An introduction to wigs

Throughout the years, the popularity of wigs has fluctuated and currently, wig wearing has experienced resurgence not only as a fashion or replacement for hair-loss but as a means of protecting one’s own hair.

These days, wigs come in a variety of colours, textures and price-points. Human hair wigs are of course made from human hair, most commonly from Asian donors. The hair is treated for pests and sometimes it is chemically treated to give it a particular texture or colour before it is made into a wig.

Synthetic wigs are made of mono- or poly- _ lament manmade fibres. These fibres are usually made of acrylic, polyester or polyvinyl material and mimic the look and feel of actual hair. Synthetic wigs are usually less expensive than human hair.

Gone are the days when only stage performers, people experiencing hair loss or grandmothers under their church hats, wore wigs. Wigs are worn so that one can experiment with different colours and textures without damaging your own hair by using chemicals, heat and excessive manipulation.

Wigs can be partial, where you leave some of your own hair out to conceal the wig or they can fully cover the hair. A very popular type of wig is made of lace. Wigs can come with a lace closure for middle or side parting (approximately four square inches), a lace front (lace at the front from ear to ear), lace around the perimeter of the wig or a wig can be a full-lace wig. The different types of lace wigs give different degrees of versatility to the wigs.

A lace wig when properly applied can look like the hairs are actually growing from the scalp.

You can consider wearing a quality synthetic or human hair wig for several reasons.

1. If you are currently experiencing hair loss due to stress, genetics or for medical reasons such as chemotherapy.

2. To give your hair a break from the constant manipulation and styling that causes split ends and breakage.

3. If you are growing out your hair from a short style and you’re experiencing that awkward phase when your hair is neither long nor short.

4. To try a new colour or shorter style without actually colouring or cutting your own hair.

The next time you feel frustrated with your own hair, or feel limited with the things you can do with your own hair, try a wig, you might like it.