Wigs

A wig is a manufactured head-covering of real or artificial hair worn in the theatre or in the movies (think of Sir Sean Connery, who appears on screen looking like he's never lost a hair in his lifetime), as personal adornment, disguise, or symbol of office - like those worn by judges and footmen in ceremonial dress, or for religious or commercial reasons.

Before modern hair replacement systems, extensions, weaves and braids and even quirky party wigs became widely available in salons and stores worldwide as either a fashion or a medical accessory, women's wigs were also the main way to disguise any hair loss or make a huge style statement.

Wigs in History

During the reign of Charles II, male wigs of long curls that imitated real hair became fashionable, and later men wore a formal peruke known as a periwig. Later when Mad King George said he was giving up his own smaller wig with its horizontal curls above the ears and with the back drawn into a loose queue and tied with a bow (like a judge's wig) in order to wear his real hair in a Mozart-style ponytail, the wig-makers of England petitioned him, then threatened to sue, because other men followed his lead and they could no longer make a living.

After 1800, as long hair for men lost favour, the wig became a part of women's fashions - the Victorians thought nothing of supplementing their hair pile high with fake hair hidden in the bun, and make also sported a "front" - a false fringe used to augment and disguise sometimes sparse real hair growth.

It took the death of millions of young men in World War 1 to liberate women from having to wear a wig because society expected it - many of the bright young things in the flapper years of the 1920s had their hair bobbed short and wore it natural, perhaps in subconscious tribute to all the potential fiances and husbands now lost to them. However all the girls and women who relied on being able to sell their lovely long hair were then out of business.

Modern Wigs and Wig-making

Because hand-making real-hair wigs is such an expensive and time-consuming process, few people these days still make them - there simply isn't the mass market to make it worthwhile. This means that those women's wigs available can cost thousands of pounds.

Another reason why contemporary retail hair pieces and wigs vary so much in price is due to the various types of hair being used when creating them. Inexpensive factory mass-produced women's wigs are normally made using poor-quality synthetic hair. Despite this, with a bit of care, they can stay fresh-looking for several months and so can be worth the money if they are just a temporary fix for someone experiencing hair loss. A sure sign of lack of quality is that ineffective procedures are used to make these plasticky wigs and inexperienced stylists can accidentally destroy them when washing them or cutting them in.

Expensive hand-made women's wigs are usually created using European hair or virgin Asian human hair - Indian village women are said to have the finest hair, as it is untouched by chemicals or henna. If properly looked after, human hair in women's wigs looks acceptable for up to a year. Such wigs can last for up to two years - but of course there are few women who want to face the world in exactly the same hairstyle for that length of time - in itself a dead giveaway that the hair on one's head is not one's own - so they may find themselves replacing a wig before it has worn out or become mangy.

Wearing a wig has distinct advantages, of course, if a woman wants a temporary new look or if she has faced surgery or chemotherapy and her own hair and needs a breather from tinting and styling _ or is regrowing and still too delicate to face any type of salon procedure.

All wigs have a base (foundation), to which is attached the hair used to make them - and it is the quality of the hair used that establishes their value. One process used to create a wig is the 'ventilating' technique, where hair is fixed to the base with a latch-hook knot in a procedure very similar to that of knitting. The finer the strands and the hair used, and the denser and more naturalistic the spacing, the more expensive the wig. It is literally built hair-by-hair. Such monofilament wig caps use a base very similar to pantyhose, but the material does not stretch as this would cause adverse wear and tear. Instead, it is pre-shaped and firm, to fit the contour of a human head.

With custom-made wigs, the wig cap is placed over the head and an outline of the desired shape is drawn onto the monofilament wig cap. Next, hair is hooked intoand tied in the outlined area. To control hair density, single (or more) hairs are then tied in as desired. For optimum results hair must be tied in the direction of natural growth for a realistic effect.

The level of detail needed to create a woman's wig means they can cost the earth. But if they boost their wearer, who may be suffering extreme anxiety and depression because of hair loss, then - as any women will tell you - she will pay what is takes to have gorgeous hair that looks and moves like her own, and that makes her feel safe and secure until a solution is found to her hair condition, or she adjusts to it.