The year was 2014.
All my favorite black beauty girls on YouTube were starting to talk more about wigs, and do hair reviews on their channels.
Intrigued, I did a ton of research and bought me some hair. I splurged on some “Brazillian Natural Curl” bundles and a closure, and a straight clip-in piece from another company (which was a whole mess. Whew chile), I sat down and recorded my very first YouTube videos to document my new journey. Eventually, after watching some videos by PhillyzJamPoet, I felt confident enough to try out some synthetic wigs as well…and baby since then there’s been *DMX voice* LeShaun, Ines, Alicia, Theresa, you get the jist haha.
I started wearing wigs as a way to try out different looks and to protect my then relaxed hair, while I was on my hair growth journey. Overtime after struggling with anemia, and the hair loss that it caused, I went natural and have continued to use wigs as a protective style.
And sis, what a journey it’s been.
Sometimes, my wigs were LAIDT, and sometimes it was more like: girl, what you got on? I figure as a blogger the best thing I can do is let y’all benefit from my struggles, and share 5 of the things I wish I knew when I started wearing wigs (both synthetic, and human hair):
1. Customization is everything.
When I first started wearing wigs (especially human hair / virgin hair wigs) I was so scared to customize them, because I was scared to mess them up after all the money I’d spent. What if I cut it too short? Cut off too much lace? or even worse, ripped the lace?!
Here’s the thing though: customizing the unit is what makes it look more believable. So it’s important to tweeze your part or frontal, and cut some layers into your unit as well. Typically when I buy bundles I buy them in staggered lengths (for example, 2 24″, 1 22″, 18″ frontal) to help give the hair a layered look, but it always looks better when I have layers cut into the wig as well. I’m not a pro at this, so I still enlist my stylist for her help with this. Don’t forget the little finishing touches either! A little foundation underneath your lace, or some skintone face powder (or concealer) in your part can go a long way in helping to blend your wig and make it more believable. If you’re looking for something more heavy-duty, you can try a lace tint instead.
2. All synthetic wigs are not created equal. Nor are they all big-head friendly.
Honestly, I didn’t even realize that I had a big head until I bought a couple wigs that didn’t fit. Some units are made out of better quality synthetic fibers (Freetress, Sensationnel, and Mayde Beauty being amongst my favorite brands for synthetic units), and you can tell the difference by how they look and feel. You don’t have to spend a lot of money on a good synthetic either, a lot of my faves are $40 or less. It’s super important to watch reviews like the ones on my channel *wink*, and take a look at what you’re buying beforehand to make sure you’re not getting a party store quality wig.
3. If you have a human hair wig, you need a hot comb (preferably electric). Periodt.
Shoutout to those of us who paid our dues getting our hair done with the hot combs right off the stove back in the day. Your hot comb doesn’t have to be fancy, however, this pink rhinestone covered one from Kendra’s boutique has my name written all over it (btw, their bundles and frontals are LIT). A hot comb is necessary to help you flatten your wig near the roots, and help you lay/create a part in your wig. I got mine off of Amazon a couple of years ago, and I’ve never had any issues with it (here’s a similar one).
4. Mousse is your multi-tasking best friend
Again, human hair wigs this is for you. Mousse is essential for all things wig-laying. You can use it to help lay down your baby hairs as you style and shape them (but be sure to follow that up with a product for hold, the mousse is just going to keep them down long enough to shape them), to lay down flyaways or sections of hair that just won’t behave, and also to help create a part in your wig. I’ve tried quite a few, and I really love the Lotta Boddy Wrap Me Foaming Mousse (Retail: $3.79 at Sally’s Beauty).
Bonus points if you use it to roller set your wigs as well. Roller sets are my favorite way to curl my wigs, as I feel like my results last longer and look better than when I use heat tools. Now if we’re talking body? the body and volume that my hair has after is unmatched. No cap. Check out my roller set tutorial on my YouTube channel, where I show you guys the products and tips I use to roller set my units.
5. Just like that man sis, know when to let it go.
If that part is starting to resemble the miraculous parting of the Red Sea, if the frontal is balding, if it’s synthetic and you’ve already trimmed the frizzy / tangled ends up above your shoulders, it might be about time to let it go. Thankfully if it’s a wig that was made with bundles and a frontal, if the bundles are still in good condition you can just replace the frontal and reuse the bundles. If it’s a synthetic unit, you can only trim it so short before it’s time to just toss it and buy a new one.
So there you have it folks, 5 of the things I wish that I knew when I started wearing wigs. Are you wig wearer? What are some of the things you wish you knew when you started? Let me know in the comments!
Stylishly Yours,
Theresa Seyi
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