Introduction to Wigs and Postiche

While styling and creating an overall design is a very important skill, wigs are another essential to hair design. Wigs and postiche is the course unit and in our lesson with Helen we ran through the brief of what we are going to be doing up until Christmas and what the project is about. Firstly we need to purchase an acrylic wig ready for the unit and what we are going to be doing is choosing a particular era over the last 100 years and creating a historically accurate hairstyle. This could be..

• 1950's housewife 
• 1970's hippy
• 1980's dancer
• 1920's flapper girl 

This is where we decide what we want to do and create. The second part to the unit is create a high fashion modern version of the era and hairstyle. We also are going to be creating facial hair and with our other hair lecturer Lottie a lot of the styling and creating all the different eras and really learning about the different hair styles throughout the decades. 

We firstly go briefed on was different hair pieces were called and what you would use them for and where.

• Switch 

A switch is a weft twisted around and stitched down. The most common is with three sections and then you can plait the hair. In the picture on the left is a two sectioned weft and on the right is a three sectioned weft. You can attach this into the hair or plait it in, you can also curl it and wet set it.

• Cluster

This is a cluster its made by getting a weft however making it into a diamond shape. It also had wire in it to keep it strong so it can sit it place in the hair. You can style it and its also quite popular for weddings to give volume at the back.  

Next we were shown a demonstration of applying two different types of hair pieces to the hair. I volunteered to be the model so I got the full experience. 

The first piece was a strip of curly extensions, it was about 10cm long and can be attached into the hair using grips. Firstly the hair was parted in the middle, the the top piece was clipped away (this part will hide where its attached). Then a piece of hair was section and twisted round the finger and gripped down, then the hair piece was placed along the hair long and grip through the piece and though the hair twist to make sure its secure, then other grips can be placed where necessary. Then the top section which was clipped away was let down and hid any grips and the weft. 

ringlet strip at the side and a
large styled cluster at the back

Next the back section of the hair was all scraped back, put in a pony tail and plaited. The plait was then twisted round and gripped firmly down. This was ready for a cluster to be attached, the cluster was already styled so it was ready to put in. The cluster was then attached over the bun and gripped down and the style was completed. 

    

Switch 

I started off with parting the top section and clipping it out the way. I then twisted a section of hair and gripped it down, I then put the switch over the twist and gripped it down and using other pieces of hair to secure it. I then un-clipped the top section scraped all the hair back and and put it in a pony tail and then plaited the whole of the hair. I think this style was quite simple however I felt the hair could of been secured slightly better to the hair. I think for my first attempt at putting a switch in the hair I think it went good and when the hairs up it all blend in together.