I know nothing!

[ShawnaLeigh]

OK I know a lot of things but not about styling your hair and especially with a synthetic wig.

I have read so much online and it all contradicts itself.  In the end I am not sure what is wise or not and I do not want to ruin my wig experimenting.

I love the look of my wig when I first brush it out and its nice and neat and then my longer bangs flipped over my right ear on one side.

Then 3 minutes later I look like "Cousin It" from the Adams Family.  All in my face and a mess.  Even if I just bend down or go walk outside for a second.

 

Ok so I know there is this new invention called "hair spray".  LOL 

I am not sure what I can use on a synthetic wig, or how much, and then how to clean it off. 

How often do you need to clean it with using hair products like sprays or gels.  Heck I suppose I need suggestions on what hair spray or gel to get and use before worrying on how to clean it off. 

So yes styling my hair is a challenge for me as I have had a very male military hair cut for 32 years.  Long hair in its self was never a part of my existence until now and I am only teaching myself how I know very little.  I know that most wigs can not stand high heat from blow dryers or curling irons and frankly I am so far away from learning that Its crazy.  Id be happy to get to a point where the hair isn't in my face every other minute. The instruction sheet that came with the wig suggested to not pin it up or use clamping barrettes as it can crimp or damage the strands. 

How true is this? 

Are there wig friendly barrettes or other hair devices I can use?

Heck, I had to be taught how to put a dang bobby pin over the weekend so I could vacuum the house and see what I was doing.  Then I could not figure it out while looking in the mirror or get them placed and holding enough hair to make a dang difference.  My wife had to do it for me and tried to explain it but I am all thumbs it seems.  I almost just took off my wig and went in guy mode but that triggers me pretty badly lately and the wig is definitely something I need to wear at almost every waking moment now.  

 

I'm talkin struggle here gals...  LOL

 

(help me please!)

[Jackie C.]

I use a french-style barrette to keep everything pinned back. That or a couple hairpins if I want to be long and free in the back. 400 of those bad boys cost me $11. Usually it's the barrette though. It's quick, easy and it looks nice. For special occasions, I've got a banana clip with lavender accents and sparkles. Sometimes it's important to sparkle.

 

For a synthetic, you want to buy product specifically for synthetics. Synthetics are pre-styled and a sort of memory material, so I'd stay away from hairspray. Heat will damage the glue, so that is out of the question. The nice person you bought it from should also be able to point you at an array of product to keep it clean, bouncy, shiny and looking fresh as long as possible. But because of the material limitations, anything you do to change how you wear it should come from mechanical sources. You don't want to kill your pretty wig.

 

Hugs!

[ShawnaLeigh]

35 minutes ago, Jackie C. said:

The nice person you bought it from should also be able to point you at an array of product to keep it clean, bouncy, shiny and looking fresh as long as possible.

Yea I tried to ask them but Amazon does not help me much but willing to sell me a ton of stuff I may or may not need.  LOL

 

Its a cheap wig  ($18) but it is surprising nice and feels real.  I have had many compliments on it actually.  I do not want to ruin it before I can afford a nice one from my local wig shop ($185-$300) that I can only visit by appointment only at a sitting fee cost of at least $30 not refundable.

 

 

 

[KathyLauren]

I know less than nothing about wig styling.  When I was young, I was in the military, so I had to wear my hair short.  Then, for most of my adult life, I wore it in a ponytail: daily maintenance = 3 seconds.  So I know nothing about hair, real or synthetic.

 

I wash my wigs periodically (i.e., when I think of it), using shampoo and conditioner designed for wigs.

 

One thing I do know is that wigs are designed to be trimmed.  The biggest wig fail I see is too much hair.  They are made with excess hair so that they can be trimmed to suit your face.  So, if your bangs are in your eyes, or even if they aren't, go to a good hairdresser and get the wig trimmed.  Make sure that the hairdresser is good (ask for their best person), and tell them that it is a wig, so they know that mistakes won't grow back.  I have had all mine trimmed, and they look so much better.

[ShawnaLeigh]

47 minutes ago, KathyLauren said:

One thing I do know is that wigs are designed to be trimmed.  The biggest wig fail I see is too much hair.  They are made with excess hair so that they can be trimmed to suit your face.  So, if your bangs are in your eyes, or even if they aren't, go to a good hairdresser and get the wig trimmed.  Make sure that the hairdresser is good (ask for their best person), and tell them that it is a wig, so they know that mistakes won't grow back.  I have had all mine trimmed, and they look so much better.

I did not know this.  I assumed wig were designed to lay as it was made and I was foolishly thinking before I even got one that it was a "shake n go" sort of thing.  Put it on and shake your head and let it fall as it was manufactured to do so and it would stay like this.

So yea I miss on that one I suppose.  LOL

[Maddee]

I like the idea of using ties or clips to do things with wigs or hair, instead of hairspray.  I use conditioner and product to keep moisture in my hair, but not with wigs.

Hairstyles and stylists for women's straight hair are outside my experience.

 

Inside my experience is the making of mistakes..  I hope you enjoy that as much, or more, than I do

[VickySGV]

I show a number of wigs on my gallery page here, and all of them were cut to my face by a hair stylist  https://www.transgenderpulse.com/forums/gallery/album/1573-wigging-out/ All of them are synthetic and I just wash them in regular human hair shampoo, rinse well and I put a plastic clothes hanger through the wefting and hang the wig up to dry on the shower curtain rod,  Be sure the wig is completely dry before using a brush to comb it out.  I did get some actual wig conditioner which I used once and has since gravitated to the back of my beauty supply cupboard and stayed there for several years, but unless it is a human hair wig, do not use human hair conditioner on them, it just wastes the conditioner.   

[Jackie C.]

1 hour ago, ShawnaLeigh said:

Yea I tried to ask them but Amazon does not help me much but willing to sell me a ton of stuff I may or may not need.  LOL

 

Its a cheap wig  ($18) but it is surprising nice and feels real.  I have had many compliments on it actually.  I do not want to ruin it before I can afford a nice one from my local wig shop ($185-$300) that I can only visit by appointment only at a sitting fee cost of at least $30 not refundable.

 

 

 

 

Ah, alright. I didn't realize it was from Amazon. I've got a synthetic store and a human hair store within a couple of miles of the house. Lots of product in the synthetic store for natural and synthetic hair. My first two wigs came from En Femme, but that was before "Jin's Wigs & Beauty" opened up where my favorite comic book shop used to be.

 

Anyway, the most important thing you're going to need is a shampoo. I've been using the DeMert Wig & Weave line of products. They've also got a detangler and conditioner you might find useful. I've got a wig brush and a smaller comb for dealing with day to day maintenance. Brush it out every day. The comb lives in my purse for tangles while I'm out and about.

 

Like I said, for keeping it contained. I just use a french-style barrette most of the time. It's easy and versatile. The hair-pin thing takes a little practice, but just relax and you'll get it. Your roommate can probably demonstrate about where they go for different looks. They're versatile too and pretty cheap so you can lose a couple hundred behind the dresser without too much drama.

 

Depending on how much curl you've got, I'd stay away from elastic. I've had trouble with it getting caught in my wig. Who needs that, right?

 

Hugs!

[ShawnaLeigh]

33 minutes ago, Jackie C. said:

The hair-pin thing takes a little practice, but just relax and you'll get it.

I'm not dilating I'm doing my hair!

 

34 minutes ago, Jackie C. said:

Your roommate can probably demonstrate about where they go for different looks.

Yea she has two looks. 

Super gorgeous long and straight when she comes home from getting her hair colored and trimmed and this not so flattering "tied back super tight, bangs and all and into a pony tail she does not have enough hair for" look.  This is the look I get to see on her at home all the time.  

She does not do makeup either so my roommate is a bust for beauty tips really.  LOL

 

I did get a wig brush combo set that I use all the time at home.  I am getting a mobile comb and brush set now that I am getting purses to carry all my "gear" in.  LOL

On that note.

What's the deal with the sex that has the most stuff to carry have the least amount of pockets also.

What's up with that?  

[Jackie C.]

I use a messenger-bag style purse (This One!). There's plenty of space. The pockets thing is a little weird, but I find that I don't like breaking up the lines of my pelvic area like would happen with lots of crap in my pockets. Also my wallet is big enough it would ONLY fit in a purse. No more tight little billfolds. I hung on to my old Tyvec wallet for a while but ended up going with one of these. Well, the same style. Mine says, "Book of Spells." Susan talked me out of the one that said, "People to Kill."

 

I get the hair thing. Susan wears hers long, but just throws a scrunchie on it, makes a low pony and calls it a day. Of course her hair is too fine for some of the heavier things I use. Just as well, she threatened to steal my favorite barrette if she could wear it. She can't. It's all mine. (This One). I really ought to increase my collection though. I usually wear my favorite or Mister Bat. Susan's actually accused me of being vain about my hair. Honestly that's fair.

 

Hugs!

[ShawnaLeigh]

Oh girl I have been shopping lately and have purses and wallets and the like all covered now.  LOL

I prefer Coach as a brand and of course it is pricey which was always the way it was when I was a guy.  I just bought 4 Coach purses in different sizes, two wallets one with and one without an checkbook holder and three card holders.  I 86-ed the guy wallet just this past weekend.

I have not carried anything in my pockets for years.  I hate having things in there.  No keys or wallets though I will say my rear left pocket did hold my phone but that's going to have to change real quick.  Heck most of my new pants don't have a pockets at all no less a rear left pocket.  LOL

 

Wait did I just high jack my own post with something else?!?!?!

[Guest Deleted account]

The thing you need to know about Synthetic wigs, and especially cheap ones, is that you have to use specialized products. There are spray in conditioners you can use for styling that will control fly away, and their are holding sprays that are alcohol free. The one thing you do not want to do is use these products daily, and you do not want to wash your wig no more than once every other month. I use just a little Woolite in the bathroom sink in luke warm water (never hot!) and gently massage the wig in the water and let sit for about 15 minutes, then rinse in cool water. Don’t not brush when wet! I hang mine in the shower overnight to drip dry and then gently style with a wig brush in the morning, and that is when I use my leave in conditioner.