Success with half wigs?

[Baby Girl]

Ladies who hair grew with using half wigs, how did you take care of your hair underneath? did you sleep with the half wig on at night? and how long did you wear it?


This is my very first day wearing a half wig. My hair underneath is cornrowed. I wanted to try this before I get a sew in.

 

[gabulldawg]

I think halfwigs are definitely helping me grow my hair and keep my hands out of it. I usually do two french braids at the back of my hair and leave my hair braided for the week. I take the wig off pretty much as soon as I get home to let my scalp "breathe." I definitely think that half wigs are a better way to grow your hair than a weave because it allows you to have a more "hands on" approach with your hair underneath. I like having the option of taking my braids down anytime I want to.

 

[SelfStyled]

I have had good success with half wigs. I don't use cornrolls underneath though. I always take that back comb out too.

Here's a link so that you can see my progress.

http://public.fotki.com/SelfStyled/2007/2008/2008-comparisons/

I cowash every 2-3 days, and sit under my bonnet dryer on low for 30 min. I never sleep with my half wig on. I shampoo and DC weekly.

I alternate the half wigs with, bunning. My hair is too fine for weaving, I used to really love weaves, until I realized they were not helping me achieve my goal of wanting healthy hair.

 

[Baby Girl]

How often should I rebraid and moisturize? do I need to put a stocking cap on my regular hair to prevent so much rubbing against the half wig?

 

[meecee]

Hey Baby Girl

Try doing a search for some of our recent wig threads. There is a wig challenge for 2008 and one titled "da wig thread" I think. Check them out. People have posted pics and share tips on securing the wig and keeping your hair healthy underneath. When I wear mine, I moisturize the same way as if I were bunning, braid my hair into 2-3 braids, and pin them flat to my head. Oh and never sleep with your wig on if you don't have to.

Good luck and have fun with your wigs

 

[atlien11]

I have a few half wigs and i also braided about 3/4 of my hair. I never slept in it because those combs can do some damage if you leave them in and let them tug Personally i think its better than a sew-in because you are able to wash/condition you hair (and re-braid) it at will. It can be hard to 'reach' your hair when you are trying to wash with a sew-in.

I only experimented with a half wig for about 1 month and then i moved on to try out other protective styles.

 

[tiffupretty]

i co-wash and moisturize almost daily, at least 4 times a week...and dc 1once a week.....i wear my hair in plaits underneath ...because i cannot braid...but i use a KIDS satin cap..instead of a stocking...or a spandex cap....i also like the fact that i can take it off compared to a weave that i wanna snatch it out some days....i dont sleep in it though.

 

[SugarBaby]

I love half wigs. IN LOVE.

I leave out the front that is naturally curly and I baggie the rest. I love the condition of my hair. It is constantly soft and moist.


I am in love w/ any half wig that is curly and long.

 

[gabulldawg]

How often should I rebraid and moisturize? do I need to put a stocking cap on my regular hair to prevent so much rubbing against the half wig?

For me it is just "as needed." If my hair feels dry I will take the braids down, moisturize or cowash, and rebraid. It goes either way for the stocking cap. I know some ladies wear them and some don't. I used to wear them religiously and found that my nape was breaking off because of them. So I have been experimenting with not wearing a wig cap. So far so good, as long as the wig falls below my nape.

 

[Lanea87]

I love half wigs. I have 1 that I am so in love with in my fotki. I buy the sythetic ones for $20. I braid my hair underneath in 2 french braids also and slap that sucker on. I take mine off once I get home and mines last for about 1 1/2 months.

 

[kandake]

Hey,

I've been wearing a half wig everyday since the beginning of August. I have a bit of progress but I just recently started cutting off my over-processed, heat damaged ends.

I take my half wig off when I get home. I never sleep in it.

As for my hair. I co-wash twice a week. During the 8+ week of a stretch I co-wash more often. I moisturize seal mostly at night. I do it in the morning sometimes.

Since my hair is still short I just comb it back and either clip it up or put it into a low ponytail. I use the traditional wig cap. Sometimes are go without it.

I plan on wearing half wigs until my hair reaches at least full neck or maybe even SL. So I have quite awhile to go.

 

[Baby Girl]

I have a few half wigs and i also braided about 3/4 of my hair. I never slept in it because those combs can do some damage if you leave them in and let them tug Personally i think its better than a sew-in because you are able to wash/condition you hair (and re-braid) it at will. It can be hard to 'reach' your hair when you are trying to wash with a sew-in.

I only experimented with a half wig for about 1 month and then i moved on to try out other protective styles.

During that month did you see growth?

 

[ResultsMayVary]

How do you ladies deal with the combs and preventing breakage ??

 

[gabulldawg]

How do you ladies deal with the combs and preventing breakage ??

I take the combs out of my wigs and use bobby pins to secure them instead.

 

[bravenewgirl87]

I have someone cornrow my hair as if I was apply a sew-in. This ensure (for me) that the combs in the wig have leverage to stay. I spray the braids down before I go out. Flat iron the from of the hair with Sabino Moisture Block. and voila. You can even spray the braids down with water and seal with oil.

 

[kandake]

How do you ladies deal with the combs and preventing breakage ??

I haven't mastered the bobby pin thing so I prefer use the combs in the front and take out the ones in the back.

To help combat breakage I make sure my hair is moisturized well and when I take the wig off I do it VERY gently.

I haven't problems just yet. So I'll keep doing it until I feel comfortable using the bobby pins.

 

[tgrowe]

You guys are making me want to go and get another half wig. The very first time I wore one was about two years ago and I was so shy about it. But once I saw the ease of styling I was good to go. Telling the truth about those dawgone combs though. Those bad boys will tear and thin your hair like none other if you are not careful. I wasn't and my hair began thinning in the front. So I had let my wig go.

 

[bluediamond0829]

I have a curly one and i love it. I'll probably pick up maybe another one or two and keep doing the half wigs for awhile. It's less expensive right now than paying for a hair weave. And it helps me with caring for my hair more than having a weave..

heres a picture of my half wig im trying to remember who its by but i'll come back and update anyone on it if they are interested on getting the same one.

http://public.fotki.com/bluediva0298/naturally-me-2008-/halfwigs2008/

I'm also natural so leaving the front part of my hair out blends easily with the curly hair.

I leave the combs in and also use pins to secure it...this ones combs were kind of funny when i tried putting it on so sometimes the combs doesnt slide in very easy.

I'm trying to create a regimen of applying OCT/MT to my scalp 4 to 5 times a week...
washing and deep conditioning once a week

underneath the half wig i keep my hair twisted up or braided.

 

[atlien11]

During that month did you see growth?

I did however i didnt want to stress the front of my hair which i needed to blend so i wanted to give it a break It really is a good investment if you can find the right one.

 

[LovinLocks]

I have had good success with half wigs. I don't use cornrolls underneath though. I always take that back comb out too.

You and your hair are very beautiful!

 

[RegaLady]

I think they are the best method, IMO! Look cute and take care of your hair!

 

[SelfStyled]

You are very beautiful!

OMG LL- you are so sweet. Thanks so much, I was already on cloud nine today cause of our new prez, but that really made my day.

 

[Rain20]

gabulldawg,

How long did it take to see improvement? I have only been at this for 2 weeks. I still have not mastered blending because my hair is short in the front, but my hair is so fine I know I need a long break from any weaving. I am very impatient to see some progress though. Your hair looks so healthy what have you done to get so much progress in such a short time?

 

[chavascandy]

My staple is half wigs. I remove my half wig nightly. Then I "grease" my scalp with MN mixture.

Some nights I moisturize my ends with S'curl spray.

I try to keep maniputlation to a minimum. I retain so much growth this way.

 

[kelkel]

if you have blending issues with leaving your front out do what I do.....buy a bunch of cute headbands .... slap some non alcohol holding gel on your baby hairs ...put the headband over your wig...... then your good to go..... this way you can protect all of your hair.

 

[Baby Girl]

Girl, I rocking a head band today. I fine that elasta qp mango butter does good at moisurizing my hair under half wigs. I use this mix with the vitatress biotin creme.

 

[gabulldawg]

gabulldawg,

How long did it take to see improvement? I have only been at this for 2 weeks. I still have not mastered blending because my hair is short in the front, but my hair is so fine I know I need a long break from any weaving. I am very impatient to see some progress though. Your hair looks so healthy what have you done to get so much progress in such a short time?

WOW, thanks so much for the complement! I do think I still have a long way to go though. The main thing that helped me was eliminating direct heat on my hair. When I first joined LHCF (first pics in siggy) I was using heat almost daily , and now I've cut back to monthly or longer. Half wigs have definitely been something to help with cutting back on heat. I try to choose half wigs that would allow me to blend my hair without using heat. For example, I don't use straight style wigs very often because that would cause me to have to regularly flat iron my hair. I would say it took a few months for me to notice real progress. I definitely would say to hang in there. You may not see the progress overnight, but eventually you will be able to see it!

 

[Jazala]

I used to buy half wigs all the time. I had some issues with blending the front with the wig hair. Also my hairline goes very far forward which would make me have to leave out a considerable amount of hair. Because of these issues, I now buy full wigs.

I try to get the kind with mono filament or mono front because they allow you to have a more realistic looking hairline. You just leave a small amount of hair out at the front (about a 1/2 to 1 inch wide toward the center) and use a light colored piece on your wig cap for the see through area. This makes it look like scalp when you part the wig on that section.

So now most of my hair is cornrowed underneath the wig. I braid the hair except for the nape from front to back in 5 or 6 cornrows. I braid the nape horizontally (got this from Mookshair's nape thread). I spray the braids daily with s-curl and seal with a little oil.

 

[tgrowe]

if you have blending issues with leaving your front out do what I do.....buy a bunch of cute headbands .... slap some non alcohol holding gel on your baby hairs ...put the headband over your wig...... then your good to go..... this way you can protect all of your hair.

When I wore a half wig about a year ago, I would do this to keep from dealing with my hair at the front. However I did not remove the front comb and that caused major wear and tear on my hair to where my hair was thinning at the very front.
I purchased a half wig on Wednesday to wear for a while since I really have the "hands in your hair" syndrome. I braided my hair in big cornrows and braided my front pieces as well to blend with the wig. Needless to say, it was a major disaster Thurs morning. My hair did not blend and I did not like how my hair looked with the headband method so I unbraided my hair and wore a braidout. Since my hair can be rather soft and limpy (and it rained Thurs morning, too) , I looked like a dang chia pet when I got home from work. When I got home and looked in the mirror, I almost screamed from scaring myself. I just stood there staring and wondering how in the world did I go all day looking like this. Lol! I will try again though to get this thing together this weekend.

 

[SweetlyBlessed]

I love me some half wigs. I wear anything from straight synthetic, human blend to human. Like everyone else has said, it's a great alternative to protecting your hair like a sewn-in but cheaper and you can take care of your hair underneath better.

My Reg:

• flatiron my hair 1x that week
• cornrow hair underneath
• spray hair daily with infusium 23, "grease" & massage scalp with MN mix or oils, seal with oils or mango butter
• take down cornrows to wash and DC weekly

I'm the diva of blending (heat is not always needed)...here are a few things I do.

• put on wig and dampen it with water with a spray bottle (along with your hair that is left out in front and braid it ALL back. when it drys your hair blends with it like a braid out (NO HEAT)
• for a lesser wavey look, section your hair and bantu knot it into the wig
• my favorite - i air dry and sometimes don't want to flatiron my hair in the front so I air dry it in a ponytail slicked down with castor oil and a scarf. with the front of my hair slicked, i make the part for the half wig and i pull up the left out hair into a lil puffed up knot that lays back over the part.
• i also bun my wigs
• also - amen to slappin a headband on

i have attached a few pics, the small dark one (with the pulled up front bun) is with another member (she's mentioned in my siggy) and i didnt ask permission to post her beautiful face.

HTH