First, An Apology
Ok gentlebeings. I will admit it. The covid quarantine hit my mental health hard, and I retreated into fiction for the duration. Which, of course, means the sacrifice of this blog. But! I made a goal to myself of 52 blog posts this year, and I am going to do my utmost to stick to that. In order to strike a balance between spamming my lovely readers and being unable to reach my goal, I plan on increasing the posts to 3 a week. A regularly scheduled post on Thursday, and a catchup post on Tuesday and Saturday. That way, I will be caught up by November (Whew!).
So, without further ado, I present:
Catch up post #1 (originally scheduled for February)
How to: Wear A Wig for Cosplay
So! You’ve gotten the perfect wig for your costume. You are all set for the big day. But then you’re faced with a big problem. How do you fit your crazy amounts of hair under the tiny pageboy wig that is so perfect for your character???
So many times I go to conventions (yes, I am a huge cosplay nerd) and I see people strolling around with their wigs not properly secured. Their hair is falling out the back, or it is clear that a gentle puff of wind will blow the wig right off. So! Here is your tutorial for how to get phenomenal cosmic hair into an itty bitty living space.
Step the First: Gather your forces
I use two types of bobby pins, a hair elastic, at least two hair clips, and ultra hold styling gel (hereinafter referred to as hair glue).
The bumpy bobby pins are used under the wig, to catch any stray hairs and pin the bun in place. The smooth pins hold the wig to the hair, especially in the front. Take a look at your wig, though. It may already have handy dandy hair clips built into the wig itself. If you are lucky enough to have these, by all means, use them!
You can also find these clips at a beauty supply or wig care store, and sew them into the wig yourself, if you wish. They do make it super handy when it comes time to secure your wig.
Step the Second: Put on your costume. (At least the bits that go over your head!)
There is nothing more frustrating than carefully arranging your wig on your head, with its fancy headdress and multiple pigtails, only to realize that you then have to maneuver it through the tiny neck of your costume! If you’re worried about getting your costume dirty, you can wrap a towel around your shoulders, like you are getting a haircut.
Step the Third: The Taming of the Hair
Use the hair clips (the bendy kind that will lay flat to your skull) to pull up the front half of your hair. Depending on how short your hair is, you might need two, or four, or sixteen. Make sure all sections are secured going backwards.
Pull the rest of your hair into a low ponytail at the base of your neck. This is the true secret of wig wearing. Wigs are designed with extra space back there specifically for your hair. So what we are going for is having your hair flat to your skull until you get to the back:
Now, you’re going to pull that pony tail into a bun and secure it with as many bobby pins as it will take. You don’t want any hairs coming loose.
Step the Fourth: Haul Out the Hair Glue
This is where you pin down all the baby hairs and stragglers that haven’t already been caught by clips, elastic, or pins. Run that hair glue over your hair, stroking in the direction you want it to lay. I also put a good dollup or two over the bun, just for extra security.
This is where you pause to do your make-up. You want to give the hair glue time to dry, especially if it is not clear gel, like in my pictures. I had some blue gel at one point, and I used it to glue the wig to my hair. It worked: the wig didn’t move. But when I went to take it off, I removed some of my hair with the poor wig, and I had to spend hours cleaning blue gunk from the inside of the wig.
Do as I say, not as I do. Wait for your hair glue to dry.
Step the Last: The Placing of the Wig
Now look at your wig. If it has bangs, you’re gonna want to place it a little back from your natural hairline (assuming that makes for a natural look. Baldness does come into play here…). If the wig has no bangs, then you need to place it at your hairline. Center the front of the wig where you need to place it, then pull the back up and around your bun, securing the elastic bottom at the nape of your neck.
Here’s where those smooth bobby pins come into play. I put one on either side of my forehead, near the temple, and two farther down, near the ears. You might need to yank on the wig a bit to get all of your hair covered, especially if you have prominent sideburns. Then I stick two pins in the back of the wig, on either side of the bun to hold everything still back there.
Finish dressing up, and you are good to go!
A note on Lace-Front Wigs:
I am not as familiar with lace front wigs, but I know that they make for a very natural look. For tutorials on wearing lace-front wigs, please go to:
- This You Tube Video
- This site from Allure Magazine
- This page for UK readers
Some Resources for Good Wigs
- Epic Cosplay– for crazy colors in all sorts of styles, and all of them can be steam styled or cut to whatever you need.
- For more natural colors, look to your local wig store, especially if you have one with good variety, such as this one in Dallas
Token Geek Girl 