Wig purchase

[izzy]

Because i have lost much of my hair and the only way for me to look female is to buy a wig. This friday I found a wig store where I could buy one.  I am just a little worried over what the sales rep will think of me browsing them and then me asking to size one and purchase one. I feel right now a little arkward because I am  pretransition.

[carol_w]

Izzy, I was in your position one time, and the wig store turned out to be a VERY pleasant experience.  It turns out that I wasn't the first pre-trans MTF that they had seen.  They showed me wig care, including how to brush it and clean it.  All in all, it gave me confidence enough that going out as a woman the first time was FAR easier. 

Now, that being said, I went into another one before I found this one and was promptly "run out" by the proprietor.  You might want to CALL the wig store in question and explain that you're transgender.  Check out their reaction.  If they're negative or neutral, you may have to find another one. 

[Cindy]

There are essentially two types of clients in wig shops. Women on chemo and TG women. They are totally use to it.

[izzy]

Thank you for the positive feedback. I feel much better about this. I think it would be a nonevent.

[suzifrommd]

As others have said, wig stores depend on us. They will be totally sweet (or they wouldn't still be in business).

But please keep in mind:

THERE IS NO SHAME IN BEING TRANSGENDER!!!

We didn't ask for this and it's a complicated and difficult condition to deal with that requires strength of character and endurance. You can allow yourself to be proud!

[izzy]

I have been researching the pros and cons of natural versis synthetic wigs. Does synthetic wigs look okay as an everydau wig. Its also cheaper.

[suzifrommd]

I have been researching the pros and cons of natural versis synthetic wigs. Does synthetic wigs look okay as an everydau wig. Its also cheaper.

I've never had a problem. I where a wig wherever I go. I rarely get clocked with it on. Requires very little care.

[Lyric]

I've owned several wigs and have long been something of a wig enthusiast. While I have seen a few synthetic wigs I thought looked all right (at the right angle and in the right light), to me they almost always look plastic. I suspect I have a sharper eye for them, though.  Even a human hair wig requires care to look relatively real on you, though. There are a lot of considerations. A wig needs to have a good fitting cap. The cut needs to suit your face. The color needs to suit your coloring. If you want a hairline to show you will need to consider a lace front wig, which tends to cost more, can be very fragile and must be adhered each time you put it on. The other choice is to wear a wig with bangs, and some of us (myself included) don't look so good with bangs.

If you wish to wear a wig as a full time lifestyle thing, you need to consider longevity. I've learned a lot about this from a forum for women with hair loss (http://www.heralopecia.com/interact/forumdisplay.php/56-Wigs-Extensions-Toppers-amp-Hair-Systems. Synthetic wigs don't tend to last nearly as long as HH wigs. Some women replace them as often as once a month. Even a top quality HH wig probably won't give you more than 6 months or so use worn constantly. Obviously, having multiple wigs is a good idea.

~ Lyric ~

[izzy]

I so can not wait to shop for one. I will look into both options. And see what hair style looks best on me. I used to have bangs as a kid