How to Choose Your First Wig

The 5 Factors to Buying the Right Wig So That You Love the Way You Look and Feel

Are you buying a wig for the first time?
It can seem a little daunting.
But, did you know...
Millions of people wear wigs every day—you’re definitely not alone.
It’s quite possible that even your neighbors and colleagues wear wigs and you have no idea!
That’s because today’s wigs look more natural and beautiful than ever before.
In fact, today’s top celebrities not only wear wigs on the red carpet and in movies, but also in everyday life, too.
And even if this isn’t your first wig, you may learn some new tips that will assist you in choosing your next wig.
Here are the 5 factors that go into finding the perfect wig to achieve a more beautiful you:

• Hairstyle
• Length
• Texture
• Color
• Cap Size

Let’s dive in!

What Style Wig Should I Choose?

We get it...
There are hundreds (in not thousands) of different wig styles to choose from.
And if it’s going to be your first time wearing a wig, you might feel a little timid about the whole experience, but rest assured, there’s no need to be scared!
Wigs have improved significantly over the years and now offer the exact look you desire, seamlessly integrating with your scalp and facial features.
For your first wig, you should consider wearing something that more closely matches your current or previous hairstyle.
Staying with what you’re familiar with will make the ongoing maintenance and styling of your hair easier.
Many wigs can be styled to look differently, so you can always look into taking your wig to a salon that specializes in wig care or doing it yourself at a later time.

Length
There are 3 main lengths to choose from:

• Short wigs

• Medium length wigs

• Long wigs

Short wigs are admittedly better for more humid areas or if you feel that your body is always hot. The longer the wig (just like the longer your hair) the more heat will be trapped and the warmer you might feel throughout the day. Also, short wigs are a bit easier to maintain, dry faster, are quicker to style, and can cost less.

But the choice is yours, don’t let money get in the way of achieving the look you want.

Texture
Once you know your desired length, you have a few choices for your desired texture:
Straight: Straight and flat.

Wavy: Flowing and bouncy, but not curled.

Curly: Heat-Friendly and pops back like a slinky.

What Shape Is Your Face?
When selecting your wig style, it’s not your personal preference that should be the main consideration.
Instead, you should carefully consider what type of wig style looks best with your face shape.
Even though you may prefer a certain wig style, the most important thing to keep in mind is which wig will best flatter the shape of your head and face.
This will help you determine the length, texture, and overall style of wig to choose.
Here are the different face shapes and the styles that look best with each one:

Oval-Shaped Face
If your face is balanced and evenly proportioned, you can wear almost any style. Off the face wigs will serve you best.
You should avoid wigs that feature heavy bangs or significant forward direction, which can create the perception of more weight in your face.
Round-Shaped Face
Your best choices are styles that succeed in adding fullness as well as height at the crown of your head.
These wig styles include off-center parts.
You would do well to wear shorter wigs that feature a swept-back direction or those with lengths that go past your chin.
You should avoid chin-length hair with a rounded line that closely matches your face's circular shape, center parts, very short cropped styles and fullness at the sides of the ears.
If you wear a rounded wig that doesn’t go past your chin, it will probably make the widest part of your face look fuller and wider.
Square-Shaped Face
Your best choices for this shape of face include wigs that are short to medium in length. You should look especially beautiful in those with waves or roundness around the face.
Be sure to consider wigs with wispy bangs, off-center parts, and those that provide height at the crown of your head. Layers and wispy looks succeed in softening your naturally square face.
With more height provided by your wig at the crown of your head, you will elongate your symmetrical face shape.
You’ll look lovely with curls or waves as those will balance your straight and symmetrical features. You should avoid straight bangs with linear lines, center parts, as well as styles that are long and straight.
This includes avoiding straight bobs that end at your jawline. If your wig does not go below your jawline, then you can also wear a layered bob.
Oblong or Rectangular-Shaped Face
Your best choices include short or medium-length wig styles since these can minimize the length of your face.
For example, you probably shouldn’t choose a wig that goes past your shoulders.
If you want to soften the straight lines of your face, then you should look for wigs with layers. If you want to minimize the geometric appearance of your face, wigs with side parts can help you with that.
You can shorten the appearance of your longer face with soft and wispy-banged wigs.
If you would like to add width to the appearance of your face, then look for wigs that offer fullness at the sides.
You should avoid longer or taller wig styles since these will further elongate the look of your facial features. You should also consider avoiding wigs with center parts.
Heart-Shaped Face
Your best choices are chin-length or longer wig styles, including hair that’s parted to the side, swept forward in layers around the upper part of your face, and even gently wispy bangs.

Heart-Shaped Face
Your best choices are chin-length or longer wig styles, including hair that’s parted to the side, swept forward in layers around the upper part of your face, and even gently wispy bangs.
A chin-length bob may be perfect for you since it creates a balanced look by giving fullness in all the right places.
Shorter wig styles can suit you. But it should be noted that if you have a very intense heart-shaped face, you’ll do best with a wig style that succeeds in adding weight in the back nape area of your neck.
This will allow you to enjoy beautiful balance between your pronounced cheekbones and narrow chin. You should avoid short, full styles with tapered necklines since these tend to put more attention on the upper part of your face, which can make you look unevenly distributed or top heavy.
If the wig creates the look of too much weight at the crown, it will make your face look longer with an even narrower chin.
Diamond-Shaped Face
With this shape of face, your best choices are actually just about any style you desire since the balanced shape of your face will be flattered by most any wig.
You’re lucky to be able to try a variety of wig styles!
It should be noted thought that if your face is more of a dramatic shape and you are more interested in a short wig style, you should consider wigs that provide more weight in the nape area.
Wearing these types will help you maintain a balanced look between your dramatic cheekbones and delicate chin. The only types of wigs you might consider avoiding are those with a lot of hair since they’ll probably hide your wonderful facial features.
Wholesale HairPear-Shaped Face
The best choices for this type of face are wig styles that promote the appearance of width at your forehead and temples.
This will help create the illusion of a more oval face, drawing people’s attention to the upper part of your face.
The wig hair should be styled closer to your head on the sites and at the nape, to minimize the width at the jawline area of your face. You should think about avoiding full and long wig styles that would put more focus on your jawline.
How Your Daily Lifestyle Effects Your Wig Choice
Are you typically at a desk inside for most of the day? Or do you live a very active life that includes sports?
If most of your day is spent inside at a desk, then you may want to select synthetic wigs or heat-friendly synthetic wigs. They are less durable than human hair wigs, but you can take advantage of a smaller price tag since you won’t be demanding as much from your wig.
On the other hand, if you’re typically more active, human hair as well as premium human and Remy hair hybrid wigs will likely serve you better since they are the most durable.
What Look Are You Going For?
Aside from durability, you’ll also want to think about the type of look you’ll most frequently wear.
If you work in an office every day, you’ll obviously want to consider a wig that will help you achieve a professional look.
Therefore, consider shorter length wigs.
If you want to achieve a look that’s more on the cute side, then consider getting a pre-styled wig that features curls.
This brings up an important consideration: Curling your own wig can be tricky, since you shouldn’t apply high-temperature heat to most wigs because it can actually melt the hairs.
You can buy heat-friendly synthetic wigs, which typically allow you to apply up to 350 degrees of heat while styling.
But if you think you’ll want cute curls just about every day, then you might as well buy a wig that comes with permanent curls.
It’s easy to get caught up in all the sexy, fun, and glamorous wig styles, but you should stick with what will best suit your daily needs.
Once you’ve gotten your first wig for daily wear, you can always come back and look for a wig that you’ll love wearing for costumes or special occasions.
Since it’s completely common for people to frequently dye and restyle their hair, it won’t seem awkward if your hair looks completely different from time to time.
The only thing that will stand out is your luxurious new looks!
If you’re still having difficulty narrowing down your choices, consider starting with the following primary categories of wigs and working your way through the options:

• Short wigs
• Medium length wigs
• Long wigs
• Special Occasion wigs

Choosing the Perfect Wig Hair Color

There is no shortage of variation in wig colors, however, finding the exact color to match you or your original hair color can be a very tricky task...
If this is your first wig, you may want to consider remaining closer to your natural hair color. You can always try new, different colors later.
It’s also important to keep your natural skin tone in mind when selecting your wig color.
Look for wig colors that will best compliment your natural skin tone, which isn’t necessarily going to be your favorite color of wig.
Variations Between Wig Brands
Finding the right color is the riskiest part of buying a new wig, so be sure to spend a few extra minutes matching up to your desired color.
Each wig brand is likely to have a slightly different color labeling system, which means moving between brands can be a bit tricky.
The most important thing is to remember the exact color name for your favorite styles so that you can get an exact replacement when your old wig inevitably deteriorates.
What Cap Size Do I Need?
The size of the wig can make an even bigger difference than the actual style since it’s directly related to your comfort.
If you get it too small, it won’t fit on your head.
If it’s too big, it might be obvious you’re wearing a wig.
95% of wig wearers are actually classified as average size. But, you can easily find wigs that come in petite and large sizes as well.
But, how do you figure out if you’re average size or not?
How to Find Your Wig Cap Size

If you’re not sure about what size of cap you should choose, you will need to use a tailoring measuring tape to measure the circumference of your head.
Measure from the front of your hairline, behind your ear, to the nape of your neck, to your other ear, and then match the measuring tape back to the other end at the front of your hairline.
Pro Tip: To make sure your measurement is accurate, try measuring at least three times to make sure your number is consistent.
Now, all you need to do is match your measurement to one in the list below.
Standard Circumference Sizes:
19 inches: child
21 inches: petite
21.5 inches: petite/average
22 inches: average
22.5 inches: average/large
23 inches: large
Note: If you use a different wig size chart than the one provided here, be sure the size chart you’re looking at online is for circumference since that’s what you’ll have measured if you used the above tip. For example, some size charts offer ear-to-ear sizes, not circumference.
Wig Straps
What makes wig sizing even more convenient is that most come with some type of strap, commonly Velcro, which allow you to easily adjust the size of your wig for the best fit possible.
They usually allow you to adjust smaller or larger by a half inch.
Therefore, if you’re concerned your wig might be a little too small, you should still get the size that’s recommended according to the circumference of your head since you can adjust the size up.
It’s better to be slightly more snug than too loose.