How to Make a Lace-Front Wig
The beauty of a custom, lace-front wig is that it is designed to mimic the look and movement of natural hair. Wig making is an old and specialized technique. It takes many hours for a wig master to create a customer lace-front wig. Knotting the hair through the wig alone can take over 50 hours to complete. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Cellophane
- Clear tape
- Wig block
- Scissors
- Cotton lace
- Nylon lace
- Human hair
- Hackle
- Drawing cards
- Ventilating needle
- Comb/Brush
Instructions
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1
Build a template for the wig. Measure the head of the person for who you are making the wig. To do this, place some clear cellophane over the model's head following the model's hairline. To contour the head, take clear tape and wrap it around the forehead to create the perimeter of the wig. Use more tape to completely cover the inner perimeter. Use several layers of tape to create a proper template.
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2
Create the foundation for the wig. Trace the pattern of the wig by tracing the template onto the wig block. Take the wet cotton lace, place it on the wig block and cut to the pattern. Pin the nylon lace to the cotton lace base. It is now ready to be sewn. Test the wig's fit on the model.
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3
Sort the hair. Using the hackle, sort through the hair by combing the hackle through the wig hair many times. You will certainly lose some strands, but these are the weaker strands. This helps to sort the healthy hair from the unhealthy hair.
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4
Hold the hair using drawing cards. When the hair is fully blended, simply cut any excess hair and place the hair between the two drawing cards that contain pins to hold the hair until they are needed.
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5
Attach the hair to the wig using a ventilating technique. Take the wig foundation. Begin at the nape of the wig. Take a few strands of hair from the drawing mat and use the ventilating needle to knot the strands into the lace, one strand at a time. Part way through ventilating you should make sure to comb out any tangles in the hair.
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6
Style and finish the wig. Cut away any excess lace from the perimeter. Finally, cut and style the wig to complete the look.
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Tips & Warnings
To save time, you may knot two strands at a time in the back, but always make sure to knot one strand at a time in the front, for the most natural look.
The hackle can be very sharp.
