Wigs have become a major fashion accessory for women. From fashion-conscious young ladies to older women, women of all ages find them preferable. Whatever the social setting, you are bound to find a woman wearing a wig, whether it’s in the social scene with extravagant parties and events or within professional and entrepreneurial settings. No one is left behind in this fad, so it is no surprise that the global wig market is expected to reach revenues of over $10 billion by 2023. But considering this great popularity, are wigs new? Not exactly. They have been around long enough to influence women’s fashion tastes worldwide, although the styles have changed drastically over the years.
Not only are wigs in trend today for the different styles, lengths and colour variations they come in, but they are also an everyday favourite because they’re a convenient option.
Many women want a combination of effortless glamour when they step out and the freedom to touch and feel their scalp when they’re back home. Wigs offer that advantage all in one breath. However, we’ll focus the spotlight specifically on braided wigs for this blog post.
First off, what is a Braided Wig?
A braided wig is a wig that comes in braided styles, including twists, box braids, cornrows, locs and lots more. Braided wigs can be worn and removed at will, like all other wig types. Professional braiders can customize them in different lengths, extra-long, medium-length or short. They can also be worn in any colour of choice, straight or curly depending on the wearer’s preference.
Things To Know Before Purchasing A Braided Wig
- Know the Braid style you want to be customized as a Wig.
A central key factor to getting a braided wig that meets your style needs at any time is to know what you want. What look are you trying to achieve? Braided wigs come in almost every style you can think of; Box braids, Ghana weaving, Bob braids, Knotless braids and twists, Senegalese twists, and even kinky braids or twists. Whatever you like, there is something for you. Our Beginner’s guide to protective styles will show you different braid styles and their names.
- Know the Different hair laces used for Braided Wigs.
Remember when we said wigs had come a long way from their first look. Well, this is where it gets interesting. Hair lace is categorized based on the space on the lace area available for parting and plaiting.
Based on the lace area of your wig, hair laces give your braided wigs a natural finish because of the lace underneath them.
There are several types of lace wigs, namely Lace Closure, Frontal Lace, Full lace and 360 lace.
Closure Braided wigs are made with lace closures. Closures are placed in the middle or anywhere else on the front part of the wig. This means the parting will be smaller, and the styling will be limited to the location of the lace. It comes in different sizes, such as 2*4, 2*6, 4*4, etc. (measured in inches, i.e. 2”x4” space, 4”x 4” parting space, etc.).
Frontal Braided wigs are made with lace frontals. Frontal laces (Lace Frontals) are strips of lace materials that also go from ear to ear. They are often 13inches long for the ear-to-ear part and 4 inches to 6 inches from the hairline towards the middle of the head. They allow you to style the front of your hair anyhow you like. That means you can have a side, centre or C-part with the same hair. Awesome, right?
While lace front wigs offer covering for the front areas, from ear to ear, 360 lace wigs cover the circumference of the hair, making it possible for you to wear the hair up in a high ponytail.
Full lace braided wigs are made of 100% lace base and give the most realistic glueless look. Almost every protective hairstyle can be custom made on a full lace.
How bleached knot and baby hairs help to give your braided wig a more natural look
Thanks to science and technology, human life has improved dramatically, including our fashion and lifestyle. Ironically, even though the wearer knows it is a wig, there is just something that makes it more appealing when your wig looks as natural as possible. It is effortless to fool an unsuspecting eye with well-made braided wigs. Wink!
(i) Bleached knots certainly qualify as one of the best illusion secrets in the hair and beauty industry. Here’s why:
Bleaching knots is a method used to create the illusion that your wig is natural by lightening the base or root of the hair. Wigs are made by attaching individual hair strands onto a lace mesh and securing it with a knot through the process called ventilation. The knots are usually visible because they’re many and of dark shades, making it obvious that the hair is artificial. To create a more natural appearance, as if the hair is grown directly from the scalp, the root of the hair is bleached or dyed to become lighter and hide the knots.
(ii) Baby hairs: refers to the short, thin, feather type of hairs that grow along your hairline, hence the name “baby hairs” They are shorter than the hair in the middle of your head, understandably more fragile and are hard to style, as such they don’t lay flat. This is why the styling of baby hairs now involves using gels or edge control to keep them laid. It is also why the phrase ‘edges on fleek’ has become more popular recently.
- Know what head circumference is and how to measure yours
Wigs come in all kinds of various sizes. There are petite, average and large wigs. No doubt, there is one for every head size, but how do you know what size fits you perfectly, especially when you want to buy one online?
Here’s how to measure your head circumference:
- Pull all your hair back away from your face and secure it with a band or scrunchie.
- Using a tape measure, and measuring from back to front, measure your head roundabout.
- Make sure the measuring tape goes over your ears. Write down your result.
- Measure your head from ear to ear by pulling the tape across the top of your head and from one ear to the other. Write down your measurement.
- Once again, using the tape, measure from the centre of your head down to the nape of your neck for the front-to-back distance of your head. Write down the numbers you get.
- Know how to wear/install your braided wig
Getting your wig size right is what helps make this final part a true success. Ironically, it is one thing that many women often get wrong but will never believe if you tell them they’re doing it wrong.
To get your wigs well laid, follow the steps below:
- Prep your hair by matting (for long hair) or flattening it down with gel or mousse (for shorter hair).
- Wear your wig cap, preferably nude colour or one that suits your complexion.
- You can apply powder to give the edges a more natural look.
- Place the wig on your head from front to back. This helps keep the parting in line with the powder you have applied.
- Secure the wig with the band or add bobby pins for extra hold.
- Lay your edges (optional) and style as desired.
Ultimately, the most important thing is ensuring you have the right wig fit and that it’s secured on your head as you go about your slay-day! Remember, whatever your style choice, long or short, twist or braids, we’ve got you covered with our over a 100 braided wig styles.
