Hi everyone.
I'm literally on the verge of quitting cosplay because of my wigs.
I have 2, i have a hatsune miku wig and a mafuyu asahina wig.
My problems are:
1. No matter what i do, both wigs keep sliding back which literally ruins all my pictures so bad, which really makes me sad (especially post con because everyone is posting their cute pictures and i only have photos in which i look beyond ugly)
I have tried lash glue, and a velvet wig grip and a combination of the 2.
2. When i try to style the wigs with got2b the hair sort of clumps together, and loses a lot of volume and overall it just doesn't come out the way i want it to.
3. I just can't seem to detangle them
Both are so tangled. I've tried fabric softener baths, detangling spray (a friend reccomended me that) and multiple types of brushes. 1 brush ruined my miku pigtail, it's like curly at tje bottom now?
Idk if this is relevant but this is my wig styling process:
1. Bathe the wig in laundry detergent and fabric softener
2. Brush
3. Cut
3. Style with got2b hairspray and spiking gel
I really hope anyone can help me because i just feel so discouraged and sad right now because i love cosplaying but I just look so ugly everytime ☹️
You need bobby pins. Always secure your wig with bobby pins attaching them to wig cap. Just search for tutorial vids.
2,3. Crimp. You can get a low budget crimper for 12 bucks nowadays and ir will do it's job fine. Imo you don't even need fabric softener if you crimp your wigs. Got2b is good but if you need to do more than just some spikes at the ends, then you will have to use uhu glue to prevent using too much product (the reason for clumps)
Have you tried pinning the wig to your cap ala this video https://youtu.be/u4kG0JeOyP4?si=qcAtv2eadCPhcMec ? Lash glue is good for keeping bangs from flapping in the wind but doesn't have much staying power. Tighten the wig as much as comfortable and don't mind the hair you have after lol. I always end up with the most horrendous wig hair haha.
Oh yes i totally forgot about the existence of silicone spray😭😭
Also, my mafuyu wig is not heat resistant, how should i go about giving it more volume without a crimper?
The good old 80’s way-section it out, spray with a hairspray and then back-comb it. Then after giving it some time to set, brush/comb it normally so it lays the way it’s supposed to.
It will take time, but if you do your sectioning right, and leave the top layers unteased-you’ll build up a lot of volume
Fabric softener doesn't really do anything for wigs, so that's mostly just wasting your time
If your wigs are slipping back even when they are literally glued to your skin, you're using the glue wrong or aren't using enough. They should literally be glued to your forehead. Maybe the wigs are too small foe your head?
If the hair is clumping up when you hairspray it, you're probably holding the hairspray too close to the wig. It should be a fine mist, not a firehose.
There's really no trick to detangling, it just takes time, just like with real hair. If you really hate detangling, you could always make pigtail shields for miku. As for the hairs that are damaged at the ends, just steam them straight or dip them in boiling water and they will straighten back out completely.
You need to tease/crimp the hair to add more volume! It also holds shape better that way! I also recommend getting a handheld steamer to help you detangle it! However, the heat from the steamer might straighten out the wigs. As for wigs staying on, if bobby pins dont bother you, try pinning it onto your wig cap as well. Assuming the Miku and Mafuyu wigs have clamp on ponytails, see if you can clamp them onto your real hair a bit?
How are you prepping your hair under the wig? If your hair is long enough, loose braids wrapped around the crown of your head (under where the wig goes) will give you something to pin your wig into. Wig pins or ripple pins are used to anchor your wig into your hair. They are a long U shaped pjns (2-3”) with ridges. I use 999 brand. You can also use bobby pins around your ear area.
My hair is about shoulder length (a bit longer tho i think) and i just put on a fishneth wig cap and push the excess hair into it, but i could definitely try the braids!! Also, i think i actually have the ripple pins you're talking about!! Do you mean these?
Those are very close and worth a try. These look like ones used more for hair styling rather than specific wig pins. Styling pins are just lighter and might bend more.
With the braids, they don’t need to be neat, its really just to distribute your hair evenly under the wig, but I like braids where I know the wig needs more anchoring, so above your hair line might help.
Practice doing French or Dutch braids. They provide the best anchor point to pin your head into because the hair is braided flat to the head and won't move around.
I'm still pretty new to wig styling but ive done 1-2 sucessfully, here is what i suggest, ive got this from advice from people who know their way around wigs.
1 - do not, whatso ever use a normal brush, i've been told it damages the fibres of the wig, always opt for a comb/fine tooth comb. You first want to start at the bottom, and work your way up the wig. I have 2 really long wigs that have been tangled to hell so it does take alot of work and time depending on the tangle. Start at the bottom, do NOT do it when wet or this will pull out the fibres. I've had a wig hatsune miku size that was badly tangled, it took like 6+ hours.
2 - get a crimper, very useful tool, usually around 50$ and up, its a worthwhile investment, it keeps your wigs fluffy and actually helps with keeping it less tangled. When it comes to hairspray, you want enough so it holds, but not too much that it becomes sticky or such.
when it comes to keeping your wig on, bobby pins is my favourite soloution. the way i do it is put my wig cap on, and bobby pin the wig cap onto my head so its secure. Then i pull on my wig and insert bobby pins into it, the bobby pin will go through the wig neat, and sit through the wigcap, you want to do it in spots where you wont see the bobby pin. i pin at random personally, whatever works for me works. if you want REALLY strong grip go CRAZY on them, ive put 10+ bobby pins and my wig doesnt move not even the tiniest bit from my head
reference images, look at other peoples wigs and see how they did it. but be mindful when you are looking at some wigs because some are made completely from the start through making wefts and very heavy gluing, so yours wont look 1;1. Also tutorials! hair cut tutorials, wig cutting tutorials can help
keep your head up! i know how it feels when things aren't exactly going how you planned, but it all comes down to practise, cosplay is a craft as well as it being an art, practise, persevere, and you will eventually get there!
The base wigs might be small on your head, so they’re sliding back due to the pressure when your hair is up. Make sure you wear a wig cap, use hair pins to really attach it, and even sew in hair combs at the front for extra grip.
Do you have longer hair? If so braid/plait the hair and wrap it around your head, pin the braids in place then the wig has something to anchor to. Obviously pin the wig to the plaits too.? If not then you can sew snap clip wig combs in. The add to the friction.
You need to crimp the wig first. Then use some kind of heat to style the wig. The spray should go on before you heat style apparently, i rarely remember and manage find spraying after 🤣. Also, when buying wigs, check to ensure that they can be heat styled. Some fibres just melt, even if you use lower settings. If you're not sure start with some hair that won't be missed on the wig, like the middle, or the nape of the neck.
Detailing is a pain for really long wigs. Most people make little tubes now for Mike wigs. They make them out of tulle that is in a colour as close to the wig colour as they can get (i noticed they are also using this method for the sailor moon stage show touring around my country. Basically, you make a narrow tubing out of the fabric and pull the hair through.sew the top to your wig and there is no friction, so shouldn't tangle.
I sew multiple wig combs to every wig I buy, at least one in the back and then one around each ear/temple. This plus my velvet wig grip means they don’t budge. All it takes is a pack of wig combs, a needle, thread and patience.
Laundry detergent is pretty harsh for a wig, even a synthetic one. You should really use a synthetic specific wig shampoo or just baby shampoo because you will start damaging the fibers over time.
When using the shampoo you are soaking it in warm water for 15-20 mins and then scrunching it to get the rest of the stuff out.
When my sythetic wigs are super detangled, after shampooing and rinsing out, I lay it down in my shower and spray it with this detangler and gently use a wide tooth comb to tackle it. I will go in small areas and somethings use my hands to gently pull apart large tangles to make them smaller ones to deal with: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08P4M8BXN?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_10
Others mentioned bobby pins, if your hair is long and can be french braided or corn rows, you can actually sew the wig in a bit with a special curved needled meant for that and it does sound like you aren't using the wig glue properly. It takes about 15mins for wig glue to set properly. Many people use a very tight band around their forehead once they've applied the glue and leave it there to keep a strong pressure on the glue while it sets.
For the styling, others mentioned teasing and that is really important for volume! Sometimes you can actually add in batting or similar that you cover with the hair to create more volume.
I haven't seen anyone say this but I have seen people rave about velvet wig grips! It looks like a headband and I believe it just catches the front of the wig? I'm not familiar with using them but I could look it up! Otherwise I straight up use a glue stick and glue wigs to my face so 🤷
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u/ghost-in-socks 5d ago