Wearables The Alpacalypse! - 8/16 update!

I have been hemming and hawing about whether or not to make this journal for awhile, but here I am. I am totally not good at interacting with the community, so maybe this will help! Even better, maybe the process could help others, too! I make a lot of mistakes- learn from my mistakes!

Anyway! I have been wanting to learn how to make wigs ever since I started the hobby. Now that I have been bitten by the Minifee bug, it has become a determined calling. Whoo boy do my crew demand wigs as far as the eye can see! That's a bit much for my wallet!

I began my wig-making journey late 2021 and I think having a place to catalog my process would be awesome, both to show myself how far I have come and hopefully to help others!

So without further ado, I bring you The Alpacalypse! A Wig Making Journey.

 

Wig Fibers (that I have tried)!​

Once upon a time in a place far, far away I began my wig-making journey for my most spoiled of dolls: the Minifee.

I did at one point try making a wig from yarn as a more economic practice fiber, however I was displeased with the feel of it, how it didn't move or sit nicely for what I wanted as well as the short length.

However there are some amazing wig-makers that make yarn wig that are crazy awesome! It's definitely not a rule-out, simply my personal preference.

Suri Alpaca​

And so we come to the alpaca fiber! Now, mind you I am cheap when it comes to supplies and something I can learn to do myself. When I first looked at the price if pre-processed and/or dyed alpaca I was about ready to quit right there! Some of it can be SO stinkin' pricey and at the time I just could not understand why.

Now I know why.

It is FAR more economical to buy raw suri alpaca- meaning it has been shorn from the animal and that you will have to process it yourself. The next post will detail this process as I have learned to do it myself- along with troubleshooting from the many mistakes I made along the way. So why is is so much expensive? Because the processing, while not difficult, is kind of time consuming.

I am going to share a few tips about what to look for when you are buying your alpaca. Much of this I am going to borrow from alpacameadows.com as I have found it super useful!

Fiber Terminology
​

Okay, so there’s a bunch of terminology in regards to what you might see in a sales post, I’m just going to go over the basic ones

Fiber - is the hair of an alpaca (and this can also go towards other fibers you may purchase such as mohair, wool etc).
Fleece - is the coat of an alpaca after it has been shorn, but it is prior to any sort of processing.
Locks - are the natural divisions in the alpaca’s coat. One lock is made of several fibers.
Staple - is an independent cluster of fibers
Staple length - as it is used in most listings I have seen, this is the average length of shorn alpaca fiber. This can vary by as much as an inch either way I have found when buying a bunch of raw.
Vegetable Matter/VM - This is any of the straw, hay, dead leaves etc that you may find in the alpaca fiber
Micron - the unit of measure for the diameter of a fiber
Micron count - is scientifically devised by measuring the diameter of several individual fibers and determining the average. The lower microns are the finer fibers. The larger the micron count, the courser the fiber.

6 Grades of Alpaca Fiber​

Grade 1 Ultra Fine (less than 20 microns) - this fine is very prone to breakage
Grade 2 Superfine (20-22.99 microns)
Grade 3 Fine (23-25.99 microns)
Grade 4 Medium (26-28.99 microns) - over 28 microns tends to look coarse and lack luster
Grade 5 Intermediate (29-31.99 microns)
Grade 6 Robust (32 microns and above)​

Now a few tips I have learned as far as purchasing my alpaca:
1- First and foremost, be aware that there is a TON of waste when you process the locks. If you need 1oz, I would buy 1.5oz- 2oz more than you think you need. In this case it really is better to have extra than to not have enough.
2- Try to buy from an experienced fleece handler who preferably knows the doll market. There are lots of farms that will sell the fiber but not all of them are familiar with what characteristics make for good doll hair.
3- If it’s mentioned, stay away from the fleeces of alpaca shown a bunch in the show ring. This fiber is prone to breakage due to repeated stress and length of time the hair is on the animal.
4- Also be cautious of first year fleeces. This is again due to the fact that they are prone to fiber breakage due to the stress of being weaned from their mothers.
5- The “best” average staple length is probably 7” - 8”. You can certainly use longer, but you may find the loss a bit (or a lot) more longer than that. That is an average year’s growth for one alpaca, so it is easier to comb, has less breakage and overall has less of the natural wear and tear of an alpaca shorn after 2 years.

Example of a mistake I learned from - I bought an ounce of 12” raw suri fiber. I had not known prior to this purchase about the breakage of longer locks. I also failed to notice that it was ultra fine fiber. Once I got to combing it, I lost 2/3 of the fiber both in length and just how much was left over. While it is gloriously soft, I am still very frustrated and disappointed in what I have left. I am not certain it is enough to make a proper wig. ​

6- Longer staple length is generally considered a premium product and is often a bit more expensive for the raw and astronomically more for fully processed suri locks. When processing, these locks can have more vegetable matter in them and thus be more difficult to comb out. It’s still fabulous, it’s just a lot of work!

Where I Buy Suri Alpaca

Now that you are armed with that little bit more knowledge, I figure I will link some of the places I like to buy my alpaca from! Most often I have the best luck finding it on Etsy, but if you find another source I would love to hear and promote it!

Alpaca Meadows
Website: Welcome
Etsy: AlpacaMeadows | Etsy

Breezy Ridge Alpacas
Etsy: BreezyRidgeAlpacas | Etsy

Green Valley Fiber
Etsy: GreenValleyFiber | Etsy

Hobnob Studio
Etsy: HobnobStudio | Etsy

Wooly Delight
Etsy: WoollyDelight | Etsy



-Teeswater

- Mohair

 

Processing Alpaca Locks​

Step one: Purchase your raw suri alpaca! Below is what 12oz of raw 8” white alpaca looks like. It is quite a mess, isn’t it? You will also notice, it’s not very white is it? Alpaca seem to love rolling around in the dirt I promise, these will come clean!

From here you will have to move on to separating the locks from the whole mass of fluff. I personally can’t imagine trying to wash this and then sort! I would be afraid it would all be one big mat.



Step two: sorting alpaca locks from the raw mass of fluff.

Okay, so below here is a picture of me starting to sort out locks.

Tip: Note the crinkled blue glove in the background. I highly recommend wearing gloves to sort your alpaca. If you choose to do this bare handed, you absolutely will come away with hands black from the dirt. And you will have to scrub your hands a few times to get it all off.
​

I am again borrowing from Alpaca Meadows to explain (can you tell I learned a lot from them? Ahahaha)

Suri fiber grows vertically down the side of the body an alpaca. They hang in long, separate and distinctive locks made of many lustrous fibers. Separating these isn’t hard, it’s just a bit time consuming.

Step 1 - Identify the tip of a lock vs the cut end, which will be more blunt.
Step 2 - Hold the upper tip of the lock firmly and pull it away from the base of the fleece while also holding the base of the fleece around the lock. Doing this will help keep nearby locks intact and ready to be separated next.
Step 3 - The lock should be pulled free while the rest of the fleece is left intact.
Step 4 - Set the lock aside and continue until you have gotten all the locks from the fleece.

Note: You will see the first amount of fiber loss in this stage of processing. As you can tell from the picture of the raw, not all of the fiber is going to be viable for use in doll hair. However, if you are interested in other ways of using the left over bits, you can learn how to felt out of it or make yarn, too!​

Step 3 - banding the alpaca locks

Okay, so I am not certain if this is more of a personal preference, but I like to use the tiny rubber bands to hold a lock or two together for the rest of my processing. I feel it is less likely to mat during washing, but I have not actually washed alpaca without banding it.

Note: don’t make your bands too thick!​

Example of a mistake I learned from #2 - The locks in the picture below were banded up much too large/thick. When I went to wash the first set of 10, I wound up having the individual locks get tangled up in the water and it all turned into one big mat!

I was able to comb these out (with much difficulty and I’m embarrassed to admit a sprained thumb) because I am a stubborn little snot. For the hours of effort - and I do mean hours, the larger ones took me about an hour a piece to attempt to de-mat- I wound up with being lucky to have 15-20% left.

This was a lesson learned the hard way! After that, each of these individual bundles I took apart and rebranded to 7-11 smaller bundles. When you aren’t sure, err on making your bundles small. I would wind up doing this exact same thing several weeks later, thinking that the size I had bundled was small enough. It wasn’t. Cue even more relentless combing/de-matting. Learn from my mistake! Don’t waste your fiber!!!



Step 4 - the first wash

Okay, so the below picture are bins of maybe 6 bundles per bin in their first wash. It does not take long for the waters to turn black! Do not be afraid, even after the first wash they come away looking much closer to the final result!

Mistake I made and learned from #3 Do not agitate your alpaca fiber while in the water too much! And by too much I mean anything but a tiny bit! This encourages the locks to tangle up with each other and when they do this while wet, you are not going to be able to fix it until they are dry and will risk losing fiber!

Mistake I made and learned from #4 Do NOT use warm or hot water to wash your locks! Only use cool/cold! Using hot water and agitating the locks is the exact way that you will completely felt them up. Turns out you can avoid most of this by using cold water, a fact I was taught far too late in my processing journey.

Mistake I made and learned from #5 You can, in fact, wash all your alpaca at once and not as Uber cautiously as I was. Because I was washing thick bundles in hot water and they kept felting on me, I was only washing a few at a time. This was taking me literally days! You can actually throw them all in one bin using cold water and low agitation.

With those important items of note, here is how I wash my alpaca:
- Fill the bin with cold water
- I use Woolite for Delicates to wash my alpaca. I add about 1 capful to each wash. There are other things you can use to wash them, but I would definitely stay away from harsher sorts of shampoos and detergents give the fibers are pretty fine (which is why I love it for a better doll scale!)
- Put all your bundles into the detergent bath and submerge them.
- Very gently knead at your fiber in the water, like a precious kitty making biscuits
- Leave the alpaca to soak 20-30min (or just forget it while you are doing other things, it won’t hurt it!)
- Gather up the mass of locks all at once and squeeze them into a tight ball to remove excess water. This will also push the suds further inside for when you go to wash 2+
- Instead of Woolite, I switch to a gentle shampoo from human hair for the final wash.
- After the final wash and squeeze, I then put my alpaca into just straight water to rinse. Let this also sit with only mild agitation.
- Lay the locks out to dry and continue next phases of processing!



Step 5 - Second wash+

Okay, so I’m just putting this in here so you can understand how important further washes are! Alpaca are adorable but dirty buggers! You will not get it all out in one wash.

In fact, I tend to do 4-5 washes depending on just how dirty the locks are.

Here is my sequence of washes:
Wash 1 - Woolite + water
Wash 2 - Woolite + water
Wash 3 - Woolite + water
Wash 4 - If the locks still seem a little dingy, I will wash in Woolite + water one more time
Wash 5 - Shampoo + water
Wash 6 (Rinse) - Plain water



Optional Step: Okay, if you are planning on just using the alpaca locks the color that you bought them, I would condition your locks here. A generic human conditioner will do (and often makes them smell so nice!). You just fun the wet locks through it like you would your own hair and then rinse and move on to drying.

Note If you can feel any sort of residue on your locks, you have not rinsed them completely. Make sure to rinse them until that residue is gone or when it dries and you straighten it, it will feel oily and potentially transfer that oil to your doll.

​

Step 6 - Drying the alpaca

Now, I am a lazy person. I usually will spend a day on each portion of processing both to break it up and because I can’t fathom doing it ALL in one go.

At first I was wringing out my locks and laying them on a towel, blotting them and letting them dry. However I decided that this took too much space and potentially too many towels.

Instead, I took the lazy gal route and I now just hang them out to dry on a clothing dry rack! You can space them out and do a whole ton all at once. Generally I just leave it overnight and come back to it whenever I get the chance to move on!



Step 7 - Dried, combed but not straightened

Okay, so when your locks dry they are going to make you feel like you have lost a ton. I swear, it’s deceptive and not as it seems! Here you will want to comb out your locks and they will fluff right back up.

Note 1 You will still see some fiber loss here and that is to be expected
Note 2 When you are combing, be reasonably gentle and start from the bottom working your way up. If you try to comb it out starting at the top/band, you will lose more fiber than you need to because of tangling.

I recommend looping it firmly around your index finger and combing it out in small increments.
Note 3 This stuff gets staticky like nobody’s business! Just smooth it down with your fingers and set it aside.​

Step 8 - Dried, combed and straightened

If you are not dyeing your alpaca yourself, this would be the final stage before it’s ready for use. I simply straighten my locks out with a generic hair straightener and it comes out feeling silky soft! I recommend doing this before you make the wig. It’s pretty awkward trying to straighten it afterwards (yes, that was another mistake I made ).



Dyeing - Human hair dye

Drying - Human hair dye

Dried and Combed - Human hair dye

 

Reserved for wig caps

Materials:
Tulle
Scissors
Aileen's Turbo Tacky Glue
Rubber bands
Cling wrap
Old stiff paint brush
Pencil

 

Reserved for wig-making process

Materials:
Prepared wig cap
Prepared suri alpaca fiber
Scissors and/or X-acto blade
Aileen's Turbo Tacky Glue
Small assortment of stiff paint brushes
Water
Damp wash cloth
Small clips or clamps
Comb/brush

 

Completed Wigs (and thoughts for improvement!)
​

Here shall be my running list of completed wigs and things I learned and feel like I could improve upon!

Wig 1 - Unfortunately I do not have any pictures of my very first alpaca wig. Be assured, it was a wig but- er, it was a hot mess!

Wig 2 - Ivory to pink ombré
​

Wig 3 - Sherbert
​

Wig 4 - Electric Blue
​

Wig 5 - Merida!
​

 

WIP - Wigs in Progress!

#1 - Cherry red
​

#2 - Sherbert - REMAKE
​

#3 - Neon Green
​

#4 - Icy to Periwinkle ombré
​

 

I hadn't really seen it done this way yet, so I thought why not share my messy journey! And I might as well share my misfortunes and laugh because if I didn't I would probably give up! Sky knows I make them with every dang wig, even after having realized the mistake before but forgot until I was halfway through the next one!

I hope my notes, tips and mistakes are helpful for people and maybe bring a chuckle or two!

Thank you! I need to reformat my pictures so they aren't so dang big! There are more to come and some editing LOL.

Aw thanks! I am very happy with how Annalise came together ❤️

 

Absolutely! I'm glad the start of it is helpful already. I have so much more to add and I will keep adding as I learn new things.

 

You are welcome!

Unfortunately since alpaca locks are very fine, after I have processed and straightened them they don't like to hold those curls long. That wig still has some wave, but I would have to periodically recurl it at a low temp to get it back. I also don't use any product to keep it in place though.

Now, I did have another idea I have not tried yet. I thought about finding something the size of the spiral I want and wrapping pieces around that, then wetting them and leaving to dry that way. I suspect it might hold a bit longer, but I have yet to test it.

 

You are most welcome! When I started last year it was kind of hard having to dig in so many places for the information on bits and pieces to figure out what to do. I thought that one large source to maybe start with could help others in the community!

What are cotswold wigs like?? And how does the thermometer help to keep the fiber from felting? Is there a particular temperature not to go above?

The satisfaction of processing my own fiber is definitely a thing for me too! Especially wash day when I see it go from that first wash to clean. I actually also like sorting and combing out, I kind of have a zen state doing it, lol.

I hope you keep on your wig-making journey! I am really enjoying mine and I am determined to make them as well as ones I have purchased from others!

Haha, thank you! I have yet to have the time to finish more than basics for this journal, but I really do have a lot I have learned from each wig, I will get those thoughts out there sooner or later!

Thar is one of the things I have yet to add! I have been meaning to. Most of what I buy are from Etsy sellers, but I'm on my phone and can't easily pull up the shop names right now. I will be putting that info into the fiber post, so keep an eye out for it!

In glad it will help you! I am still a novice wig-maker, but I am itching to try and learn how to do some some basic new styles too! I'd love to see what you do!

 

Sorry for being MIA for awhile guys! I promise I have not been idle! I have been busy on the warpath of prep work for a slew of wigs!

I have currently:
6 colors of fiber fully processed and ready for use
8 wig caps that need to be trimmed and are then ready for use
3 new wig caps in the works, 50% done
2 new fiber colors that have been sorted but need to be combed and straightened
1 color of fiber sorted, combed and wefted that I need to straighten

And at present I am combing and straightening another. After that there are still 2 more colors! I'm pumped!

 

I swear I live! And I have updates to make!

Here is all the alpaca I was processing from a variety of sellers (I will list ones I use soon!) I also have pics of my wig cap making process as well as some of how I start a basic wig! More info coming!



And here are some wigs I have been experimenting with- they have each taught me quite a bit! More info hopefully later tonight on each one.

 

I'm glad you are enjoying my crazy journey! I'm excited that more people want to give it a go, show me when you do!

Absolutely! I'm glad it gave you a little inspiration! I would love to see what you make!

Aw, thank you ❤️


I am unfortunately struggling right now with some mental health troubles. I have been taking and trying to rework my pictures into something more forum friendly but I just haven't been able to work up the energy to continue to update the rest of my intended sections.

I'm feeling really discouraged, too. I'm trying to remake one of my recent wigs and while some of it I have gotten much better, some of it I just can't seem to get right.



The bottom 2 are the original wig, which I struggled with. It was too full on the non-braided side and refused my attempts to curl it. The braided side I liked that I had the part lines between the braids but I really dislike the straight cut edges of the wefts I used. Looked too contrived and fake to me.

The top is my current WIP. I have fixed a small host of issues from how I did the part line to the way I laid the hair. I did also figure out one possible way to curl it, shown by the one curl on the side of the face. However I can't seem to get the braids this time without the rigid, unnatural way I had the wefts. I glued tiny bits individually this time but in doing so made it way harder to braid (I should add I am terrible at braids on human scale too). I have tried doing some twists, which do look cool on this scale but the black bands are just so damn distracting that I can't tell if I like it and had to take it all out.



I will not be defeated by a wig! ....but I am definitely doing battle with it. Feel like I suck at this whole wig-making thing all over again! And I know I am miles away from a year ago when I first tried!

 

...I was ganged up on and have made a tactical retreat from the ponytail and side braid wigs. I feel super defeated. I was getting so frustrated I was thinking I didn't want to keep making wigs!

So, for the time being I think I will go back to the simpler ones to regain some confidence!

Beyond that, I have started adding pictures to some of the other posts and aim to get the info down on how I make my wig caps and basic wigs from there.

I have also listed some of my favorite alpaca sellers at the bottom of the Fiber info post.

It's small, but I'm trying! I hope it remains helpful and I would love to encourage discussion on alternative methods or supplies to try so I may add them in as well!

 

Thank you for your encouragement I definitely needed that, even to remind myself it’s okay to put it away for awhile and work on other things. My brain gets unnecessarily nasty with me, sometimes it’s harder than others to quiet that inner critic.You would think that years of therapy would have had me take that lesson to heart, but it’s kind of a 50/50 shot that I manage it successfully.

I had only been using the black bands because that is what I had left. Originally I was using clear bands but I didn’t have enough so I switched. However I didn’t even think of wire or any type of thread. That is a really good idea and I definitely will be trying it. I will probably also be trying your idea for the weft placement for the braids, another thing that didn’t even occur to me.

Thank you so much for your encouragement. It really helped a lot when I was feeling so low.

Yeah, I was using the clear bands but I didn’t have enough for even one of the wigs and it looked silly when I added black. Xx; My dang dollar store and another I tried didn’t have clear when I went to get more, either! That did not help my frustration level. I definitely think the string or fine wire idea is something I want to try on it though.

I fixed the volume issue by not using any wefts for the second try. I honestly usually don’t weft things, I find it to look more natural if I can glue the individual fibers, that way they don’t have and lumps or bumps trying to go around the circumference of the head. One the second one I nixed the glue off my wefts and just glued the hair individually in thinner layers, going back later to any areas that were a little too sparse for my liking.

I had considered painting the wig cap the first time I tried the wig, but I was hoping I wouldn’t have to resort to it on the second wig. It’s dumb, but it kind of feels like cheating to me? And I mean this only in regards to myself, I don’t think I would bat a lash if I bought a wig that had a painted wig cap. My inner perfectionist is a real snot for anything I personally make. However I think if I do a third try I will do that this time as well as details where needed along with the other suggestions you guys have given me.

Thank you so much for cheering me on. I really appreciate it



I did regain a little of my confidence last night as well. I affectionately dub this work in progress the Swamp Witch wig. It isn’t finished, needed to dry with the part placed and on the head to hold its shape before I could do more.

Today I hope to take my razor to it to thin it out a little before I trim it and use the flat iron to style it. And, of course, all the required futzing with the part so the fiber lays the way I want it to.

It’s progress and thus far the part I think came out pretty well. I can’t wait to finish it and see the result.

 

I have not been dead! Well, sorta

I have a new experiment! I decided to give liquid latex a go and Houston I think we might have lift-off!
So! It's flexible! It grips and doesn't require any putty to stay like the hard caps! It went through a shampoo and condition, being submerged in water. It also survived with minimal shedding when combing it back out and survived me re-straightening the hair.



It has some mistakes, but that was expected trying a completely new material. However for the purposes of my experimentation I think we have a winner! The only thing left is to see how it handles as it ages.

 

Aw, thank you ❤️ I see my picture isn't showing regardless of where I upload it, what the heck?

I actually used the liquid latex as the glue as well as for the wig cap! It is definitely messier than the glue and it is smelly, so you need to be in a well ventilated space. I can't use a paintbrush with it, so I have been using one of those cheap cosmetic wedge sponges. I need to put my thinking hat on and try to figure out a better tool to keep things neat as I like.

 

Aha! Thank you for that suggestion! I forgot. Normally I post the Instagram sized ones!

Ooh, that sounds like a promising notion for a tool, too. I will have to look that up later!

I have a second wig using this method that is almost finished to show soon, too. I'm hoping to finish it up tonight.

 

Aw, I hope you have one in your hands soon! They are so much fun

While I don't dislike hard caps, I do find I have a strong preference for flexible, stretchable wig caps lol. Being washable started out as bonus but given you can treat and style alpaca fiber like human hair, products and all, I have come to appreciate the idea of them being safely washable!

My only concern with the liquid latex now is how it stands the test of time, but it isn't exactly something I can rush lol!

Eep. It always startles me when people in the hobby remember/recognize me I'm usually such a lurker haha. Thank you for the sweet comment!

I have tried to use silicone before as an option too. I just couldn't figure out how to do it cleanly/neatly. The stuff is so sticky! It did work very well for the same waterproof, flexible quality though. Maybe I will give it another go as well! What product do you use?

I actually just bought a set of silicone sculpting tools yesterday! Thank you for the suggestion. I am excited to see if I can make less of a mess with them tonight and tomorrow!

 

Thank you! I WILL get that wig right one way or another! It is a bucket list style I want to do well. I just got super discouraged and had to back off. At some point I will definitely be trying again!

Thank you ❤️ I am going to have to get creative with it to properly hide the defects but I am pretty happy with it!

Oh yes, it did get a bit slimy and turned a more opaque color until it dried back out. I dont ever mess with my alpaca until it is fully dry. Some of mine is just too baby fine for it and I'd risk losing half of it. That was a lesson painfully learned, complete with much cussing amd frustration.

Hearing that yours is holding up well after 4 years is super promising though!

I have been using about 5 very thin layers of the latex and I have a layer of tulle in them for structure, too.

Ooh, thank you for the recommendation! I had been using this stuff: https://gesealants.com/products/advanced-silicone-2-kitchen-bath-sealant/

And actually I did decide to give it another try! I have 2 silicone wig caps ready and it went SO much smoother with the tools! I am excited to go home today and actually try attaching the fibers now that I am not getting it everywhere!

Ooh... plugging could get me the ability to do braids closer to the scalp... plotting is happening!

Hopefully stuff to show tonight or tomorrow!

 

Experiment! I was going to wait until I finished, but I'm kind of in love with this one.

This is latex wig cap #2. It was also rewashed and conditioned after construction and made it out safely.

I have also taken a stab at curls! Heatless curls! Unfortunately I made them too tight and she looked like Shirley Temple, so I have some more playing around to figure out the right sized curls for various lengths. But they are starting to look nicer as waves at this length I think!

I adore these colors Just wish the fiber was longer!

I'll post it up when I'm done messing with it later

 

Whew, it's been awhile! I yet live!

I thought I was about ready to get set, go! But then I had a minor existential crisis looking at all my other wigs thus far and decided to tear them apart and remake them because perfectionism, that's why!

Guys- guys, I think I might be starting to get a grasp on this... it's taken me over a year, but I might be able to move up from novice/apprentice to intermediate/journeyman!

Here are a bunch of wigs I've made in the last few weeks!

 

Thank you, @Idoru !

I just finished these two experimental wigs tonight. I have been putting them off because I felt so out of my depth. They aren't perfect but I think they came out decently.

 

Whew, it's kind of been forever, hasn't it? I am still working, slowly like the sloth I am

Here are some of the things I have been working on recently.

 

@Weilansen Funny you should ask, I am installing one right now on a new wig!

I have tried a few different methods, but what I have found works best for me is making a cut down where I have decided the part will be. I install a separate few pieces of fiber that are glued down and folded over once they are dry to create the part. Then I glue the edges of the wig to this piece to close it back up.

I'm not explaining particularly well I think when I get more time I might have to try making a little video of it, lol.

Once it's dry, I usually go back and clamp my straightener over the part to flatten it out as best I can. I found a mini flat iron and it has done wonders for me being able to maneuver on the wigs!

 

Yes! Sorry, lol. This is why I feel like step-by-step process either in a short video or photos would probably be better to help explain

 

Oh no, I don't mind! I would be thrilled to make this thread one big source of information for everyone!

I have done the part like this, but I find that it is.much harder to close the wig back up neatly if I install the wefts that way.I have very shaky hands and I don't feel like I make it clean enough when I seal it. I also don't like that it shows that tiny piece in the front showing the fibers not all laying exactly the same way.

I basically make the entire part into an entire piece so that the sides are already parting and underneath are already connected. The spot where the wefts are glued is where I glue the edges of the wig to. I make a full incision from the front to where I want my part to end.

 

LOL It seriously took me several attempts to get it right. My brain just did not compute the process. The way to make the part piece always feels backwards to me. Truthfully, I almost messed up the one I just installed when I made it last night! Thankfully caught myself in time. I still make a ton of goofs lol!

 

Ouf, I have been MIA for awhile now, haven't I? Been too many stressful life events going on this year. I hope to be more active and to finally carve out some time for photo tutorials... maybe video if I am ever brave enough.

Here are some of the wigs I have been working on since then!

 

Thank you! I love fashion colors, lol. I have been wearing various ombre fashion colors for probably 6 or 7 years now. They are just so much fun!

Also, I don't know what it is about minifee, but I could swear they were made for wearing fun colored hair!