What Should You Keep in Mind When Styling a Wig?

Styling a wig is an art that requires skill and knowledge to ensure the wig fits the wearer’s face shape and hairline naturally while adapting perfectly to different occasions. Besides, creative styling can highlight the wearer’s unique aesthetic and personality. What should you keep in mind when styling a wig?

How to determine if a wig is suitable for styling?

For a newly purchased wig, thorough inspection is the foundation for successful styling. Follow these steps to evaluate its quality and suitability: 

Step 1: Verify the material. Check if the material matches the product description. For human hair wigs, inspect for split ends or dryness. You can take a burn test to find out if it is human hair or not. Pluck a few strands and hold them to a flame. Human hair will burn to fine ash while fibers will melt into hard clumps.

Step 2: Examine the cap construction to find the breathability and craftsmanship. Check if the cap is soft and breathable. Inspect the wefting or lace for even distribution, loose threads, or gaps. For lace or PU hairline, assess if the lace or edge blends naturally with your skin tone.  

Step 3: Test the fitness. Use a soft tape to measure the wig’s inner circumference and compare it to your head circumference, which can be measured from the brow bone to the occipital bone. Then look for adjustable straps, elastic bands, or adhesive tabs to customize the fit. Next, try it on to ensure it’s neither too tight nor too loose because the former will cause pressure and the latter will cause slipping. 

Step 4: Inspect the hair’s appearance. You should check if the bangs, side layers, and ends are evenly trimmed. For human hair, there should be no uneven dye or bleaching. For nonhuman hair, it should avoid overly shiny or plastic-like finishes. Then, part the hair to inspect the inner layers to ensure it is neither too thin nor too thick because the former will expose the cap, and the latter will look bulky.

Step 5: Check internal components. This step is to ensure clips, combs, or adhesive strips are firmly attached. Then, verify if there are manufacturer tags and washing guidelines.

Step 6: Assess hygiene & odor. Look for residue (glue, dust) or strong chemical smells. A mild factory odor is normal but should dissipate after airing.

Step 7: Dynamic wear test. Move around or shake your head gently to check for slippage or lifted edges. Then wear it for 10 to 15 minutes to test if there is discomfort like itching, overheating, or shifting during movement.

If the wig passes all 7 checks without issues, congratulations! Now you can prepare for styling a wig. Or you can skip the steps and get the HD lace wigs from WESTKISS.

Should we wash a wig before styling?

Is washing necessary before styling a wig? It depends on the following cases.

The first case is brand-new wigs, which may contain factory-applied stiffeners, dyes, or packaging odors that could irritate the scalp or interfere with styling. The second case is pre-styled wigs with heavy hairspray.

Washing will help remove excess product buildup, restore the hair’s softness, and make it easier to reshape. The third case is stored human hair wigs. Dust or oils may accumulate over time, and washing can revive natural volume and texture.

For human hair wigs, you should use lukewarm water with sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner. Air-dry on a wig stand and avoid direct sunlight or high-heat blow-drying. For nonhuman hair wigs, you should wash them in cold water only with wig-specific detergent. Gently swirl and do not rub or wring; otherwise, there will be frizz and distortion.

What are the tips for styling a wig’s bangs and hairline?

To achieve natural, piecey bangs, you should use scissors to make vertical snips for subtle texture and remember to avoid blunt cuts. Then, gently razor-thin the wig's hairline to mimic the soft baby hairs of a natural hairline.

Different face shapes require tailored techniques: For wearers with round Faces, we can choose side-swept long bangs or layered piecey bangs to elongate the face. For square faces, use curved bangs or wispy sideburns to soften the jawline. For long faces, keep straight-across bangs or add voluminous curls to create horizontal width.

Besides, for wearers with sunken temples, we can add fullness by curling outward-flipping waves near the cheekbones. And for ones with high foreheads, we should style wispy air bangs or curtain bangs to lightly tease the roots for lift.

Recommendation

This article introduced seven steps for determining a wig’s quality and fitness, which is crucial before styling a wig. Wigs from WESTKISS will save you a lot of time because of their supreme quality and styles. After getting the ideal wigs, don’t forget the tips for washing and styling bangs and hairlines.