Bewigged, Bothered & Bewildered?

• Posted by Trines x x October 5, 2014 #wigs  #hair by misstresses  #celebwigs.com  #hair styles  #Trines  #Trines x x  2,638 views
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     Now that I can and do spend most days dressed to satisfy my female persona, both in and out of the house, I decided I needed some new wigs to replace the rather old ones I had been using for years. I fancied two shoulder-length ones the same colour and style for day to day use so I can still be the usual ‘me’ when one is drying out after washing and perhaps one slightly longer more ‘glamorous’ (Me? Glamorous?) for those special occasions.

   

    The considerations I took into account are:-

   

  Type of wig:- Fun/Outrageous types of wigs all have their place, and I have a few, but my needs now are for realism. Whilst I cannot hope to pass due to my height and my ever-growing large conk, a natural looking as possible style that suits me is paramount.

   

  Wig quality:- A top quality wig will cost many hundreds of pounds. I’ve always avoided human hair ones as I don’t like the thought of wearing bits of dead parts from other people’s bodies or the extra care such wigs require. There’s a huge choice of perfectly acceptable man-made fibre wigs costing well below £50. Some of these cheaper ones now can even take heat and be substantially re-styled to suit better. The cost of many mono-filament and lace-front wigs has come down substantially too. Why pay more when you don’t have to?

   

  Size:- Most wigs come in ‘standard’ size (ie standard for females) and are frequently too small for ‘girls’ like us. Whilst wig caps usually stretch to fit our larger heads this ‘thins out’ the hair on the top (see ‘Fullness’ below). ‘Large Cap’ wigs are the answer but hardly any UK wig retailers stock them and if they do there is very little choice. For many of us the hair on a standard wig will also be too short and will seriously interfere with how the style fits around our face. My old blonde wig for instance (see picture below) should ‘feather’ nicely around my lower face and curl in under the chin. I have to try and keep the sides straight as otherwise the curls are too high up and stick into my nostrils and mouth! More of my lower face is then revealed showing too much of my ugly nose, square chin and, later on in the day, making my five-o’clock shadow more noticeable.

   

  Fullness:- I look for wigs that have more hair and/or thicker fibres to the square inch. This gives a greater depth to the hair on top of the head and down the sides of the face. This is important for two reasons. First, the greater amount of hair around the head makes the face look a little bit smaller and thus less manly. Secondly, it makes the overall size of the head look a little bit bigger so that, from a distance at least, it makes a tall person appear to be a slightly less tall (a well-known optical illusion).

   

  Length:- Long and extra-long wigs are supposed to be ideal for tall girls as the length visually ‘pulls down’ your height and you appear less tall. If the style fans out across the tops of your shoulders it brings them visually together too. But beware; most of us have much broader and deeper upper torsos than women including the depth of our backs around the shoulder blades. A long wig, especially in a dark shade, curving away from the neck and out and down around the blades can, from the side view, make you look massively barrel-chested, especially if you’re a bit round-shouldered. Most unfeminine!

  
  

  Colour:- With realism in mind, choice of colour is so important. What you think looks good on others may not suit you at all – even if you think it does. If you are young (I’m talking physical age here – not mental!) then most colours will probably suit. If like me your years are advancing considerably then, also like me, your complexion and skin quality is beginning to crumble and crack and you have lines and creases everywhere. Some colours and styles are just too young for the older face and will look odd. For this reason dark brunettes, blacks & reds to my mind do not suit an old face. They are too ‘contrasty’ and highlight your face’s many imperfections (see the pic below of me in a long dark wig). I feel the much lighter brunettes and the darker shades of blonde, especially if multi-toned, are far more natural looking for the older tgirl.

   

  Hair-style:- What you will choose will be governed by your temperament and character and/or the style of your wardrobe but do take advice from others as well if you are going for the best possible natural look. A good, trannie-friendly wig retailer should give you decent, unbiased advice. For reasons outlined above I look for a full, generously mid-length style (ie reaching to or on the shoulders) that, also, will not get blown all over the place when I’m out and about.

   

                                                                                              

    

   So, with all these thoughts going through my mind, I looked at various websites to see who was offering what and at what prices although I had no intention of buying on-line. I have always found I need to go to the wig retailer in person, fully dressed and made up, so I can try on many styles and see their full effect and suitability before I buy. I have never understood those girls who buy though the Internet. So, ignoring the on-line only operators, I concentrated on those who offered wig fitting facilities and, being immediately struck by the comparatively low prices being asked by Hair By Misstresses, I decided to make them my first port of call.

   

    I also recalled that our venerated site owner, Beckie, reported going there well over a year ago to be fitted out with a long wine-red wig and very striking she looked in it too!
  

   

    An appointment having been made I duly arrived at their extremely secluded premises with on-site parking facilities just outside the village of Tetsworth, Oxfordshire, a few minutes from either junctions 6 or 8A of the M40. Not that it mattered to me but their location is ideal for those tgirls who might be a bit nervous walking about in public fully dressed in the daytime.

   

    After a welcoming cup of coffee and a chat we got down to business. I was attended to by both the delightful Billie and the just as delightful John. No-one could have been more friendly, helpful and Patient – capital P intended! I presented them with quite a long list of wigs I wished to try which I had previously selected from the website and after trying them on these went into three piles:- probable, possible, and most definitely not! Unsurprisingly for me, quite a few I thought might be nice looked absolutely dreadful on and others which initially looked ok proved to be rejects after I was able to compare them with others. So these went straight into the ‘definitely not’ pile which just underlines the importance of trying before buying. Billie & John helpfully suggested a few other styles they thought might suit me.

   

  

   

   

  Then we went through the probables and possibles again and after a re-sort went through them yet AGAIN, discussing the pros and cons of each one and how they might be slightly restyled to make them even more to my liking. I avoided the dark brunette, black or bright blonde colours and looked only at the ‘mid shade’ multi-toned or ‘ash’ blonde wigs of which they had many.

   

    I also asked why their prices appeared to be much cheaper than wigs of similar styles from many of the other retailers; did this reflect in any way on their quality? Their reply was most of their wigs are designed in-house by them and commissioned direct from the manufacturers thus completely cutting out the supply chain of wholesalers and distributors whose charges add substantially to the price at the till.

   

    Finally, after about an hour and a half, I was down to a shortlist of three and I just could not decide which one to jettison or which one I would have two of, so I ended up buying all three! One was lace-fronted which I have not had before and was amazed at how life-like the hairline looks. I’ve had several weeks now to get used to them and experimenting a little with different arrangements and whilst I like them all I think my favourite is the ‘Sable’ which I have now worn out and about many times. It satifies my criteria on fullness, thickness and length. I haven’t got up the courage yet to trim back the lace on the lace-front wig but I wear it regularly indoors getting used to it and allowing the lace to ‘get used’ to my forehead and temples before I cut it back.

   

    Misstresses are happy to do after-sales service too; I found the fringe of the ‘Sable’ insisted on poking right into my eyes and as I wear contact lenses this had to be cured. They readily agreed I could call in to see if they could suitably trim and/or restyle it but this wasn’t necessary as, following their suggestion, I solved the problem with a bit of stiff brushing, a touch of back-combing and an occasional very brief squirt of lacquer.

   

    So, all in all, Billie and John at Hair by Misstresses gave me a very enjoyable experience and I came away with wigs I’m happy with – not only the styles but also the quality and the very reasonable prices.

   

  

      

     If you are considering buying a wig or two I recommend you put Hair by Misstresses on your shopping list. If it means a long journey then why not do as I did, and make a ‘girly’ day out of it? I spent a pleasant afternoon afterwards walking around nearby Oxford as one of their tourist sights!

   

    Their website (an excellent one fully illustrating from many viewpoints each wig in every available shade - no completely unhelpful colour swatches here) is at www.celebwigs.com

   

  These are the wigs I ended up buying:-

                 

      

    I’ve mentioned people’s perception of their self being completely different from how they may be viewed by others. If you’ve managed to get this far down this article I would be really interested to learn which of the three wigs I’ve just bought you think suits my poor old face the best. Perhaps you could kindly leave a comment?

   

  Hugs & kisses

   

  Trines x x