It might surprise you to learn that a full head of hair isn’t the only choice!
Suppose you want to portray a character with a partially bald or receded hairline? Perhaps you plan to wear a hat at all times and don’t want the additional bulk or weight of a wig under it, but still need visible long hair. Then a demi-wig might be the right option for you.
What’s a demi-wig? In a nutshell, it’s a partial wig. More specifically, the lower portion of a wig – while you may be aware that you can have a toupee created to cover just the top of your head, you can also have one built for just the lower.
We create two kinds of demi-wigs. The first, called a Lace Top Demi-Wig, has a full, transparent lace top and front with the hair knotted into the lower portions of the wig – think Benjamin Franklin (see photo below). This style of wig takes advantage of a bald or shaved head, and allows for the easy and secure wearing of longer hair. These can also be worn over a commercial latex bald cap.
Jeff Gay as Ben Franklin and Greg Benedetto as Mr. Jingaling, both wearing lace topped demi-wigs to take advantage of their bald or shaved heads.
We still put a custom hairline on this style of demi-wig, and we can still cover the hairline along the temples and around the ears. A lace top demi-wig is worn just like a full wig and does not require a hat or covering.
A back and top view of a Lace Top Demi-Wig created for a Regency Era hair style – the top of the wig has no hair tied into it, but the back hair is combed forward to simulate a comb-over
The second type of demi-wig we build are called Fringes and they are intended to be worn with a hat or head covering. These are especially popular with Santas who prefer to leave their hat on but want some hair to show but they also work very well with many 18th century military styles and ladies’ styles from all eras.
A fringe style demi-wig, seen with and without a hat. Please note that the hat in the photo is a placeholder for fitting purposes, not the hat the fringe is actually worn with.
A fringe style demi-wig has no top so it must be either attached to the hat or head covering or to the wearer’s own hair.(toupee clips are great for this!) When building a fringe to attach to a hat or head covering, either velcro or snaps are used, allowing the fringe to be easily removed from the hat. This is great because it allows the hat to be worn without the fringe and it makes cleaning both fringe and hat easy.
Fringe style demi-wigs can be created to match the wearer’s own hair or beard, or in another color completely. While the examples seen here happen to be loose, the fringe demi-wig can also be arranged in a variety of styles, depending on the type of hat or head covering.
If you have questions about our demi-wigs, or what product might be right for your needs, just ask!
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