Saturday 1 October 2011

Wig Springs

One thing I forgot to mention in my last post, but which probably deserves a mini-post of its own is the wig springs!

Earlier in the year, I was talking about them and a person reading this blog asked me to provide further information, which I did. However, as I had not used them, I couldn't really comment on them in-depth, beyond the information I had read/been provided with by suppliers.

Now I have actually used them in a wig, I can give a bit more commentary. Here are the basic facts:

1. The plastic ones I have come in 3 sizes. The size relates to the length.
2. They are made from a very slightly bendy, white-ish plastic.
3. They need to be covered with galloon before you can use them.

Extra information relating to points 1-3:

I tried all 3 sizes at various points/positions on the wig I was converting (from full lace to more of a regular style that does not require bonding). The largest, which are the longest, work very well in the back of the wig. I used two of these - each one stretching on the diagonal from the two 'corners' of the nape towards the occipital bone. Using the other two sizes was less successful. You have to cover the plastic with galloon in the same colour as your cap (or your flesh); a. so they are not noticeable and b. so that you can sew them to the wig cap as the plastic would not hold otherwise (there is no obvious way of sewing simply the plastic on) and it might rub your skin. Because you have to cover them, this increases the bulk and I found that at the front, if I positioned them nearer the front edge/front hairline area, in a way which in theory would be better for a closer fit, they pushed the sides of the wig out and you would be able to see them (or be conscious that they might be seen).

In addition, these plastic springs are not as bendy as I had hoped for. I knew they wouldn't be "bendable in half", but I did think they would be more malleable than they are. The bendability - is that even a word? - of them is minimal. When I compare them to the springs I can feel in mass manufactured wigs I have worn in the past, they are definitely less bendy, and as such, I find that they are not as useful when trying to mould the wig so that it lies closer to the skull.

The reason I was trying to use these plastic wig springs as opposed to the metal ones, is because they are safer from a rusting point of view. However, I am now beginning to think I shall try the metal ones too - I will get hold of some and try them on my next wig - as I have a feeling they might, just might, be a lower profile.  I also think they may be a bit more bendy and flexible, which is what I really need. Of course, to address the possibility of them rusting, I shall have to buy some protective material, which again needs to be tightly bound around the spring.

I will have to report back my findings in the future.

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