Wig Making - Blocking and Setting Assessment

Before the holiday, I did my blocking and setting assessment in wig making class. As before, it consisted of attaching the wig to the block, wetting the hair, applying the rollers, setting and removing to reveal the style. It was a brick set, and I feel I'm getting more confident doing these, especially because I missed our first demo on this in hairdressing class.

Here is the proces, and the end result:

Rollers applied to wet hair.

View from front - you can see the blocking technique clearly.

End result.

To be honest, wig class isn't my favourite so I'm glad to have passed this assessment and completed wig work for the time being!

Gill :) x

Wig Making - Blocking and Setting

Last time, I explained how to block a wig so it can be washed and set. I'm really getting the hang of blocking - I can do it quite quickly now!

Once the wig is secured tightly to the block, it is then washed. It is done normally with shampoo and conditioner, but you have to be careful not to completely submerge the malleable block. It is protected with cling film, but if water gets in the sawdust starts to go mouldy and the block loses its rigidity.

Here is my blocked and washed wig:

 Next, we set the wig using metal rollers and stonkers to secure them in place. Metal rollers are used because the set is dried using a wig oven, so plastic materials would melt. The metal ones are also better at holding heat. Obviously, if we were setting a normal head we wouldn't use stonkers to secure the rollers, but since this is just a sawdust head so we aren't hurting anyone!

This is the wig once rollers have been fitted:

This is a traditional brick set, but depending on what character is trying to be created, different setting techniques can be used. I placed my head in the wig oven for about 20 minutes, then when I took it out and removed the rollers there were lovely curls all over the head :)

Not bad for a first attempt!

Gill x

Wig Making - Blocking

In wig making class this week we all moved on from the wig wraps and learned how to block a lace front wig so it can be set and dressed. This process involves securing the wig to a malleable block so it can be shampooed, dried and styled to whatever look is trying to be achieved.

First, we start by collecting our resources. For this we need:

• A lace front wig
• Malleable block - this is a head-shaped block stuffed with sawdust. It is soft to touch but firm inside as the sawdust is packed together. The wigs are pinned on to it for washing and dressing.
• Cling film - The whole block is covered in cling film before the wig is washed. This protects it from water damage.
• Lills - also known as dressmaking pins. Small, thin pins used to attach the wig to the block.
• Stonkers - large, longer pins used to hold the wig in place on the block. They can be taken out onces the first few lills have been inserted.
• Galloon - a ribbon-like piece of material, which is used with lills to secure down the lace section of the wig. As the lace is delicate and could rip, the galloon acts as an extra layer of protection against the pins.

We have to secure the wig entirely, so lills are pinned all round the hairline. Where there is lace, a galloon is used to protect it, so the galloon is placed on the edge of the lace and normally goes across the front of the hairline (at the forehead) and taken round the sideburns. The lills are inserted into the block through the galloon about half an inch apart, and in a zig-zag shape. This ensures the galloon is secure. Around the back of the wig, at the nape, a galloon is not needed. So the lills are simply inserted evenly until they meet the galloon at the front. If there is any excess left of the galloon once the entire wig is pinned, these are pinned at the front (where the chin would be on the face) so they are kept out of the way.

The following is mine and Debbie's finished blocked wig. From here, this can be washed and dressed accordingly. I've labelled the pictures so you can see each individual part:

Here's a close up of the galloon, secured with lills at the side of the head:

I've enlarged both of the pictures so it is clear to see the lills. I found the process a bit fiddly at first - I kept dropping the lills and jabbing myself with them! - but with practise I'm sure I'll get the hang of it.

More to come next week :) x

The History of Wigs

A wig is essentially a piece of hair which is fitted to the head for either improving or changing one's appearance or to hide hair loss. Today, a large variety of hair pieces - such as extensions, weaves, etc - are used by people to enhance their hair for fashion purposes, and both natural and synthetic pieces are worn. Wigs and hair pieces are also used extensively in TV, film and theatre to create a variety of characters. However, throughout the ages, wigs have been used for many different purposes. Here are a few examples!

Ancient Rome

Julius Caesar

In Roman times, hair was seen as sacred and people considered washing, cutting and dressing their hair to be something of a ritual. Wigs were worn by both men and women soared in popularity at the establishment of the Empire - during Livia's reign (58 B.C.-A.D. 29) more attention was paid to hair and how it could be styled. Empress Messalina (A.D. 17-48) was famous for her yellow wigs, which she would wear when she visited brothels. In fact, Roman prostitutes also wore yellow wigs to assert their status and profession. Women in Rome usually wore wigs to look younger and improve their appearance, but men wore them to hide their age - Julius Caesar (100-44 B.C.) wore a wig and laurel leaves to hide the fact that he was balding.

16th Century

By the 16th Century, wigs of varying shapes and sizes were an every day items for ladies, and they were starting to become more popular with men. This was largely due to the influence of Queen Elizabeth I, whose reign began in 1558. Women dyed their hair red to emulate the Queen's natural hue, and her extensive collection of wigs influenced a lasting trend. Catherine de’ Medici (1519-1589) even paid a woman to provide hair for her daughter's wig, and Mary Queen of Scots (1542-1587) amassed an even larger collection of wigs than Elizabeth I.

18th Century

Louis XIV

The popularity of wigs maintained throughout the start of the 18th Century. People even rioted in Caen, France because of a flour shortage - aristocrats were using flour to adorn their wigs, but it was badly needed to make bread. The Death of King Louis XIV of France, however, changed the trend for grandiose, extravagant wigs to more natural-looking ones. Louis was famous for his hair - he began to bald prematurely, so he was never seen without it. He even hired over 40 wig makers to get it right, and adorned it with perfume and powder. People began to copy his style and, in contrast to today, looking old was 'in'.
By Louis' death, however, people were more interested in blending wigs with their natural hair to create a more natural look. Wigs gradually started to get smaller, and the toupee was born. This new trend had a very negative effect for wig makers - there was even a law pass to make sure men bought and wore wigs, as more and more men were favouring their natural hair. Wigs quickly began to be a symbol of the aristocracy and, by the beginning of the 19th Century, wigs were only really worn by elderly or conservative men.

20th Century

The Beatles

Wigs made a comeback in the mid-20th Century. They were worn by Hollywood actors and actresses and people who wanted to disguise hair problems. Their convenience made them easier than ever to wear and maintain - many women took theirs to the hairdresser to be washed, coloured, styled, etc, and it even became possible to buy pre-bleached wigs. By the 1960s, the popularity of The Beatles came with new trends in hair, and more people wore wigs in order to emulate their Mod-style haircuts. Wigs were no longer stigmatised or worn only by select groups, they were once again a fashion statement and continued the trend for copying hairstyles of respected figures - which was, in the case of the late 20th and early 21st Century, celebrities.

Wigs are still used extensively today, in fact it is more common than ever to see people - particularly women - wearing some kind of hair piece to enhance their natural style. They are also used greatly in fashion, from commercial to couture, to create a variety of modern looks. As technology progresses, I imagine wigs will continue to grow in popularity and new styles and techniques will be developed.

Wig Making - Wig Wraps

This is my first ever post about Wig Making class, because we've really just been practising over the last few weeks! But I did my Wig Wrap assessment on Monday and I passed :) More good news!

Wig wraps are essentially a mould of the head which are passed to wig makers, and they are made so the actor's wig fits them perfectly.
We start by pin curling the entire head, using kirby grips. We use kirby grips because they act as an achor for the wig, and they must always face towards the back of the head so as not to damage the lining of the wig. The hair at the front of the head is pin curled away from the hairline, so we can properly measure the hairline and so the hair at the front is pulled out of the way.

Once this is finished, we lay a large sheet of cling film over the head - usually the client helps hold it in place - and secure it at the nape of the neck and forehead with sellotape to hold it in place. From there, the process of moulding begins. The head is essentially taped all over so the shape of the head can be created. This is done by applying a few layers of tape. At the end, the shape of the head should be clearly defined, and there should be some excess cling film at the forehead, nape and ears - if, when applying tape, the cling film shrinks back and stops covering the hairline, then a larger sheet is required over the top.

Finally, we use marker pen to draw round the hairline. This process has to be exact, so that the wig will fit accurately and cover the original hair properly. From there, the excess cling film is cut off and we are left with a head-shaped mould which should fit the head, cover all hair and be tight enough to stay on.

Here's my wig wrap I did on John:

As you can see, the entire hairline is covered at the front to hide his natural hair. The wrap was done quite tightly, but not enough to be uncomfortable - this is seen in the top picture, the wrap fits snugly on his head.

I'm happy I passed the assessment, especially because I had been off and missed the demonstration!

More to come soon :)

Gill