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[Eibii]

Okay, here's the lowdown. I've got a somewhat longish auburn wig I'm planning to use for my upcoming (?) Shion Uzuki costume from Xenosaga.

For the sake of reference on her hair... http://eibii.faeriewings.net/img_sg_shion_face.jpg

Seems like it's straightforward enough, right? Alas. I think I'm trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. The hair on my wig seems to be just too *thin* to make a decently thick braid out of. (Not to mention parting that plait on the side has turned into a hassle. -_-) Is there any way I can add more volume to the braids? Should I just try to sew in more wefts of hair - or should I wrap the sections of hair around something, and *then* braid them? (I'm recalling a somewhat similar method from Katie Bair's Shiva wig, here - erk, sorry, Kate. -_-)

As far as those sticky-up bits go, I'm figuring pomade or caulk would work (would caulk be too heavy-duty?). The swept-back portion that exposes her hairline has me puzzled - alas, my wig is probably ghetto enough that anything trying to show off my forehead would really, um, suck, to say the least. The bangs on the wig I have now are very, very thick, to boot. Should I just ditch that part? I want to be as accurate as possible, but... hm.

... Nearly all the problems (save for maybe that volume thing) *may* be solved by just buying a new wig and restarting from there, but I'm strapped for cash as well as time, and would like to see if I can make the wig I have right now useful before I dig in my pockets again.

So, um, yeah. Any ideas? Or, um, something. -_- Thanks.

[archangeli]

Shion is Ep. 2 doesn't have the braids anymore - you could always go that route

[DarkGunner]

No, no there's no reason for you to go buy a new wig. You can simply buy an extension of some sort. www.drlocks.net has a good selection. Buy as many as you think you need to be able to make a braid that thick, one may do the trick if you intertwine it with the wig itself. As far as the stickuppity things, for one of my wigs I actually used strong hold aqua net hairspray and used clips and pins to hold in place while it dried. Worked quite well surprisingly.

[Eibii]

Heh! Episode II Shion is, to say the least, kinda out of the question, seeing as how it's 3 weeks to con and I don't even have the Episode I Vector outfit quite finished yet. ^^; (Plus, well, call me picky, but I like doing costumes I actually say I'm gonna do, yanno? ^^; I'm not gonna let a little problem like a side plait derail me... um, yet.)

Hmm... the Dr. Locks thing is very tempting - though I fear they'd stick out like a sore thumb - aren't they kanekalon/toyokalon? I'm afraid my wig is somewhat inferior... :/ Maybe buying another wig of the same model (they were fairly cheap( and just sacrificing the hair off it for extensions?

[number18]

Originally Posted by Eibii

Maybe buying another wig of the same model (they were fairly cheap( and just sacrificing the hair off it for extensions?

That's what I'd do if I was going to try and sew more hair into the thing. I would see a problem trying to braid the hair around some sort of object...cause you'd have to spread the hair over the object without the object being seen underneath, yanno? And if the hair there is already not enough for a braid, then I see trouble going that route. I could see you using an object underneath after you sewed in an extension...