Here are My Top 3 Mistakes I Made When Purchasing My First Lace Top Wig And What Questions You Should Be Asking.
1. How Do I Know What Size Wig To Get?
My wig was way too big. Sizing is SUPER important when it comes to lace top wigs. I'd say, it's even more important than getting the size right for silk top wigs.
This is because it's imperative that the lace front sits completely flat against your head. If your wig is too big for you, the lace front will ripple or will be too loose against your forehead. You'll find yourself having to either glue/tape that lace down and fold over the excess lace against the sides of your forehead, which is not ideal.
On the other hand, if your wig is too small for you, the lace front will stretch over time degrading its strength and integrity (plus, if it's too small, you may struggle with getting the wig completely over your head anyway, or even worse, experience headaches from it being too tight!).
To ensure you get the right first, make sure to measure your circumference and purchase the right size for you. Here's a good guide on how to measure your head for a human hair wig!
2. How Short Should I Cut The Lace On My Lace Front Wig?
I cut the lace too short. When you first receive a brand new lace top wig, you're going to open the box and find that there is a piece of lace that extends past the area where hair sewn. This is excess lace that needs to be cut off before you wear the hair.
Now, before you get scissor crazy, be careful!!! Remember, once you cut lace/hair, it won't grow back!
One of my biggest mistakes is to cut the lace front too short. It seems pretty intuitive to a beginner that you should cut the lace right up against the first thread of hair.
You're probably paranoid that if you don't get rid of all of the lace that doesn't have hair on it, that people will see the lace (Yes, that was my thought).
But let me tell you why that's a big mistake.
Cutting the lace too short doesn't give the lace enough room to lay flat against the forehead. If you cut it right against where your hairline should be, there's a bigger chance it will lift off of your forehead and ripple, causing it to look less natural.
If you need to glue or tape down the lace, you need a little bit of that excess lace to glue down.
It doesn't create a "graduating hairline" that makes the wig look natural. You need a little bit of the lace that doesn't have any hair in order for it to look like your hair is growing from the lace.
Ideally, you want to leave atleast half a fingernail of lace front out. I suggest actually cutting the lace and leaving out a 1/2 an inch of lace first, seeing how you feel about the wig in general/gauge the fit, and then cut to 1/4 inch as the final result.
Important note: Do not - and I repeat do not!! - cut the lace in a perfectly straight line. When you're cutting the lace, you want a little bit of a jagged edge to it (think Rocky Mountains) when you're cutting across. This sounds counterintuitive, but even creating a little bit of fray to the edge of the lace will make it look more natural.
Leaving as much lace out as you can also improves the resale value of the piece if you somehow change your mind about the wig and want to sell your lightly loved wig.
The excess lace will give the next person a little bit more flexibility to recut the lace as she/he/they please according to their own forehead shape.
3. I Didn't Vet My Colorist's Experience With Human Lace Wigs
You've got the right fit, you've cut the lace, and now you're thinking, "it just needs a little more highlights...and maybe a small root."
Customizations are super common when it comes to wigs. If you think about how unique you are(!), it's likely that you'll have to do a few tweaks to get it just right for you.
When you're booking an appointment with your colorist, make sure she/he/they has prior experience with lace top wigs.
It takes very special knowledge and skill to deposit color into human hair lace top wigs without damaging or accidentally dying the actual lace.
Furthermore, human hair has varying levels of porosity that can impact how and how fast the color deposits into the hair follicle.
When I wanted to put a simple root and lowlights to my lace top wig with my regular, go-to stylist, I was confident that he'd know what to do. He had worked with two of my other silk top pieces, what could go wrong?
My colorist failed to tell me that he never had experience working with lace wigs and ended up staining color onto the lace. Furthermore, he used a dark dye that had blue undertones without doing a strip test (highly recommended!!), which not only stained the lace blue, but the hair as well.
In Summary, Do Not Make The Same Mistakes I Did!
Lace wigs, while delicate, if you get it right, they can be your best friend! Take your time when searching for and purchasing a piece so you know that it will be the right match for you.
Once you find and customize your perfect piece, let me the first to congratulate you!! Welcome to the wig world, bestie!
