In my career as a baldie, I’ve worn quite a few hairpieces. Real and fake hair, super long and a bit shorter, curly, straight, with and without bangs, light, dark - I’ve had it all. I have a pretty good idea of what my perfect wig looks like, but that doesn’t matter at all! Because what works for me might not work for you. The perfect wig does not exist. I’d still like to tell you about my experiences and considerations so that I can hopefully help you make your first important choice: will you get a synthetic or a human hair wig?

Synthetic hair

My first two wigs were synthetic. That was mainly for financial reasons - I was shocked when I found out how much human hairpieces cost. When people think of synthetic hairpieces, the first thing that comes to their mind is the quality of an average carnaval wig. But that’s really unfair! With a lot of synthetic hairpieces, you can barely tell them apart from real hair, although they are very different in terms of quality.

These are the main characteristics of a synthetic hairpiece:

• It keeps its style well. Ideal for those who aren’t that good at styling, but a shame if, like me, you do like to do things with your hair. The style you buy is the style you get, you’ll have to go with that.
• Most synthetic hair can’t handle heat, so curling, blow-drying and styling are out of the question. You should also be careful when you’re sitting under a terrace heater (I’m speaking from experience) and when you open the dishwasher or the oven.
• It’s mainly suited for short haircuts, because longer hair gets tangled quite easily as it rubs against the neck or touches clothes.
• You don’t need to wash it as often as a human hair wig.
• The inside tends to be quite a bit firmer, which means it can be more irritating against your scalp.
• A synthetic hairpiece can quickly make you feel bloody hot, especially in summer or at parties. If you get hot as easily as I do, that’s a total disaster.
• The biggest advantage: it’s cheaper than a human hair wig.

Again: every synthetic hairpiece is different! That’s mainly due to the different hair types that are used; some are stiffer, others keep their shape better. Nowadays, there are some that can be styled: Betex fibre can simply be styled with a curling iron, and Cyberhair can handle heat too. You get the point, though: that’s reflected In the price. But still, I suggest you don’t only look at the price. In my case, the old saying turned out to be true: you get what you pay for. Because I wasn’t 100% satisfied with it, I wore my wig a lot less than I’d planned to.

Human hair

From the third wig I bought (in this blog you can read about my collection and the names I gave them), I went for human hair. Yup, super expensive, but it suits me better. These are the main characteristics:

• It looks the most natural.
• You can treat it the same way as your own hair: curling, blow-drying, styling - everything is possible!
• Just like with your own hair, you have to do something to it in order for it to look nice. It doesn’t just naturally look good; unless you have your wig specialist give it a good haircut.
• It’s also suited for long hairstyles, because human hair doesn’t get frizzy because of friction.
• The material on the inside is softer, which makes it less irritating.
• It’s not as hot as a synthetic piece, ideal if you sweat a lot like me.
• And then the bummer: a human hairpiece can easily be twice as expensive as the synthetic equivalent.

With human hair you can also choose among different types. I personally prefer untreated European hair. This hair is naturally glossy and falls very naturally too; thanks to the fine, soft structure, it flows around your head. It’s also easy to style: curls, a bun, a ponytail - everything looks amazing. Because it hasn’t been treated, it stays good for longer. Unfortunately, European hair is by far the most expensive hair you can get. An alternative would be Asian hair. This hair is stiffer and thicker, so it doesn’t really flow and instead hangs quite heavily and is harder to style. Due to the chemical treatments, it gets worn-out and breaks more easily. There are also other available options, such as Indian or Eurasian hair, but I don’t have any experience with those.

Plenty to choose from!

Enough about me now. I hope you can get on with your choice between real and fake. There are basically three decisions to make:

1: How much do you want to spend?
2: What do you like?
3: How much do you want to be able to do with your hair?

Still in doubt? Then ask your wig specialist for advice and - this is very important - try on both hair types so you can see and feel the difference. Good luck!