Blonde wigs, red wigs, curly wigs, long wigs! My journey into the world of wigs started about six years ago, right around the time I began my music career. Being that I’m an African American woman, doing my natural hair is usually a long, tasking process. When I was younger, I didn’t feel like I had much of an ability to change the style of my hair. I couldn’t color it or express my style through my hair because it would break off due to the harsh chemicals. Growing up, my hair journey consisted of straightening treatments to clip-in extension, all of which would eventually damage and break off my natural hair. It was tough; as a teen, I would see friends with highlights and different hair styles that I never was able to partake in.
During college, however, I was introduced to weave hair extensions by a close friend. A weave is almost like a wig, but the hair is sewn down into braids so you can’t easily take it off. After discovering this new option, I felt like I could finally change up my look. It was a liberation I had wanted to experience for a long time. I quickly found out though that it, too, would come with its own challenges as a weave is still a high maintenance hairstyle. Having to go to the hair salon for hours to get my hair braided up — and then have the weave sewn in became too much of a task for me. After a couple years of seeing my hair dresser at the time, she mentioned to me how it might be way easier for me to just get wigs. I work on a lot of music, and since I would be doin photo shoots and music videos, she thought it might be a better route for me to go for my hair journey. It would be way simpler for me to switch things up. She was absolutely correct!
Here I am wearing some great wig looks in my most recent music video:
Wigs not only allow you to effortlessly switch up your look, but they also can really uplift your mood. Getting a new wig can give the same feeling as you get after going to the salon and getting your hair done. There are so many kinds of wigs to choose from — human hair lace fronts, synthetic lace front wigs and half-wigs are just some of the few kinds. They come in all different colors and styles. Over the past few years, I’ve probably collected at least 30 wigs. I tend to buy more realistic-looking synthetic wigs because they are more affordable than human hair wigs; the only downside is they don’t last as long. I have a couple of human hair wigs; they came at a pretty penny, but they are easier to restyle . Also, if you buy quality hair, the wig will last you a long time. I often get lots of compliments on my hair and people are so shocked when I tell them “it’s a wig”. I tell them, “Girl, you can have this look, too. It’s easy!”
From my experience in wig buying, I do have a couple words of advice for anyone looking to expand their collection.
- Be careful. Don’t get scammed when searching for wigs online. Some sites steal photos of high quality wigs and portray theirs as such. It is very important to read the reviews. If there are pictures in the reviews, look at them to see if it looks accurate to what is being advertised.
- Search the name of the wig for video reviews. Whenever I buy a wig off of the internet (where I buy most of my wigs), I always look up to see if they have a video review on YouTube that shows what the wig actually looks like. Sometimes on wig websites, it’s hard to tell what the wig actually looks like in-person because of the way they have them styled on the models.
Check out just some of my favorite looks with some of my different wigs:
Here are 3 wigs I love:
Sensationnel Cloud 9 What Lace Hairline Illusion Swiss Synthetic Lace Frontal Wig – Solana
FreeTress Equal Synthetic Baby Hair Lace Front Wig – Baby Hair 102
I think every girl should have at least one wig to wear for the days they don’t feel like doing their hair or if they just want to spice up their look.
Whitney McClain is a Pop/ R&B Singer-songwriter from Salem, Oregon. McClain has a passion for fashion and is a self-proclaimed wig connoisseur. In April 2020, Whitney McClain released her latest EP which shows a versatile fusion of Pop, Soul, R&B, titles “Letters From. A Broken Heart” — now available on all streaming platforms.
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