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Wigs Help Me Save This Wig

Aug 1, 2022

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    1. I just got my first BJD over the weekend, and this is not a problem I was anticipating (so many problems I wasn't anticipating!!). I bought a couple of Angora wigs in preparation for his arrival, and I especially loved one because it's curly which is exactly what he's supposed to have but. Well.

      [​IMG]

      The top of it is huge and while I don't necessarily mind the glam rock style, this is not what I had in mind lol. He's my very first BJD, first time trying to put a wig on anything. I don't know where to begin with fixing this.

      Is it just not put on correctly? I tried fiddling and just couldn't get it to look any better.
      Is the wig itself too big? His head is 23.5cm circumference, I got a 9-10inch wig so I thought it would fit.
      Is it the style of wig? I do prefer the look of natural fibers, and love the softness. But if I have to switch to synthetic I will.
      Is this something I could fix by thinning out the fibers on the side? How would I even go about doing this.....would I trust myself doing this lol

      I did try another wig from the same creator (so same Angora fiber), that's straight instead of the curly. It isn't as bad as this one, but the top of his head is still looking much larger than it's supposed to be.
       
      #1 Brytewolf, Aug 1, 2022
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    2. Is it on the pelt? Those tend to be very voluminous, but there are ways to get them more curly volume than glam rock volume and better fitting on the head. I'll wait to hear if it's on the pelt though before I tell you how, so I wont give irrelevant info.
       
      #2 fairithilien, Aug 1, 2022
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    3. Yes, it is still on the pelt!
       
      #3 Brytewolf, Aug 1, 2022
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    4. Perfect! Ok!
      So first you want to (gently!) brush out the wig, starting with a fully detangled piece will make this a lot easier. Then you want to wet it, completely, pelt and all. You can do a high quality human conditioner treatment now as well if you like. Then, when the wig and pelt is soaked, gently wring it out, put it fully on your doll's head (saran wrap them first if you're worried about the faceup, and put the wig on so it's as far on the doll as it will go, not fussing with the hairline being right, you can trim that to be correct after it's dry) and use cotton thread to tie the wig onto their head. The pelt will shrink as it dries, and will shrink to fit the head's shape, so it will fit more snugly.

      As well, during the tying and drying process, you can scrunch the hair for looser, more natural waves/curls, or use straws and bobby pins on sections to get tighter, neater ringlets.

      There's no guarantee that this will work, sometimes these on the pelt wigs just dont fit right nomatter what you do, but this is the method I've used to tidy up the on the pelt wig I had in the past and restore a natural, nicely curly volume.
       
      #4 fairithilien, Aug 1, 2022
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    5. Worst case, if it's still too voluminous for you then, you can take the fiber from it and make a standard glue hardcap wig, that'll get rid of a lot of volume while keeping the curl you're looking for
       
      #5 fairithilien, Aug 1, 2022
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    6. @fairithilien ah, thank you! That's not something I would have ever thought of myself, definitely came to the right place! I'll definitely try the shrink-dry method, that does sound promising.

      And you're right, if worst comes to worst I can always try my hand at making my first wig out of the fibers xD I've certainly watched enough videos of people making them hehe.
       
      #6 Brytewolf, Aug 1, 2022
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    7. What is the sculpt of your doll? That smile is so charming :D
       
      #7 Kaito-len, Aug 1, 2022
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    8. Ahhh, thank you!! The smile is why he stole my heart! He's Impldoll's Joshua!
       
      #8 Brytewolf, Aug 1, 2022
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    9. I left the wet wig (I also ran some conditioner through it while it was wet, cause might as well xD) on his saran-wrapped head for 24 hours, and here are the results!

      [​IMG]

      I can definitely feel that the pelt is snugger against his scalp, and it certainly helped with the volume on the top of his head! I'm much happier with the result, but not sure if it fits "him" yet, if that makes sense lol. I'm gonna leave it on like this for a while and see if it grows on me!

      Thank you so much for your assistance @fairithilien!
       
      #9 Brytewolf, Aug 3, 2022
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    10. He looks awesome! I'm so happy I could help! I hope you find a wig that suits your vision for him if this doesn't do it for you.
       
      #10 fairithilien, Aug 3, 2022
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