Santa Wigs and Beards – Step by Step

Finished Santa sets in the CWC studio

We build a lot of Santa wigs and beards at the Custom Wig Company – it’s one of our specialties.

Our sets are made entirely by hand and are tailored to the client’s head and face. The result is a set that fits perfectly to allow for  comfortable, natural fit and a seamless transformation for the client.So how does it happen?

Well, it starts with hair. A lot of hair

1.5 pounds of white human and yak hair. The different textures are blended together in the wig or beard to achieve the client’s desired hair style. A curlier style has more of the wavy hair in the mix

The hair is knotted into the foundation. The foundation is pieced onto a block which has a tracing taken of the client’s head or chin.

The wig foundation, pieced from a material called Veg Net and the project hair – also visible is the design board, featuring sketches and research

The hairs go in one or two strands at a time, starting at the base of the wig or beard. This meticulous process is similar to latch hooking a rug. Placing the hairs in singly allows the wig and beard to have a coverage and direction much like hair that grows on the head or face.

A partially tied wig. The black line along the front is the client’s hairline – the hair will be tied in that shape and direction in order to give the illusion that the hair has actually grown out of the scalp.

A beard pinned to a chin block with a partially tied beard on it. Like the wig, the client’s beard hair line is marked on the block and the hairs will be knotted in singly to follow the direction. The carefully knotted line on the beard lends the illusion that the beard is growing from the face.

Once the wig and beard have all of the hairs tied in, they are combed, cut into the desired shape and styled.

The interior and lace front of the wig once all of the hair is knotted in. The foundation is pieced from medium brown Veg Net with a lace front.

The finished hand-knotted hairline on a canvas block

A finished set, combed and cut but not styled

Styled – we use rollers and put the pieces into a special cabinet dryer designed especially for wigs.

A finished and styled beard

Next, the fun part! The client tries the pieces on. Sometimes we ship the pieces to the client but often we are able to have a fitting at our studio, which is always a lot of fun. When our clients come to our studio for their final fitting, we are also able to show them the best way to put on the pieces, how to properly remove them, how to clean the lace and answer all of their questions.

We look at the fit of the pieces and at the styles. Adjustments are made if need be, and whenever possible, we have Santa bring their coat and accessories so we can see how the shapes and proportions work together. Additionally, we offer the option to have new promotional photos and headshots taken by Benjamin Marcum Photography, right in our studio!

Santa Kevin during a fitting for his Santa set

After we make sure the set is perfect and the client is delighted, our work is done.

Santa TJ in a human hair set.

Santa Kevin (pictured above) putting the whole set together with his coat, hat and glasses

Creating Santa sets is one of the most rewarding parts of our work. Each Santa is unique and so are their sets – it’s a great feeling to be able to help them carry out their work.

A few important notes about our Santa wigs and beards –

– August 31, 2013 is the last day to order a custom Santa wig and beard with guaranteed delivery in time for the start of the 2013 holidays. We’ll take orders after that, but won’t be able to guarantee the completion date

– October 1, 2013 is the first day to order a new custom Santa wig and beard and take advantage of our Early Santa pricing – all custom sets ordered before March 31, 2014 will receive a 10% discount, free domestic shipping, a free year’s membership in our Santa Care Club (a cleaning and maintenance service) and a discount on our new Santa Sessions service (in-house professional photography in your new Santa wig and beard)

– We now offer a top quality “ready to wear” Santa wig, beard and mustache set – it’s made by hand using the same high quality materials and techniques as our custom Santa wigs and beards, but designed to be “one size fits most”. You can learn more about the Standard Santa Set as well as purchase yours in our online store, the Emporium 

If you have more questions about our Santa projects, feel free to email us. Also, be sure to check out our FAQ for more information about wigs, our company and much more!