hair

[Christy Edwards]

Thanks for your replies on nails...Its just something I reall want to treat myself with soon...

OK, another ?.....Right now I am letting my hair grow out and is a mess and doesnt quite give me the look i need. Sooo, I do wigs...Not  a bad thing because I do get pretty nice ones...I have been wearing a shoulder length, but just got me a short one. I love it....! I have wanted to try a human hair wig. That way I can roll it or curl it if I want. Any thoughts on the diff in human and other types..?

[Janet_Girl]

Human hair is the best.  Also synthetic hair, but it can not have any heat near it or poof.  You should also think about how to keep it in place.  Hairpins work well, as does tapes and adhesives.  But they do require the skin be clean of hair.  So depending on you own hair pattern they maybe an option.

[Lyric]

Well, it's possible to get synthetic wigs that look better on you than some HH wigs, but generally, I think, human hair is the best choice for real looking hair. There is a range of quality in human hair wigs, though, so don't waste money on a cheap one. Some are made of low quality sweep up stuff or even mixed with animal hair and crap out after the first washing. Buy a good brand for a price that fits the quality and you should be OK. I've bought good ones online before, but if you can it's best to buy in a store so you can compare and consult with a stylist.

Lyric

[JennX]

Human hair is definitely the way to go. Also there's more than just on type of human hair (HH). The most expensive is unprocessed European HH, then you have Remy HH, and finally Asian HH. There are also HH/synthetic blends. The difference is in the texture. Next, you want to look into the cap. A monofilament top or cap is the most realistic looking, as it has a skin like top in both feel and color. Some like what is called a lace front, but this requires more preparation (cleaning your forehead with alcohol) and using an adhesive tape to secure the front. This option gives you a more realistic front, if you like to part your hair in the middle etc, however it's too labor intensive and not designed for regular daily 24/7 wear IMHO. A good HH wig with mono-top will run you in the area of $750-$1200 USD depending on the specifics.

[Hikari]

I don't wear wigs as my hair is quite long but, my wife does from time to time, and I would say my biggest caution is to be sure what you are buying. Many wigs that say Human Hair on the package are anything but. Some "Behave like human hair" and that is where they get why they title it that....

The problem with this is, that wigs are usually not in a package, but in a sort of showroom where it is hard to get any details, and many places will just write "human hair" on just about any wigs description, but you can judge the quality of the individual wig yourself, if it looks, feels, and wears good then there is nothing wrong with it no matter what it is really made of. When in doubt if the price is too good to be true, then it probably isn't what it is claiming to be. Shopping at a reputable place helps mitigate this risk however.

Also, I recommend a lace front wig if available, the prices are a bit higher, but the hairlines look much better, and the fit seems much more natural, obviously there are good and bad ones, but I would look at lace front wigs before other types. The only down side is a lace front wig of high quality will come at a steep cost.

Another potential solution if your natural hair is long enough, is clip in extensions. It might take a bit of work finding ones that match your hair color, and look good, but once you learn to put them in properly, hair that is only to your ears can become quite believable hair to your shoulders.

Good luck, and keep us posted on your hunt for hair I might be lightening mine soon and it may just fall out, so I might be looking for tips myself. 

[Christy Edwards]

Thanks girls for your help. I did go to the mall today and had a trim, got a color w/hi lights.
It looks pretty good. But I still will end up getting  a HH wigs soon. Thanks for the advice about lace front...

[Janet_Girl]

when used properly a lace unit can be worn for a week straight without reattaching it.

[Janet_Girl]

They are tempting and I know many people use them. I heard they dont last longer than 6 months or so when worn daily. Maybe that's wrong.

That is the problem with them.

If you have to use a wig, by a good one.  You can use tape on them too.  And you could wear them 24/7.

I know because I have done it.  When I was growing mine out.

[Hikari]

From what I have seen the durability of wigs, extensions and other hair products varies dramatically. If it came down to it however, I think I would pick the less durable one if it looked better, this may mean replacement sooner, however most of the TG/TS people seem to be using a wig as a place holder until their normal hair grows out, and that would hold them over well. Many CD and TS/TG people with baldness and other conditions however, could find this prohibitively expensive, as there would be no end to their purchases.

I haven't really seen a lace front wig die personally, so I really don't know much about that, my wife rarely wears the same wig more than once or twice a month, so I just don't have the first hand knowledge on that. It is however amazing to me to see her spend 15 minutes and have a totally different look, when I have to do so much just to get my hair to behave much less attain any sort of style, still I wouldn't trade with her

[Lyric]

If your own hair has a reasonable amount of volume in some areas, at least, consider a hairpiece. You can get very nice pieces that provide just bangs plus mono-based coverage on the top. You can even get bang clip-ons that look pretty good when properly matched to your own hair. Fitted properly, a good piece like this pretty much indistinguishable from your own hair.