Colourful wigs for costume parties
In Britain and most Commonwealth nations, special wigs are also worn by barristers, judges, and certain parliamentary and municipal or civic officials as a symbol of the office. The original purpose of the legal wig was said to provide a form of anonymity and safety (i.e. disguise). Today, Hong Kong barristers and judges continue to wear wigs as part of court dress as an influence from their former jurisdiction of the Commonwealth of Nations. In July 2007, judges in New South Wales, Australia voted to discontinue to wearing of wigs in the NSW Court of Appeal. New Zealand lawyers and judges have ceased to wear wigs except for special ceremonial occasions such as openings of Parliament or the calling of newly qualified barristers to the bar.
A number of celebrities, including Dolly Parton and Raquel Welch have popularized wigs. Cher has worn all kinds of wigs in the last 40 years- from blonde to black, and curly to straight. They may also be worn for fun as part of fancy dress (costume wearing), when they can be of outlandish colour or made from tinsel. They are quite common at Halloween, when "rubber wigs" (solid bald cap-like hats, shaped like hair), are sold at some stores.
Orthodox Jewish religious law (Halakha) requires married women to cover her hair for reasons of modesty. Some women wear wigs, known as a sheitel, for this purpose.
Wigs are used in film, theater, and television. In the film and television genre, Jidaigeki, wigs are used extensively to alter the cast's hair styles to reflect the Edo Period when most stories take place. Only a few actors starring in big-budgeted films and television series will grow their hair so that it may be cut to the appropriate hair style, and forgo using a wig.
Today, wigs are worn by some people on a daily or occasional basis in everyday life. This is sometimes done for reasons of convenience, since wigs can be styled ahead of time. They are also worn by individuals who are experiencing hair loss due to medical reasons (most commonly cancer patients who are undergoing chemotherapy or those who are suffering from alopecia areata).
Another use seen in modern day society is for men who crossdress as women, wigs are used to make the men have more feminine hair in all sorts of styles.
Manufacture
There are two major methods of wig manufacture currently in use, traditional and automated. The traditional method produces finer wigs and is used to produce customized wigs, particularly in film and theatrical productions. Machine made wigs are cheaper and are commonly found for novelty use.
Measurement
Making customized wigs starts by taking measurements of the subject's head. Any existing hair is arranged into tight knots against the head and various measurements are taken. Sometimes a copy of the head is made by marking overtop clear plastic wrap placed over the scalp. This allows for the marking of the natural hairline. These measurements are then transferred to a wigform.
Framework
A product called wig lace or sometimes wig netting is placed over the wigform. Wig lace is a fine lace comprised of polygonal cells. It can be made from natural or synthetic fibers. Finer lace is used on the edges to blend imperceptibly into the skin. Heavier lace is used towards the center to provide structual support. The lace is trimmed and sewn into the proper shape.
Hair preparation
Hair used for wigs is assorted by length, color, and source (human, animal, synthetic). The wigmaker selects one or more sources of hair dependant on the intended wig design. The hair is then aligned on a device called a hackle. This straightens the hair so that individual strands may selected quickly and also separates out weaker strands which are left on the hackle. If multiple types of hair are selected, the process also serves to evenly mix the different varieties.
Ventilation
The process of tying strands of hair onto the wig lace is known as ventilation. The hair is folded in half so that strands may be plucked from their center. Wigmakers use a tool called a wig hook to select one or more stands of hair at a time to tie to the lace. The hook is specially bent to facilitate the tying of what is referred to as the ventilation knot. This is effectively the same technique used in the construction of handmade rugs. Because the knot is tied from the midpoint of the strand, the source hair must be at least twice as long as the length of the completed wig; with extra length needed to account for styling. The wigmaker ties the hair onto specific edges of the individual lace cells in order to influence the grain of the wig. In the center of the wig, where high density is needed detail is obfuscated, multiple strands are tied at once. At the edges of the hairline, only one or two strands of hair are applied at a time
Styling
At this point, the hair on the wig is all the same length. The wig must be styled into the desired form in much the same manner as a regular stylist.
Fitting
The subject's natural hair is again knotted tightly against the head and the wig is applied. Any remaining superfluous wiglace is trimmed away. Hairpins can be used to secure the lace to the hair and occasionally, skin-safe adhesives are used to adhere the wig against bald skin and to better hide any exposed lace. Finishing touches are done to the hair styling to achieve the desired effect.
