Introduction to wigs

Introduction to wigs 

In this unit we will learn all about different types of wigs the application of them, health and safety of them and how they are used to transform a person into different types of characters. Maintenance of wigs can be divided into four areas which are : Cleaning, blocking, setting and dressing. 

Wigs are extremely important as directors, designers and stylists will use them for many different purposes such as:

Creating a character, using wigs to create a character is important as they might want to transform an actress that has really black hair to a girl with long blonde hair. It can also be used to create historical hairstyles which need corse and thick hair which wigs tend to have. Wigs are also important in high fashion as the designer might want 3 different hairstyles on a model that is going to walk a catwalk show and instead of wasting time creating a hairstyle over and over again they can just have wigs ready and set up for the model prepping for the next look. Wigs can also be used to create fantasy, change the length or texture of the hair and maintain continuity. Wigs are important in maintaining continuity as if a hairstyle is very complicated then styling a wig and keeping it for the next scene which may be shot a few days after can be helpful. 

In the unit we will learn to :

• Recognise various wig types
• Take measurements of a head for wig fitting
• complete prostiche order form 
• prepare a malleable block and block a wig in preparation for washing , setting or dressing
• set and dress wigs according to design requirements
• knotting
• creating different era hairstyles

 

Applying a lace fronted wig (Helen)

Firstly decide on the technique you will use to place the wig. Finger waves or plaits.

1. Apply hair net to flat surfaced hair
2. Get the performer to hold the wig by the wig lace half way down the forehead
3. Pull the wig over the net or the stocking. Once placed do not pull it forward only jiggle it forward
4. Pin the wig to secure it and make sure the pins match the colour of the wig
5. Make sure natural hair is not visible under the lace. Push any stray hairs by tail comb
6. Glue the lace into place using matte mastix glue. Roll back the lace and put drips of glue on each side. Wait for glue to become tacky and pull the lace into position with tension. Use a damp cloth to spread the glue.

Removing a lace- fronted wig

1. Using brush apply matrix remover to the lace, working from the edges inwards until the lace begins to lift from the skin.
2. Once the lace is lifted from the skin check for any sticky areas and gently remove them with matrix remover.
3. Remove hair pins attaching the wig to the head
4. Lift the wig off from behind holding it carefully by the foundation at the sides of the nape. Pull the wig gently forward and off the head.
5. Detach the hair net or stocking and hair grips from the hair

How to set an acrylic wig using rollers and steam

To achieve a desired hairstyle you will need to set the wigs.

Equipment required

• Blocked wig
• Comb
• Water spray
• Setting lotion
• Hair net
• Rollers, clips
• Prostiche pins
• Tape for setting
• Steamer or Hood dryer or hair dryer

Before doing anything the wig needs to be combed through to remove any tangles.

STEAM acrylic

1. Decide on a desired hairstyle and the technique and the correct tools to style it
2. Decide on a parting and put the rollers in to achieve desired parting.
3. Bigger the rollers looser the curls will be, smaller the rollers tighter the curls will be
4. Steam the wig slowly and make sure every single part of the wig is steamed so that its wet in the end

Wet set real hair

1. Wet the hair to perform a wet set
2. You can use a water-spray for it, trying to keep the foundation of the wig as dry as possible
3. Apply seeing lotion to help it stay more manageable
4. Make neat sections of the hair
5. Set the hair using either techniques. Rolling, pin curling, finger waving, creating ringlets etc.
6. Use prostate postiche pins to secure rollers or use pins
7. Cover the hair with a net
8. Dry the wig. You can use postiche oven is the preferably method drying wigs (the oven will slowly bake the wig giving it  strong set)
9. Another way is to use a hood dryer
10. The wig needs to be fully cooled before the set is removed

My wig had a lot of short layers and a fringe which made it hard for me to apply the rollers into the hair evenly as chunks of hair was falling out. A way to make this easier was using a tail comb to tuck in any short bits. I had to redo the rollers in the hair twice as the hair was not tucked in properly the first time. I found putting rollers in synthetic hair easier than in real hair as real hair is shinier and more slippery however the layers made it hard. To improve I would make the sections of the hair more clean and even and take more time going over the bits of hair that was falling out as I am worried that this will make the curls in the outcome wonky rater than a smooth curl.

How to block and style a lace fronted wig

Lace fronted wigs must be blocked before washing, setting and dressing. The hair is attached to the malleable head block. The wig needs to be applied straight on the block as if it is wonky it can make it look wonky on the performer.

Preparing a malleable block

• Malleable block
• Wig stand
• Cling film
• Cellotape

1. Place the malleable block on the wig stand
2. Wrap the entire surface of block with cling film
3. Apply strips of sellotape to hold the cling film in place

Step by step

Equipment

• Wig
• Box of large pins and small pins
• Blocking tape
• Prepared malleable block

1. Turn wig inside out
2. Locate the centre point of front hairline and place on centre of block
3. Turn it back to the normal and check if its positioned properly
4. Apply blocking tape along the edge of the lace and pin the centre points of the hairline, the temples and the ear points and push the pins in tigthly
5. Pull the nape of the wig downwards tightly removing any slack and place pin on both sides keeping tension between the two points
6. If it is all straight and even apply pins in a zig zag way all the way
7. To remove the wig just loosen and lift the tape

Technical File Lottie ( Applying a hard fronted wig)

The natural hair should always be prepared for a wig application. There are two techniques pin curling and plaiting.

To pin curl, place a large pin curl on the crown and on each side of the head and secure them by cross gripping. Do this to the whole head and then place a cap over the head leaving out the ears.

Another technique is to use french plaits. Neatly plait the hair making it as flat as possible and wrapping it on the head and then apply the cap.

Overall, I found the application and the prep of the hair for the wig easy, however I can imagine that it would be more difficult doing it on someone who has extremely long hair it would be much harder and more time consuming to plait it all and apply the cap.

Wig Work and Postiche ( Malleable block)

Types of wigs

Weft wigs(Synthetic weft wig)- These are usually synthetic hair and cheaper than knotted wigs. After a wash they need to be left to air dry. Only low heat can be used on them as the synthetic hairs can melt.

Knotted Wigs - These are either hand made or with a sewing machine and normally with human hair which is why they tend to be more expensive. They are better quality and can last for years. As the hair is human they can be washed, styled, permed and coloured.

Lace fronted knotted wigs - These are designed for theatrical used and sewn across a front hairline that creates a natural hairline. The lace is glued to the forehead and covered with make up.

Application of wigs

Productions with a big budget would normally have the wigs measured and fitted perfectly for the performers however if the company has a low budget wigs can be hired by sending the measurements and getting a good match. Most of the time human hair will be used even for extras however when the hairstyle does not need to look real and is for example a fantasy synthetic hair will be used as they attract light and look extremely shiny and unnatural.

Preparing a malleable block

list of products

• Mallebale block
• Wig stand
• Cling film
• Cellotape

Wrap the entire surface of the block with cling film as smooth as possible and apply strips of cellotape to cling film in place.

To make a shape of the head you take a clean field and u wrap it around the head. Go around the persons hair line and draw on with a sharpie on top and then when you take it off you have someone's head shape. You put the clean cling on the face and then draw around it and then u fold it in half and cut it out Draw it out on paper and then cut it out. Same for moustache.