting

We have many years experience fitting wigs at our positive appearance centres in Dublin; Here are my top tips!

• Recognise Yourself
• Maintain your identity

People often just plonk their wig on their head like a hat. I encourage you to play with it to make it your own just like you would with your own hair. Here are a few of my favourite tips

1. After brushing your hair with the correct brush, use your fingers like a comb (in the general direction of the wig) to break up the hair and make it look more natural.
2. Add some extra movement and interest with wax or gloss. This will create texture and definition but do not use anything sticky if you want to avoid build-up of product in your wig.
3. Putting a few layers in your wig can create some natural movement too.
4. Make sure your wig is on or above your hairline at the front. If your wig is too low down, it looks like you have no forehead! Check in a side mirror the first few times you wear your wig.
5. Alter your wig if it is too big when your hair goes. Don’t be tempted to pull it down further on your head / forehead to make it feel secure (as above). If the cap size is too big and wig feels ‘baggy’ on your head, it can be taken in.
6. If you feel your wig has too much hair, it can be thinned out or you can get a finer wig. I always say you can change the colour and style of your hair, but if you go from fine hair to a thick wig, people will know it’s not your hair.
7. Highlighted wigs tend to look more natural as the hair looks less dense .
8. Wigs that have roots coming through look incredibly natural, just like you are due your colour rather than always looking like you’ve just walked out of the hairdressers.
9. Putting a fringe into a wig can camouflage thinning eyebrows. Have your fringe cut so it sits right on your brows. Any longer and it’ll irritate your eyes especially if the lashes are thinning.
10. Accessorise your wig with scarves or hair jewellery. It changes the look of your wig and definitely fools people. When clients come to the salon with scarves on their wigs, I really have to wonder if it is their wig or their own hair growing back.
11. If your wig has any length, create a messy up style using a grip to hold up your hair. I say messy because you need to leave a fine line of wig hair down on your neck and hairline to camouflage the wig hairline. If your wig is fibre, up styling will also give your wig a break from the friction frizz that happens when fibre hair is rubbing against your clothes.
12. You can make your wig look finer by putting it behind your ears but leaving a tiny lock in front of your ears to cover where your locks would be.

By Anne Roche