Wig Sizes: Why Measuring Your Head Is Only Half the Fit

A client came in from Kamloops recently. I know that drive, and it isn't down the road. The night before I wrote this, a sizing kit went out in the mail to Vancouver. Near or far, the conversation about wig sizes always ends up in the same place: a tape measure gets you started, and fit is what decides whether you'll wear the piece.

The one thing only you can decide

I can make a wig look like your old hair, or close to it. Colour, density, the part, the way the front sits. That's my job, and it's the part of wig work I love most.

The one thing only you can decide for yourself is how a wig cap fits. If you're going to wear your piece for 8 to 10 hours a day, or longer, fit matters more than anything else about it.

Where fit goes wrong

When women tell us about pieces that didn't work out, fit comes up again and again. It slipped. The cap was too small. It itched or got hot by the middle of the day. It never felt like something they could just throw on, so it got worn a couple of times and then sat in a drawer.

A lot of the women I work with aren't sitting still, either. They're at the gym, outdoors, or on their feet at work all day. A cap that shifts when you turn your head is the fastest way a good piece starts to feel wiggy.

One thing that really irks me in wig work is when people get sold wigs that are really baggy at the back. Extra material behind your head means the cap gapes at the nape and never quite feels secure. I'm always looking at what stops people from wearing their wigs, choosing their wigs, or reaching for their toppers, and an ill-fitted cap is one of the biggest barriers I see.

How wig sizes work, and why measuring is only the start

Start with your measurements. Our Wig Measurement Guide walks through each one step by step, so you know exactly where to put the tape.

Most people take their circumference and stop there, but there are other measurements that matter. And even with every number written down, a tape measure can't tell you how a cap will feel on your head after a full day.

Sometimes the better choice is a slightly smaller cap that fits snugly at the back of your head, so you don't have a lot of gaping. Over time a wig cap moves and stretches a little. Not a whole size, but enough to notice. If you start with a cap that's already roomy, you end up with that stretch on top of the extra material, and a wig that's too big and doesn't feel secure.

Snug isn't the same as tight. A cap that fits well shouldn't press, pinch, or leave you counting the hours until you can take it off.

Two cap constructions, two different feels

We carry two cap styles in the wig shop, and the inside of the cap matters as much as the size.

• What the industry calls a medical cap. I don't love that name, and I haven't come up with a better one yet. Ours are hand-tied with a silk top and a lace front, with silicone inside the cap. The silicone works whether you have no hair or still have some of your own. Plenty of people love it either way.
• Lace top with a wefted back. Inside these caps there's velvet and a soft covering over the wefts, so the back of the cap sits comfortably against your scalp.

Everything in the shop is customizable, so the construction is a choice we make together based on your hair, your scalp, and how you'll wear it.

Try wig sizes at home with a sizing kit

If you aren't able to come into the wig shop, don't let that be a barrier to feeling more like yourself. We mail sizing kits across Canada.

Each kit has four caps, extra small, small, medium and large, in the construction you're considering. The caps have no hair on them. Their only job is to show you what fits your head best. It is a little weird to try on a cap with no hair, I know. It's still the best way I've found to get the size right when you can't sit in my chair.

Once you've tried them on, we can connect if it helps, so I can see how the cap is sitting on you and we can talk through fit together.

Request a sizing kit

To get a sizing kit sent to you, email info@jesalonwigs.com with where you live and the style you're thinking about. If you're close to Calgary and would rather be fitted in person, you can book a consultation.