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Need help finding cheaper wigs
So. Many. Wigs.
That's the thought that's been stuck in my head recently.
Let me elaborate-- I was paying my credit card bill last month and found out that I spent several thousand dollars on wigs last month. This didn't really surprise me-- we were going on a family vacation recently to the beach and staying with another family (no one in this family knew I wear a wig.) So, in a vain attempt to convince the family that I didn't wear a wig and the mop of thick, stormy brunette hair sitting unglued atop my head was in fact my own hear, I bought four identical, very expensive human hair wigs and took them all with me. One was for use on the beach, one by the house's pool, one for wearing around the house, and one to sleep in. Storing them was tricky-- I brought four separate wig heads and placed them on the bathroom sink, keeping the door locked at all times. Every time we transferred from one of the afforementioned locations to the other, I'd sneak back in the bathroom and switch wigs, then take time styling the wig I was putting on. This system worked for the first few days, although I found that I was spending more and more time getting ready rather than interacting with others. Plus, I was always paranoid about one of the children grabbing my long wig or it getting snagged on something, both of which would result in it slipping off my totally bald scalp.
We went to the beach one last time on the last day. I always hated the beach as my wigs would get caked in sand, rendering the thousand-plus dollar human hair wig useless for wear after the trip. But, alas, I willed myself to go, despite the heavy wind that day.
I was playing with my son when a gust of strong wind entered under my lace front and pulled, sliding my wig back on my scalp. I quickly reached for my hairline in a desperate attempt to grab the wig, but it was too late-- the wind had snatched it and dragged it across the beach.
Not a fun day.
Do you guys and girls out there have any solutions to keeping wigs anchored? Maybe cheaper alternatives than thousand-dollar human hair wigs? I have yet to find any that look as realistic as these and emulate my style before I lost my hair, both of which are necessary.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Brian on
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First, I have found that most people do not know you are wearing a wig. In addition, I have received more compliments on inexpensive wigs than expensive wigs. Now, the most expensive wig I own cost $60.00. I refuse to buy expensive wigs because they all last about the same amount of time when worn everyday. People also know that I wear a wig, I don't hide it.
As for keeping a wig attached to your head, I use It Stays, which is a roll-on body adhesive. I put a line of it on my forehead, and it keeps my wig in place all day. You can also use toupee tape, which I also use at times. If you are going to be in a particularly windy environment, you could use both.
Hope this helps.
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Permalink Reply by JessicaStinkle on
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Where do you buy your wigs?
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I buy them online, from wig stores, and from beauty supply stores. If you buy from beauty supply stores, you have to really look, but you can find some nice wigs. There are lots of videos of women reviewing female wigs on Youtube, which is not the case for men, but those videos can give you an idea of less expensive wigs that can be ordered online or bought from local stores.
I have found, and have heard from others online, that the key seems to be customizing the wigs, rather than wearing straight from the package. When I buy a wig, I wash it first. After it dries, I have a better idea of how it really looks, and what I need to do to make it look more realistic. As a man, I want a wig with a part and that is tapered on the sides and the back. I buy wigs that have those features, then use a razor comb to thin out the sides and top if needed, and cut around the ears.
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Brian, thanks for the tip on how to keep the piece on. Never heard of It Stays. So, Thanks!
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Mine wig is around 2 year old and it still looks awesome. i bought from https://shop.wigsbuy.com/
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What about Supertape? Are these lace front or all lace units? I had a unit that new cost me $3,500 that was point bonded to the hair that I had left, and a lace front. The front was secured by lace front tape. It got costly getting repairs (which entailed adding more hair or switching out lace fronts at $900 for a new front, and $200 every six weeks for maintenance), so I went back to wearing synthetic lace front units with tape. I didn't like the way I had to be careful to stand in such a way that the wind didn't expose the wefts, plus since I sleep in my wigs, the synthetics would get ratty faster.
I finally switched to human hair, full lace wigs, and have finally worked out a system where I feel secure. I use scalp protector around the perimeter of my head, let that dry, then place liquid adhesive on top of the scalp protector. I then put (once the adhesive gets tacky) Supertape on top of the adhesive and leave the backing on until I'm ready to lay the front down first. On the back of the wig, I place the Supertape directly on to the lace, and peel off the backing. I place the back down first, and then place the front after I've removed the backing on the front pieces. You have to let it cure or set for 24 hours before you get your hair wet, but I've managed to get about two and a half to three weeks of wear with a minimal amount of lifting. To sleep, I have a satin pillowcase and I wear a silk sleep cap to keep the unit from tangling.
If you look for a search on "how to wear lace front wigs" or "how to wear full lace wigs," you'll find a lot of helpful tutorials. There is an alopecian on YouTube called My0little0Secret who has great tutorials on how to attach full lace or lace front wigs, and if you look up Hair Direct or go to Hair direct dot com, they have a lot of tutorials. The thing with scalp protectors, adhesives, and tapes is that the hold can vary depending upon how it reacts with your body chemistry. For example, I have to use a product called Pro-sweat and then apply Walker's Thick scalp protector to keep the sweat from if I exercise or it's too hot from breaking down the tape and adhesive. The adhesive I use is the Davlyn green because I have oily skin, and Supertape doesn't breakdown on me as much as other tapes.
Here's the Hair Direct link on how to attach a full lace unit. It's guy, but the procedures are pretty much the same and what I base my attachment on:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrB33iSPttw
and here's the link to the alopecian I was talking about:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fSDxVRmVlM
and here's another link for long-term wear:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYz6rRUx-dI
Here's another link from Hair Direct on how to get a better bond:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1SfPq3u7xQ
In terms of placing the front hairline so that you don't have it too far down on your forehead and make it look like a wig, if you still have eyebrows, lay your left hand on the very top edge of your brow like you're taking your temperature. Your index/pointer finger will mark where your hairline would fall. At the bottom of your index/pointer finger is where you'd place your tape. I use the Supertape roll because I can cut the tape/contour it the way I want.
Hope this helps!
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Try double-sided wig tape. Stick a piece in front and at the very top of the head. Press down. Holds very tight. Buy on e-bay.
Google: gardeauxwigs
Check out Gardeaux Wigs. Gardeaux Wigs is on etsy.com, facebook.com, instagram.com, and YouTube. This lady from Santa Rosa, California, buys 100% human hair, high-quality wigs [mono-filament, lace front, silk-top, etc.] -- then she cuts and colors them. They all have “roots” and highlights/lowlights. Absolutely brilliant! She has all different prices -- but nobody knows it’s a wig! Beautiful!! Excellent reviews.
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Permalink Reply by Claudia DePalma on
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I usually buy all my wigs online, and usually don't spend more that 40 dollars. (I usually go synthetic, and they don't look too bad) I look on etsy, and other sites that have good reviews! and always try and look up some videos of the wigs on youtube so I can see what they look like in natural lighting, and actually on someones head XD I usually use double sided tape to keep my wigs in place because I have literally no hair under them lol (theres some special heavy duty wig tape I found) it works GREAT - and stays all day.
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Permalink Reply by VanillaPlum01 on
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That looks awesome. Where do you get your wig tape from?
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If you're looking for human hair wigs that are less expensive than $1,000 ones, I've had good luck so far with xcsunny wigs. Uniwigs is also another possibility, although I haven't had any experience with them. XCSunny wigs is out of China, and they are very responsive to questions on an on-line chat, just remember that there's a time difference. You can also email them. I've purchased two wigs from them and I had a problem with one, but the second one I ordered from them, I told them what my problem was with my last order (really bad smell), and they fixed it in the next order. I buy their standard unit that comes in 110-120% density, 14 inches long, and with a coupon code it costs me $168.00. If you want a thicker density, you can ask them to add it, but it will take another month before you get your order; with wigs in stock, I get mine in a week. They have full lace as well as lace front wigs. What I would suggest is start with one, work with it, and order your second one as soon as you can with the additional density because of the time it takes to customize it.
The important thing to remember with lace wigs is that they shed (i guess all wigs do, regardless of material), so you have to use knot sealer to extend the life of the wig. It's also important to have at least one backup so that you can swap them out to cut down on the wear and tear. Comb them from the bottom up so that you're not tugging on the knots that secure the hair to the base and loosening them/making them come out. Sleep on a silk pillowcase so that you're not breaking the hair or causing it to matt and tangle if you have to/want to sleep with the unit on. HTH!!
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Permalink Reply by Rach1992 on
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I buy my wigs from a place called Studio Lites in Denver. I pay between 30-50 and everyone thinks it is 100% real hair. When I first started buying wigs I was buying them for hundreds of dollars because I didn't know where to look. I like the look, feel, and weight of the less expensive wigs I buy now and I have more variety in color by being able to buy more of them!
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