Styling Lace Wigs with Roller Work and Application

1940's Victory Rolls

In Lottie's lesson we learnt how to style lace wigs. After we had blocked the wigs they are ready to be styled. 

Equipment:

• Heated rollers
• Pintail comb
• Roller clips
• Sectioning clips
• Kirby grips
• Barrel roll curlers
• Hairspray

Steps: Setting the hair:

1. Part the hair off the centre so it is slightly to one side. 
2. Put 3 rollers on one side and clip and 2 on the other side. 
3. Take the side section and put 2 rollers in vertically so that the direction of the curls are away from the face. There should be 2 rollers each side of the head, 3 on one half of the parting and 2 on the other side of the parting. 
4. With the remaining hair at the back, brickwork it so that all of the hair is curled and pin each one.
5. Allow to cool before taking all the grips and rollers out.

Steps: Dressing out 1940's Victory Rolls:

1. Remove all grips and rollers and start to brush the hair out in the direction of the curls.
2. Take the side sections and brush them out until it is smooth. 
3. Using the direction of the curl to help you, sweep the hair back and curl it around 2 fingers to create a pin curl that is swept up.
4. Once happy with the shape of the victory rolls, pin inside to hide the grips.
5. Spray with hairspray to help put the victory rolls up and to help set the hair and keep it in place. 

Applying the Lace Wig

To put on a lace wig is very similar to putting on an acrylic one, except you need to be much more careful. It is exactly the same principle with prepping the hair and creating anchor points.

1. Using the pintail comb, section the hair to create a middle parting and clip up one side out the way.
2. Take a small square section at the front of the head, twisting it round your fingers so it creates a pin curl. Grip into place.
3. Continue creating these pin curls along the hairline. I did 3 on mine but it depends on the size of your pin curls and your models head. 
4. Create one big pin curl/wrap at the back of the head and pin. Take sections from each side and wrap them around the big curl but leave 2 sections at the back of the head behind each ear.
5. Make 2 pin curls with the sections that are left at the back as this creates more anchor points. 
6. Once all the anchor points have been created, ask your model to hold 2 fingers up on each side like bunny ears to help you put the wig cap on. Pull it over the head, covering all the hair at the back then continue to make sure the front and sides are covered too. Pin through the cap into the anchor points, 2 at the sides and 2 at the bottom of the neck. Using your pintail comb, push all strand hairs under the wig cap so they are hidden. Then pull the wig cap back slightly at the front so that the natural hairline can be seen rather than the wig cap.
7. Once placed, apply the wig. Secure it with hair grips at the top of the head, the sides near the ears and the back where the 2 anchor points are. Make sure your model is comfortable and all hair is covered. 

You will need to ask your model to help you with the front, so ask them to put their fingers up like bunny ears again and carefully hold the lace over their forehead whilst you cover the back. Pin in the main areas where the anchor points are, the top of the head, by the ears and behind the ears at the nape of the neck. 

Each lace wig is measured and made for a specific person, so the wigs we used were unlikely to exactly fit us. The lace around the front would have been measured to a specific person, but in this case we just learnt how to glue it down to keep it in place.

1. Take spirit gum and apply to the face, where the sideburns would be. 
2. Take your padding (socks with couch roll inside) and pat over the lace so it sticks and to remove any excess. 
3. You normally only need to glue the sides as it should fit across the forehead, but if necessary you can apply glue there too. (It just makes it easier as there is only 2 areas of glue you need to remove for when you have to quickly change over wigs).
4. To remove, use spirit gum remover and gently peel off the lace.

This was a demonstration we had and the final result. You can see the lace as it wasn't made for this person and also because this wig would be used in theatre as it isn't HD lace.

This is my attempt of putting it on my model, as mentioned the wigs aren't made for us and this wig happened to be far too small for my model. The annoying thing about lace wigs is because they are made for specific people, they cant be stretched or have elastic in it like some acrylic wigs would.

I wanted to take photographs of it as this is the wig I styled but I also wanted practice of putting on an acrylic wig that fitted. This is the wig that was used in the demo and it fitted much better making it more comfortable for my model and also covering all her natural hair.