How to choose your first wig.

If this is your first wig, the vocabulary is the hardest part. Density, monofilament, 360 lace, cap size — it reads like a different language, and most of it is written for people who already know what they want.

So here is the honest version. There are four decisions. Everything else is detail you can settle later, or with us in the room.

01Start with fit

Fit is the one people skip and the one that ruins a wig. A cap that is slightly too big slides and lifts at the nape. A cap that is slightly too small sits high, feels tight across the forehead and gives you a headache by the afternoon. Neither is a hair problem, and no amount of styling fixes it.

Three measurements decide your cap size:

• Circumference — all the way around your head, along the hairline and just above the ears.
• Front to nape — from your hairline at the front, over the crown, to the base of your skull.
• Ear to ear — across the top of your head from one ear to the other.

Most ready-to-wear wigs come in petite, average and large, and most have adjustable straps inside giving roughly an inch of movement. That is usually enough. If you fall between sizes, or if you have no hair underneath and nothing to grip, that is worth saying out loud at a fitting — it changes what we'd put on your head.

02Cap construction

The cap is the base the hair is attached to. It decides where you can part the hair, whether you can pull it back, and how convincing the hairline looks up close. It also drives most of the price difference between two wigs that look similar in a photograph.

Machine-made & wefted

Hair sewn in rows onto a fabric cap. Hard-wearing, holds its shape, usually the most affordable, and often the fullest looking. The trade-off is that the parting is fixed and the hairline is not sheer, so it reads best styled forward or with a fringe.

Lace front

A panel of sheer lace along the front hairline, with hairs tied in individually. Up close it looks as though the hair is growing from your skin, and you can brush it back off your face. The lace itself is delicate, so it wants a gentle hand.

Monofilament top

A fine mesh at the crown with hairs hand-tied through it, so you can see what looks like scalp between the strands and move the parting wherever you like. If people tend to look at the top of your head — or if you are covering thinning at the crown — this is the one that earns its money.

Lace front with a monofilament top

Both of the above. A natural hairline and a movable part. For most first-time wearers this is the sweet spot, and it is what we reach for most often.

360 lace

Lace all the way around the perimeter, so the hairline is sheer at the back and sides as well as the front. This is what lets you wear a real ponytail or an updo without the edge of the cap showing.

Full lace

The entire cap is lace. Maximum styling freedom, the lightest to wear in warm weather, and the most expensive and most fragile. Lovely, but rarely the right first wig.

03Density

Density is how full a wig feels and looks. Some women love a lighter finish; others want all the volume. The right choice depends on your preferences, comfort, and the look you want to create.

• Around 100–120% — light. Closest to fine or mature hair, and often the most believable.
• Around 130% — medium, and the most common. Natural on most people.
• Around 150% — full. Noticeable body, still wearable every day.
• 180% and above — very full. Striking, heavier to wear, and warmer in an Alabama summer.

Density can always be reduced by thinning it out. It cannot be added. So if you are torn, start lighter — and remember that a shorter cut makes any density read fuller.

04Length, texture and bangs

Length is the easiest thing to change and the hardest to undo. Chin length is crisp and low-effort; shoulder length is the most versatile; mid-chest gives movement; long is the most dramatic and the most maintenance. You can always go shorter later. You cannot go longer.

Texture is worth matching to your routine rather than your mood board. Straight shows every bit of shine and every bit of damage. A soft wave hides the most and needs the least. Curls are gorgeous and ask the most of you.

Bangs are the thing most people are surprised by. The majority of wigs are sold without a fringe — so if you want one, it is usually cut in for you rather than bought that way. That is a good thing: a fringe cut to your face and your parting looks far better than one made to a pattern. Your consultation includes a face-framing cut or bangs for the wig you buy.

05What we'd pick for a first wig

If you asked us to choose for someone who has never worn hair before, and we knew nothing else about them, it would look like this:

1. A lace front with a monofilament top — a believable hairline and a parting you can move.
2. Around 130% density, because it reads natural on almost everyone.
3. Shoulder length, because it suits the most faces and the most mornings.
4. A soft wave, because it is the most forgiving on a day you have no time.
5. No bangs on the shelf — decide that once it is on your head.

That is a starting point, not a prescription. Plenty of people are happier somewhere else entirely, and the only way to know is to try pieces on.

If you'd like a more personal starting point before you come in, the Wig Finder asks six questions and suggests where to begin. It takes about two minutes.

06What to ask at your fitting

1. What cap size am I, and how did you measure it?
2. Where does the lace sit, and how is this secured without glue?
3. What density suits my face and my own hair?
4. Can the hairline, the parting or the cut be customised — and what does that cost?
5. How do I wash it, and how long should it last with my routine?
6. What happens if it doesn't feel right once I've worn it a week?

A consultation is 90 minutes, private, and includes a fitting and a face-framing cut or bangs for the wig you choose. There is no pressure to buy anything on the day.

Reserve your consultation Try the Wig Finder