How do lace front wigs work?

Introduction

It’s hard to notice cute celebrity styles without wondering if it’s a lace front wig. Whether you’re checking out Nikita Dragon’s Tik Toks or watching a Cardi B’s latest music video, there’s a pretty good chance that they’re wearing a lace front wig. But how does it look so natural? Are they safe for everyday use?

Well, lace front wigs can be a great protective style that protects your hair from day-to-day damage. But if you use it incorrectly, it can potentially cause significant damage to your hair. If you’re interested in getting a lace front wig for yourself, it’s important to know how they work. So, let’s get into how lace front wigs work.

The types of caps

Wig caps come in many shapes and sizes, with each one having their specific benefits. However, there are two that you might come across as you shop for lace front wigs and choosing the right one and its benefits are important.

The main cap will be called the lace front wig cap. Though it may not look like it, there are a lot of parts to it. Here are a few of the basic components of a lace front wig cap:

• Adjustable tabs
• Open wefted back
• Single monofilament
• Velvet ear taps & nape
• Welded lace fronts

Though you might not recognize them from the name, if you’ve worn a wig you’ve encountered all of these parts. So, what does each one of them do?

The adjustable tabs are connected to the very back part of the wig. These parts help you to change how wide the wig is. This piece usually looks very long and can feel like an elastic band. It’s held together by the velvet ear tabs and nape. That portion was made to help bend comfortably with the shape of your hair and head, which helps to make it secure and comfortable. Usually, you’ll feel this part behind your ears but a small portion of it separates the front of your head from the back of it. All of the tabs and the nape keep the largest part of the cap, the open wefted back, secure. This is the part that covers most of your scalp and is what makes the fabric so breathable.  Next is the rock star pairing of the single monofilament and the welded lace front. The single monofilament is the portion that will show your scalp and give you a natural looking part, whereas the lace front is what helps blends into your hairline.

The next cap type is called the 100% Hand Tied Wig. These types of wigs are more detailed than the other, but it allows for significantly more versatility than other wigs. So how does it work? There are six key components to hand tied wigs:

• 100% hand tied caps (aka cap section)
• 100% hand tied stretch section (aka stretch section)
• Adjustable tabs
• Single monofilament
• Velvet ear tabs & nape
• Welded lace

So how is it all connected? We’ll start from the back of the wig to the front. Just like the lace front wig, we can rely on the adjustable tabs and the velvet ear tabs & nape to hold our wigs in place and keep us secure. The only difference that they are securing stretch section and the hand tied cap section. The stretch section is in the very middle of the cap. This is what make the cap adjust to the bulk of your head side. Next, is the hand tied cap section, this portion is what makes it look like the hair is naturally growing from your head. After that the cap is made of the single monofilament and the welded lace.

Now that we’re familiar with the construction of the caps, it’s important to take a look at the different types of lace. What makes it so different, so special? Why is their so much variety?

The types of lace

Though those are all great questions, my biggest question was why use lace at all? Well, the reason that wigmakers, or perruquiers, use lace is because it’s light weight, gentle, and sheer. Lace is especially perfect to use because the color can be exactly the same color of your scalp. Did you know that if you held a microscope to a piece of lace, you’ll see hexagonal shapes? Hexagonal shapes are great for allowing natural light to peak through and reflect your real skin. This is where you get that seamless, natural look that everyone loves about lace fronts.

Lace front wigs are great for those of you who want more versatility from your wigs. With a lace front wig, you can part your hair in the middle, on the side, or even get the slicked back look if that’s your style too. In fact, if you decided to get a lace front wig made of 100% human hair, you can dye it, curl it, or straighten to get that fabulous look you’ve always wanted. 

You may be wondering what lace is made of? Something this innovative must be made of magic. Lace is actually made of lightweight, synthetic thread or cotton fibers. Though all lace is made to be light, there are still different types of lace with different deniers. Depending on the denier and the tint, you’ll get different types of lace. So what are all of the types of lace?

• Coated Lace
• Film Lace
• Opera/Base Lace
• Stretch Lace
• Thermal lace
• Royal Lace

Lace like opera, or base lace, is very tinted and of a very high denier. But that doesn’t make it useless at all. Opera lace is typically used for the velvet ear tabs and nape to keep the wig in place. Now, the finest lace to date is the royal lace. There are a few modern variations to royal lace like French, Swiss, Transparent, and HD. You may be familiar with these types of lace because they are currently the most popular lace so far. High-end lace front wigs contain some form of royal lace in them because it blends so well into the skin. But how?

The reason that royal lace blends so well is because it has a smaller grid type, it’s thinner, and it isn’t tinted. These aspects make blending it into the skin much easier.

Are lace fronts right for me?

Now that you know how lace front wigs work, you might be considering if they’re right for you. Since there are so many components, you must be sure to care for them properly. Check out some of our other articles detailing how to care for, wear, and style your wigs. Comment below and let us know what parts of the wig you love the most.