Princess Serenity - Hair

The idea of finally making a Princess Serenity costume started with a chance sighting of a Sailor Moon wig at Value Village. I snatched it up, because I had only ever seen these available online, and was still reluctant to order one of the many I had seen on ebay and other sites.

This is the Value Village wig. It is ok, but I think I over paid for it... Meh. It started something, and I think that if I hadn't been researching for the costume in the first place, I never would have come across The Five Wits.

Their site is full of great looking wigs, and the fact that the odango and tails are detachable made me happy. It allows me to place them where I think they should be (which is higher on the head, and toward the back...) and they are made with hyperlon, which is heat resistant and washable. And the prices are quite reasonable. It was a a relief to find a North American based company with good quality wigs that don't force you to choose between rent and the wig. They are still "out of country" for me, but their shipping rates to Canada are good, so I'm ok with that!

I tossed the idea back and forth in my head, and finally decided that if I was going to do this costume, I was going to do it right. I ordered the wig.

It came very quickly! It was sent regular mail, so I wasn't sure how long it would take. And because it wasn't registered or being delivered by a courier, there was no way to track it. It could be held up in customs for weeks, if they decided to be sticky about it. It arrived in 1.5 weeks! I was so happy when I walked up to my house after work, and saw this large yellow envelope on my front step! 

I was too excited to document the opening of the package... So, here is the wig all opened up.

The fit is great! I have a fairly small head, and I find that wigs are often too big and slide around too much, even if I try and use my bun underneath as a kind of anchor. I found this wig to be very comfortable, and because it has adjustable straps in the back, I can snug it up to my head!

Just the base wig, no odango.

And the pretty odango! 

Those strings can be trimmed and tucked in, they leave them on 

so you can make adjustments to your liking before trimming them off.

Yes, it is heavy... those tails weigh more than you think they would! But, it isn't anything outrageous. If you have ever had long hair and then cut it all off in one shot (I did that about 10 years ago) the removal of this wig felt like that. The light bouncy feeling of having a lot of hair lopped off. So, when they say on their FAQ what they recommend for "floor length hair" wigs, they have a very good point. The longer the hair, the heavier it is, and the harder to wear. And the more tangled. And hair to the knee will give a good enough "floor length" effect. I am so glad that these tails don't touch the floor!

These puppies are quite long!

I did find that with the dry climate we have here, the tails built up static very quickly, as you can see in the last photo. I contacted the Five Wits, and they suggested rubbing dryer sheets on them to keep the static down. They also said that some wig/hair places will sell anti static stuff, but it can be quite pricey. I will be giving these a test run and will try the dryer sheets. I plan to have this costume ready to wear by August, when I am attending When Words Collide, a literary convention in Calgary.

Stay tuned, and I will share the design and construction of the dress as I work on it this summer!