How to wear cosplay wigs with long hair

How to wear cosplay wigs with long hair

                                   by Nicole Oliva

Cosplay is a wonderful hobby to get into and has grown in popularity over the past few years.  The idea of where to even begin a cosplay can be daunting to the average person.  Once you have a cosplay in mind and a costume finished accessorising is crucial to look and the overall cosplay experience. So on that note today we will be going over the cosplay basics of how to wear a wig!

I have pretty long hair and I get asked a lot how I manage to fit all of my hair into a wig?  And the answer is simple.

WIG CAPS

For a new cosplayer a wig cap is the most amazing thing in the world!  I had been cosplaying for two years before getting my first wig cap.  Once I got one I didn't know why I didn't have one sooner! It’s amazing!  They typically come in two colors black or tan and you can purchase ones made of  nylon mesh or as netting.  Their very affordable too.  You can get them for around $2 almost anywhere that sells costumes or beauty supplies.  Even more general shops like Ebay or Amazon.  If you’re really lucky your first cosplay wig might even come with one.   

Wig caps are amazingly simple to put on, they fit any size head, hair length, or hair thickness.
Not only do they keep you hair in place under your wig but it keeps your wig from moving around as well.But you will still need some bobby pins just in case of a style malfunction.  

Here is how I put on a wig!

Step 1. Get a Hair tie or hair scrunchie

Step 2. put your hair up into a tight ponytail

Or for extra security you can put it in a braid
Try to position your ponytail somewhere in the middle
Not too high and not to low as to avoid bumps in your wig

Step 3. Use a bobby pin or a clip to pin your ponytail around the back of your head.

(I’m using this bow for reference of where I put my bobby pins)
If your hair is really long you might need to wrap your hair around more than once
I had to do that when my hair went past my waist.

Step 4. Slip on your wig cap

and get your wig ready!

Step 5. Put on your wig and adjust.

I like to put on my wig from the back of the head forwards but do whatever is comfortable for you.  Some people prefer to do it the other way around and others put it straight on from the top.

Be sure you are covering all lose hair or peaking out parts of a wig cap.

If your wig still feels a bit too loose take it off and check the inside.

Most good quality wigs that I have purchased in recent years have two hooks on the inside towards the bottom/back.  You can take these hooks and adjust the wig to a smaller notch so the wig fits your head more comfortably.

Once you have a more or less good fit on your wig be sure to adjust the back with bobby pins in case you feel a problem spot that might get loose as well as adjust the front in the same way.

A lot of wigs (especially for anime characters) have really over the top bangs.  For this you can either trimm them to a comfortable length or character accurate style of just grab some more bobby pins to push them out of your face.  (Using the bwo to represent where my bobby pins went again.)

And there you have it!  This method works for all kinds of wigs no matter what length or cut.

 

SO have fun and be creative on your cosplay endeavors!