Wig making and styling tips for hairdressers

Session stylist and ASP colour rebel Darrel Starkey shares his thoughts on why more hairdressers should be making and styling wigs. As we progress through our careers and our skills develop, we as hairdressers find our niche and the things we love within our industry, and for me this has in recent times become wigs. Wig making and styling is something I have an incredible passion for, and a desire to highlight. Wig making and styling is something so amazing – the endless techniques you will learn, the skills you will develop and the addition of this to your services will set you aside from your peers and elevate you to a whole new level. It’s something much more unique and your creativity is always pushed to the limit. But why wigs?

It's Different

Not many people will have this skill and in all honesty, I really do feel it is great to have. It’s something different, something special and so rare – sometimes it’s great to be different and on this occasion it will only be a positive for you, your career and your business.

You Open Up to a New Market

Wig making and styling is not only great for our own skills and career progression, but for your brand and business this will open you up to a whole new market – from those who perhaps experience hair loss through stress or illness, or those who want to try something completely different. In turn, it will be a huge addition to your services on offer.

You Can Transform a Look Instantly

Being able to offer wigs to your clients, when working behind the scenes at fashion week or on photographic shoots can transform a look instantly – you have no idea how incredible it is when being able to do so. You can go from a short pixie cut, to gorgeous long flowing locks in minutes. This is fantastic especially on shoots or shows when you have minimal time in-between changes and looks.

It Adds to your Services and CV

Who doesn’t love adding to their CV? It heightens your skills and can be the reason you are picked for a team, shoot or show over another individual if this is something you have a passion for or specialise in. A lot of teams, art directors and more recently celebrities, experiment and have an interest in wigs and this is a great addition to any CV.

My Top Wig Tips

1. Practice, Practice, Practice

Like with anything, practice makes perfect, however I cannot stress enough how much you must continually practice and put the hours into forever learning and enhancing your skill with wigs. It is such a niche area of hairdressing and whether you are wig making or styling, do what you can to learn every single detail possible.

2. Experiment with Styling Tools and Products

Working with wigs is a lot different to working on real hair; you need to experiment with products and tools until you find the right combination for the looks you wisht to create. Think outside the box a little.

3. Make Mistakes

Don’t be afraid to make mistakes – this is how you learn. For me, I made several mistakes as I was self-taught – this is the reason why I know how to get to my final hair destination.  If something goes wrong, embrace it – you never know, you may end up achieving your goal in a completely different way by trying something new. Check out celebrity hairdresser and wig maker Jay Birmingham's wig making process here.