As we close in on 2017 with but a few hours left, it dawned on me that this was the year that I could no longer go out in public with a topper or hair fibers to disguise my hair loss.  The worst part isn’t the hair loss itself, but the fact I can’t get to go to the salon to see Adam anymore.  I loved going to get my hair washed and blown out. It took me a lifetime to finally find a hair stylist who was the greatest then I lost too much hair.

My bio hair. Yeah. I’m lucky that I was born with a ridiculously thick mane. But the thinning is cause for self-consciousness and self-esteem issues.  The natural part is wider than Moses’ parting of the Red Sea.  You can see my scalp–even when I have my hair pulled back in a pony.  It’s not worth the mess of hair fibers. It is definitely NOT worth all those mumbo-jumbo products that *cough* *cough* “promise” regrowth. Nah. I’ll spend the money on wigs!

Oh well.

2017 was the year of the wig for me.  But it’s not a bad thing at all.  I mean, after all, I no longer have a bad hair day. I can also change the style depending on the weather or my mood. If I want a bob, I can have one without putting a scissor to the tresses.  If I want to go long, no problem—I’ll just go into my closet and pick a longer length wig.

Take your choice–straight, wavy bobbed?  Can’t change up bio hair like this on a daily rotation!

Lately I’ve been going a couple of shades lighter than my once, very black hair. And I like the color change.  Curly, straight, wavy, streaked—whatever.  It’s my hair because I paid for it!

Bonaparte has also put his two-cents worth in as well.  Upon his suggestion of a shorter, layered wig, I ended up taking a cue from him and now his suggestion is one of my faves!

Quite honestly, wigs should be a part of getting ready in the morning if you not only suffer hair loss, but also if you have aging hair.  I know. I know. Many women have hair that ages much better than others.  And if you’ve spent decades dying, blow drying, flat ironing, perming and performing other various forms of abuse on your locks, chances are in your fifties or sixties, your bio hair ain’t looking that great anymore.  Fuhgeddaboudit and get a wig!

Anyway, here are some of my favorites from 2017.  And a look at other wigs I’ve worn over the past year.  Let’s have a look, shall we?

I’m a huge fan of synthetic wigs.  Synthetic hair is affordable, versatile and washes well. It is low-maintenance for the most part.  And–not all synthetic wigs are created equal.  Some synthetics are better quality than others.  You find out through trial and error.  That’s one of the reasons I am literally addicted to inexpensive wigs.  They don’t cost more than a wash and blow-dry and last longer…anyway, read on, my girlfriends…read on…

THE NUMBER ONE FAVORITE WIG OF 2017–CARRIE LACE FRONT WIG BY LAVIVID!

I can’t say enough about this wig.  If I could afford to, I would have her in every color.  Carrie is the most expensive wig I have and at $188, she is still incredibly affordable compared to other brands.  The quality of the hair is stellar.  The cap construction is the best I’ve seen.  This wig does not tangle nor does she shed and she looks better and better with each wear.  The color is Number 5, Brown Spice. 

Details of Carrie.  On the left—check out the luster.  She’s not too shiny, which I love. She’s soft but not fine and the hair is dense.  On the right, check out that parting space. It’s life!!

NUMBER TWO FAVORITE WIG OF 2017: STORM U-CURVED LACE FRONT WIG BY MODEL MODEL

Storm by Model Model.  This is in Number 4, Brown.  I have four Storms and this is the lightest color.  At around $34.00 from both Sam’sBeauty and Divatress–she is a great value.

Let me tell you, Storm missed being the Number 1 wig by a small margin. That margin was the parting space.  The U-Curve design is supposed to lend itself well to various parting space but you have to “train” the wig if you want the part anywhere else but the right side. I love a left-side part and had to train this wig.  But even so, I wore a darker version all through France this past summer and the wig stood the test of wear.

NUMBER THREE FAVORITE WIG OF 2017-PERM YAKI 14″ BY OUTRE

A shorter-medium layered style wig, Outre’s Perm-Yaki 14″ had become a favorite because she is so darned natural looking and wears so well!  She retails for $24.95 on HairtoBeauty.com.   Other sites such as Divatress also sell this.

The number three Perm Yaki 14″ is the wig that Bonaparte suggested I try.  Since he was paying, I went for it and now I’m waiting for my 4th unit to come.  This is a great wig. I wore her a lot during the week that the kids were here.  Since there was a ton of activity, I wanted to wear a wig that would not tangle from the fabric on my sweaters.  She’s great. This is also a great wig for the mature woman who doesn’t want a lot of length but wants a youthful vibe.  Low maintenance, I comb through when I’m done, net her and place her back in the package.  She’s very natural looking too.  I’m glad the Frenchman saw this one!

OTHER WIGS OF 2017:

Clary by Sensationnel Empress.  On the site she looked less curly/wavy, but I like her.

Bonaparte likes this wig more than I do.  I’m really more of a straighter haired lover. It’s most likely due to the emotional trauma of growing up with naturally frizzy hair. I have issues.  Still, I like this wig.  She’s holding up well and was less than $20.00 when I made the purchase.

Jacoba by Model Model. I picked this up at a local beauty supply store. Wearing it pulled back helps to loosen the curls.

The wig above–I saw it in a local beauty supply store on a mannequin head.  The waves were so loose and beautiful–and I like Model Model wigs as a brand. They are well-made. I paid around $23 for this wig. When I got her home I almost cried. The curls were so ridiculously tight. That’s when I realized the wig in the store looked the way it did from being handled.  I wore Jacoba pulled back for an entire day and liked the way she looked. When I took the clip out, the waves were looser.  I’m still working on this one to make the waves even more loose.  She’s a decent wig though. No tangling and nice and dense!

Konis by It’s A Wig! Konis remains one of my favorites.  I love the style because it’s kind of a no style style.  Here she is in the color  TT99J/530.

Konis is one of my favorites. I have four of this wig.  In colors ranging from black to this burgundy color.  The length isn’t too long and it doesn’t shed.  Tangling is minimal and she wears well…

Here’s another look. And I just saw that WigTypes.com is having a sale price of $23.81. A great buy!

Kimmie by Freetress Equal.  She’s a gorgeous wig but….

Kimmie by Freetress Equal was a wig I couldn’t wait to get.  Reviews were great.  And she’s beautiful.  For the first few wears.  But this wig sheds so much to the point I thought it was my bio hair–and not in a good way.  Kimmie also tangles. A lot. And the ends frizz.  The frizzy ends can be fixed with a run-through of a flat iron.  But the time I’ve spent detangling this wig–well, I would not repurchase this. As pretty as she is, the maintenance is too much for lazy me!

Claudia by Bobbi Boss.  I’ve worn her quite a bit this winter..

Claudia by Bobbi Boss.  I saw reviews and decided to get this unit.  And when I first got this, I wasn’t crazy about her at all.  The left-side parting space didn’t look right on me.  But I took her back out, shifted the wig to a right-side part and now, I’m very happy with this one.  Not pin straight, and a bit more silky than heavy-yaki, I like this as an every day wig.  She retains her shape and is completely low-maintenance.  No shedding. Minimal tangling.

Perm Yaki 18″ by Outre.  This is another beauty.

You saw the Perm Yaki 14″ at the beginning of this post.  Bonaparte picked it out.  Well, here’s the longer version.  The Perm Yaki 18″.  That four inches makes such a difference. I love this wig so much that I have four of them.  But there’s also a downside to this longer version.  It doesn’t wear as well.  I’ve learned through trial and error that this can’t be worn with heavy textured sweaters or wooly scarfs because the tangling is horrific.  This is a wig that needs to be babied and handled with care.  That’s why I only wear this on special occasions such as date night.   This wig hits so close to home for me because it is just like my bio hair when I would give it a roller set. Big and very Long Island.  Although I’m well-aware of the maintenance, I will keep getting this one!

A newbie that’s sure to be a fast favorite!  Isis Brown Sugar BS 223 in the color Raisin.

At $35, this Isis Brown Sugar BS 223 wig was on the higher side of truly inexpensive.  This wig is a goodie.  Again, it’s my favorite kind of style, a no-style, style.  The hair is thick and lustrous.  The cap is comfortable. This raisin color is really, really nice. No shedding. No tangling!

Another wig from It’s A Wig. This is Justine and I love this one too!

It’s a Wig makes great wigs.  This–Justine is a bit longer than Konis but the two are very similar.  Are you getting an idea of the kinds of wigs I like–LOL!!!

The Bobs.

Truth be told, as much as I love the bob, it’s a struggle for me.  When I had my bio hair in a bob, the maintenance was ridiculous.  It looked fine in the winter, but once the spring hit, and any bit of humidity was in the air,  my hair would turn into a frizzed-out pyramid.  You would think that wigs would solve the problem.

Well, yes—and no.  I don’t think a bobbed wig is the easiest to wear. At times, they can look very wiggy–not necessarily from the front, but from the sides and back.  Don’t get me wrong.  I still love a good bob–but as wigs, they are a challenge to find.

Millie by Bobbi Boss.  This bob is very well-constructed and is one that I do wear often.

Millie by Bobbi Boss isn’t the perfect bob for me. It looks a bit “soccer mom”–and I was a baseball/basketball/fieldhockey/irishdance/football mom.  OK????  The hair’s density is wonderful.  It is large head friendly.  I love the yaki texture and the fact it isn’t shiny.  My biggest issue is that I find myself fussing with this thing because the “bob” doesn’t lay right all day.  As I am extremely lazy, I don’t like that!

The Wig–LH Nicky Bob.  Now THIS is a bob!

LH Nicky Bob by The Wig.  The photos above don’t do this wig justice.  The lighting made the wig look a bit shiny and it isn’t.  But I love this bobbed wig. Trust me, it was hard taking the photo of the back but it isn’t uneven. This is just one of those great bobs.  There isn’t much else to say!  This is a human hair blend and was just under $30.00

Can you find the pic of me in my natural hair state?  You got it–second from left in the bottom row.

These are just some of the wigs that have gotten me through the journey of my hair loss.  And it’s fun.  Not all wigs are created the same.  Not all wigs have ended up wearing as well as I thought they would.  But at least I always have a great hair day.

Let me add, there are a ton of online wig shops for you to make your purchases.  The ones that I purchase from and are my faves are:  HairsoFlyShop; Divatress.com; Hairtobeauty.com; Locobeauty.com; Elevatestyles.com; Wigtypes.com; Glamourtress.com

And don’t forget to research, research, research and check out reviews on YouTube!

And I hope that 2018 is an even better wig year!  Happy New Year’s Eve. Be Safe and Have fun.

Love for the New Year!!! And Thank You for being with me!!