My super power is finding very fun, geeky rabbit holes online for you to enjoy losing yourself in: anime, games, music, fashion, videos… Hi Alice, I'm Wonderland.
Once again, I’m bringing you something old-school, rad, borrowed and bad for your private perusal. Maybe good girls are looking for something old and something new, something borrowed and something blue—but that’s not me. Not by a long shot. So, let me take you on a tour far deeper into the exotic world of geekchic…
Old-school: Teach Me Tiger
First, something old school before we get into the rad and the borrowed and the bad. And, honestly, if you skip down to onlinekyne, I won’t be offended…
I was watching an episode of my favorite PBS shows, Call the Midwife, and noticed a song I’d heard before… well, it was a re-run, so this was my second listen. But it was that second time around that I decided I was going to look it up. It’s very whispery and seductive, very sweet and bold: Teach Me Tiger, by April Stevens. I hope it sneaks up on you and squeezes you the way it got to me.
What a great song to own. And it makes me want to gather up a collection of dreamy 50s songs for those lovely, quiet moments at home.
Now, onto onlinekyne, the guy who’s making-me-my-raddest (once those Powder Room D wigs he YouTube-recommended arrive in the mail)…
Wearing wigs day-to-day has been going on for a while in the Black community, I think. But it’s becoming more and more trendy to wear wigs every day. It’s becoming mainstream! Which is cool.
Are you thinking about wearing your wigs more casually too? Here are some solid facts about daily wig wear to get you out of the ‘well, I’m not so sure…’ gray area. It is a tacky, tacky gray area you don’t need to be in to really do it. And I’m also sharing the best instructional videos I’ve found so far, especially for people of color. If you also have videos to share, just let me know. I’d love to add them to the list…
Why You Should Get Off the Wig Fence
Get a good wig and you’re set. In his videos, onlinekyne recommends Powder Room D and Wigisfashion (less expensive) as great places to get wigs in all kinds of styles. Once you have a good, dense wig with a lace front, nothing can really stop you. If you have darker skin and/or hair and you want something in a bright color, don’t let that stop you. Just pick a wig with dark roots. These sites will also tweeze, braid and customize the wig you want (you can even make up your own) if you’d like help.
You can always part it the way you want and tweeze the hairline to make it look more natural. Sure people might notice it’s a wig, but they will have a few moments of, ‘Oh my God, I love their dye job, I so want that… wait, is that real?’ which is priceless. Use makeup on the hair part to get it to match your own skin.
It’s easier than you think to style it to your taste. Showing my own noob status here, but… after years of treating my party wigs like fine china that I was afraid to even brush, look you don’t have to live that way. You can actually style a quality wig. You don’t have to be stuck with the style the wig was in when you bought it. How? If your wig is heat resistant, try a low heat curling iron, or use rollers with a clothes steamer to add heat, then leave them overnight. You can also tease the hair, cut the hair if it’s too long, and sew in more hair from other wigs…
Plenty of fairy godmothers with instructions on YouTube: There are lots of YouTube tutorial videos out there, but, seriously, just let onlinekyne or someone else clever show you what to do. Vloggers make it really easy.
Wig Bootcamp: Watch Training Videos
Some videos to start you off…
How to put on a lace front wig and shade the hairline to match your skin tone. Featuring some really luscious Powder Room D wigs…
How to style a wig using a curling iron… This one is impressive because the lace-front super-pink wig looks a lot like her own dyed hair by the time they’re done. An LA hairstylist @PhilonHair steps in to explain things completely.
Even more how-to wig instructions: And I am a huuuge fan of onlinekyne. I first stumbled into the world of onlinekyne when I was looking for more wig instructional videos on YouTube. His videos aren’t just very useful, they’re also really entertaining. Honestly, I like his videos more than any wig tutorials I’ve seen. (And I plan to be gushing over Kyne’s cool styles in my Old School, Rad, Borrowed Bad #3.) He has a lot of great, easy tips that he explains so well. So linking his entire how-to wig channel. I also highly recommend: Steaming Wigs Without a Steamer.
“At the end of the day, my channel is about the creativity and the technique, not buying things that I tell you to buy.” – onlinekyne
Now, that’s a great attitude to pursue this craft with. Ladies and gentlemen, have fun out there, it’s… uh… windy and… judgemental, in the world? Right? But style your wig well, use a lot of hairpins, and wear your beautiful mane with confidence.
Royal Jelly 