How to make a wig (1)

How to make a wig (1)
Making a wig for everyday use can be a difficult, time-consuming task, so it usually gets left up to the professionals. If you're interested in trying to make a wig yourself, however, you can do so as long as you have the right tools and plenty of patience. Here's how to do it.
Part 1 Measuring the Wearer's Head

1)Measure around the head at the hairline.

Use a cloth tape measure to measure along the hairline. The tape measure should extend from the base of your hairline at your neck to the top of your hairline at the forehead.
   The tape measure should wrap just above the ears on either side of your head.
   Do not pull the tape measure. It should lie flat against flattened hair, but it should not be taut.

2)Measure down the center top of your head.

Place the end of a cloth tape measure at the center of your forehead, matching the end of the tape measure to the beginning of your natural hairline. Drape the tape measure over the crown of your head and down to the middle of the nape, where you natural hairline ends.
As before, do not pull the tape measure. It should lie flat against flattened hair without being taut.

3)Measure from one ear to the other. Bring the end of the cloth tape measure to the uppermost point at which your ear connects to the rest of your head. Drape the tape measure over the crown of your head and back down to the same position of the opposite ear.
   The tape measure should rest on both ears along the point at which eyeglasses or sunglasses would sit.
   Once again, the tape measure should lie flat against flattened hair but should not be pulled tight.
   
Part 2 Forming the Wig Foundation

1) Transfer your measurements to a wig block.

Draw a rough sketch of the perimeter of your head based on the measurements you took. Use your cloth tape measure to measure out the same distances for the perimeter of your head, the crown of your head, and the distance between your ears.
Alternatively, you could find a cotton lace cap or other fine net cap that will fit your head and place that over the wig block. It will not be a custom fit, but doing this can be easier than trying to form and apply strips of cotton lace.

2)Nail cotton ribbons to the block. Line cotton ribbon along the perimeter of your wig outline, as drawn previously. Gently hammer this ribbon onto the wig block using small nails.
   If you decide to use a Styrofoam head instead of a wooden wig block, you can use sewing pins instead of nails to attach the ribbons.
Make sure that the ribbons are as flat as possible on the wig block.

3)Apply wet cotton lace. Moisten strips of cotton lace by quickly spritzing them with water from a spray bottle. Drape the strips of cotton lace over the wig block and stitch them to the ribbon.
   Note that the strips of cotton lace must be at least as long as the measurement you took for the crown of your head. They can, however, be a little longer at this point. Use as few strips as possible, opting for larger pieces rather than many smaller ones.
    Pin the lace in place before sewing it onto the ribbon.
    You can find cotton lace in a variety of colors, but avoid lace with patterns already embroidered into it.
Wetting the lace beforehand makes it easier to form and shape.

4)Try the foundation on. Remove the nails from the ribbon and take the wig foundation off the wig block. Try it on to determine if it fits correctly.
If the wig foundation does not fit correctly, determine why not. Return the foundation to the wig block and make any adjustments you need to make in order to fix the fit.
When everything fits the right way, trim off any excess cotton lace that hangs past the ribbon border of the wig foundation