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Pattern and Style with Yoliswa Dube

A WOMAN being prayed for at the altar of a Pentecostal church is the first thing that comes to my mind when I think of wigs.

She’s up front, in her wig, and the pastor is laying hands on her head in prayer. Maybe the move of the Holy Spirit is too strong and she is slain in the spirit.

I don’t know why, but some jerking movements of some sort may occur, or she may fall to the ground and the wig goes in one direction and she the other.

Don’t judge me; I know you’ve also thought about it sometime.

Maybe it’s not in a moment of prayer. Let’s assume you’re dancing as hard as Tina Turner and forget you have a wig on. You’ve got your groove on so hard and whoops, there goes the wig!

I just can’t help having these hilarious thoughts about wigs — you can never underestimate the “what if’s” I tell you.

But wigs are such a convenient way of covering up for a bad hair day.  Even if you’re not having a bad hair day, it’s a painless and easy way to keep your hair game on fleek.

Full lace wigs and lace frontal wigs are trending right now and I can’t say I wouldn’t want one.

Actually, in my next life I’m going to go bald and be wearing a wig every single day and no one will ever know. Who am I kidding, I wouldn’t go bald even if I was paid a million dollars but I’d definitely wig it!

Just the other day, I was watching South African television personality Dineo Ranaka’s reality show, Dineo’s Diary on DStv, Channel 161, and it took me a while to understand why one minute she had short hair and the next flowing Brazilian hair.

Until she started talking about her hair game and how women should always keep theirs on fleek.

She had a lace frontal wig and alternated it with her natural short hair look. It looked pretty simple — clipping it in and out.

Of course anyone would be freaked out seeing the hair hanging idle somewhere. But a wig isn’t such a bad idea and not as dramatic as I envisage.

It’s quite the simple life — you wear your hair when you want it and just hang it when you’re not feeling it.

All it takes is just a little care; taking care of both your natural hair and the wig.  You also need to make sure it’s securely clipped into your natural hair — just to make sure!

The worst thing you can do is take advantage of the wig and leave your natural hair untidy. You still need to make sure your natural hair is shampooed and combed such that in the event that the wig falls off — you’re not embarrassed!

Think of a wig as an investment. You pay a significant amount of money for it; the least you can do is take good care of it so that it lasts longer.
When you need to comb a wig, be gentle. Don’t use regular brushes, use a wig brush. It doesn’t need to be combed every day anyway, so let it rest.

While you’re sitting at home, take it off and put it on a wig stand. The stand will help keep its shape and taking it off your head will keep it from tugging and pulling at your hairs.

After washing a wig, don’t shake it in a towel. Be careful and dry it piece-by-piece. This makes sure the hair strands don’t fall off.
Don’t wring it or the base of your wig could become ill-shaped.

To prevent fibre damage, do not use a hair dryer, curling iron or other drying aids and keep wigs away from all sources of excess heat or open flame.

You can condition your wig every couple of weeks or so, to keep it shiny and soft. Make sure you don’t do it every day and be sure to rinse it all out or it could lead to build-up in the wig.

Only wash your wig after wearing it for about 25 times. If you wash it daily or even weekly, it can lead to your wig falling apart and looking less realistic.

Your wig can be styled by using a wig brush, a wig comb, or your fingertips. Avoid using a brush designed for human hair.

These brushes can create excessive tension, over-stretching the hair with abrasive strokes that may damage the hair. The best styling tool is the most inexpensive; a spray bottle of clean, cool water. Lightly spritz your wig with water to remove static electricity and return your wig to its original look.

To achieve style variations, liquid wig mousse is an essential styling tool. For curly or wavy styles, just mousse, hand scrunch, and pick the style into curls. On straight styles, mousse and brush lightly.

Your wig was designed with a basic style but the variations you can achieve through styling are limitless.

Added height can be achieved by gently lifting with the wig comb. If you want added fullness as well, tease or back-comb and then smooth the surface hair over the teasing.

Your wig can be returned to its basic style by washing it and allowing it to air dry. To completely restyle, it is recommended to take your wig to a professional stylist.

Until next week, flaunt your pattern and style and don’t forget to catch up with me on my blog, www.stayera247.blogspot.com or like my Facebook page Pattern & Style.