Much like your natural hair, wigs can be styled to achieve the look you feel like rocking that day. For some wig wearers, this involves adding volume to their wig to give it more body and height. With the right technique, you can easily make your wig bigger and accomplish any number of classic or contemporary hairstyles, from stacked bobs to groovy beach-waved curls.
In this article, we will offer our insights on how to add volume to wigs, sharing the very best volumising techniques and recommending some wig styling accessories to help you achieve your blowout look!
Styling Tips to Make Your Wig Bigger
For the last decade, the stylists at our accredited wig salon have been transforming the appearance of countless Simply Wigs community members, unleashing their inner fabulousness through fearless styles or recreating signature looks from before their hair loss journey began. While our customers are always welcome to make an appointment with one of our professionals, there are plenty of volumising techniques that anyone can try at home to thicken their look whenever they wish.
Here are some of our tried-and-tested techniques for adding volume to a wig:
Backcombing
One of the most effective ways to add volume to wigs and natural hair alike is to backcomb the fibres such that they gather towards the scalp. This forms a ‘cushion’ underneath your other wig fibres, elevating them from your scalp to make your wig look bigger.
For this technique, we recommend using a fine-tooth comb, as the closely spaced teeth allow you to catch and tease the hair more efficiently. The denser the comb, the more volume you will achieve.
For the best results, follow these simple steps:
1. Take a roughly 2-inch thick section of your wig.
2. Lift the strands up so that the ends are above the roots of the wig.
3. Take your comb and pull it from the ends of the wig back towards the root. Remember to only backcomb the underside of the strands to ensure the visible parts of the wig maintain their sleek appearance.
Make sure not to backcomb from the very ends of your wig, as this will produce mess rather than stylish volume. Instead, start backcombing around 3–4 inches away from the scalp and focus on adding volume around this area of the wig.
Styling
Certain hairstyles are more effective at adding volume to wigs than others, but achieving these styles without damaging your wig is not without its challenges. Heated styling tools such as curling irons allow you to create waves, curls and tight coils, elevating your wig fibres from your scalp. However, the heat produced by these tools can cause issues with successive styling.
The natural oils that coat the fibres of human hair wigs provide some innate resistance to heat, but without replenishing these oils by routinely applying wig conditioner, your once lustrous wig can become dry, frizzy and more prone to breakages. As for synthetic wigs, their acrylic fibres cannot withstand the heat produced by curling irons, so you may want to read up on techniques for curling synthetic wigs without heat.
Manufacturers of synthetic hair are increasingly producing heat-resistant wigs, which can be styled and treated similarly to human hair. However, to simplify your approach to adding volume to a synthetic wig, we recommend investing in a hairpiece that has been chemically treated to retain its voluminous style.
Trimming
It is standard practice in the wig industry for manufacturers to produce wigs with a high density, anticipating that their customers will trim and style them to suit their preferences. Cutting your wig might seem counterintuitive, but this can remove some of the excess weight that is dragging its fibres down, making it easier to add volume to your wig through backcombing or other techniques.
While you can thin out your wig at home with a pair of thinning shears and some patience, we recommend taking your wig to a professional stylist for more intricate hairstyles, such as layering or introducing texture.
Hairspray
Once you have finished tousling or curling your wig into your desired style, applying a few spritzes of wig spray can help to secure its shape and preserve its volume throughout the day. The lightweight polymers in hairspray lock the strands in place, preventing them from falling flat against your scalp and making your wig look bigger until it is washed out.
By targeting the roots of your wig, you can strengthen the ‘cushion’ created by backcombing while adding even more dimension to your curled look. Make sure to hit your wig with gentle heat from a hair dryer immediately after spraying to ‘freeze’ the fibres in their elevated position.
Dry Shampoo
While the starch-based powder contained in dry shampoos is designed to absorb the oil and grease that accumulates on natural hair follicles, these powders are equally effective at creating texture between your wig fibres. Paired with its ability to remove shine from synthetic wigs, this makes dry shampoo a certified wonder product for wig styling!
To add volume to your wig with dry shampoo, apply the following technique:
1. As with backcombing, take a 2-inch section of hair and hold it up
2. Spray a quick spritz of dry shampoo towards the roots and the underside of these strands.
3. Repeat this process across the wig, making sure not to get too spray-happy, as this can make your wig look and feel dirty instead of voluminous.
How to Add Volume to Natural Hair
While all the volumising techniques mentioned above are applicable to your natural hair, hair toppers offer an easy way to enhance the volume of your hair within a matter of minutes. Simply align your chosen hairpiece with your hairline, then secure it in place with its integrated clips to increase the volume of your natural hair, while disguising any thinning you may be experiencing at the crown.
At Simply Wigs, we have hair-enhancing solutions for wig wearers from all walks of life, whether you want to experiment with new styles without changing your natural hair or you have experienced hair loss subsequent to cancer treatment or a type of alopecia.
Whatever started you on your wig-wearing journey and however you feel most confident adding volume to your wig, rest assured that our wig experts have the knowledge and compassion to guide you towards your signature style. Please get in touch with us today to organise your wig styling appointment, or share your favourite volumising techniques in the comments below!
Thanks. I’ll try a decent hairdresser I know. Kind regards. Brenda.
Hi Brenda,
I am an ex hairdresser and I find that the best way to avoid the look you describe is a visit to the salon. There are some hairdressers who are specifically trained to cut wigs and it makes all the difference! I know that Trevor Sorbie has trained stylists as one of his family lost her hair due to illness and he was appalled at how difficult she found it.
It can be pricey but it’s well worth the money. Hope this helps you, Even if you find another place to go to the results will be more natural looking.
I’d like answers on how to stop a short wig looking too much like a wig? If you know what I mean. Thank you. Brenda.