Susan's Place Transgender Resources

Community Conversation => Transsexual talk => Male to female transsexual talk (MTF) => Topic started by: Dennis on February 14, 2008, 01:01:08 PM

Title: Wigs
Post by: Dennis on February 14, 2008, 01:01:08 PM
My neighbour has contracted Alopecia and lost all of her hair. She's young, only 32, and doesn't like to go without a wig. She's thinking of a human hair wig, but has been quoted about $800 for one. I told her I'd canvass the best crew of experts I knew for recommendations.

Thanks in advance,

Dennis
Title: Re: Wigs
Post by: HelenW on February 14, 2008, 01:31:11 PM
Natural hair wigs can look very nice but they require a fair bit of maintenance.  Synthetic hair wigs come in many nice styles and quality ranges.  http://paulayoung.com has many inexpensive ones that look halfway decent.  I have one of theirs as my backup wig.

My primary wig, the one I wear almost all the time is one that I bought at a wig store for $250.00.  I went to the wig store to buy a good one so I could try it on first, then I got a similar style for my backup wig, online.  My primary wig looks very nice and it requires little daily maintenance other than brushing it out.  This is what it looks like:

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z161/emelyew/headshot-1207.jpg?t=1203017267 (http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z161/emelyew/headshot-1207.jpg?t=1203017267)

It's best if you have at least 2 of them so you have one available when you do maintenance on the other.  For eyebrows, she may wish to consider tattoos.  A friend of ours had hers tattooed on and they look very nice.

I hope this helps!

hugs & smiles
Emelye
Title: Re: Wigs
Post by: gothique11 on February 15, 2008, 01:27:59 AM
There's some kind of system that's here -- I have no idea what it's called, but I think it's the same one Wiliam Shatner has. Anyway, it costs lots, but it's very natural and you cannot tell that you have a wig on! I now have two friends who are doing it and I'll have to say it's amazing. One friend has worn a wig for a long time, but now she's on the system and the improvement is amazing. She looks great, and seems more confident.

I wish I knew the name of the system. It's expensive, but worth it. It's stuck to your head, too, glued or something, that doesn't come off for a month. The hair is natural, so you can do anything you want with it. It's really neat. And the results are fantastic!

--natalie
Title: Re: Wigs
Post by: LynnER on February 15, 2008, 04:03:08 AM
you can allways buy an inexpensive wig <Im talking under 100.00> thats close to what you want then take it to your hair dresser to have it properly thined out and shaped to your face....  This is a heck of allot easyer than going nuts trying to find the perfect one...  Most wigs tend to be too full//thick and this remidies that problem  :)    Hope that helps
Title: Re: Wigs
Post by: GypsyKaren on February 15, 2008, 09:07:07 AM
I've gone through boku wigs over the years, both human and synthetic, in my search for the perfect one, and I would say go with human hair. Yes, there are some fantastic synthetics out there, but nothing to me beats the realism of the one I have now, especially for everyday wear. Upkeep has never been a problem or hassle, and the great thing about it is I can color it to get exactly what I want. I wear a Remy human hair wig from Wig Pro, and I am constantly being complimented about my hair, people are amazed when I tell some that it's a wig. I did have it styled at a salon, your better human hair wigs usually come with 20-30% more hair than needed for that purpose, any wig looks better when it's styled for your face.

These do come with a higher price, I paid $460 for mine, but it's money well spent because of the quality, and it will last for a long time. I also saved a lot of money by getting it off the Internet, they cost double that in the stores. I had several Paula Young wigs when I first started going out, and while they are a good deal for the money, none of them lasted very long, the same for a cheap human hair one I got off eBay. If money is an issue, then stick with synthetics, I had a Revlon that was very nice and only cost $85 off the Internet. What your friend can do is go to a wig store and try on different models to see what works, then get it off the Net. I know that's not exactly fair to the store, but saving half price is saving half price any way you look at it.

Karen Starlene
Title: Re: Wigs
Post by: Dennis on February 15, 2008, 10:34:27 AM
Thanks for the info, ladies, I'll pass it on. And Emelye, she is going to get eyebrows tattooed on soon.

Dennis
Title: Re: Wigs
Post by: Dawn Labelle on February 19, 2008, 10:58:05 AM
Dont forget to tell her to check with her health insurance company to see if they cover wigs. Up here in the great white north, our insurance will give 300$ for a wig for medical reasons.

Also, I'm not so sure about gluing a lace front wig to your head, I tried a few when I got fitted for my wig and the ladies there said that you use makeup to make the lace completely dissapear and if you want a stronger hold you attach clips to the inside which will clip to your hair under the wig. I really wouldn't want to glue a wig to my head, those things are bloody hot!

Dawn
Title: Re: Wigs
Post by: Dennis on February 19, 2008, 12:27:30 PM
Good point, Dawn. We are in Canada.

Dennis