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I’m in the market for a new wig. I’m looking for one I’d feel comfortable wearing in public in the daytime.
I’ve asked a few of you ladies directly (because you have such gorgeous hair!), but I wanted to put the question out to all you girls. What are your thoughts, experiences and recommendations with good wigs? Not crazy expensive, but I’m willing to spend a bit more for quality and “passibility”. Currently, I’m leaning toward something from Noriko or Belle Tress.
Also, I have a thick head of dark, male, bio-hair. In the past I’ve used the fishnet or stocking style wig caps, but I’ve seen YouTube videos using just a wig grip head band, which I’ve never tried. Do you need a wig cap with a wig grip? Do you prefer one over the other? Thanks in advance!
I bought 4 “better quality”/next level wigs recently, and one of them is a Noriko (Jackson). (2 Henry Margu, 1 Tress Allure), I have no complaints about the 4 quality wigs I purchased. I put in alot of research into each, to make sure it is the wig that will frame my face well and suitable for my skin tone.
I love it, only thing is one of the bands that cinch the wig broke off after 1 or 2 uses, so I had to stitch it back in place. I love the style of the Jackson, it reminds me of a “Rachel” do, it is layered so it frames my face well.
I set my budget around $200 – $250 per wig. Not crazy expensive like yourself. The Jackson regular price was over my budget, but there was a sale so it was a perfect time to add to cart so I bought the Jackson at a price well within my budget.
I have cheap costume wigs, but you can tell it is costume, and it is not passable whatsoever. The strands in the Jackson are light, and they kinda tickle my face and back of my neck, which I deem is a good thing. The strands on the cheap costume wigs are heavy and coarse.
I use a wig cap everytime. One I use is like a stocking not a fishnet, so it covers my whole head. I find it helps soak up the sweat.
My experience on this is limited. I have tried costume wigs with no success. They are usually far too small for my enormous noggin and then they just look odd. The hair won’t lie right.
So…My first real wig came with a visit to a transformation specialist. Darker than I would have chosen off the rack and a bit longer and wavier, but very, very nice. I don’t recall the brand, but I have had another transformation specialist comment that it was a wig brand and design that Black women wear regularly. It looks good on me, but I have to admit it’s not my favorite. I just don’t feel myself to be a dark brunette, even though the wig fits and does look good on me.
My second experience was with a real wig shop, and for a wig in the same price range you’re looking at. This was an exceptional experience. The lady who owned the shop waited on me and we found a lovely dark blonde medium length bob that almost matches my real hair color and fits my big head. She didn’t bat an eye about me being in drab – she just wanted to build a relationship with a customer. We tried several, and this one was far and away the best. She even trimmed it a little to work better with my face.
So, my recommendation is to find a good wig shop and get professionally fitted. They’ll be able to answer all your questions and will help you find a wig, or wigs, that help you look even more beautiful than you are.
Hey Marie, this is a topic of much interest to me so I thought I’d see how it was going. I too looked closely at Belle Tress styles when I last went shopping for an update, but ultimately deferred to a sepia (darker) and paramount (which I wear most of the time) because of the cost and that getting two enabled me to change up styles when I felt like it. What I am happiest with about both is that they dont need much work once they are on–just a few well placed pins. But, they don’t stay for long enough, too often the curls would clump or flip out.
In the time I spent in the last few days there are endless youtube review of almost every belle tress style and color, and I’m sure the same for many others, which really helped me with getting an idea of how they fall and move, and especially of how the colors appear.
I tried a wig grip for a little while, but ended up abandoning it. While it did keep the wig more secure, it also made everything hotter, and maybe it was just the one I got, but it was relatively thick and that had an effect on diameter which in turn flattened the top of the cap ever so slightly.
I have a few, but the best one I bought from a supplier who advertises on this site, En Femme, and it is a Henry Margu lace front. It is a synthetic, but has a realistic look, and I wear it out often. When I used to be able to go out to various CD events and I’ve told someone it’s a wig, they’ve said they would never have known.
The colour and style is important as well so you get something that works with your natural face shape and colour. I still have a full head of hair, so I use a band, but my hair is quite short, and I now keep it that way so me wig fits well without issues.
The cost, I’m not sure but I think it was in the $150. range. Not cheap, but not really expensive, but my standards anyway.
The vast majority of the pictures here of me are with that wig on, if you care to look.
Amy
Hi Marie,
You already know I like Noriko wigs a lot. I’ve never looked at Belle Tress but will check them out.
I’ve had pretty good luck using a wig grip from Milano Collection. Bought it on Amazon. I never used it with a wig cap. I think it would work better by itself.
Having a full head of hair and wearing a synthetic wig is HOT. Stocking style caps trap even more body heat. That was the motivator for the grip. It does seem to keep things a bit cooler. I haven’t tried the fishnet style wig caps. They’re probably cooler than a wig grip.
I typically use a mild adhesive called ‘It Stays’ to keep my wig more secure. A thin line around the front of the wig is plenty. I’ve danced for hours and never felt like the wig was coming loose. The bottle is small so I keep it in my purse just in case. It Stays is water soluble so it’s easy to wipe off with a damp cloth.
Hope this helps.
Emily
I have a Belle Tress that I bought at US Wigs in Vegas for about $120-$150 and I love it.
Caroline
I always wear a wig cap – it can get hot with or without, and it’s important to wick moisture before it gets into the wig itself. Wig grips are great for more loose fitting wigs I find. Very secure and confident when wearing them. I’ve got a growing collection of wigs – some Raquel Welch, a lot of Sepia, and a few others. Sepia tend to make affordable well made and styled wigs. So affordable that I’ve purchased doubles of my favourite styles. A good wig can make all the difference to your sense of femininity.
I’m in the same situation. i bought a black shoulder length wig online, but not real happy with it.im looking for somewhere i can go try on different styles, colors, lengths. the beauty shops I’ve been to are to crowded and don’t really have the time to spend with you and not real private. i agree, a lot of the girls have great looking hair.. their advise would be very valuable and appreciated.
rita
Hi Marie
All I want to add is look for these qualities in buying a new wig: synthetic heat resistant, lace front, hand tied and look for one that has natural color, like darker roots and highlighting. I have three Belle Tress wigs and love them. Be prepared to pay $250 to $300 for a high quality wig that will last a long time. Heat resistant is important for being able to style with a flat and curling iron. When your wig hair becomes frizzy, you can use a flat iron to remove them, I use a flat iron than can be used on wet hair, the steam it creates helps to remove the frizzy ends of the hair. I then use a curling iron or heated curlers to style how I want. Always use heat on dry hair to curl and the curl should stay in until you wash the wig. Remember, wigs shown online worn by models NEVER really look like that! I have had to trim all my wigs to get them to the point where I could wear them. I suggest going to a wig store and try on wigs if you can, I know this is impossible for most girls here but it sure will save you a lot of heartache and the hassle of trying to return a wig online. One more thing…I wash my hair in Woolite and then a little conditioner mixed in water and finish with a final rinse. Hope this helps!
Amanda💋
Thank you ladies for all of your recommendations. Many of you suggested going to a wig salon to be fitted and to try on styles and colors and I wholeheartedly agree with that advice. Unfortunately, in this age of CV19, I did not see myself doing that for quite a while. I look forward to doing that one day, but in the meantime I made a wig purchase and want to share my thoughts with you.
I settled on the Kenzie by Noriko in Mochaccino Rooted. I love this color! It’s dark rooted, light golden brown with gold blonde highlights. It looks like a nice, realistic salon highlight job. It’s a synthetic with a monofilament top. It retails for around $375 and I got it 50% off. I did a lot of online research. There are a ton of good video reviews on YouTube for many of the popular wig makers and styles. They are really helpful to get an idea of what it will actually look like out of the box, instead of styled perfectly and professionally photographed on a model. I highly recommend Cysterwigs. Heather photographs herself in most of the wigs she sells and has a lot of useful video reviews on color, styles, fits and makeup too. She’s a gem!
Now the disappointments. It’s a little tight. I measured my head circumference as 22.5”, which is the top end of average. Norikos are known to run a little small. Out of the box, it was super tight. I’ve been wearing it for a couple of hours at a time and over the last week it’s become much more comfortable. It’s still snug, but much better. Some tightness is nice, because it feels very secure on my head. Especially when I’m tossing my hair around. It has a big bump of permatease on the crown, which makes it a little taller than I want, but overall I’m very pleased. I would definitely feel comfortable wearing this in public in the daytime.
I bought her at Wigsalon.com. They have wigs on 50% sale all the time. The styles and colors change a lot, so you have to keep checking in for what you want. Initially, the Kenzie I bought was only available in one color (Almond Rocka R). It turned out that the color was discontinued and out of stock, so they offered to swap it for any color available. In the end, I think I got a color I like even more than the original. I worked with Diane and she was very helpful and responsive. She took photos of a few different colors, side by side and texted them to me. It helped a lot in making a decision. Those swatches online are useless. Anyway, hope this will be helpful for anyone on the hunt for a wig upgrade.
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