0
Items
£0.00
When utilising wig making skills to create a natural looking blond hair wig for the stage, it is vital you go bold with the mixing of blonde tresses in a human hair wig. Solid blonde highlights and darker blonde lowlights are absolutely essential to add depth and dimension to your finished blonde hair wig. By being too subtle and not going full on streaky, all that will be seen by your audience is a flat and toneless blonde . Of course if you are going for a bleached straight out of the bottle blonde then hey presto, job done. Adding a darker root shade to your blonde hair wig creates even more depth.
Your Audience Is So Far Away!
What you need to remember here is that your audience is quite a distance from your blonde hair wig and the artist/ performer wearing it. The further away the audience the more lines are blurred. Even in the most intimate of theatres the audience will never get a chance to get too up close and personal. This must be taken into account when making your blonde hair wig. Many a time I have made a wig that looks fabulous on the artist whilst in the dressing room, only to find a flat and dull blonde once it has hit the stage.
It Ain’t Cricket: But Streak!
Okay. So what we need to do is think about those long cricket games and the occasional lady or gentleman that gets bored with the proceedings and decides to throw caution to the wind, as well as their clothes and STREAK!
When knotting hair into your blonde hair wig for use in theatre, streaking is most definitely the answer. Bold strips of blonde hair is what is needed. Within your wig, imagine areas on the foundation lace about the size of a 5 pence piece, then think about 5 pounds worth. Imagine a random pattern and fill the discs with your blonde hair. A good mix of both highlights and lowlights all over will fit the bill.
Blonde Hair Wig Mixology
When knotting a wig I personally prefer to handmix my colours as I go. I like to control my freak fully and knot the hair exactly where I want it to go. This allows me to constantly monitor the blend and adjust according.
I usually use about 8 shades for a blonde hair wig:
A base shade which is used all over.
Blonde hair one tone darker is then blended into the base and used at the nape of the blonde hair wig and throughout the back.
A blonde tone one shade lighter is then mixed into the base on the top of the blonde hair wig and towards the front.
Then a shade almost bordering white will be knotted into the front edge of the wig.
What About The 5 Quid?
That is the blonde hair wig so far. The wig, at this point, would be ready for it’s close up. This wig would be showing it’s subtle hues and tones and be shimmering with a natural yellow glow. Perfect for a client or a television or film production. Subtle and natural and a vision to behold.
What about the 5 pence piece discs I hear you cry? Well, as stated before, this wig would not cut it for a theatre production. Think flat as a pancake, or a 1920s Flapper Girl’s chest. Get your streak on and go bold.
The Highs And The Lows
There are 4 shades of blonde left for my blonde hair wig. Two shades for the highlights and two shades for the lowlights. The highs are 3 and 4 shades lighter and the lows 3 and 4 shades darker than my base shade. They are randomly knotted into the wig in all those imagined 5 pence holes that have been left.
Now it would be ridiculous to leave many gaps in your wig when knotting your base shades. These holes would be filed as you progressed through your wig. Hair mixology!
Get creative and keep it random folks! The more random the pattern the more natural the result achieved. You will be left with a gorgeous blonde hair wig that will look a million dollars on stage.
Getting To The Root Of It
To add that extra Va Va Voom to your blonde hair wig, root shading the hair will create a depth and aid in it’s natural finish. Snap on some latex gloves and get your tinting brush out. Flash on a bit of Wella Colour Touch 5/0 through your roots. Deep!
Adding blonde hair highlights and blonde lowlights. Giving dimension to your roots with a little colour. You have taken your blonde hair wig and made it very stage ready indeed. Have fun with it. Experiment as you go and more importantly take a big step back and admire your work.
Philip Carson-Sheard
Wig Making Classes
WAM Studio
London