Alopecia World
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Fabulous London wigmaker - Gali Wigs
It's been a very long time since I visited this site, but I want to post about my experience of a wonderful wigmaker I found in London back in November 2009. I still absolutely love the wig, which is so easy to wear and wash at home - though I do occasionally go back to Gali to have it styled by a professional - she does a much better job of it, as you'd expect from a hairdresser. The hair is still beautiful. The wig is still in tip top condition. I finally feel like I found my Holy Grail of wigmakers. Superb product and outstanding customer service. Here's my (long!) Gali story:
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I discovered Gali Wigs when a fellow AUKer contacted me asking if I had any experience of them. I’d never heard of them and promptly looked them up and was sufficiently impressed with their website that I made an appointment to meet them asap. Apparently, they’ve been listed on the AUK Suppliers Directory for a few years but only set up their website in April 2009, which is probably why I’d missed them before, i.e. I didn’t bother looking into them when I saw they didn’t have a web site. (I’m sure that makes me ‘-ist’ of something… ‘web site-ist’?... a silly prejudice!)
Gali Wigs is a Jewish company who mainly caters for Orthodox women – much like Wigs of London, who are only a hop and skip (OK, bus ride) away. They are a small business tucked away down the back of a small alley, away from any main roads. You’d never just stumble across them, but they are easy to find and well sign-posted from the street. Definitely easier to get to by car (pay and display parking on the main road or find free space down the side road), but not difficult by Tube/bus. Nearest Tube is Golders Green and then a 10 minute bus ride.
As you enter the premises, you bypass the wig workshop on the ground floor (where a number of staff are always beavering away making wigs/sewing hair wefts) and head straight up the stairs to the bright, spacious, studio area. I probably can’t help show my bias towards them in this review, as they are, without doubt, my favourite supplier of the moment (Jan 2010), but the studio has the look and feel of any glamorous West End hairdressers – beautiful flower displays, attentive staff, thoughtful little extras like handcream in the loo, chocolates on the reception table, etc.
My first visit to Gali Wigs was late October 2009. When I arrived, Gali was busy finishing up with her previous client (appointments are essential – you can’t just turn up for a look as you can at some wig shops), so I had a chance to browse through the numerous wigs on display. Some were new/for sale, but most were clients’ wigs which had been left for washing/styling etc. I could immediately see that the quality of the hair was superb and I couldn’t resist reaching out to touch the wigs. They all felt as fabulous as they looked. Whatever the colour/style, they were all stunning. Beautifully soft hair with the natural lustre you only get with virgin hair. I felt like I’d died and gone to heaven! LOL!
Gali explained that they primarily design/make/sell ready-made wigs, in various cap sizes, but do also offer a bespoke service. Both their ready-made and bespoke wigs are the same basic construction: stretch closed cap with wefted back and monofilament-type (though I don’t think it is actual monofilament – but some other, very natural looking fabric that looks just like skin) multidirectional crown - which I'm pretty certain is what Yaffa Wigs (in the US) call a ‘girdle cap’.
Gali told me that she makes and supplies a lot of wigs to the US, but I'm pretty sure they buy the caps ready-made and just add the hair. She only uses VEHH – normally from Russia. I have to admit that I take the origin of hair with a pinch of salt these days. So many wig companies claim they use this hair or that hair, and there’s no real way of knowing or checking. What matters most to me is what the hair looks and feels like and, having seen enough cheap/heavily processed hair, I am now confident that I can recognize the good stuff from the bad, and the great stuff from the OK.
I think if Gali Wigs accepted credit cards I'd have bought a wig there and then. There was one which was perfect (for a ready-made). Exactly the right colour for me, just needing a few extra highlights to give it an extra ‘oomph’, gorgeous length, with long layers all over it. Slight wave in it, but not the sort that I think frizzes up in the damp and it just needed the fringe/front layers trimming in. Gali styles other people's wigs too... and colours them (fee depends on what needs doing)... so could be a good hairdressing contact for the future. Price for any ready-made isn't cheap though. We're talking over £1,000, but she does give a 10% discount to AUK members. Price includes any colour adjustment (eg highlights) and styling.
A custom wig costs a little bit more than a ready-made, regardless of hair length. However, there’s limited advantage of going the bespoke route as the construction is the same as for the ready-mades - i.e. stretch-cap with mono top and wefted back. They don't do fully hand tied and, in her opinion, those are more trouble than they're worth, because they are more prone to tangling (due to the return hairs) and create too much volume around the head, whereas wefts have short trimmed returns and lay much flatter against the head. They tend to make bespoke wigs is if someone has a peculiarly shaped or extra small/large head, or if they are after a particular hair length/colour which isn't available in any ready-made wig. I was worried that a ready-made would have too much of a 'pocket' in it to accommodate hairier women's bio hair, but it wasn't too bad. Gali said she could take it in a little bit if I wanted.
She put the wig aside for me as I needed to go home and sleep on it, and work out my finances. It gave me time to wonder whether the stretch polyester-feel fabric of these ready-made wigs and the double thickeness layer of monofilament and stretch lace on the crown would make the wigs hot to wear in the summer. I checked with a friend who wears very similar wigs (from Yaffa in the USA) and she allayed all my concerns. Yes, the wigs might feel a bit warm on hot days, but then all wigs do. She never has any tangling problems and has put her wigs through some tough wear, hiking, cycling with a bike hat on, etc etc.
I never thought I’d consider buying anything other than a fully hand-tied wig, but seeing the fabulous one at Gali Wigs really threw me. I loved everything about it… despite not ticking all the boxes I’d previously thought were important. It’s swings and roundabouts. You gain positives in one direction, but have to make compromises in another.
I returned a week later with a fellow AUK friend who wanted to see what Gali had to offer. It also gave me a chance to take a second look at the hair that had been put aside for me. I was just as thrilled with it on the re-visit and was totally convinced it was the right purchase for me. I still needed to work out my finances. My friend was looking for a wig in the same style as her remaining bio hair (without the bald patches!) – i.e. shoulder-length bob, one length, light fringe – but Gali recommended she considered a different style, with layers, saying it was younger and more flattering. There was also a bit of a debate between two colours. The one that matched my friend’s hair at the front looked too washed out on her. A slightly darker shade was more flattering. Gali is very talented in matching hair colour/style to suit the skin tone/face shape of the client and that friend subsequently bought the recommended wig.
About a week later, I finally returned (with yet another friend who wanted to do a reccie) and put down my deposit. It was time to explain to Gali what kind of highlights I wanted but she pretty much read my mind. All I basically said was that I wanted a few highlights and she instinctively knew I wanted very subtle ones, just a couple of shade lighter, just to give the hair a sun-kissed look. Not stripey highlights as seems to be the trend amongst younger girls these days.
I went back the following day to collect the hair and have it styled to suit my face. Again, Gali read my mind/face shape perfectly. The wig was parted in the centre and although I’ve worn a centre parting for many years, it’s been because of the need to hide missing patches equally on both sides. In the years of no patches, I liked to wear my bio hair with an off-centre parting. Gali seemed to home in on this without a single word from me. As soon as she’d put the newly highlighted wig on me to start styling, she said she’d prefer to have an off-centre parting… not a side parting… just not quite centre and promptly moved it over. It was better, but I looked at my reflection and thought I’d move the parting over a bit further. Before I could utter a word, Gali read my mind and suggested the parting could move to the side a bit more.
And so the styling continued… she’d cut a bit, tweak a bit… I’d look at my reflection and think “I’d just do x or y” and before I could say anything, she’d voice the thoughts I’d just have. A truly remarkable lady! I’ve never come across a hairdresser like her. There was one bit when she was trying to blowdry the fringe forwards over my forehead and a few strands just didn’t want to change direction. Rather than try to fit the proverbial round peg into a square hole, Gali simply took the wig downstairs and had one of her team knot in some extra hair, in the direction she wanted it to fall. It took no more than 5-10 minutes. Fantastic!
I had a bit of a problem with the nape hair tangling and took the wig back to Gali. They first tried just washing/conditioning the wig, saying sometimes the hair just needs to settle in, but when the problem continued, they simply took out the wefts that were causing the problem and put in new ones. They turned it around in a day – I dropped the wig off in the morning and picked it up that same afternoon. The problem has definitely been sorted out now. Apparently it’s not common, but does sometimes happen if any of the hair gets reversed and sewn into the weft upside down.
I’ve been back to Gali Wigs several times with other alopecian friends and have learned that not only do they have a representative in the US, but there’s also one in Manchester. Whilst they may not have much stock for you to look at to see the quality of these wigs, it gives a taster and you can order in other styles/lengths/colours to try on. Personally, I don’t think you can beat the service from the lady herself, so if you are able to get down to London, it’s well worth the visit. I’d always recommend you send photos over beforehand to give her an idea of hair colour/texture you are after, so that she can pull out possible stock pieces out for you to look at.
Whilst the wigs do not come with any formal guarantees, Gali Wigs really look after their clients. A handful of other ladies who have already bought wigs have also experienced the superior Gali customer service, so I know I’m not unique. The wigs should last at least two or more years, but it totally depends on how well you care for them. Gali has some clients who are still regularly wearing wigs which are over 5 years old. If hair sheds or problems with the cap develop, these can all be fixed and Gali Wigs will do this as part of the inclusive service. One of their clients used to have a fringe and decided to get this changed to longer hair. Technically, things like that are quite easy, but as this was a re-styling issue, there was a charge.
Although the Gali Wigs web site states that the wigs should be professional washed by them, there is no reason an owner cannot wash a wig themselves at home. You just need to use lots of tlc and, as with any cuticle hair, make sure the water only runs down the hair, so as to avoid tangling. Gali thinks they should not need washing more than once a month (depends on how sweaty you are), but she can wash and blowdry a wig for you, whilst you wait, in under an hour. It's like going to the hairdressers again - only you don't wear your hair whilst it's being done!
There’s only two negatives I can really think of. Firstly, Gali Wigs do not take credit cards and they are only open Monday to Thursday.
In Summary:
My favourite wig to-date. I loved the whole experience of dealing with this company and can’t wait to buy another piece from them. I truly never believed I would move away from the bespoke wig route, but after a couple of lousy experiences with wig makers, I now understand that there is a huge benefit to buying a ready-made wig and just getting it tweaked to suit perfectly. It’s so much easier to find something which is already 90% right (length, colour, quality, etc) and getting the last 10% adjusted than starting from scratch and hoping the final product lives up to expectations. It’s rather like finding a fabulous pair of trousers, that look right, feel right, fit perfectly on the waist and hips but just need to be turned up at the hem!
---------------
I discovered Gali Wigs when a fellow AUKer contacted me asking if I had any experience of them. I’d never heard of them and promptly looked them up and was sufficiently impressed with their website that I made an appointment to meet them asap. Apparently, they’ve been listed on the AUK Suppliers Directory for a few years but only set up their website in April 2009, which is probably why I’d missed them before, i.e. I didn’t bother looking into them when I saw they didn’t have a web site. (I’m sure that makes me ‘-ist’ of something… ‘web site-ist’?... a silly prejudice!)
Gali Wigs is a Jewish company who mainly caters for Orthodox women – much like Wigs of London, who are only a hop and skip (OK, bus ride) away. They are a small business tucked away down the back of a small alley, away from any main roads. You’d never just stumble across them, but they are easy to find and well sign-posted from the street. Definitely easier to get to by car (pay and display parking on the main road or find free space down the side road), but not difficult by Tube/bus. Nearest Tube is Golders Green and then a 10 minute bus ride.
As you enter the premises, you bypass the wig workshop on the ground floor (where a number of staff are always beavering away making wigs/sewing hair wefts) and head straight up the stairs to the bright, spacious, studio area. I probably can’t help show my bias towards them in this review, as they are, without doubt, my favourite supplier of the moment (Jan 2010), but the studio has the look and feel of any glamorous West End hairdressers – beautiful flower displays, attentive staff, thoughtful little extras like handcream in the loo, chocolates on the reception table, etc.
My first visit to Gali Wigs was late October 2009. When I arrived, Gali was busy finishing up with her previous client (appointments are essential – you can’t just turn up for a look as you can at some wig shops), so I had a chance to browse through the numerous wigs on display. Some were new/for sale, but most were clients’ wigs which had been left for washing/styling etc. I could immediately see that the quality of the hair was superb and I couldn’t resist reaching out to touch the wigs. They all felt as fabulous as they looked. Whatever the colour/style, they were all stunning. Beautifully soft hair with the natural lustre you only get with virgin hair. I felt like I’d died and gone to heaven! LOL!
Gali explained that they primarily design/make/sell ready-made wigs, in various cap sizes, but do also offer a bespoke service. Both their ready-made and bespoke wigs are the same basic construction: stretch closed cap with wefted back and monofilament-type (though I don’t think it is actual monofilament – but some other, very natural looking fabric that looks just like skin) multidirectional crown - which I'm pretty certain is what Yaffa Wigs (in the US) call a ‘girdle cap’.
Gali told me that she makes and supplies a lot of wigs to the US, but I'm pretty sure they buy the caps ready-made and just add the hair. She only uses VEHH – normally from Russia. I have to admit that I take the origin of hair with a pinch of salt these days. So many wig companies claim they use this hair or that hair, and there’s no real way of knowing or checking. What matters most to me is what the hair looks and feels like and, having seen enough cheap/heavily processed hair, I am now confident that I can recognize the good stuff from the bad, and the great stuff from the OK.
I think if Gali Wigs accepted credit cards I'd have bought a wig there and then. There was one which was perfect (for a ready-made). Exactly the right colour for me, just needing a few extra highlights to give it an extra ‘oomph’, gorgeous length, with long layers all over it. Slight wave in it, but not the sort that I think frizzes up in the damp and it just needed the fringe/front layers trimming in. Gali styles other people's wigs too... and colours them (fee depends on what needs doing)... so could be a good hairdressing contact for the future. Price for any ready-made isn't cheap though. We're talking over £1,000, but she does give a 10% discount to AUK members. Price includes any colour adjustment (eg highlights) and styling.
A custom wig costs a little bit more than a ready-made, regardless of hair length. However, there’s limited advantage of going the bespoke route as the construction is the same as for the ready-mades - i.e. stretch-cap with mono top and wefted back. They don't do fully hand tied and, in her opinion, those are more trouble than they're worth, because they are more prone to tangling (due to the return hairs) and create too much volume around the head, whereas wefts have short trimmed returns and lay much flatter against the head. They tend to make bespoke wigs is if someone has a peculiarly shaped or extra small/large head, or if they are after a particular hair length/colour which isn't available in any ready-made wig. I was worried that a ready-made would have too much of a 'pocket' in it to accommodate hairier women's bio hair, but it wasn't too bad. Gali said she could take it in a little bit if I wanted.
She put the wig aside for me as I needed to go home and sleep on it, and work out my finances. It gave me time to wonder whether the stretch polyester-feel fabric of these ready-made wigs and the double thickeness layer of monofilament and stretch lace on the crown would make the wigs hot to wear in the summer. I checked with a friend who wears very similar wigs (from Yaffa in the USA) and she allayed all my concerns. Yes, the wigs might feel a bit warm on hot days, but then all wigs do. She never has any tangling problems and has put her wigs through some tough wear, hiking, cycling with a bike hat on, etc etc.
I never thought I’d consider buying anything other than a fully hand-tied wig, but seeing the fabulous one at Gali Wigs really threw me. I loved everything about it… despite not ticking all the boxes I’d previously thought were important. It’s swings and roundabouts. You gain positives in one direction, but have to make compromises in another.
I returned a week later with a fellow AUK friend who wanted to see what Gali had to offer. It also gave me a chance to take a second look at the hair that had been put aside for me. I was just as thrilled with it on the re-visit and was totally convinced it was the right purchase for me. I still needed to work out my finances. My friend was looking for a wig in the same style as her remaining bio hair (without the bald patches!) – i.e. shoulder-length bob, one length, light fringe – but Gali recommended she considered a different style, with layers, saying it was younger and more flattering. There was also a bit of a debate between two colours. The one that matched my friend’s hair at the front looked too washed out on her. A slightly darker shade was more flattering. Gali is very talented in matching hair colour/style to suit the skin tone/face shape of the client and that friend subsequently bought the recommended wig.
About a week later, I finally returned (with yet another friend who wanted to do a reccie) and put down my deposit. It was time to explain to Gali what kind of highlights I wanted but she pretty much read my mind. All I basically said was that I wanted a few highlights and she instinctively knew I wanted very subtle ones, just a couple of shade lighter, just to give the hair a sun-kissed look. Not stripey highlights as seems to be the trend amongst younger girls these days.
I went back the following day to collect the hair and have it styled to suit my face. Again, Gali read my mind/face shape perfectly. The wig was parted in the centre and although I’ve worn a centre parting for many years, it’s been because of the need to hide missing patches equally on both sides. In the years of no patches, I liked to wear my bio hair with an off-centre parting. Gali seemed to home in on this without a single word from me. As soon as she’d put the newly highlighted wig on me to start styling, she said she’d prefer to have an off-centre parting… not a side parting… just not quite centre and promptly moved it over. It was better, but I looked at my reflection and thought I’d move the parting over a bit further. Before I could utter a word, Gali read my mind and suggested the parting could move to the side a bit more.
And so the styling continued… she’d cut a bit, tweak a bit… I’d look at my reflection and think “I’d just do x or y” and before I could say anything, she’d voice the thoughts I’d just have. A truly remarkable lady! I’ve never come across a hairdresser like her. There was one bit when she was trying to blowdry the fringe forwards over my forehead and a few strands just didn’t want to change direction. Rather than try to fit the proverbial round peg into a square hole, Gali simply took the wig downstairs and had one of her team knot in some extra hair, in the direction she wanted it to fall. It took no more than 5-10 minutes. Fantastic!
I had a bit of a problem with the nape hair tangling and took the wig back to Gali. They first tried just washing/conditioning the wig, saying sometimes the hair just needs to settle in, but when the problem continued, they simply took out the wefts that were causing the problem and put in new ones. They turned it around in a day – I dropped the wig off in the morning and picked it up that same afternoon. The problem has definitely been sorted out now. Apparently it’s not common, but does sometimes happen if any of the hair gets reversed and sewn into the weft upside down.
I’ve been back to Gali Wigs several times with other alopecian friends and have learned that not only do they have a representative in the US, but there’s also one in Manchester. Whilst they may not have much stock for you to look at to see the quality of these wigs, it gives a taster and you can order in other styles/lengths/colours to try on. Personally, I don’t think you can beat the service from the lady herself, so if you are able to get down to London, it’s well worth the visit. I’d always recommend you send photos over beforehand to give her an idea of hair colour/texture you are after, so that she can pull out possible stock pieces out for you to look at.
Whilst the wigs do not come with any formal guarantees, Gali Wigs really look after their clients. A handful of other ladies who have already bought wigs have also experienced the superior Gali customer service, so I know I’m not unique. The wigs should last at least two or more years, but it totally depends on how well you care for them. Gali has some clients who are still regularly wearing wigs which are over 5 years old. If hair sheds or problems with the cap develop, these can all be fixed and Gali Wigs will do this as part of the inclusive service. One of their clients used to have a fringe and decided to get this changed to longer hair. Technically, things like that are quite easy, but as this was a re-styling issue, there was a charge.
Although the Gali Wigs web site states that the wigs should be professional washed by them, there is no reason an owner cannot wash a wig themselves at home. You just need to use lots of tlc and, as with any cuticle hair, make sure the water only runs down the hair, so as to avoid tangling. Gali thinks they should not need washing more than once a month (depends on how sweaty you are), but she can wash and blowdry a wig for you, whilst you wait, in under an hour. It's like going to the hairdressers again - only you don't wear your hair whilst it's being done!
There’s only two negatives I can really think of. Firstly, Gali Wigs do not take credit cards and they are only open Monday to Thursday.
In Summary:
My favourite wig to-date. I loved the whole experience of dealing with this company and can’t wait to buy another piece from them. I truly never believed I would move away from the bespoke wig route, but after a couple of lousy experiences with wig makers, I now understand that there is a huge benefit to buying a ready-made wig and just getting it tweaked to suit perfectly. It’s so much easier to find something which is already 90% right (length, colour, quality, etc) and getting the last 10% adjusted than starting from scratch and hoping the final product lives up to expectations. It’s rather like finding a fabulous pair of trousers, that look right, feel right, fit perfectly on the waist and hips but just need to be turned up at the hem!
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