We Love Wigs

Honestly cannot even believe this is real. 

Two summers ago, I made the decision to go public about having alopecia after keeping it a secret for basically my entire life. Last summer, I started a Youtube channel about alopecia and wigs to share my experiences with other people going through the same things. Through that, I became connected with what had always been my favorite wig company, Rene of Paris/Amore. In January, they flew me out to LA to meet them in person, and to be a part of their spring catalog and a couple of short videos modeling their new wigs. 

It’s unbelievable to me that just 2 years ago, if anyone asked if I was wearing a wig, my heart would start racing, and questions would put me on the verge of a panic attack. But by being public about it, I was able to see how sharing my struggle can actually help other people that are just starting to develop alopecia and don’t know how to handle it. It’s also opened tremendous opportunities for me I never would have gotten to experience otherwise.

I’ve never seen such a huge colour palette in my liiiiife.

I was supposed to post this last night (it is now 5 am) but we got back to the apt and I crashed. I’ve been consistently waking up at 4-5am since forever, so there’s that.

Anyway, this shop is a place called Assist Wig. I’ve visited two of their locations, Ikebukuro (pictured above) and Akihabara (as seen on Instagram) and bought two wigs from their basic line, one in a dark blue and one in a pastel green.

The wig quality is quite nice; their basic wigs lean a little on the thin side but the premium ones are thicker. As far as I can tell, they generally just come in one default style, which is straight – no curls here! But I’ve looked at their styled examples and watched them style a Saber wig and the wigs look good to work with. I will be curling one of mine so we’ll see what happens, but my god, is it strange/wonderful to see so many colours; I’ve been looking for that pastel green for over a year and hadn’t yet found one I was satisfied with.

Best of all: they ship internationally! We were greeted by a big ol sign telling us so.

Their website is here: www.assistcosplay.com

For those of you going to Japan sometime, the best directions I can give you in this land without street names:

The Ikebukuro location is up what is colloquially called Otome Rd; it’s a little west of Tokyu Hands, across the highway; it has a bright pink banner so you shouldn’t miss it, but there’s a cafe next door and a K-Books and Mandarake next to that. The Akihabara location is a few shops north of Animate, which has a giant blue sign you can’t miss; Assist is on the second floor of a little store that sells vintage video games. (I’ve never seen so many copies of FF7 in my life.)

How to Splice Two Wigs Together

Human hair lace wigs Vs Synthetic lace wigs/ Dupes

don’t ever underestimate synthetic hair

1. http://youtu.be/TiLKLjdB4iw

Wig shown: http://www.myfirstwig.com/darlene-malaysian-human-hair-bob-wigs-with-bangs-mfb002-p-25.html?zenid=1330d7a49ae8c6dc8b8df39785401e57

$240+

Dupe http://youtu.be/R4w7qxRKFxg

http://www.hairstopandshop.com/shop/pc/Isis-Collection-Brown-Sugar-Full-wig-BS108-p17324.htm

$29.95

2. http://youtu.be/hXm-8LhhaZk

http://www.evawigs.com/all-wigs/555-big-wave-long-hair-2015-trending-style-full-lace-human-hair-wig.html

$309+

Dupe http://youtu.be/VdrF_jeKXkQ

http://www.wigtypes.com/the_wig_brazilian_human_hair_blend_lace_front_wig_lh_ocean.php

$42.99

3. http://youtu.be/B2RpI_su9oc

http://www.rpgshow.com/stock-full-lace-human-hair-wig-wavy-els133s-p-524.html

$305.99

Dupe: http://youtu.be/hbZb-aDSyzI

http://www.hairstopandshop.com/shop/pc/Motown-Tress-Front-Lace-LDP-SHORE-Wig-2p3328.htm

$31.95

4. http://youtu.be/udw7yGvXxD0

http://www.myfirstwig.com/alexis-malaysian-hair-simply-flawless-full-lace-wig-mfs002-p-2.html?ytb=85896

$240+

dupe http://youtu.be/qOtwZ4chn0o

http://www.wigtypes.com/isis_brown_sugar_human_hair_blend_silk_lace_wig_bs604_4x4_full_lace_front.php?gclid=COaO1a6dqsoCFdUSHwodPH4GqQ

$36.49

5. http://youtu.be/qLIdJy10ry0

http://www.rpgshow.com/stock-ombre-color-full-lace-wig-rt001s-p-6391.html

$329.99

Dupe http://youtu.be/-8Zeti0-ELo

http://www.wigtypes.com/outre_synthetic_u_part_lace_front_wig_irene_futura.php

I get a lot of compliments and questions about my hair, i.e. “what products do you use…” “how long did it take to grow out…” “are you completely natural…” “your hair is slayeddddd…” etc. So I thought I’d finally let you guys in on a little secret…

This hair right here…

Its a weave. 

Thats right.

This is weave.

I decided to make this post because there are a lot of beautiful natural girls on this website who have inboxed me asking about how I care for and grow out my hair, and to be honest, I don’t like being deceiving. Especially to people who are so giving in their compliments and generally interested in natural hair. I also wanted to help make fellow natural hair girls aware of this company in particular because they are able to customize textures in order to match your own hair. This can come in handy for women (or men) who have just big chopped but are looking to have a protective style that can still match their desired aesthetic. When I decided to go natural, I really wanted to stick to this particular look of big, curly hair while growing out my own. So I did some research on hair, had some other trial and error with different hair companies, and ultimately came across Boho Exotic Studio hair company which I absolutely love and adore. 

This hair is 1 ½ bundles of the Jamaican Envy Curl texture in 14 and 16 inches. I purchased it in August of 2014, and here it is over a year later still working its magic and slaying life. It is definitely one of the best investments I’ve made in terms of hair because of the longevity of the hair and the versatility in textures that are offered by this company. I’ve had about 4 different installs with this same hair for 2-3 months time period each install and have yet to have any complaints about it. On top of that, they have a referral program that allows you to make a commission off of family or friends that may purchase from them.