People use wigs for a wide variety of reasons, from a fun costume enhancement for a Halloween party to a completely natural look to cover mortifying unintentional hair loss caused by such things as radiation and chemotherapy, or other medical and inherited conditions. Both men and women with thinning hair will find increased self confidence from having a full head of hair with a natural looking wig. Many people like to have several wigs available to provide a hairstyle befitting their mood. And wigs have always been an integral part of show business and the entertainment industry.
In fact you would probably be surprised at how many wigs you have seen on the heads of both men and woman and never suspected it was anything but their own natural hair.
The question of whether you should get a wig made of synthetic or human hair fibers is much a matter of what you intend to use it for, how long you will be needing the wig, how often you'll wear it and that ever important factor of budget.
Synthetic wigs can be purchased in a large array of colors from jet black through the various shades of brown to blond, platinum blond and gray. You can, of course, also find synthetic wigs in the ever popular costume colors of blue, purple, orange and green.
The human hair that goes into the making of a wig will usually come from Asia, Indonesia or Europe. Since human hair grows at a rate of approximately ½” per month you can imagine these wigs will be more expensive than those typically made of synthetic fibers.
The advantages to having your wig made from human hair are many. It can be bleached and recolored. It is also resistant to higher temperatures so it can be straightened with a flat iron or curled with hot rollers. You can go from one style to another or one color to another without compromising the hair fiber. The wig still retains its fiber quality and natural appearance, over all holding up longer when extended wear is needed.
Synthetic wigs can be less expensive than their human hair counterparts, depending upon whether the base of the hairpiece is machine made or hand made. Synthetics retain styling well but changing the style is far more difficult than it is with the more responsive human hair wigs. Trying to change the style of a synthetics hair wig can sometimes have unexpected and drastic results. Synthetic hair will not accept hair coloring. The good news is that synthetics can be shampooed, conditioned and cared for easily. They are designed to hold the shape and styling they originally had when you bought it. It's important also to remember that a synthetic wig is easy to damage with heat. Even though synthetic wigs are more natural looking than ever before they are still less natural in appearance than human hair and reflect sunlight with a sheen similar to nylon. Life expectancy of synthetic fibers will diminish more rapidly with considerable use such as sleeping and/or showering in them. The entire hair shaft from roots to ends can become fuzzy and crinkled in appearance.
Whichever way you plan to go keep in mind the synthetic fibers or human hair used in wig making is lifeless. It is not rooted in the scalp where it can receive nutrients and sebum. Therefore it is necessary to continually condition any wig so that the hair remains healthy and lively looking. Heavy oils are not recommended when conditioning; Oils can cause irreparable tangling and matting to hair. Water based and silicone based conditioners are best advised.
One of the best uses of both synthetic fiber and human hair can be obtained by using synthetic hair for the grey in a human hair wig. This way if a color change is desired later, the grey will not be colored or affected since it is synthetic.
Cindy Lee is the owner of Cindycut Intl., an internationally respected retailer to wearers and wholesaler to stylists desiring affordable education and tools necessary for you to become a professional in the field of Custom Hair Replacement. Visit http://cincycut.com for more information.
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