Chapter 18 - Four, Three, Two Heads Are Better Than One

Or Quick As A Wig

Once an embarrassing necessity, then a mad craze, natural hair wigs are fast becoming an essential part of the busy woman's wardrobe.

Blonde actresses may have a closetful, one to match every mood, or color-cued to pet poodles, furs and jewels. Society hairdresser Claude's patrons may insist they need four: one the current color of their hair, one a contrasting shade, a red one for the subdued lights of nightclubs, and a whimsical shade, like pink "just for fun."

But today's busy TV star/ lady account executive, sportswoman, hostess and just plain busy, young housewife—all women who can't afford to be seen with a hair out of place and yet have too little time to dally at the hairdresser's—are depending more and more on the wisdom of one wig, and preferably two. They find assurance in knowing they have one perfectly coiffed and ready for any emergency while the other is being dry cleaned and set at the beauty parlor.

Head-hugging, no longer obviously balloony, and painstakingly blended of natural hair to match your own perfectly, good wigs defy detection. Many husbands can't say for sure when their wives are wearing wigs. And confident manufacturers, who have tested their hair goods in everything from speeding convertibles to hurricanes, promise security.

Convenient and economical (with normal care a wig need not be dropped off at the hairdressers more than once every four to six weeks), they also abolish problem hair, make any hair-style possible and cover a multitude of hair styling mistakes.

Today, wigs can be bought in any hair texture and can be designed to duplicate any hair style on any magazine cover. They're ideal for wearing over too-bleached, too-permanented, under-groomed or swim-soaked hair. Many women use them to hide embarrassing dark roots between touchups or hair coloring jobs which were a mistake from the very beginning.

Countless women wouldn't dream of going on European or Caribbean cruises without the insurance wigs give of a flattering hairdo in every port.

While natural hair wigs can sell for as little as $35, the more popular price range is $185 to $250. A really good wig costs $350 to $400, and some are as much as $1000. But all you have to do when your wig needs a lift is to send it to the hairdresser.

You'd be surprised how many wigs are flying airmail, today. A wig setting costs $7.50 to $10. When you remember the average weekly setting costs $2.50 to $3.50, minimum, this is a great eventual saving. And don't forget the money saved in transportation, baby-sitters, tips and time consumed.

Although there are no exact statistics on the number of American women wig wearers, the trade guess is 600,000 and this does not begin to include frankly false wigs for fun. These are made of synthetic fibers.

With an increasing number of women appreciating the value of more than one head, "the only way the wig business can go is up," according to Max Miller, president of Joseph Fleischer & Co., the oldest wig makers in America.

Of the 600,000 American wig wearers, approximately three-quarters wear them for chic and convenience; the rest must disguise sparse hair or baldness. Fortunately, with more and more women wearing wigs for fashion, women who must wear them feel much more relaxed about their once hush-hush problem.
Almost anything a woman can do with her own hair, she can do with a natural hair wig or wiglet. The one big exception is shampooing, which would rot the lace foundation. Wave setting lotions should be avoided too. She can comb it, brush it, being careful to keep sharp bristles away from the foundation, set it with rollers and pin curl  and then let it dry on a head form.

Set a wig as often as you would your own hair. Go to your hairdresser for restylings. Dry clean your wig every one to three weeks if it is made of light hair, once every two to four weeks for darker hair.

Dry cleaning frequency should depend on how often you wear your wig. Use a non-inflammable dry cleaning fluid, first being sure the room is well-ventilated and you are working far from any open flames or lighted cigarettes. Remove pins and comb out tangles. Wearing rubber gloves, pour about three inches of cleaning fluid into a bowl. Dip in and out as you would a sweater, neither rubbing nor wringing but gently squeezing.

When piece is cleaned, press gently between folds of a clean towel to remove excess moisture. Allow to dry on a head form near an open window. Or spread on a small pillow or folded Turkish towel. To speed drying, cover the hairpiece with a hairnet, secured with hairpin to pillow, head form or towel, and place under a dryer set at cool.

Now, you're ready to set. As we've pointed out before, never use wave lotion or a curling iron. Comb gently, never brush vigorously if your second head is real. Comb from the inside rather than the outside. Synthetic pieces may be brushed vigorously and set with hair spray.

As dry cleaning removes natural oils, add a little hair conditioner before setting. There is a special conditioner made for hairpieces and wigs.

Set with clips and rollers. Synthetic pieces dry more quickly than natural hair. If possible, always set your wig on a head form. A rolled towel is a good substitute. Both synthetic and natural hair wigs may be teased with a comb.

For more mileage from your hairpiece or wig, treat it carefully. Store in a dust-free spot away from bright sunlight or excessive heat.

When styles change, your wig can follow suit, depending, of course, on its original hair length. For this reason, medium-length wigs are the most popular. And just as you can add a false hairpiece to your own hair you can add one to a wig, too, whenever you feel the need to go longer.

Wiglets are ideal when you want to create the illusion of more hair without the added responsibility; when you must hide darker roots between touchups; or you feel like golden or silver streaks, sometimes; or you've neglected to set your hair the night before.

Why are wigs so expensive? Four to ten experts devote as many as forty hours of concentrated work to the fabrication of one fine wig. In France, Italy, Germany and some parts of Hungary, wigmakers are as highly respected as the finest silversmiths.

Watch a wig in the making and you'll come away thinking it's cheap at half the price. Imagine working with some 50,000 hairs. And on the very finest wigs, 100,000 hairs are pulled through a sheer lace netting with a fine crochet needle one or two at a time. Then each is secured to the lace with a sailor's knot. The very best wigs actually create the effect of hair growing out of the scalp.

But first, wigmakers must buy and process virgin hair (unbleached, unpermanented), which is becoming increasingly difficult to find.

For years, the hair of the country women and children of Northern Italy has been considered the finest. These peasants rarely, if ever, wash their hair but they brush it beautifully clean and strong. And the blondes of this region are blonde to the very roots. Less expensive wigs are made of coarser hair from Asia.

When matching your exact color, skilled wigmakers mix and blend natural hairs as the artist would the colors on a palette. These craftsmen assure they can reproduce any natural color—provided it has actually been grown.

Many women find as much convenience and high style in partial wigs, wiglets. These come in countless shapes: chignons, clusters, commas, spit curls, braids, falls, swirlabouts, bangs, switches, top fullness and on and on.

Surprisingly enough, wigs are a major mail order item. While it's wisest for future owners to have at least one professional fitting, instruction books tell potential buyers how to make exact head measurements; they also require samples of hair for exact blending.

While Joseph Fleischer is the oldest established company in the U.S., founded in 1831, Selan's in Chicago claims to have the "largest stock of shades and styles in the United States."

Max Factor of Hollywood rents as well as sells wigs, varying in size from Marie Antoinette-type pompadours to the smallest mustaches.

Which introduces the subjects of men's wigs, an equally fascinating story. There are no exact statistics on the number of men who wear toupes, but estimates go as high as one million. Business corporations as well as women, evidently, prefer their men hirsute.

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