the pretty year

I know for a lot of you, you’ll never be at the point where you have enough time to knit a hat, make a wig, or sew an outfit, but this is all about stepping outside your comfort zone to try something that you always thought might look cool. Work has really cut down on a lot of my adventures. For instance did you know that you could make your super-masculine male cousin wear a green hoodie with hearts all over it that cuts off at the waist and is super fitted? No? Well I did. It helps to be 4 inches taller than him and also very jerktageous. And yes, I made it from scratch without a pattern that way on purpose.

A while back I learned how to make a really cheap wig. Now, why would you want a really cheap wig? 1) To test run a hair cut you’ve always desired and 2) Just for the hell of it. I’m going to show you what I learned and link a video tutorial of someone else using the technique. My friend’s wig turned out completely different than the lady in the video tutorial. Its all about learning to look at something and understanding how to appropriate it for yourself or in my case, your friends.

Total Cost of Project: $30 (this project would have been a lot cheaper if we had access to a real beauty supply instead of just Sally’s)

Items needed:

• 2 10″ bags of the base hair color (or 2 if you only want one color) $9.99 each, I cannot stress this enough, please try to match your texture closely, that’s what makes it look natural. We’ve chosen Yaki perm as the texture.
• 1 8″ bag of #27 blonde hair as your accent color (you can tint it any color you choose) $7.99
• 2 stocking caps $1.49
• 1 bottle of 007 Hair Bonding Glue $1.49
• 1 color of really awesome pink hair dye I can’t remember the name of
• 1 razor comb
• scissors

Hair dying portion:

• thick consistency hair dye
• rat tail comb
• blow dryer
• trash bag
• gloves

First things first, to dye the hair:

1. Put on your gloves.
2. You need to split the trash bag open and lay the hair down. This is to safe guard from any spills that may occur.
3. Apply the hair color generously and comb through the weave to make sure it is evenly coated.
4. Blow dry the weave. Let color sit for 30-45 minutes.
5. Re-apply the color.
6. Test a piece of hair to check the color. Wash the hair.

Now we’re going to talk about the very special adventure of two girls who wanted to make a wig. We’ll start out with the source images my friend N. picked out online. We had a pretty good idea that she wanted a hair cut with this general shape, but with a modified back and bang. Also N. just likes to make faces in every photo. There is not one photo of her online that is not either overly unenthused looking, overly enthused, or stinkface.

And a color pattern similar to this one, but with pink:

We needed to tint the weave. This color wasn’t available at Sally’s.
Start out with a stocking cap with Saran wrap under it, so no glue would get into your hair. N. had a big chop because she decided to go natural. We didn’t have to worry about slicking the hair down so the wig would fit better.

This is a quick method for trying on something fun. However, if you want a better quality wig, instead of using stocking caps use a specialty wig cap. This will ensure your wig lasts without a rip in the stocking cap (which can often happen with the thinner, less sturdy, and cheaper caps). To make a sturdy wig you’d need to start with better source materials. Nix the glue and sew the hair directly onto the cap.

Separate the hair and begin to measure how much you will need by placing the hair against your head. My technique is to cut slightly less than I need. I find that it lays better and looks more natural. Next, the hair is glued or sewn in a horseshoe pattern around the back of the head. If you’re using glue, be sure to use a blow dryer to dry one track before you move on to the next. If not, your tracks will not be well-secured.

I’ve finished adding all the black and pink. Then I remove the Syran wrap.

Next, dampen the hair with water. Here you can see I’ve razored the back off and she’s deciding on her bang style:

I got the bangs in place and blow dried the hair. Here’s a front view:

Here’s a profile. I used Pump It Up to help it be freestanding The back is asymmetrical ( back, long side):

And here’s the finished look from above:

Here’s the tutorial I got the idea from:

I liked the general idea, but hated the bangs. I felt the style of curling took it from chic to Grandma. I made one for myself, too. But my husband spent more time wearing it than I did. It made me look like Harry Potter and him look like a guy who plays Norwegian Death Metal. We know our limits.

No related posts.