The reasons for wearing a wig vary from person to person, but every user's goal is to look like it is their own hair. But, the nagging question of 'does my wig look natural?' is always a struggle.
However, you will be pleased to know that you can make a dramatic improvement by changing just one thing: use a wig made with human hair.
In this blog, we'll guide you how to make your wig look as authentic and natural as possible.
Tip 1: Choose the Right Size
To make your wig seem like it's an extension of your natural hair, you have to make sure it fits perfectly. For most off-the-shelf wigs, there are three primary measurements of your head that you must take: the circumference, ear to ear over the top, and front to back.
There is a margin for error when measuring, so you should be stressed about your wig not fitting if your measurements are not razor sharp. That being said, you should prepare your hair before making your measurements to get the best results.
The fit of the wig should be snug, because a slight difference on the size won’t fit securely on your head. It would be best to purchase quality wigs from famous wig brands, because not only are they the best in quality, they almost always offer a one-year warranty from manufacturing defects. This ensures you get the most out of your money.
Tip 2: Choose Human Hair Wigs
If you want your wigs to look as natural as possible, you have only one option: buy a wig that's made from human hair because no matter how well designed a synthetic wig is, it can't compare to the real thing.
There are many advantages that you get from choosing a human hair wig over a synthetic one. A human hair wig is more versatile because you can use heat (using a curling/hair iron) to style it in a host of different ways.
You want your wigs to be 100% human hair, Remy human hair, or Virgin hair. The difference between the three is the price and the method of collection, and, therefore, the quality of the hair.
Buy quality human wigs from reputable suppliers who also follow ethical practices in acquiring these hairs. You have to ensure this to guarantee the craftsmanship and impeccable condition of the wig you’ll purchase.
Regular human hair wigs are made of hair that has been cut and then put together on the wig, while Remy hair is collected meticulously to prevent any damage to the cuticle. Virgin wigs are made from hair that has not been processed whatsoever, which means the hair can’t have been colored, permed, bleached, or any other form of processing.
Therefore, both Remy hair and virgin hair wigs appear healthier, smoother, and shinier than normal hair. In addition, Remy hair wigs can usually be used for up to a year, while normal hair wigs only last about six months.
Tip 3: Choose Clear Lace or HD Lace Wigs
When choosing a natural looking lace wig, your two best options are clear lace wigs or HD lace wigs, but what's the difference, and which gives you the best natural look?
A HD lace wig is made from high-quality lace and is extremely thin and transparent, but clear lace is a newer material that is thinner, lighter, softer, and is more challenging to spot than your usual lace wigs.
When you’re looking for a truly natural look, using a 360 or full lace wig isn’t the way to go, even though they offer more styling options, and there are three main reasons for this:
First, the integrity of the wig will be compromised. The thin lace that allows for a flushed look with the skin isn’t sturdy enough to hold all the hair on the wig, so if a full lace wig was made of HD lace, it would be extremely fragile.
Second, it would be too costly. HD lace is not cheap, so making an entire wig out of an expensive material would cause the cost to increase to the point where a customer cannot justify purchasing it.
Finally, 360 and full-lace wigs require experience to handle and use well, they aren’t meant for beginners,
Tip 4: Bleach the Wig Knots
When a lace wig is made, each hair is secured to the lace using a technique called ventilating, and it results in each of these knots having a hair or multiple hairs (depending on the technique) attached to it. These knots can be visible, especially if the wig is a darker color and it makes the wig look unnatural, so if a natural look is desired, bleaching is the way to go.
There are some downsides to bleaching your wig. The most significant one is that it reduces the longevity of the wig. Bleaching a wig by yourself is not easy, but you can purchase wigs that have been pre-bleached for your convenience. And if you're more hands-on, you can find this guide on how to bleach the knots on your wig.
Tip 5: Pluck the Wig
There will be a separation between where your forehead ends, and the wig begins when wearing a wig. So, to get a smooth transition and natural-looking baby hair, your wig has to be plucked. But when you get a wig, the gradient isn't too apparent, which must be fixed.
The new wig you just purchased typically is very dense, and the volume might appear to be unnatural, so plucking them is a must so when you wear it on your head it would look very real.
Plucking is a time-consuming process, and you have to envision how the result will be to do it yourself, which is why companies created pre-plucked wigs.
But if you're adamant about plucking it yourself, you'll need to have a mannequin head, tweezers, a comb, and pins to secure your wig. Then, once you gather all your equipment, you'll have to carefully remove hair around the hairline to create that natural look.
Tip 6: Install Your Wig the Right Way
Once you get your wig and have it bleached and plucked, the focus shifts from getting the wig ready to getting the user prepared. Your wig could be the best one on the entire planet, but if you don't put it on the right, it won't look natural.
There are many ways to place your wig, you can use adhesive, or you may use bobby pins, depending on your preference. When you decide on adhesive, apply it to the skin in front of your hairline and not on the hair itself since this could potentially damage the edges of your wig. When you use bobby pins, aside from securing the wig on the sides, you may want to place a few through the lace especially if you’re going to be moving a lot.
You will have to have the following to do a decent job of putting on your wig: a wig cap, wig glue, hair products, make-up, and various combs. You'll also have to prep your hair by making it as smooth and flat as possible so that the wig will lay flat.
Tip 7: Cut the Lace of the Wig
When cutting the lace off the wig, you want to use a sharp cutting tool because they give you more precise cuts and prevent tears. In addition, you'll need clips to hold the wig in place, a comb to help part the hair away from the lace, and a wig head.
Place the wig on your in a manner that the wig hairline exceeds your hairline, clip it and start cutting.
First up are the ear tabs, just cut around your ear and move on to the forehead. Draw a line that matches your hairline and start cutting.
Remember to cut less than needed so you can make adjustments. Here's our guide on how to cut the lace off a wig.
Tip 8: Blending
It's essential to blend in the area where your wig starts to make the lace invisible, which will result in a natural and flushed look.
The beginner-friendly way is using concealer and foundation that you have on hand. Turn the wig inside out, and apply concealer to the back of the lace, then wear the wig and apply concealer to the front side of the lace, and finish it off by using powder foundation to merge the lace and your skin together,
Tip 9: Create a Natural Part
To have your wig look as natural as possible, pay attention to how you will be parting it.
When parting the wig, first choose which style you would like to do. Afterward, wash the wig and wait for it to dry because it becomes more malleable after washing, so it's easier to part.
Use a comb to bring all the strands of hair to the side you want it to, and then comb it thoroughly. It makes it stick better, and you can apply heat to the hair or use a hair product that'll keep the integrity of the part for the period you wear it.
Tip 10: Create a Natural Hairline
The most essential part of making a wig look natural is to create a good hairline.
There are two types of hairlines you can create: with baby hair and without. But what are baby hairs? They are the tiny and fuzzy hairs that grow along your hairline. You can choose to cover them or show them off.
If you want your hair to seem like it hasn't been styled too much, styling your wig with baby hair is the way to go.
Tip 11: Buy a Customized Wig
Buying a customized wig will solve half the problems you'll encounter when trying to wear a wig. Not only will you have to save yourself the trouble of sizing your wig, but you can get it bleached, plucked, and get the lace cut perfectly by a professional, which makes sure it'll look as realistic as possible. Although, once you receive the wig, it's up to you to style it and blend it in.
Tip 12: Replace Your Wig Regularly
Make sure to take care of your wig and when the time comes, replace it with a new quality wig to make sure you always have the most beautiful natural look.
While human hair wigs, especially Virgin hair wigs, last much longer than your synthetic wigs, they have to be replaced. Normal Human hair wigs will need replacing every six months, while you can use Remy hair wigs for over a year if you give them good care regularly.
Conclusion
In order to have a wig that looks truly natural, you want to start off with a front lace wig which is made with a high quality lace, like HD lace and it should also be made from human hair because synthetic hair doesn't cut it.
Once you have a good foundation, you use one or many of the techniques above to make your wig look as natural as you want.
What are your best tricks to make your wig look natural? Are there any techniques that we missed? Comment and let us know.
