I’m almost two years into my natural hair journey and would describe my collarbone length hair as still in the “awkward phase”–not quite long enough to make a bun without a little Marley hair but long enough that I can get a good size ‘fro (if I pick out my roots”>.
As a protective style, I braid my hair into chunky “Bye Felicia” braids and wear wigs almost daily. I like to have fun with styles and colors, having a believable looking style isn’t exactly my priority. When I do want my curly wigs to look super natural, I take one of two approaches.
For a 3c/4a curl…
I start with the “Creta Girl” wig by Freetress. I finger comb it for volume and a less defined curl. Be careful during this step, you don’t want to over fluff. Once it’s combed out, that’s it! It’s synthetic hair so it doesn’t bounce back like human hair will.
I don’t worry about parting and simply push it over to one side. Since these are on the cheap side, I don’t worry about washing it or trying to bring it back to life after too many wears. I simply replace it and use the older wig for creating buns or other styles. You can watch me style this wig from beginning to end below:
To get more of a wave…
I start with a wig that has a bigger Shirley Temple curl, this time I used the “Alexis” wig by Sensationnel. Whenever I play with color I like to find a wig with dark roots. It’s just so much easier when it comes to blending and it’s a much more realistic look.
Finger combing doesn’t work really well for these types of wigs. (You’ll get more of a noodle shape than a texturized, voluminous wave.”> I use a paddle brush to comb out the curls in sections to get the most fluffiness I can. If you’re worried about having too much volume, brush out the bottom and middle sections, leaving the top section of curls intact. I left out a tiny bit of my hairline out to blend but kept the rest of my hair braided and protected. Here’s how I styled the “Alexis” wig from start to finish.
I prefer wigs over sew-ins or braids because I like to be able to take them off at night to moisturize my ends and oil my scalp. By using these wigs as protective styles, I can keep my hair from being over manipulated and it’s been growing extremely fast just by being left alone. I highly recommend everyone add a wig or two to their arsenal. Warning— they can be VERY addicting.
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