Wig

What’s better than an awesome wig? An awesome wig with a color touch up! Wigs fade, the color lightens or whatever… I don’t know the technical mumbo jumbo other than the color changes over time. I got Natalia (my Follea Lifestyle 5030) in May 2012, and she had lightened up to the point where her color just wasn’t working as well for me, so it was quite clear she needed some color-love. I took her to see Vicka at Follea and explained to her how naughty Natalia was, and how her color just wasn’t right for me anymore.  I didn’t want her to be a totally different color, I just wanted to get her as close to the original color as possible. Vicka suggested that would best be accomplished with low lighting the entire wig, and it indeed proved to be a great suggestion because Natalia is looking slamming hot! I am sooooo happy with how the color came out.

It’s really just a subtle difference, but it makes a huge difference in how it blends with my bio hair and looks against my skin color. I feel like I have a brand new wig again, it’s awesome! After seeing how supa fabulous Natalia came out I’ve decided to take Anya back to Follea, so Vicka can work her color magic on her as well. I’ll be looking forward to her updated freshened up 2013 color 🙂

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Lina’s Custom Wig Experience

by Lina on September 24, 2012

Lina has sent me this post to share with all of you about her custom wig purchasing experience. Lina’s other posts: “After All Life Sentence in Canada Is Only 25 Years” and “Newbie Wig Washer.” 

My hair loss journey has me committed to wearing a wig at this point. I decided that I need to have more than one wig, I can’t even imagine the panic I would endure if anything happened to my one and only – so this past Saturday I had an appointment to order a custom piece and wanted to share my experience with you.

I went back to the place I’ve always gone, they provided me with the wig I have now and the two postiches (toppers) that I own. My wig is a lovely human hair wig but it is processed and I wanted to inquire about a virgin human hair wig since Y raves about hers and we all know how lovely and realistic hers are! Two of my biggest dilemmas were: 1) showing Michael and his staff at Continental Hair my shaved head and 2: the cost. I decided that as far as the cost, I need a second wig for my peace of mind, so I would put the wig on my credit card.

So Friday night before my apt. I washed Eva (that’s what I named her), I waxed my upper lip and eyebrows – yeah, I get the irony. You think I was going on a date, but nonetheless Eva and I had to look our best. Eva was drying on her head in the bathroom when my mom called saying her and my dad were coming over for a few minutes – shit! Wig is wet and how would I cover my head – I didn’t want dad to see. I was just about to put on a buff and then decided – what the heck, let me test drive showing my head , so they come over. Dad starts smiling and then says: “you look like a boy” (what a weiner – that’s dad), then he said: “no, you look healthy and good”, then he hugged me and said he loved me. Quick visit over and I was still standing – yay.

So I go to bed and it went something like: toss, turn, toss, turn, up to pee, time check, back to bed, toss, turn… I even had a dream and I saw Michael, I was bald and saying something like, duh, ummh… You guessed it, zero sleep. I finally get my tired self out of bed in the morning and head to Toronto, half way there I was coming up with excuses on why I was going to call and cancel my apt. so I could turn around and come home. I told myself to calm down and do this, for me. [click to continue…]

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Here is the video footage that was taken this past Tuesday whilst I was at Follea getting my lifestyle wig cut-in. This video provides a much better view than my previous one of Anya’s new haircut and also includes a “How To Properly Block Your Wig” clip. The importance of blocking your wig (attaching it to a head) prior to washing it is to prevent inversion (hair coming through the inside of the cap) and also to make sure you don’t tear your cap. We’re learning together, because I really didn’t know why I was suppose to put the wig on a styrofoam head before washing it, but now I do. 🙂

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Here we are at the end of the series, part four. It was originally only intended to be one 5-6 minute clip of a washing wig demonstration, 4 videos later here we are 🙂

I have been getting some questions about the hair specs, so I’m going to clarify it all below. I probably at some point should have a page for my “girls” that gives this info to those interested in knowing what I’m wearing.

Neither of the two wigs in the videos are lace front, I do own the Aero-2 lace front, but she (Mila) sat this one out. I’m not sure what kind of front these wigs are considered, standard maybe? Not sure. I do place all of my wigs slightly behind my hairline, which helps to make the hairline look very natural, because even if you only have a little bit, the little you have on top and sides just helps to blend the wig in better.

The wig on my head (Natalia) in the video is the Follea Lifestyle-2 medium length wig, which has an overall length of 15″ and a layer at 10″ – The color is C5030 and the cap is all hand-tied.

The wig I’m washing (Anya) and at the end wearing, is also the Follea Lifestyle-2, but it is the long length. It has 19″ overall length and a layer at 14″ – The color is also C5030 and also all hand-tied.

So there it is, I titled this post “Freedom, Follea Style” because these wigs have given me back something I had been missing for so long… me, after just having written some of you gals back a little while ago, I’m reminded of that point and so happy about the place I’ve reached in my hair loss journey, and lets face it that title is better than “String Her Up and Throw Her On.” 🙂

And with that, I leave you with Part Four. Happy Friday! Cheers! Who has the wine?

Part Three: Changing The Part on Anya and More Wig Talk From My Kitchen

Part Two: Caring For Your Human Hair Wig

Part One of The Wig Washing Video Series

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Here is Part Three of my Wiggy Washing Video Series. This video is longer than part 1& 2 mainly because I seem to talk and talk and talk. Plus a few gals (ah hem Lina & phillygrl) said to let the tape run 🙂 You’ll see me rinse out Anya (Follea Lifestyle Wig), comb her and change the part on the wig. I had included the upside  down hanging thing I do, but then when I tried to upload it I got am message saying it could’t be longer than 10 minutes, so I had to cut a few things out of this video and that included the upside air drying I do with my wigs. That will be saved for part 4 and in part 4 (hopefully) if I can get it all in, you’ll see what she looks like after she’s freshly washed, air dried and put onto my head. Start to finish, this video series ended up being way longer than I had anticipated.

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So I was asked by someone to do a video that would show me putting my wig up in a clip. So this is what the video was intended to be for, it took some detours (typical me, detour city) along the way. Please excuse my multiple “Uh’s” and “Anyways” filler words 🙂 Que sera sera.

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A gal from The WHLP sent me an email that asked some questions that seem to be on a lot of ladies’ minds, so I’m going to answer her questions here 🙂

What Stage Is My Hair Loss? I consider my hair loss advanced, but still passable in the world. I started off with A LOT of hair, my bio hair had more density than my wig actually has so I’ve luckily been able to get by year after year still looking like a person with “ok” hair and then eventually maybe just looking like a gal with naturally thin hair. This past year it sort of crossed that threshold into real super sparseness that I couldn’t completely conceal my hair loss in the way I had been doing in the years prior. Having said that,  I can still wear my bio hair in a ponytail and go to the grocery store and for the most part nobody would be none the wiser, except for another thinning hair gal perhaps. If I washed my hair, blow dried it, pumped it up with volumizing products and then flat ironed it, it would probably be still “acceptable” hair by many people’s standards. To me, it’s yucky, crappy, stringy good for nuthin’ hair that I’m tired of being a prisoner to.

Why Did I Decide To Go With a Full Wig Rather Than a Topper? The clip-in topper was never an option because my hair is too thin and fragile to withstand the pressure of the clips, even though topper clips are typically very small they still cause me quite a bit of discomfort, so that was out. This issue was rearing it’s ugly head  yet again when I was looking at wigs, because wigs are typically kept in place with the use of clips and combs (or glue) as well. Only I found the situation to be worse with a wig because the wig is heavier than the topper adding even more pressure and discomfort. Thankfully I found the WiGrip so that saved me and my sanity.

So the question really is why did I choose a full wig over a bonded topper? I have seen enough bonded toppers in the WHLP network to know that when they are done right, they are amazing, but they also require the guts to shave the top part of your head. I personally think if you’re going to bond, the best way to have it done is on a clean shaved surface, and while you can bond to the top of your hair, I think that would tug your bio hair and be way more messy and frustrating. Also the topper hair wouldn’t lay as flat and naturally as it could if it was on a bald surface. If I was a braver person I would have just gone for it, but alas I’m a chicken and couldn’t make that chicken leap to bonded-hair-landia. So it was either wait until I get the moxi to bond, or start looking at WIGS. I honestly never thought I could or would wear a wig, I think I had some massive negative image built up in my mind about it – like an image with a granny in a rocking chair knitting, whose crown is covered by a powered gray wig.  You know THAT kind of wig, I was about to bust out my rocking chair when I realized that good wigs are pretty earth shatteringly wonderful. [click to continue…]

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Today I’m having lunch with my mom, she hasn’t seen Mila yet in person, although I did send her a photo last week. So I decided that I would let Natalia sit this one out and proceeded to get this girl ready for the day. I took this opportunity to snap photos and video of Mila (Follea Aero-2 Lace Front) in greater detail.

I’m short on time this morning so I’m not going to write much, I’ll let the video speak for itself….

XOXO

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I am frequently asked, how far back I place my wigs and where it joins my hairline. My mom asked me this same question when I told her I was wearing a wig, she said, “where’s your hair and where’s the wig? I don’t get it.” I pulled up my hair to show where everything was, but the color of the wig and my hair are such a close match that it is still hard to demonstrate, but I wanted to give it the ol’ college try anyways. I showed an upclose shot of my wig in the video from July 1st, (Show & Tell Sunday – Video and Slideshow) but I didn’t actually lift the hairline of the wig up to show where it is placed on my head.

The beginning of this video is me attempting to show how I blend my hairline and then the last portion of the video is just more pics of me and Natalia. Yes, it seems I snap a photo of myself with my new hair whenever I get a chance, I’m so glad I got the iPhone with the extra hard drive space.. ha. I pity the thief that steals my computer and is greeted with a gazillion images of me and wigs. This IS normal right? 🙂 As my friend BrooknixEllie says, “It’s the NEW normal.” Amen to that.

OMG I just realized I have a typo in the video, I put “WONG” Instead of “WRONG” oh well 🙂

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