Wig Making and Styling

Martha Ruskai has 30 years of wig making and design experience running the gamut from The Santa Fe Opera & Off Broadway to Miller Light Beer TV commercials & properties wigs for Sleeping With the Enemy. 25 years of teaching at major theatrical institutions including creating the Wig and Makeup Training Program at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. Allison Lowery is the Wig and Makeup Specialist for Texas Performing Arts at the University of Texas at Austin. She was also the Wig Master for the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, and has created wigs and makeup for Zilker Musical Theatre, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Utah Shakespeare Festival, and many others. She has also been a recipient of the B. Iden Payne Award for Outstanding Costume Design.

Table of Contents





CHAPTER 1-WIG MAKING TERMS, TOOLS, AND TECHNIQUES


Extensive glossary of terms used in wig making and styling


Essential tools for a wig making kit and a wig styling kit


Different types of hairpins and their uses


Different types of brushes and their uses


Things needed for a good work space


Blocking a wig, handling a wig, basic sewing stitches





CHAPTER 2-WIG MAKING BASICS: LEARNING TO VENTILATE


Different types of needles and holders; loading the needle into the holder


Different types of wig making laces, nets, ribbon, stays, and their uses


Different types of hair and their uses


Basic knotting techniques


-Single knotting


-Double knotting


Body positions to ventilate in


Different patterns, densities and ventilating directions


Untying knots


Blending hair colors


Sewing with invisible thread





CHAPTER 3-TAKING ACCURATE MEASUREMENTS


What measurements need to be taken and why


How to take proper head measurements using a tape measure


How to transfer head measurements to a block


How to take a plastic tracing of a performer's head using plastic wrap and clear tape


How to pad out a block to exactly fit these plastic tracings





CHAPTER 4-FACIAL HAIR


How to take a facial hair tracing


Growth direction of different areas of facial hair


How to lay out the lace for different types of facial hair


Crepeing hair to add texture


Cutting and styling the finished piece of facial hair


Application and removal, of facial hair





CHAPTER 5-FRONTING AND OTHER ADAPTATIONS OF COMMERCIAL WIGS


Types of wig fronts


Human hairlines


How to do a quick front


How to do a regular/standard wig front


How to do a deep front


Lace and hair growth direction


Silk blenders


Nape laces


Piecing together wigs





CHAPTER 6-BUILDING A FULL WIG FROM SCRATCH


Types of full wig foundations


How to make circumference band foundation


How to make a nape piece foundation


How to make a one piece back foundation


Seams and edges


Adding the hair


Parts, crown swirls, and cowlicks


Balding wigs





CHAPTER 7-TOUPEES, PARTIAL WIGS, AND OTHER HAIRPIECES


Discuss the different types of hairpieces and toupees


Discuss issues in matching hair color to hair pieces


Demonstrate how to make weft


Discuss different types of falls and how to use each


Custom falls


Demonstrate making a switch





CHAPTER 8-WIG APPLICATION AND REMOVAL


Discuss different ways of preparing the performer's hair to go under the wig


Demonstrate a pin curl prep


Demonstrate a wrapped prep


Demonstrate a braided prep


Demonstrate a prep for a person with short, little, or no hair


Demonstrate how to put on a lace front wig


Demonstrate how to take off a lace fronted wig or facial hair piece





CHAPTER 9-WIG STYLING TECHNIQUES


Different elements of a hairstyle-straight hair, wavy hair, curly hair, braided/coiled/dreadlocked hair


Dealing with different hair types (human hair vs. synthetic hair


Methods of making hair straight


Methods of making hair wavy


Methods of making hair curly


Different types of braids


How to create dreadlocks on a wig





CHAPTER 10--CREATING A HAIRSTYLE


How to take the techniques from chapter 10 and put them together to create a hairstyle


How to break the hairstyle down into sections


Discuss how to read research pictures to create a hairstyle


How to plan out a set before beginning the wig styling


Basic setting rules and basic wig styling rules


Teasing a wig vs. stuffing a wig to create volume in a hairstyle


Using a wire frame to create shape in a hairstyle


Men's hairstyling


Sample hairstyles





CHAPTER 11--CUTTING, PERMING, AND COLORING A FINISHED WIG


Different coloring methods


-hair color basics


-universal hair color systems


-temporary hair color products


-fabric dyes


-safety precautions


-dyeing human hair


-dyeing synthetic hair


Before you perm wigs


Cutting wigs vs. cutting hair on a live human being





CHAPTER 12-HAIR THAT ISN'T HAIR: WIGS MADE FROM OTHER MATERIALS


Reasons why a person would want to create wig using a material other than hair


Different types of bases/foundations that can be used for non-hair wigs


Demonstrate how to steam and stretch a felt hood into a cap


Demonstrate how to make a buckram cap


Tips and techniques for non-hair wigs


Gallery of non-hair wigs





CHAPTER 13-HOW TO GET A SHOW INTO PRODUCTION


How to analyze a script


How to organize a show notebook


How to design a specific character


How to design an overall look for a show


How to budget for a show


Different jobs in the wig field and how to get them


How to charge appropriately for your work





CHAPTER 14-CARE AND MAINTENANCE OF WIGS


Methods of touching up a wig during a run


How to clean lace wigs and facial hairpieces


The proper way to wash a wig and how often it needs to be done


Proper storage and inventory of wigs