Small lace frontal

Here's another quick update.  Not sure why I didn't post this at the time, but here's a small lace frontal piece I made using the Hugo Royer 40 denier Standard Stage Lace.  Although this is the least delicate lace they offer, it still disappears amazingly well on the skin.  I can't remember how this is attached, but I would either have used Ghost Bond XL or got2b glued Spiking Gel.

It is ventilated using custom-dyed Brazilian remy hair that I bought on eBay, and heat resistant synthetic hair for the grey.

The advantage of using synthetic hair for the grey is that you can dye the piece if necessary, and because synthetic hair doesn't accept any colour, the white hair stays white.

Crown swirl

Once again, apologies for not having posted anything for so long!

Just a quick one today.  Here are a couple of photos of the crown area of a light density piece I have been working on.  I have paid particular attention to the direction of the hair, and have tried to emulate the natural swirl that appears at the crown area.  I'm quite happy with it.  I think it's about as good as it's possible to be within the limitations of knotting hair onto lace.

This type of attention to detail wouldn't be necessary if the wig was longer, or if it was going to be brushed back over the crown.  But for high definition movie wigs, or even hairpieces for men, which usually are cut shorter and have the crown exposed, this type of detail will be the difference between a natural looking head of hair and something that screams WIG!!!

The crown nearing completion

The finished crown

Blonde Quick-front Wig

(I actually finished one!)  :D

It has been ages since I posted anything.  Life has been crazy and I just haven't had much time to ventilate, let alone update the blog.  However, I just finished a new piece that I'm really happy with!  It is a blonde, Marilyn Monroe lace front wig.  Actually it's a 'quick-front' as the back is a commercial ready-made half wig, and it's only the front that I ventilated myself.

I bought two synthetic half-wigs on eBay.  I cut one down a bit and added a lace front to it.  Then I used the hair from the remaining wig to ventilate the front of the new piece.

It still needs to be cut and styled, but I'm pretty happy with it, even as-is.  I will post better photos once I have a chance to take some, but in the meantime, here is one I snapped on my iPhone:

Single knot ventilation video

It has been ages since I posted anything here.  I recently moved to a new apartment, and have been occupied by the packing and unpacking of all my belongings!  I am more-or-less settled, however, so I'm hoping to be able to post more regular updates again.

In the meantime, here is a short video clip I made that shows the very basic single knot technique, first on coarse mesh with a crochet hook, and then on fine wig lace with a ventilating needle.

I think this should be helpful to new ventilators struggling with the technique.  It's a very simple knot, but not easy to convey to someone without actually being there!  I hope this clearly shows the steps involved:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1eiilboEaM

DIY Mini Drawing Mats

I had a brainstorm while meandering the aisles of my local Dollarama recently.  I was in the pet aisle (for no particular reason, I don't have a pet...!) and I noticed a section of pet brushes with wire bristles.  They reminded me of drawing mats that wigmakers use for holding and organizing loose hair while working, so I thought, why not?

I bought 2 of them for $1.25 each, and when I got home I took them apart.  They just unclip at the back, and come apart very easily.  The bristled mats just popped out and, and presto!  A pair of mini drawing mats!

The bristle area on each brush is only 1.5 by 3 inches, but they are fine for holding small amounts of hair while working on a project.

The importance of good ventilation

I took a couple of shots to illustrate why I believe that good ventilation can mean the difference between an acceptable piece and an exceptional piece.

I began work on the second hairpiece, and I am being even more conscious of the direction in which the hair is vented.  I am also, once again, ventilating the entire piece using single strands.  The section shown here is double-knotted, but as I progress to the top and front of the piece I will begin single knots.

Some wigmakers believe that the knots and ventilation direction are not critical at the back of a piece, and that it's only once you get to the hairline that you need to be concerned about those aspects.  While I agree that this is often true in a full, long wig, or one that will be styled to hide the knots in the back, the importance of good ventilation becomes much more obvious in a piece with lower density, and one that will be cut in a short style, such as a man's hairpiece.

As you can see here, the direction that the hair is vented in allows it to conform naturally to the shape of the head.  If this had all just been ventilated back, as is often done, the result would have been far less natural.  In the case of a hairpiece, especially, where the need to blend with existing natural hair is the goal, these considerations are critical.

I also believe that single strand knotting allows the hair to move and flow much more realistically, while keeping the knots small and undetectable.

Ventilation video

Here's a short clip I made of me ventilating hair.  This is single strand, double knot ventilation using a no. 2 German needle on the lace from Amazing Hair store.

I'm usually a bit quicker than this, but I was working at an odd angle to avoid the camera.  Also, I usually work with a magnifier, but was unable to do so here.  Unfortunately the old eyes aren't quite as sharp as they used to be!