French Lace Wigs
The Fuss About French Lace
French lace wigs are wigs made with French lace as the primary material used to make the wig cap (there are lace wigs that use French lace at the back and Swiss at the front of the lace wig).
There are two main types of lace used to construct the cap
for lace wigs; French and Swiss and some retailers also offer super fine Swiss lace. You can
learn about Swiss lace in-depth here.
French lace is used for human hair (remy and non-remy) lace wigs (both full lace wigs and lace front wigs) and lace frontals. It’s also used for synthetic lace wigs.
French lace slightly thicker than Swiss lace and this is in part due to the holes being smaller – it sounds odd but if you think about it like a honeycomb it begins to make sense, smaller holes mean more holes which mean a slightly denser material.
For some, this small difference in thickness is means that instead of French lace, they prefer to use Swiss lace for their lace wigs, but it’s important to note that although Swiss lace is the thinner of the two lace types, it is not invisible.
Below is a close up of the two types of lace - you can see the slight difference in the size of the holes.
French Lace - smaller holes
Swiss Lace - larger holesAs French lace is slightly thicker, it is more
robust and therefore more durable than Swiss lace.
Its robustness makes it more damage-resistant to frequent handling and this trait means it is the best option for those who are new to lace wigs. It’s also ideal for those who use adhesives and whose lifestyle means that the hair (and therefore lace) will be washed frequently.
French Lace Wigs - Blending Hairlines
French lace blends easily with the hairline
when worn. For some, they feel that the visibility is too great, but the lace visibility
depends on more than just the type of lace; it’s about how the wig has been ventilated
such as single or double knots, the type of knot used and whether the knots
have been bleached.
French Lace Wigs - Lace Colours
French lace is available in what is described as transparent (but technically speaking is not actually transparent) version as well las a light beige (similar to peach) colour a light brown, medium brown and dark brown.
If the French lace on your wig does not match your scalp, then you have a few choices:
- use regular concealer on the parting or hairline
- dye the lace (you can even use tea to go darker)
- use a fabric marker
Cap Constructions Available for French Lace Wigs
As it’s all about choice, there are plenty of full lace wig cap constructions that use French lace - you can have any of the following...
No stretch (lace only and nothing else)
Ear-to-ear stretch
Stretch tabs at the ears (also known as stretch ear tabs)
Stretch at the crown
Silk top (also known as hidden knots, silk base and lace injected)
Thin skin perimeter
No glue (adhesive) needed (also known as “glueless”)
If none of those suit you, why not create your very own custom made full lace wig.
If you'd prefer a lace front wig then the following links show how French lace can be used in lace front wigs - just click to learn more...
Stretch caps (hair is hand tied onto stretch lace)
Standard open wefts
Don't require adhesives (also known as “glueless”)
V-Lace front wigs
If you find that none of these quite fit the mould then you can always opt for a custom lace front wig.
So there you have it, a quick course in French lace wigs.
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