How to Wear a Cosplay Wig

Most cosplay wigs are high-quality works of art intended for wear with the same costume for years at a time. Wearing a cosplay wig properly is as simple as remembering to put on a wig cap (which hides your natural hair), putting the wig on properly and pinning it in place. Note that you shouldn't use bobby pins, which appear crinkled on one side but straight on the other. Instead, use hair pins, which are symmetrical and have better holding strength for this particular application.

Things You'll Need

• Wig cap
• Hair pins

Instructions

Putting on the Wig Cap

1. Wet your hair thoroughly. If it's long enough, twist it into a ponytail at the nape of your neck and then flip that ponytail so that it lies up against your head, the tail pointing toward or across your forehead.

2. Pull a wig cap on; start from the back of your head if you have a lot of hair in a ponytail. This is where having the ponytail flipped up toward the top of your head helps keep it out of the way while you apply the wig cap. If you have short hair or are bald, just pull the wig cap on.

3. Stuff as much of your hair as possible down toward the back of your neck, making sure it's still contained by the wig cap.

Putting on the Wig

1. Hold the wig with both hands, backs of your hands facing together, fingers inside the wig and thumbs outside the wig.

2. Place the wig's scalp line against your forehead, just above your eyebrows.

3. Tilt your head forward as you slowly stretch the back and sides of the wig down over your wig cap, sliding your fingers out from underneath the edges as you pull them down.

4. Pull the back of the wig down until it covers the back of your wig cap. The wig will stretch to accommodate any extra hair that you've stuffed into the back of your wig cap.

5. Tug the back of the wig down until the front of it sits just below your natural hairline. If the wig you're wearing has bangs, you can let it sit a little higher, right at your natural hairline.

6. Start piercing hairpins through the wig, the wig cap, and into your hair below. Be careful not to poke yourself in the scalp; instead, work your hair pins into the wig all along its edges, at every single angle possible. The more pins you put in, the more stable your wig should be.

7. Test how well you've applied the wig by jumping up and down, shaking your head vigorously from side to side, flinging the wig hair around (if it's long) and touching your toes. If you've added enough pins, the wig should stay firmly in place through all of this and not wiggle at all. If it wiggles, add more hair pins.

Tips & Warnings

• Wig caps and hair pins will be available from any wig vendor, and may also be found in the hair section of department stores.

Resources

• Popular cosplay wigs