Wig Guide : Hair Terminologies

What are hair bundles? 

Bundles are the hair used to make wigs. Usually they're bundled and rolled up hence they're called bundles. 

What do the grades in wigs mean?

When discussing wigs grades always come up. Grades are the industry's method of differentiating the differing quality of different hair. The higher the grade ther better. What defines the grade is the number of small strands used to make a visible strand. The more strands used the stronger the hair is which increases the hair's quality.

What are Handmade & Machine Made Wigs?

Handmade wigs as the name implies, are sewn by hand as to a sewing machine. Hand made wigs tend to have more volume as 300 grams of hair is normally used. Machine Made Wigs are usually lighter weighing 270 grams.

What is a closure? 

What is a closure? 

Sometimes referred to as a lace, a closure is the strip of lace in front of a wig, which one cuts off according to one's hairline. Closures allow for one to open lines on a wig. Where there's a lace closure one can open a line/parting. Alot of times closures are referred to by their measurements i.e 4×4, 13×4. The first figure represents the length of the closure (the part that runs along your hairline) & the second figure represents how far into the wig cap does the lace closure go. So 13×4 means the length of closure is 13inches and the lines you can open are 4inches

Different Types of Closures : 

Tpart or 13×1 Closure

This is called a tpart because the shape of the lace is a T. You can only have 1 line opening on this type of closure. The cap won't allow you to open other lines but you can adjust the wig to move the line side to side as some people do.

3part or 4×4 Closure

A 3part/4×4 closure, sometimes referred to as a lace closure, is a square shaped lace that allows one to open about 3 lines/partings hence its called a 3part closure. One parting in the centre and two on the sides. 

Full Frontal or 13×4 Closure

Frontals are wigs that contain a closure that runs across & covers the front of the hairline, so it looks like your own head of hair as to a wig. Frontals allow you to open lines across any part of the hair you'd like as well as allowing you to tie up your wig into a ponytail or to add baby hair's. 

What is a 360 lace closure? 

A 360 lace frontal closure, refers to a lace closure that surrounds your entire head by 360 degrees hence the name. 360 closures are absolutely stunning and allows one to do things you can't do with other closures whilst allowing you to do everything other closures do. One of the things you can do with a 360 closure is tie the hair into a bum which you can't do with other closures. 

What does Virgin Hair mean?

The term virgin hair refers to unprocessed hair. It's hair that hasn't gone through any chemical processing like bleaching and dyeing. The processes alter the characteristics of hair but also damage it in the process. So virgin hair is hair free of any process and still in its natural prime condition.

What is Remy Hair?

Remy hair is the the highest quality hair in the industry at the moment. Remy Hair is hair that was collected from humans with the cuticle still intact. Not only does this give the hair a more natural look but almost never tangles, especially compared to other types of hair. 

What is synthetic hair? 

This type of hair isn't human hair — it's a synthetic material that looks like hair. It comes in various lengths and styles and is made from plastic fibers that look like real hair, but differ in quality.

Brazilian Hair vs Peruvian Hair

A lot of people assume one type is naturally better than the other.. the differences are in the characteristics of the hairs and not the quality itself. Other factors still come into play like the grade of the hair the processes its been through. But fundamentally before anything is done to them, peruvian hair is straighter, thicker and a bit more coarse compared to brazilian hair. 

What is installing a wig? 

Installing a wig is a process where one applies a bit of adhesive glue around the hairline's perimeter (without getting it into any of your own hair); and then putting the wig on and in place by bonding it to the glue. The wig will effectively be glued onto one's head making it blend and look much more natural than when just putting it on. Only closures with lace closures need to be installed. Wigs like fringes and razor cuts don't need to be installed. 

What is Sewing-in?

This is another type of installation but instead of glueing an already made wig, one has the bundles of hair sown into their hair, normally into cornrows. 

What is customisation / pre-plucking & bleaching knots 

Bleaching or lightening the knot on the wigs is when you use chemicals (professional bleach) to make the lace lighter. The bleach used to bleach the knots will remove the colour from the lace in an irreversible chemical reaction. Bleaching the knots will allow for a more natural look that you are sure to love. This process will also make the wig appear as if it is coming out of your scalp. When the lace is bleached it decreases the visibility of the knots on the lace. When bleaching the knots, it takes away the dark spots and they appear invisible. On the other hand bleaching, the knots can also lessen the durability of the lace, so you have to ensure while bleaching your knots you are doing it the proper way. 

What does density mean?

Wig density is the amount of hair that is added into the cap to create different looks and styles. These percentages help to explain how thick or thin the hair on the wig cap looks and feels. When understanding wig density, it is important to recognise the difference between hair density and hair thickness. 

What is Volume?

Volume typically refers to how much hair was used in making the wig. More volume means more hair was used in making the wig compared to a standard wig.