ENJOY JON RENAU'S FIVE NEW STYLES!

ENJOY JON RENAU'S FIVE NEW STYLES!

Are you looking for a new style? Take a look through our five new Jon Renau wigs. You never know when the perfect wig might come along! 

ALANNA WIG

Meet Alanna, our first curly-all-over style! This highly anticipated wig features voluminous ringlets, which you can also opt to style into softer spirals. With Alanna, you’ll experience the confidence inspired by our SmartLace™ Collection’s secure and comfortable fit. The hand-tied lace front is designed to seamlessly mirror the look of a natural hairline.

 

BRYCE WIG

For a style that’s effortlessly on-trend, turn to Bryce. Long layers meet soft waves for a carefree, romantic look. Bryce’s curtain fringe center part frames and flatters the face. As part of our SmartLace™ Collection, this synthetic style features a hand-tied lace front for a secure, natural and breathable fit.

 

KELLY WIG

Kelly pairs subtle waves with face-framing, sideswept bangs for a look that’s both fresh and timeless. This SmartLace™ style achieves the appearance of a natural hairline with a hand-tied lace front. You’ll also enjoy a secure, comfortable fit that feels custom-made.

 

RITA WIG

Topped with voluminous curls, Rita is a short, modern style that offers the ultimate in versatility. Thanks to this synthetic style’s heat-resistant fiber strands, it can be straightened and curled to create soft waves or tighter spirals.

 

SELENA WIG

An edgier take on the classic long bob, Selena features sleek, blunt cut ends. This style also offers room for any desired customizations thanks to its fullness. With a seamless, hand-tied lace front, Selena replicates natural hair growth and a realistic hairline.

 

ORDER TODAY to get your new style!

XOXO,

Wig Studio 1

Rescue or Toss – Is it Time for a Change?

Rescue or Toss – Is it Time for a Change?

So, last week I hit on the topic briefly of rescuing old wigs. I am attaching a copy of my success wig here. It came out soft, shining, and ready to wear. Sadly, my other rescue came out much like it went in—clumpy and dead. I treated them both the same, and they were about the same age. Sadly, the blonde one is no longer with me. But in the end, it was a good thing. It was time to let that shade of blonde and that style go. How about you? Are you at that place where you are hanging on to old styles and colors long after you should have let them go? How do you know when it’s time? Because in addition to the obvious wig aging there are other reasons to let that wig go. So, what are the indicators that you are holding on to something that is doing you no favors?

But wait a minute, let’s take a step back before we start tossing old wigs. Do you have wigs that you might like to try to revive? Should you spend the time and resources to rescue your old wigs—in other words--should they be rescued? The short answer is yes, if that wig can be made wearable again, then it is worth trying if only to sell it or donate it. Sometimes it really is time to move on, but that wig might be perfect for someone else.

Have you stopped actually “seeing yourself” in the mirror? Psychologists tell us that we do one of two things most often in this regard: we look but don’t “really look” because we think that we already know what we will see. Or we look too much, too closely, criticizing every part, angle, perceived flaw. Either way, we are not really seeing ourselves as we are, or as others see us.

Have you had those mornings when all at once you do look in the mirror, really look, and wonder where the heck that line came from, that discoloration, and why is your skin so….whatever. You know what I mean. Change is often slow, and when the accumulation of it is finally enough, we notice, and we are shocked. But if we had really been looking, we would have seen it in progress. But we are busy humans and who has time to stand in front of the mirror and look at themselves all the time? And therein lies part of the dilemma as to why one day we do look in the mirror and wonder why we ever bought that wig in the first place. The style, the color, doesn’t seem to be you anymore—sound familiar?

Wigs are even more of a challenge than coloring and cutting bio hair. First, they cost more, and you hope the relationship will be a long one because it doesn’t grow out if you have made a mistake. So, we are afraid of making a mistake, and because of that we often default back to our old styles and colors, trying so hard to get something “close to what I had before” and we think that is a good thing. It is not always a good thing. Maybe you have lost weight, gained weight, gotten older, gotten less or more sun, and you need to make new decisions about what looks best on you—now. Here is when I say to you—please do not ask a friend or family member. A good friend or family member will want to tell you the truth but often won’t because they don’t want to hurt your feelings. So, it puts them in a bad spot of wanting to be honest and helpful while not making you angry or hurting your feelings. Just don’t do it unless they are a professional hairstylist or wig expert who can step back and give you an unemotional opinion. Or maybe it’s something as simple as your taste has changed or your lifestyle. Maybe you retired, or work from home now and can be less structured in your life, including your look. Maybe you like short wigs for summer and want to take things up a notch with new styles or lighter colors. Don’t worry about trying to copy your old styles. There are many styles that look good on many people. The wig companies know that and that is why there are so many bobs of different lengths and short boy/pixie cuts.

When a friend of mine got a new wig (a first wig) and asked my advice I cringed (for all the reasons I stated before) but also because it made her look ten years older. Suddenly, she looked like her mother, and it was the wig—color and style. Both wrong for her, and I had to tell her. I asked her to try on two of my wigs to see the difference in how she could look to make my point that there were wigs for her that would work. I loaned her the one of mine she liked best and she forgave me for telling her that her new wig made her look older. She was able to swap it out, and she learned a good lesson.

The moral of my story is don’t be so intent in reviving your old wigs that you can’t see it is time to move on. Some might work, like one of my two that I worked on, (the success is pictured below) but if they were put in the closet, it is often for a good reason. Trying to revive an old wig can be frustrating and time-consuming because success can depend on so many things: age, wear and tear level, general care, type of fibers, and style. The one that I was able to rescue was in great condition because I had just stopped wearing short wigs for some time and had put it away (and had forgotten about it) before it had suffered much abuse. It just needed some TLC. Sadly, the other one had seen better days. Is it time to revive it for ourselves, or time to sell or donate? Rescue or toss season at my house seems to happen in the spring, even for wigs!

This RW wig (I think it is Sparkle—lace front, mono top and so comfy) was in a box for YEARS! I washed it, conditioned it, and let it dry. The next day I shook it and added a bit of water on it just from my hands. And now I have a like-new short wig for the summer!

Me and my rescued wig…



The failure: the ends are just too damaged.



So, until next week when I will be writing about wig fibers, if I can get all the information that I want on time. Otherwise, I will talk about wigs for the summer, and how to stay cool. Can you go band-less, glue-less, and cap-less all summer?

Vickie Lynn

Which Wig Type/Style/Brand is Best Fit for You? Notes for the Newer Wig Wearers

Which Wig Type/Style/Brand is Best Fit for You? Notes for the Newer Wig Wearers

 

If you are like me, you have drooled over a human hair wig or two, and early on in my wig journey, I bought one. One was it for me though, at least for the near future. The care, time to style, the cost, all came to weigh heavier on the con scale because I was trying to wear it every day, all day. If I had one now, I might appreciate it more but just haven’t seen the need as of yet. After a lot of experimenting with several fiber types, and all cap types, I have finally settled on the ones that work best for me.

We all have different wig priorities. If you have no hair at all or little hair, or sensitive scalp, the wig cap construction will be very important. If you can’t stand wig bands, clips and pins, the kind of cap and the way it fits will play an even larger role in your choice. For me, it is the less on my head the better, so a good fitting cap is very important to me. The better the fit, the less security measures I feel the need to use. I can go out without any wig security measures in my Muse for example. It happens to be a perfect fit for me. If I am wearing it to the dentist, I might put a decorative bobbie pin in on each side. This keeps my hair out of the way while keeping it steady on my head while I am in the dreaded dentist chair. But if you have an in-between size head, and can’t get that perfect fit, you will need to make decisions about security. I do use more security when I know I will be outside for any length of time, or if I am going to a special event where I know it won’t be as easy to adjust my wig in public.

Wig Measurement Sizes

Now let’s move from cap security, since we have looked at that in a prior blog, and let’s go to caps in general. I won’t go into details here because this has also been covered in prior blogs on the site. We all know by now that we get what we pay for. Getting a hand-tied cap with a mono-top and lace front will cost you more because it costs the manufacturer more to make. That’s easy to understand. And ideally, you’d think everyone would want or need this. But that is not necessarily the case. Many wigs that just come with a basic cap can work well for many people. A lot depends on the wig style. Is the style one that doesn’t really have a part and may have bangs—then a mono top and lace front would not be a dealbreaker for a lot of people. Also, for the same price, you can often get two or three of the basic cap wigs compared to maybe just one of the wigs with all the bells and whistles. That is appealing to a lot of people, especially if you are hard on your wigs, or if you just like to change styles a lot.

 

Hand-Tied Wig Construction

 

All fibers are not created equal. This too, you may have already learned. Some look and feel better and seem to last longer. Every manufacturer seems to do them a bit differently. They have their own vendors, processes, and crafts people. Human hair wigs are just that, so we all know how to take care of human hair, and the pros and cons of this. It is when you get into fibers that it is more of a challenge. Over time, the coating of the fibers, the color, and strength of the fibers will change. Depending on how much you wear your wig and how you care for it, can shorten or lengthen the life of your wig, but eventually the fibers will show their age and wear, just like us. “More’s the pity”—as my grandmother used to say. 

The big tradeoff: So, we have to decide, do we want the best of the best, the middle of the road, or some less costly ones but do the job just fine? Fortunately, we can have one of each if budget allows. I doubt I will ever return to human hair wigs just as a personal preference that is combined with my definite lack of styling skills and patience. I seem to have landed in the middle of the pack with lace front, mono-top and hand-tied as my preference, but hand-tied is not a deal breaker if I can have the other two. I still have a couple of basic cap wigs that I bought early on and can still wear but I find them hot and scratchy now because I have lost more hair loss over time. My scalp is more sensitive now too, and I have to be picky about my caps more than ever it seems.

The little extras are important. I like to get a wig with those soft tabs on the side and at the neck, along with the ability to adjust the fit. I can live with a mono-part vs. mono-top, but I hate not having the ability to make fit adjustments or have that comfort of the felt tabs on the side and the one at the bottom of the neck. So, in the end we all find our sweet spot, what we can live with or hope we don’t have to live with, as the case may be. 

I hope to get some information direct from the wig companies for a future blog about their fibers: how they pick them, how they make them, and what new things might be ahead in the future. I can’t wait to ask them this question: Can’t you do something about the “fly-aways” and the shine? Inquiring minds really do want to know. 

So, until next time, send me any questions you might have, any topics that you would like to see addressed in future blogs: 

 

Below is a video about hand-tied caps that you might like to watch or re-watch, and a reminder of how to measure your head for the best fit, and a picture of a lovely hand-tied wig. 

 

Wishing everyone a good week, and a new week to brighten it! 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yH8XmOIp9Wo&feature=emb_rel_err

Psychological Challenges of Hair Loss - Vickie Lynn

The Psychological Challenges of Hair Loss—and Acceptance

Hi, I hope that all of you will see this weekly blog not only as a source of information but as a place to ask questions. If I can’t answer every one of them, I will find the answer. You will get facts about hair loss, wigs, and wig care, along with my personal experience, my trial and errors, and how I learned that asking questions saves you a lot of time and money. I had to take this journey alone and I don’t want anyone else to do it that way.


As a way of introduction, I will share a bit of my journey here, but I know that everyone has a story, and your story may be very different from mine. I promise you that future blogs won’t be all about me. I want it to be about you and your stories if you want to share, and all about how wigs can help you enhance your look and give you back your confidence. There is more than one reason for wearing a wig, and for some of you reading this, you might just like wearing wigs for the convenience and to change up your look. Some of you may be going through a health challenge that will resolve and your hair loss might resolve along with it. Whatever your reason, I hope this blog will become a resource for you.

As you all likely know by now, there are many reasons for hair loss, and I will be talking about them in my blogs to follow. My loss started some weeks after I had surgery, a hysterectomy. I will never forget looking down in the shower and seeing long strands of my hair, lots of it, on the shower floor. I could hardly believe what I was seeing. Shock, confusion, worry, all those things followed and eventually led me to a doctor—the first of several visits looking for answers. On this first visit, I was told it was only temporary due to the hormonal shift post-surgery and it would grow back. It never really did. The tremendous volume of shedding eased up, but I was thirty-three years old and before that, I had a lot of hair. Fine though my hair was, I had always had plenty of it. As time went on my hair just seemed to get even more fine, and the thinning-shedding kicked in again when I was fifty. I tried a few over-the-counter things along the way, which did not help at all. I bounced around from denial to hoping for a miracle. Neither state of mind was a good one.


One day, the day that deep down I knew would always come, I accepted that I couldn’t go on as I was because I had started to notice that people’s eyes began to look more often at my hair. Every week it took me longer to do all kinds of things to cover the thinning areas every morning before I could go to work. I couldn’t kid myself about this any longer, I was losing my hair, and likely forever. But optimists don’t even up easily. So, surely, this could be fixed somehow, I told myself. I decided to go to an expert, maybe a hair transplant was the answer. Yes, I was still in a bit of denial, and back to the doctor, I went. This time only to find a doctor who was not at all interested in me or my hair loss issues unless he could use me as a hair transplant patient. Once he looked at me for a grand total of two minutes, he decided I was not a candidate and that was it. He couldn’t get out of the exam room fast enough. I was a waste of his time. He had offered no help, hope, suggestions, or referrals, and I left there feeling more alone and disappointed than went I went in—and I was angry now, a new emotion to add to my list.

After I finally faced the fact that no one had answers or at least no answers that I wanted to hear, and that no help was coming, I did as much research as I could on my own. What I found was not good. It looked more and more as if I had the markers of male-pattern-baldness. And as bizarre as it sounds, a sense of calm settled over me that I still don’t totally understand to this day. I can only conclude that it was having an answer finally. Yes, it was a terrible answer, but at least I knew what I had to deal with, and I could go forward. I decided that if this was my fate then I would make the best of it. Yes, that old optimist gene kicked in and I welcomed it.

I started my wig research shortly after facing the facts. I first went with the topper. I learned early on that it was not for me. I did not have the skill to style it or attach it in such a way to make it look realistic. Some people do—I am not skilled in that way, and I graduated very quickly from a topper to a full wig. As luck would have it (and I felt I was due some by then), I was offered a new job at my former company. I had not seen them in years, and this was the perfect opportunity to go in with a new wig, a new look, and a new me. By then I had gone through several wigs and several styles and educated myself about fibers, caps, synthetic hair, friendly fibers-heat allowable hair, human hair, and the care of all of these. Sometimes it is helpful to be a writer and researcher.

Once I settled on the right wig for me, it didn’t take me long to get over the fact that I was “oh, I am wearing a wig.” Very soon in the process, I stopped thinking about it and wondering if anyone could tell. The only looks and compliments that were coming my way were all about how much they liked my color, cut, etc. I never told anyone outside my immediate family and best friend. No one. I had more than one person every week ask me who did my hair. I knew then that I had found the right wig. In this particular case, it was “Muse” by Raquel Welch. I have since branched out, but I still have the Muse wig in my collection, in two colors. This brings up another topic that I will address in my next blog or two. How to pick the right wig? Is it better to have two or three lower priced ones versus spending the money for a higher-end wig? I will tell you what I did and why in my next blog. One thing I will tell you now: ask the experts. When you are buying online that is so very important. Be sure that you understand the importance of cap construction, what you can live with or just can’t live with, your budget, the amount of wear you expect from a wig, and many other things that will make or break your wig experience.

That is my story, but the point of the title—the psychological challenges, well that is the “big story”, and the challenges will be different for everyone. The acceptance process will be different for everyone also. No matter if you are an introvert or extrovert, or always confident or not so much, losing one’s hair is a huge issue. Your hair has been with you all your life, it has been a part of your identity, the way people see you, and who they think you are to some degree. Now your own hair is betraying you—your body is betraying you. How you deal with that can make a big difference in your life, but you will need to deal with that, and how you do that will depend not only on the reason for your hair loss but how much support you have. I am not a psychologist, but one of my best friends is, and I didn’t even talk to her about my experience for a long time, and after I had dealt with it all myself. If you have someone to talk to it can really help, even if they know nothing about wigs. But to get real help for picking a wig.

I hope that my blog can help you going forward. In the meantime, if you are new to wig wearing, or not so new and still have questions, I am here to help, this company is focused on helping you on your journey and will assist you in finding the right wigs for you and your life. Wigs are done so well now that there is no reason for you to ever tell anyone that you are wearing a wig unless you want to do that.

Until next week, I’m looking good in my “The Real Deal” by Raquel Welch. In the meantime, please let me know what questions you would like to see covered in the upcoming blogs by emailing me at vickie@wigstudio1.com.
If you have questions regarding an order, personal consultation, return, etc., please be sure to email support@wigstudio1.com.


Vickie Lynn

CrazyWigLady's Blog Smoky Rose by Estetica Designs shown on the wig Jett

CrazyWigLady's Blog Smoky Rose by Estetica Designs shown on the wig Jett

Welcome back to the CrazyWigLady blog here at Wigstudio1.com. I'm excited to show you a style that has been around awhile but in a very new color, Smoky Rose. Estetica Designs Jett is a best seller and we all know why, its adorable, a true "out of the box" style that you can throw on and go, in my book it's a classic! I first reviewed Jett a few years back and fell in love with this sort sassy style, when I got the opportunity to review it again in a fun fashion color I couldn't wait! Right now fashion colors are all the rage, why not try one? In my opinion, Smoky Rose is a wearable color; if you have been wanting to try a pink but like me you are afraid it might not be age appropriate, I would encourage you to have a look at Smoky Rose. The color is soft enough to not be too "out there" for those of us that are a bit older but still want to be a little trendy. 

I'm going to insert a few styling ideas, you can never go wrong with a headband, a small clip and don't forget to pick up some styling cream, this one will love it! A very small amount is all that is need to create texture and separation of the fibers.

 

Jett features a beautiful lace front that allows this style to be worn on or off the face.

Above are photos of Estetica Designs Jett in Smoky Rose in outdoor lighting. Estetica describes this color as Platinum blonde & rosewood blend with a soft warm glow. As I've said before we all see color differently, I don't think this is a smoky color, it is more of a rose gold blonde with some pink strands throughout. It is a beautiful color but it isn't smoky (in my opinion). Below are some photos of Smoky Rose in indoor lighting.

 Now let me show you the inside of the cap for Jett.

 

  

Look at that deep lace front, it is undetectable! There is some permatease in the top so you can get lift and really spike this up! Jett has closed ear tabs with stays, open wefted an open extended nape with velcro adjusters. The specs are bang 4.25, side 1.5, crown 3, nape 1.75. I love the short nape, it stays close to the neck and does not lift when moving your head. Also, this style fit me large, I have a 21 1/4 inch head circumference, by using the adjusters I was able to get a great fit. If you decide Smoky Rose isn't for you Jett is available in 23 shades, there is something for everyone! If you would like to see my full video review of this style and color please click here. Also, please don't forget to join us in our private Facebook Group, Wigstudio1 Wig and Topper Support Group, we have wig sales every Sunday and live sales twice a month. We are also on Instagram where we post twice daily. Thanks for stopping by the blog and I'll see ya next time!

xoxo

CrazyWigLady