What Are Wigs Made Of?
If you're new to the world of wigs and considering your first purchase, the variety can be overwhelming. There are so many key words and descriptors, often with more than one applying to the components of each wig. What follows is a guide to the most common wig words and the materials from which wigs are made. Does this Spark an idea?
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Synthetic Hair
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Most cheaper "fashion" wigs are made with synthetic hair strands made of acrylic of varying qualities. There often appears to be a direct correlation between quality and price. These wigs come prestyled and do not allow for much customization, as heated styling tools will damage and possibly melt the acrylic fibers. Because of this, many high-end synthetic wig manufacturers are beginning to use protein-based synthetic strands that more easily withstand direct exposure to high heat.
Human Hair
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Human hair wigs can be treated as real hair, and this includes washing, heat styling and coloring. Many human hair wigs are available virgin, which is hair that has not been processed for color or texture and can therefore be customized to your liking. Human hair wigs are also available in many colors, textures and curl patterns.
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Machine-Tied
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Machine-tied wigs are based on strands that have been woven together with thread in an automated process. The threading is often a nylon fiber to avoid shrinkage or warping of the cap fit. Once the hair has been threaded onto each piece, those pieces are then stitched together in a crosshatch formation, which can be seen if a machine-tied wig is turned inside out.
Hand-Tied and Full-Lace
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Hand-tied wigs are often made with human hair, though some high-end synthetics offer hand-tied caps. Hand-tied cap constructions feature a thin silk mesh that may be one piece for the entire cap or separate sections of mesh sewn together and reinforced with a smooth satin or silk ribbonlike material. This mesh is also the lace in full-lace or lace-front wigs. Hairs are applied and knotted one by one to the waffle pattern of the mesh.
Thin Skin and Monofilament
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Thin skin is a silicone piece used at the part of a wig to create the appearance of a natural scalp at the part. Thin skin is used in many machine-tied wigs. Monofilament is a nylon mesh piece with hand-tied hairs that is added to some machine-tied wigs to offer flexible, natural-looking parts.
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