Eheheh...totally going to be an idiot and ask...
...how does one wear a wig? I am a complete and absolute cosplay virgin, so...I figure walking about all day in full costume is torture.
How do you keep a wig on? I've shoulder length-ish, semi thick hair, and the wig I'm going for is Kamijo's new Versailles look of long, curly/wavy locks that reach down to mid-back ish. Yeah.
I know, I know, stupid question. Maybe someone with experience can impart their knowledge upon me... xD ; Please~? Thanksies... x3
Yessss, my area. :3
You want to get a wig cap, any store that sells wigs will carry them, or you can make them yourself out of pantyhose. It's essentially a little nylon sock you pull over your head and stuff all of your hair into. When you do this, make sure that you're distributing your hair evenly all over your head under the wig cap, not just in one big ol' lump at the back of your head. (Some people who have REALLY long hair feel the need to pincurl or french braid their hair under the cap to get it all in there, but you shouldn't have any problem if it's only shoulder length.)
Now, since it's a long wig, you're gonna need to use hairpins to secure it, or the weight of the hair in the back will be pulling it back all day long, which sucks royally. If it were short, sometimes people can manage with just the natural grip of the elastic bands on the inside of a wig and the friction of the nylon cap, but anything longer than shoulder length is gonna need to be secured.
Some people have trouble with this, so let me clarify; you want HAIRpins, not BOBBYpins. Bobbypins are the ones that open like an alligator's mouth, with one smooth side and one wavy side. Hairpins are like a U shape, with both prongs wavy. And when you use hair pins, you don't just shove them in like staples, they work through opposing forces.
As for how to actually use hairpins... This is always a little hard to explain without a demonstration in person, but lemme try and word this right. Say you have the wig on, and you want to add a hairpin around the hairline (which is actually where you want to put several, so it won't slide back. Generally stick them all around the edges of the wig and you'll be good, and you can never have too many.). You want to start by sticking the hairpin through the wig just straight down towards your scalp (as in perpendicular to the ground). Once it's just through the wig and juuust through the wig cap, you want to tilt the bend of the pin back (sending the points forward, towards your hairline) and push it in farther, until you feel it touch your scalp, about halfway down the pin (by which point it should almost be flush with your wig). Then you want to push it the other way, so that the bend part is now the closest to your hairline, pushing the points (don't worry, they're tipped in rubber so it shouldn't hurt) back towards the crown of your head, dragging along your actual scalp. Then simply push the pin in all the way.
...did that make any sense? I hope so. If not, maybe someone else can illuminate you further or I'll bust out the crappy MS Paint diagrams! But anyway, you want to just shove a buncha hairpins all around your hairline, and you should honestly be able to do a cartwheel without your wig coming off. (I myself have bounced around a hotel room TRYING to get a wig to fall off, and couldn't manage it. <3 hairpins)
uh... yeah. That's a huge block of text there.
Whoaaaa, that was a long explanation. Thanksies so much~! *grovels*
Oookay, so...hairpins...lotsa' hairpins, not bobby pins. Even distribution, and wig cap.
After rereading your procedure I think I get what you're saying. : D! xD;
...and just in case, depending on how my hair is all the way in May (if I decide not to chop it all off), what exactly is...pincurl? o.o ;
Well, either way, thank you for that detailed walkthrough. x3
Check at the wig shop for these hair clips things that you can sew onto the edge of the wig. These clips are flattish, with the teeth part lifting away. When you insert them into your hair, give the clip a squeeze and the teeth line up with the rest of the clip. I don't remember the exact name but the wig shop staff will know what you are talking about.
I used these on a few of my wigs, but see if the hairpin advice from Fructose will work for you, because sewing the clips on the wigs takes time.
BunofGovt, I think you mean toupee clips. I've heard about their magical powers before, but never used them myself. They're especially good if your wig has a big skintop, which you can't hairpin through.
As for pincurls, what you do is take a section of your hair, like a tiny ponytail, and then you just want to twist it and twist it and twist it until it starts to curl back on itself. Once it starts to do that, wind it in a little coil, like a cinnamon bun against your scalp. Then take two bobby pins (yes, bobby pins) and X them over/through the coil. You wanna do this all over your head, until all of your hair is in these little coils. Some people need to make a whole bunch (because their hair is so long that each individual coil gets bulky fast) but most people who don't have hair down to their butt can get away with just enough to get it all up off their neck.
Pincurling actually makes it easier for the wig and wig cap to grip, since all the points from the bobby pins are easier to snag on to. If your hair is pincurled, then you almost can just use the hairpins as staples, just shoving them into the little coils under the bobby pins, since then it can't slip back.
Oooh, interesting. I'll keep that in mind, BunofGovt.
Mm, and thank you, Fructose, for your tips. ^^ I'll research further with these ideas and experiment a bit. Thank you both for pointing me in the right direction. : )
Glad to help!
The cosplay.com Wigs and Hair forum is full of useful information, tips, tricks, and techniques, as is the forum on Katie Bair's site, pettingzoowigs.com, if you want to learn more.
.... :3 Is there anyway to make a wig none-itchy?