Things You'll Need:
- Mirror
- <br>Lock of your hair in the color that you wear
- <br>Idea of the types of styles you want to create
- <br>List of local wig/hairpiece retailers
- <br>List of other wig/hairpiece retailers
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Step 1
Examine your own hair in the mirror to determine its natural strengths and weaknesses. If you are considering a clip-in hairpiece purchase, your hair must be long enough and strong enough to hold the hairpiece. If it is not, then wait until it grows out more or it is better prepared for a hairpiece option.
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Step 2
Determine the hair lengths and styles that might look best on you or the ones you particularly want to try. If you aren't certain, look through fashion and hair magazines for the styles that appeal to you. This will help make your final determinations.
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Step 3
Determine if you want to purchase a full wig, hair extensions for your own hair, simple clip-on hairpieces, or some combination of all three. Wigs come in all kinds of different lengths, styles, and colors from super-short Mia Farrow cuts to Godiva-length curly tresses and virtually everything in between. They come straight, crimped, curled and waved. Colors range from salt-and-pepper gray to platinum blond to raven black and dozens of other shades. Clip-in extensions are generally at least 8 inches in length but extend to long tresses as well. They also come in a wide variety of colors and styles. Human hair extensions, however, are often straight because they can be styled any way you want. Synthetic extensions are pre-styled. Hairpiece options also typically include various lengths and styles of options like ponytails, chignons, braids and falls. However, there are also those that serve merely as filler pieces for areas that plague many women, like the crown or front of the head. Keep in mind that you may be somewhat limited in your choices due to your hair color and its condition. A lot of synthetic hair is super shiny and therefore doesn't match dry, dull hair well.
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Step 4
Decide if you want to purchase human hair or synthetic pieces. Keep in mind that human hair can be restyled, cut and colored just like your own hair. For these reasons, these pieces tend to be much more expensive. Synthetic hair options vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. Some can still be cut and most can be washed, but none can be restyled. Some are done once the style wears out while others will bounce back once washed and shaken. On the whole, these hairpieces are much cheaper than human hair.
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Step 5
Determine the colors of the hairpieces you want to purchase. If you are considering a full wig purchase, then you can opt for virtually any color you want. If you are considering hair extensions or hairpieces, then your options will be more limited. If you don't color your hair at all, you will likely want to match extensions and hairpieces to your natural hair color. If you do color your hair, however, you may have to match the hairpiece to the color at the time of the purchase. It may or may not continue to match after you recolor, particularly if you use a different type of hair color or a different shade. Hair extensions can often go one shade lighter or darker than your natural hair color because it blends in with your hair. A lot of people purposely choose to go lighter or darker in order to give their natural hair more depth of color with highlights or lowlights.
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Step 6
Visit a local wig/hairpiece retailer to try on wigs, extensions, and hairpieces to get a feel for the exact style(s), lengths, and colors you want to purchase. Make note of the specific name, brand, color and cost of the hairpieces you like the most. That way, you can shop around for the best price for each piece you want to purchase.
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Step 7
Shop around to see where else you can purchase the wigs, extensions, or hairpieces that you have chosen to get. Some of your retail options may be limited by the brand, color, or other hairpiece options. Therefore, it is best to choose retailers with a generous return and exchange policy. Check other local wig/hairpiece retailers, online sources, catalogs and television retailers like Home Shopping Network (HSN) who sell these items. Check out each source's return or exchange policies should the items not meet your satisfaction. For example, HSN always provides a 30-day, no questions asked return policy. During that time period you can wear the pieces to determine whether or not you wish to keep them. If not, you can return them within 30 days and get a full refund or exchange (your choice).
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Step 8
Check out the maintenance and cleaning instructions for each hairpiece that you are considering for purchase. You may need to purchase additional supplies or maintaining and/or cleaning the hairpieces.
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Step 9
Once you received the haipieces, try them on immediately. This is particularly important if you have a short turnaround time for exchange or return.
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Step 10
If you aren't happy with your hairpiece choices, then they may not be for you or you may have may some erroneous decisions along the way. Begin at Step 1 and walk you way back through the process with particular focus on Step 6--trying on wigs, extensions, and hairpieces at a local retailer. It may be that you opt to pay a higher price for those items that you try on and like rather than looking for something cheaper and hoping it will emulate your choices properly.
