Q. Human hair or synthetic?  HELP!

A. Human hair is great for long styles that have movement.  Synthetic is perfect for shorter styles or up-dos, because they'll hold their shape better.


Q. What's going to be hotter to wear, human or synthetic?

A. The difference isn't so much about the fibre, as the density.  Most wigs that you buy off the shelf seem "wiggy" because they are purposely built to have a lot of hair in them, and that can make them feel hot.  Wigs can be thinned out with thinning shears or by removing some of the wefts of hair, making them look more natural and feel more comfortable.


Q. Where does the hair for a human hair wig come from?

A. Human hair wigs are generally made from processed Asian hair that has been cleaned, sorted, coloured, texturized, and finished with a process that will reseal the cuticle to make it smooth and silky.


Q. What's a  custom wig, and why does it cost so much?

A. A custom wig is the highest quality and most realistic one possible.  This is the quality that they use in films.  When you buy a wig off the shelf, whether it's human or synthetic, some have a "skin top", where the top section had hair punched into a piece of skin-coloured plastic; others have a "monofilament top", which means the top section is hand tied.  In both cases, the remainder of the wig is made of of rows of hair, or "wefts".  With a custom wig, the entire piece is handtied, human hair, on a "lace" (mesh) base that is built to fit your head perfectly, and allows us to control things like the density, the hair growth patterns, and natural highlights, to match your own hair.  And the cost is a reflection of the imported lace, the high-quality human hair, and the 40-60 hours of labour involved.


Q. I'm about to lose my hair to chemo treatments, or I'm experiencing alopecia.  What now?

A. First off, please know that I've worked with many, many women who have gone through this, including my own family and friends, and I know what an impact it is to not only be faced with the challenge of healing and the huge medical bills, but to have your appearance suddenly and radically changed.  Many times too, a wig won't even be about how you see yourself, but how others see you, and relate to you.

If your lifestyle or career involves you being in the public eye a lot, and if you have the money to invest in a custom wig, great, that might be the route for you. I make custom wigs as user-friendly as possible, with a stretch lace back for a comfortable and sleek fit, and which won't require any adhesives or pins for security. But I also believe that every woman should have an easy-to-wear, machine-made wig on hand that you can pop on if someone comes to the door, or if you have to grab groceries and don't feel like being bald that day.

I'm not here to up-sell you at a time when you need to focus your resources on medications and covering bills while you're recuperating. There are some very realistic wigs out there in the $75 - $200 range that might be just a little tweaking away from being perfect for you --- I can trim the bangs, alter the fit of the base, etc, for you, usually in the time it takes for you to grab a coffee. I'm happy to chat with you about your needs, and offer any advice, whether you're planning to buy a wig yourself, have one that needs tweaking, or want me to pick up and style one for you.

I work closely with the team at Abantu (www.abantu.com), and if you're in Vancouver, you can visit them at 3596 Kingsway. They have a huge selection of styles and colours in their showroom, the staff are brilliant and accommodating, and they can find something gorgeous *and* affordable for you.

If you *do* decide that a custom human hair wig is the way you want to go, it takes about 40 - 60 hours to build a wig, so depending on my production schedule, it's generally 2-3 weeks from our initial consultation and fitting til I have the finished product for you.