About Wigs
The wig, a type of false hair used to cover existing hair growth problems or just for aesthetic fun, has helped people alter their appearances for thousands of years. Today, the wig making industry is large and complex, creating thousands of different wig types and styles in countless colors. Does this Spark an idea?
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Significance
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False hair wigs and other hairpieces like toupees, extensions and weaves are used by a wide variety of people who want to change their appearances for a range of reasons. People who suffer from balding due to heredity, age, illness, conditions like alopecia and medical treatments like chemotherapy use natural-looking wigs to cover their hair problems either permanently or temporarily, usually in order to maintain normal lives and to feel confident about their appearance. In the acting world, wigs are used to make actors look more like characters they are portraying or to aesthetically improve upon the actor's real looks for stage and film. Some actors and other celebrities take fake hair to the streets, often in the form of extensions or other hairpieces, so that they look attractive in candid photographs. A good wig can completely transform a person's look.
Types
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Wigs can be natural, synthetic or blended. Natural wigs are made from real human hair and usually produce the best effect, particularly for a person looking for a realistic appearance. These can be dyed any color and can be either processed with harsh chemicals to add shine, or worn as unprocessed hair, which is cleaned but otherwise left in a natural state. Synthetic wigs come in many different types which vary in quality and are used for separate purposes. Monofilament synthetic wigs are the highest quality, as they mimic real hair well, while Tokyokalon is at the bottom and is most often used in cheap party costume wigs. A mid-range synthetic is Kanekalon, sometimes referred to as Eleora, which has a silky texture. Blended wigs combine human hair with synthetic to provide both the ease of synthetic wigs and the natural look of real hair.
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Features
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Both synthetic and natural wigs can come in many cuts, styles and colors. Natural hair comes in a wider variety of textures, as it can keep the existing hair texture of the person it came from, such as straight, silky, crimpy, wavy, curly, kinky and even braided. Natural hair comes in all natural and dyed colors, except for grey, which does not last. Manufacturers usually make grey hair wigs from blends or yak hair. Synthetic wigs are manufactured to keep a certain hairstyle and often cannot be restyled without some effort. Synthetic hair is made from plastic filaments, which hold a style well but do not always look natural. Most wigs come with some sort of wig cap to which the hair is attached, some of which give the appearance of a natural scalp. The wig cap is attached to the head by elastic, straps or tape.
Function
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Natural hair wigs are made by harvesting the hair from a donor who has been contracted to grow his hair for a specified period of time or to a specific length. When the hair is grown, it is removed by shaving or cutting and then allowed to grow again. Most natural wig hair comes from China, India, Indonesia and Europe, particularly where people put fewer of the damaging modern chemicals into their hair. Synthetic hair is made of plastic and can be attached to a wig cap by sewing wefts, or sections, of hair to the cap, or by hand methods like knotting. Synthetic hair can also be sewn together without a wig cap, often necessitating the use of a separate nylon wig cap to cover the wearer's original hair.
Considerations
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In order for wigs to remain attractive over time, some maintenance must be put into them. Human hair wigs must be washed, just like regular hair, and have to be restyled after washing because of the effect water has on real hair. Blended wigs are more likely to hold the style after a wash, for those that enjoy more low-maintenance looks. Synthetic wigs, too, must be washed from time to time, unless they are costume wigs that have been styled with permanent products like glue or caulk, or have been built around a sturdy infrastructure to achieve an outlandish style. Basic synthetic wigs can be washed in cold water with a small amount of shampoo and dried with cold air. Some add a tiny amount of liquid fabric softener to the wash to add softness. A well cared-for synthetic wig can last much longer than the given one-year lifespan.
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