Hair today gone tommorow?

Paula G · Post by **Paula G** » Fri Jan 07, 2011 7:06 am

Untill recently I wore my hair quite long (well for a man of my mature years) this was sufficent to style in a vaugely fem way. Having recently cut my hair shorter I have tried using a wig, initially this is a cheap e-bay special, I dont feel comfortable wearing it, partly because I am not sure that it looks right and partly because I feel as though I am wearing it, rather than it beong part of me.

I have posted a couple of shots this morning with and without, please let me know what you think. Does it work? can I get away without a wig? do I need to spend more money? what would suit? etc. etc.

Thanks for your support

Susan · Post by **Susan** » Fri Jan 07, 2011 7:15 am

Paula

My advice to you is forget ebay. Go to a reputable wig shop. Don't be shy. I have spoken to a number of wig shop owners who are fully aware of our requirements and very appreciative of our custom. You will get an expert's view on what wig suits you. You cannot get that on ebay.

Melyssa Anne · Post by **Melyssa Anne** » Fri Jan 07, 2011 8:40 am

I too had goo luck at a wig shop. But I also used (and still use) Paula Young Wig site---there wigs are often much more affordable than at a wig shop, quality is similar, and they have discussion on how to pick a wig right for you. For example,, you can get groupings based on your face shape , etc.

If I recall, if you do a search on yahoo, there are style guides that also discuss this.

Anthony Simon · Post by **Anthony Simon** » Fri Jan 07, 2011 2:40 pm

The one thing about going to a wig shop is you can try things on. I feel really embarassed about going into clothes shops (dressed as a man) and trying women's clothes on, but I just think you need to do that with a wig.

There are lots and lots of wig shops in London. Many of them basically aimed at black women, where you can get quite cheap (ca £25-30) wigs which are alright, but may not suit your style. Then there is somewhere like Doreens Fashions, which is a specialist CD shop in East London, which has (from what I could see) quite a wide selection and also starting quite cheap (I've bought a really nice £35 one there) which I think is likely to be closer to your style. Also, if you're prepared to sit around in semi-public trying your hair on (doesn't bother me) there's concessions in both Selfridges and Top Shop in Oxford Street. These are expensive, but you can get really convincing things if you're prepared to pay. The person who does the "femulation" web site advises buying the most expensive wig you can afford and I'm not sure that's such bad advice.

I've also tried Fosters Wig Supplies in Streatham, with a private space for you to try stuff on and an understanding woman with a picture of a local transgender group above her desk - and Wig Bazaar in Brixton. This is very cheap but I really liked the woman there, who was free with her (good) advice.

Personally I think you might need something either longer or more curly to balance your jaw. I have a square jaw and find I need something to distract from it, so that's where I'm coming from.

This sounds as though I know a lot more than I do. But I do seem to have been around an awful lot of wig stores in the last year.

Davita · Post by **Davita** » Fri Jan 07, 2011 9:45 pm

The nice thing about wig shops is actually not having to buy hair. You can try it on like you try on clothes. This, of course varies with the wig shop as to how many wigs, if you have to buy a wig cap at that moment, etc. The bottom line is, you get to experiment and you have a bit of help in the process.

I started with Paula Young and I have found some shops sell their hair. Let me provide you a link from my web site about wig shopping. See http://davita-farley.webs.com/how_to/howwig.html. It includes my own lessons learned in my quest for wigs.

Happy hunting.

Geri Robinson · Post by **Geri Robinson** » Fri Jan 14, 2011 10:15 pm

I have always gone to a wig shop to try on the wig before purchasing. The win in my pix. was my first. I went to a swap meet and they had a booth with a curtained off area. What a blast it was.

Susan · Post by **Susan** » Sat Jan 15, 2011 3:17 am

I have booked an appointment soon in the shop I bought my blonde wig. Its been a little while since I bought that but the lady owner remembered me and was delighted to book me in again. I doubt I will buy anything other than a novelty wig online. The personal service part means I am not wasting money on something inappropriate.

Paula G · Post by **Paula G** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 7:56 am

I have bought another wig, closer to my natural colour (grey) and I feel a whole lot happier wearing this. http://cid-b78ac089d6a8c007.photos.live ... A8C007!138 I suspect that Anthony Simon is right about style, but anything longer than this starts to feel alien and once again I become conscious of it.

Since for me a large part of my cross dressing is to be comfortable and natural, expressing this part of my nature, everything I wear I have to be comfortable and relaxed wearing, indeed I think my aim is to be able to forget that I am anything other than who and what I appear to be. Certainly this last weekend waqs a lot more comfortable with this hair.

Post by **DonnaT** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 8:27 am

I have noticed, that for many, the older women get, the shorter their hair gets.

Julie Dawn · Post by **Julie Dawn** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 6:05 pm

I imagine that most of us started out wearing inappropriate wigs for our size / face shape. I have graduated to wearing shorter grey / grey with blond highlights which suit me better over my own short grey hair. I keep my hair short, and shave everywhere else, as I see nothing attractive in masses of wispy grey hair, especially when en-femme. I confess that I could never pluck up enough courage to buy from a specialist wig shop, (although I possibly could now if I needed to replace any of my current wigs). All my wigs have been purchased with the help of my wife advising on what would be most suitable for “Bernard Bresslaw!”