Lace Wigs Beginners Guide

Welcome to the lace wigs beginners guide.

If you're new to lace wigs or even if you've worn them for a while there are some basic elements of wigs made with lace caps that can help you choose, wear, style, care and maintain your lace wig.

The short answer is no. These types of wigs have been used by theatres and the television industry for decades; it was only from the late 1990s that they crossed over from that arena into the world of singers, models and presenters alike... 

What Are Lace Wigs?

These are wigs that they don't use the traditional style of cap that had machine made wefts attached to a wig cap that wouldn't allow the wearer to tie the wig up or back unless the hairline was concealed. Lace cap wigs have caps constructed from lace... French lace or Swiss lace to be more precise.

Individual strands of hair are hand tied (knotted) to the lace and when the lace is placed against the skin, it appears to "disappear". This means that when worn the hairs appear to be growing directly out of the scalp which provides a very natural looking hairline.
It's the natural looking hairline that makes lace wigs so appealing.

Lace is almost invisible on lace cap wigs

Lace Wigs Beginners Guide: Cap sizes, Measurements & Fittings

Lace wig caps come in standard sizes of small, medium and large.
Choosing a personally customized lace wig means you can be more specific with cap size if needed, and you can check out the lace wig measurement guide to learn about how to measure your own head.

Speaking of caps and heads, in the world of lace wigs, putting on a lace wig is often referred to as "installing a lace wig" or "applying a lace wig" or "attaching a lace wig". You can check out the guide showing how to put on a full lace wig as well as the skin-prep guide to make sure your skin is cleansed correctly before using any adhesives to fit your wig. 

In addition to this is the option of sewing-in a lace wig which basically means sewing the wig into the braided growth hair underneath.

Lace Wigs Beginners Guide: Lace Cap Constructions

Do all lace wigs need glue to be worn?
Good question and the answer is no; there are plenty of options for what are colloquially known as glueless.
There are options for both  glueless full lace wigs and glueless lace front wigs and both use a combination of adjustable straps, clips and combs to secure the wig, so they can be worn by most people.   

As there is a wide variety of lace wig cap constructions you're likely to find something that suits your needs.

Full lace wig with highlights

Lace Wigs Beginners Guide: Types of Lace

The nylon lace used in these wigs can either be French or Swiss, the latter being the more fragile lace due to its weave pattern (larger holes) but both are undetectable to the naked once placed on the skin.

To ensure the lace isn't detected, not only is it sheer but the lace also comes in different shades to suit the most palest and darkest of skin tones and everything in between...

"Hmmm, but how does the wig stay on your head?" We hear you ask. Ah well that would be by the use of specifically formulated wig adhesives that don't damage your hair or skin.

Speaking of growth hair, with lace wigs you get to choose things like how thick the hair is and where it's parted along with hair textures that you feel best suit you.

Lace Wigs Beginners Guide: Human Hair or Synthetic Hair

The $64 million dollar question, up until now, lace Perukes have come mainly in four versions of remy or non-remy, Chinese, Indian, Malaysian and European.

Blonde synthetic lace front wig

However quite a lot of folks prefer synthetic lace front wigs. These are wigs with synthetic hair fibres instead of human hair and they are available in a range of colours and textures.

Synthetic hair fibres have the advantage of retaining the texture in a way that human hair can't. However synthetic hair fibres also have the disadvantage of not necessarily being heat resistant.

Check, check and check again with your retailer to make sure whether your synthetic lace wig is heat resistant or not... and if it is, always, always, always use the lowest possible heat setting.

The last thing to mention here is that you can wear lace cap wigs in the same way non-wig wearers wear their ordinary hair; tied up, tied back and off the face as well as down.

The versatility of full lace wigs enables you to wear your lace Peruke in a high ponytail or even cornrows with the lace undetected and if that wasn’t enough, this also means that when you wear it down, you can part the hair in any way you choose…

It's easy to see why these wigs have become so popular.

There's more information in the Lace (Synthetic and Human Hair) Wig Q&A section as well as the navigation menu, or if you'd like to keep up to date with the next guide about hair weave, hair extensions, wigs and hairpieces then join our blog – no personal info required.

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