How to Size Wigs
(or does size matter?)
I last reviewed this article on 05/15/2005 06:35:34 AM
Update: This is an older article that took in account some of the older wigs still out there. In the past two years (Today is December 11, 2004) I have not had any fit issues with myself or any of my clients or friends. You might also want to jump to the "How to wear a wig" article.
This is a short dissertation on the issue of how to find a wig that fits a particular size head
So what’s the deal with sizing? Are wigs designed to fit certain sizes of heads? Do wigs only fit certain sizes of heads? These and similar questions crop up daily in my e-mail so the awareness level of today’s wigs sizing is apparently unknown to the general public. Hopefully, this article will answer most of the typical questions.
Size doesn’t matter! (Just had to throw that in there!)
Years ago wig caps were virtually un-stretchable stiffly sewn caps similar to a baseball cap. It had some adjustability with some straps in the back of the wig, but rarely did they fit everyone. They were hot, uncomfortable and gained a poor reputation by the people that were required to wear them, i.e., actors/actresses and victims of hair loss through chemotherapy or other means. Wigs suffered very poor PR.
Virtually all wigs were made in Asia by a relatively small cartel of manufacturers. They designed wigs after old-line thoughts and never wore their own work, obviously. They went on for years manufacturing wigs that were uncomfortable. At some point in the mid 80’s someone bright, some give the credit to Ada Chan, developed a new method of attaching hair fiber to the wig cap. Save money and manufacturing time by sewing the hair fiber into wefts and lightly attach the wefts to a stretchy band and allow the wig to be cooler and the wearer’s head to breathe better. What an incredible concept!
Overnight the wig rage started up again. New style wigs were being brought out that had contemporary styling and were comfortable to wear. While the old ways were essentially dying concerning the manufacturing of wigs, the concept of sizing remained in place. Manufacturers indicated that their wigs were stretchy and would fit a wide range of wearers, but always published a size in relationship to each piece. Hollywood ignored the sizing concept and modified all of their new style wigs to fit their actors with impunity! They simply looked at the construction and stated that there was ample room for any size head to be covered and did a little clipping and used the pieces, period! Now the acting industry has always been on the cutting edge of taking chances with equipment and personnel, so it wasn’t any big deal for them to simply re-engineer this piece of seemingly insignificant equipment.
I was purchasing a wig in Hollywood many years ago and watched in horror as the shop owner clipped a wig for a customer, sewed tabs and handed it back to the customer. The guy buying the wig admittedly had a large head, but the wig covered it beautifully with the adjustment. I was in awe! The shop owner showed me the process and I walked out with three more wigs.
Over the years that followed I rarely found a wig that didn’t fit well and didn’t have to resort to the clipping trick. I did however, keep hearing of problems with others that wore wigs that were having sizing problems and seemed to always find out that they were using old-style wigs with the stiff caps. Once I was able to convince the wearer to up-grade to the "capless" variety on the market then, they were able to find pieces that fit.
All of today’s wigs catalogs have size indicators that inform the consumer of the ability to fit certain sized heads. I thought it was somewhat odd since my commercial canvas wig heads come in sizes and I had always used a 24 inch, what was considered a very large head. I styled wigs all the time and they held very nicely on the big head, but didn’t seem to be an impossible fit. Finding a wearer with a relatively large head, 23 ½ inches, I conducted a few experiments. This required the wearer to wear the wigs in question for prolonged periods and inform me of the comfort level afterwards. Seeking volunteers was never a problem, they beat the doors down!
I found that a wig that was sized as an "average" by the manufacturer seemed to fit the "big-head" with very little extra pressure than would be anticipated. For short term wear, the wigs fit all person comfortably. For long-term use it became apparent that some sort of relief needed to be performed in the wig cap to accommodate the reduced constriction.
Back to the old clipping routine and I rarely saw the wearers again, they no longer had any complaints.
So what is this magic clipping routine? Many wigs dealers offer to modify their wigs for customers, always for a small charge. I no longer offer this service since the wearer can modify to their heart’s content and have complete control over the process. I know that my heart sinks at the thought of someone taking a pair of scissors to my expensive new wig!
The picture below depicts a typical contemporary "capless" wig, inside-out. The bands running behind the crown are stretchy elastic that the wefts are attached to that sorta holds the whole thing together. The crown is closer-sewn to accommodate a skin top or a built-in part. This does not depict the newer "mono-top" pieces coming onto the market now. (1999) At the lower edge of the wig running around the periphery is a somewhat solid band of material that has a small elastic band that forms the sizing restriction. Notice a little V-shaped structure just back from the crown-piece? This is the ear-tab. Hair is sewn to this piece to cause hair to hang down or otherwise hide the wearer’s own hair more effectively. Many manufacturers add a wire base so that the ear-tab can be bent closer to the head to appear more realistic.
Right behind the ear-tab there is the attached end of a small elastic strap that runs toward the back of the wig. At the back of the wig is a Velcro closure or a hook arrangement that allows the wearer to adjust the tightness of the wig. In this picture just behind the ear-tab is a little band that crosses the main edge of the wig. That band is a little loop that the elastic strap rides in, similar to a belt loop. Somewhere further toward the back of the wig are hidden closures or hook arrangements that allow the adjustment.
The important thing with the clipping routine is that you return some support to the wig after you have cut the main band. Sew a small piece of elastic into place to cause the wig to snug down to your head, but not so tight that you develop a headache within minutes!
"Clipping routine"
Step one-Cut off the elastic adjustment bands, one on each side, don’t throw them away.
Step two-Cut the main wig band slightly behind the ear tab.
Step three-Sew a section of the elastic strap in the cut area to fill up the space. How much elastic you put back into the main wig band depends on experience, I usually start with about 1 ½ inches. If that is too much and the wig is too loose, take a small tack in the elastic band. Go until the wig fits comfortably and doesn’t move around on the head when you make fast head movement.
Too simple! I have seen vendors do this in less than 2 minutes, both sides. I take maybe 3 and put a few extra stitches in the elastic so that it holds nicely. That’s it! No brain surgery, nothing shows, the wig is still wearable for many years to come, and the elastic may be replaced if it stretches out.
When I talk with wig manufactures about this procedure they tell me that it would ruin the warranty! What warranty? They rarely take back sold wigs unless there is a gross manufacturing error, so why not make the best use of the piece of equipment?
Use the idea, don’t let wig sales-people sell you a style that you don’t want simply because it is sized for the "large" head. It seems that the crossdressing market tends to get the left-overs in many areas and wigs has been one for years. I am personally out to abolish this practice and will offer only the most contemporary and stylish pieces I can stand under!