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There
are two basic reasons to consider:
- Style
Changes
- Hair
Loss Replacement
If
you are thinking about a wig for fun fashion style changes, the
sky is the limit! You can go from short to long, from straight
to curly, blond to redhead, and the only real rule will be "does
it look good?" For the fun fashion customer these guidelines
are great tools. They cue you into some basic cosmetic knowledge
that takes years of experience to become one's second nature.
For
the hair replacement wig, selecting a wig close to your own natural
style is usually the most comfortable decision. Still you might
want to think of your style as a general guide.
Remember, wigs do not come in excessively thinned styles. That
is because fullness is one of the main reasons that people buy
wigs. Fullness, body and shine in hair are universally symbolic
of health and beauty. In fact the three attributes that convey
beauty in a woman across all civilizations and spanning the generations
are:
- healthy
hair
- clean
complexion
- body
shape
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The face shape
advice herein is just a real good guideline, and not a hard-fastened rule. There
are plenty of exceptions to these suggestions, but if you have not stumbled upon
your perfect alter ego style you might want to try to apply these guidelines and
see what they can do for you. Anyway, it's good to know if you don't already,
just what is your face shape, professionally speaking.
So stand in front of a mirror, look straight ahead and ask yourself, which of
these face shapes most closely approximates my own? Pay careful attention to the
chin and cheekbones and after you have made your best decision click on the face
shape, which will take you to a page of suggested wig styles. Then come back here.
Click on shapes
to see more details.
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Clip-on
hairpieces are by far the easiest and quickest way to go, if you
have enough hair to attach the combs. Below are two diagrams showing
the easy ways to form a ponytail secured with a coated ponytail
holder elastic band. The higher ponytail usually looks best, sweeping
up as much neck hair as possible, and the sideburns also usually
look best when just swept into the ponytail. Some can get away
with leaving out some wispy sideburns. The idea is to create the
illusion that your hair was swept up into the combs, which will
probably show a bit, and then fell out the other side, creating
the "fall".
 
Not shown is one
alternate method of putting up the ponytail which we developed. We call it the
pigtail method. If your hair is not long enough to put into a ponytail, but can
be put into two tiny pigtails, you can use the pigtails as anchor points to attach
the combs. The combs will not come together in this method, but they will simply
get stuck in the pigtails and become very secure. You'll have to experiment to
see what method of application you like best for yourself. Sometimes you can just
switch around from one way to the other.
Clip-ons are very secure. Once properly in place, they don't fall off even during
active head-bobbing modern dance.
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Most
of these pieces come with excellent instructions in the box with
the piece. Falls do not have combs to attach themselves to your
hair, but instead have teeth that sink into your existing hair
to secure themselves. The trick is to position the fall perfectly.
This does take some experimentation, but the accepted best way
for most people is to start the piece in the front lined up with
an imaginary line drawn from the front of one ear to the front
of the other and over the top of the head of course.
So
first, brush all the hair that would lay in front of this imaginary
line to the front as bangs! Then, if you can, create a small ponytail
as an anchor, but this should be low near the neck. Then sink
the teeth of the fall into part line that you have created in
the front, and stretch the rest of the piece over the anchor near
the neck. If you have lined things up right, there should be just
a bit of tension, not too tight, but certainly not too loose either.
Then
brush up or lift with your fingers, your bang hair in the front,
and sort of integrate your hair with the hairpiece. With a fall
you should select a color that matches or is slightly darker than
your own hair, because you are going to layer your hair on top,
and hair looks more natural when it is darker underneath, at the
roots.
You
can use a wig spray, bobby pins, or a fancy clip to attach your
bang hair to the top of the hairpiece as a final touch. With a
fall you can wear the hair back, or move it semi-forward, even
in front of the shoulders if it a long enough fall. The effect
is a fullness without an obvious ponytail or combs. They are a
little more work to do up than a clip-on, but they offer a versatility
that a clip-on can not duplicate.
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Revlon's
Magic hair enhancers are truly a revolutionary new product. They
look like wigs, but they are full of holes. They are light as
a feather, and are called "hair enhancers" because they
are made to do just that: enhance the hair you already have. They
are especially effective for hair that is pretty much there, but
thinning and lacking volume. Hair enhancers come with complete
instructions, but we have largely copied those instructions here
for your advance information.
- Brush
your own hair back keeping the first inch of your bangs brushed
forward.
- Place
the front of the magic hair enhancer (the side without the elastic
band) at your created hairline and gently stretch in backwards,
like a wig until if feels comfortable. You may want to add a
few bobby pins for added security.
- Using
the finger hook or the pointed end of the included styling comb,
begin pulling you own hair through the holes in locks that are
from 1/4 to 3/4 inches thick.
- Once
your own hair is evenly distributed with the magic hair enhancer,
simply blend in with your fingertips or use the comb to create
style and volume. Any stray hairs can be tucked under the enhancer.
- And
there you have it! The volume you've always wanted, beautifully
styled and natural looking as well.
Once
you've practiced a few times, the entire job should take no longer
than 5-10 minutes. As with anything new, it just takes a little
patience and practice.
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You
do not have to match your own hair color with hair enhancers.
You can create tone-on-tone effects, highlights or even a great
frosted effect without chemicals! If you've chosen a color similar
to your own you will get a tone-on-tone effect with slight color
variations that look natural. If you've chosen a color slightly
lighter or darker than your own hair, the finished look will have
a beautiful highlighted effect. And if you've chosen a color opposite
to your own hair, you will achieve a dramatic frosted effect.
If you have brown hair, try it in blond; if you have blond hair,
try it in brown, etc. Try it in a variety of shades to give yourself
a different look each day.
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Again
we differentiate between the fashion buyer and the hair replacement
wig. Fashion buyers are usually open to hair color changes in
wigs. And then sometimes God just gives you your best color to
begin with. It's a very personal decision to change color, and
if you are thinking of dyeing your hair, a wig is a great way
to find out what the other color will bring you, without damaging
your own natural hair.
Often
eye color helps us select a wig color. We know that red is opposite
to green and blue and as such, sets up a beautiful contrast. Blue
eyes are a standout when framed with a red wig. Once we decide
to go to red, we look at complexion to select the proper red,
with fair complexions favoring the light reds, such as Irish Red,
and dark complexions favoring the auburns.
Complexion
is also a very important guide in selecting hair color. A strong
contrast such as a pale complexion with jet black hair, is great
for making people notice your face, but you'd better have a Snow
White clear complexion as well. Strong contrast causes the eye
to see complexions very clearly, and if that is a good feature
for you, you should consider toning down the contrast a bit. You
can go too far when toning down contrast. With no contrast at
all, your face gets lost completely, like a painting without a
frame. We often see this at our salon very often. It can be an
interesting effect, but it's not one you normally would want to
live with day in and day out.
Dark
Complexions and eye colors can still benefit from some contrast
with hair color. Often a dark brown complexion will be set off
with light chocolate hair, or #1 jet black. Then light brown complexions
get contrast with dark brown hair. It's a vice-versa sort of thing,
with the big idea being to get some contrast. The amount of contrast
is up to you, remembering that strong contrast causes the eye
to focus and pay attention. After the eye is done paying attention,
the brain makes decision as to whether or not it likes what it
has seen, based on myriads of reasons which include believability.
But even the unbelievable can be beautiful. That's one of the
great things about wigs. They allow you to change, without really
changing.
So
as a general guide:
- set
up some contrast to your complexion color
- fine
tune contrast according to complexion perfection
Sometimes
a wig just jumps at you, but if you are not sure of a color selection
feel free to e-mail us.
Another
idea is to send us a color picture of yourself. Let us know in
a letter, an e-mail or on the phone about yourself and what you
are interested in.
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We
should be able to match your hair to a wig, by your viewing our
color chart. Usually our wig colors are a little more "perfected"
than most people's own hair, and so may be preferred to the precise
shade of your hair. All of our wig colors consist of blends of
various shades of a color, natural look. So for mailing in hair
samples, we can match perfectly to the sample provided. (assuming
this sample is consistent through out your hair, it will be a
good match)
Send
your Sample (1/2" by 3"...at least) included your e-mail
address, and we will reply with our suggestion as soon as we get
it.
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Your wig can be
styled by using a wire brush, a wire pick, or your fingertips. Your wig was designed
with a basic style but the variations you can achieve through styling are limitless.
Added height can be achieved by gently lifting with the brush. If you want added
fullness as well, tease or backcomb and then smooth the surface hair over the
teasing.To return your wig to it's basic style simply brush thoroughly, clean
and allow to air dry
Click
here for some tips on long hair up-dos
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1.
Brush the wig thoroughly
2.
Add wig shampoo to wash basin and fill with cold water
3.
Let soak for 5 minutes
4.
Swish the wig gently NEVER RUB
5.
Rinse gently in cold clear water twice or until thoroughly rinsed
6.
Apply generous amount of wig conditioner and gently work through
hair with fingertips
7.
Rinse thoroughly with cold water
8.
Drain and blot gently with towel DO NOT SQUEEZE OR WRING
9.
Allow to air dry on a wire wig stand or a slender object like
a can of hairspray DO NOT USE HAIRDRYER
10.
Brush wig only when completely dry
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