Aging with Wigs and Toppers

Aging and growing old while wearing wigs and toppers has been on my mind lately.

As I’m heading closer to 40, I’m contending with those pesky grays popping up around my face…not too many yet, but I know they are on their way.

Sure, I could color them…and maybe I will, someday…but I definitely canNOT just pluck them out as many of my friends with “normal” hair do. Those hairs are just too darn precious (I know those of you starting to see grays can relate).

Question: Why are the gray hairs 10x thicker than my regular hair??

Sigh.

Of course, a skilled colorist can add gray to the right type of human hair. If gray is what you choose to embrace, then you can slowly add gray to your pieces over time (and hey, if you choose to NOT go gray, that’s awewsome, too!).

Manufacturers are also embracing gray when it comes to synthetic pieces. There are definitely some fashion grays popping up, since gray has been on-trend for awhile…but there are also beautiful, traditional grays and gray blends that are available. These seem to work best with brunettes and blonds.

(I’m unsure how redheads would transition. Hmm, something to think about.)

And selfishly, I kinda love the grays since they naturally lean more ashy, and you know how I feel about ash colors (loooooooooove).

Let’s discuss some gray options. All toppers in this post are available for try-on for private Community members.

Gray, Silver and White Wigs and Toppers

First up, we’re kicking it off with one of my favorite, subtle, gray blends.

This is right out of the box, as is Top Full 12″ by Jon Renau, in color 38 Milkshake.

The color is a medium brown (looks to me to be about a standard 8, or maybe a 6), with 35% gray. The gray, to me, looks icy blond in some lights and is very subtle.

Check out the gray in direct, natural light – it really pops, here.

I absolutely LOVE this color, and could see myself wearing it someday.

As a comparison, here it is compared to my everyday color. Remember, so many people think my current color looks gray…but wow, when you compare with a “real” gray, it’s crazy.

Here are two other colors. Both of these are 8″ HD easiParts from Jon Renau. On the left is 56/51 and on the right is Winter Sun.

Sorry about the poor lighting, it’s about to rain here.

56/51 is described as light grey with 20% medium brown, blended with another light grey containing 30% dark brown. Winter Sun is full white.

Maybe I’ll start with a 38 Milkshake type color, and then transition to 56/51 since it does contain a bit of brown.

You know, when the time comes. 🙂 And if I stay brunette.

Let’s transition over to a beautiful blend, this time in a wig.

Meet Kendall, one of Jon Renau’s newest styles. She’s a lace-front, mono top wig (the hair can be parted any which way you’d like).

I love the loose wave pattern! And I love this color, too, as it doesn’t look overwhelming (on me) when the style is a bit shorter.

The color is 101F48T, also known as Martini. If you need a bit more education to help you understand wig color codes, be sure to check out my post on this. This is actually a very light brown, blended with 75% gray (and the gray is 101, so it’s very platinum-y).

It actually reads largely platinum blond on me, versus gray. Maybe it’s just my coloring!

Check out this hairline…it is drop-dead gorgeous! I’m insanely jealous of the lighter shades as the hairlines oftentimes look PERFECT.

You can see in the above photo how the lightest pieces frame the face.

Here’s another pic of the color. There’s more brown at the nape.

Isn’t she beautiful?? If you’d love to own her as well, take 25% off (it’s good on all Jon Renau!) at Wigs by Patti’s Pearls with code: hopeandmane

Jon Renau’s Kendall wig is available in several gray shades. I would love to see 39F38 up close and personal.

Help! I’m Older and my Wig or Topper is Too Thick

I know many of you are concerned about the density as we get older…most older women don’t have huge, voluminous hair.

I get that.

I fully plan to thin the HECK out of any pieces I wear, as needed. I think it’s difficult to have a piece work right from the start without thinning, because you NEED a good bit of hair to cover the base construction.

I get a ton of emails asking why manufacturers don’t make pieces that are more realistic for older women, and I think that if the hair was “sparser” on top, you’d probably start to see the rim, or the clips, or something else that you’d typically want hidden.

The good news is you (or your stylist) can take out A LOT of bulk with thinning shears. And then, you can carefully pluck out hair from the part to slightly widen it and make the hair more realistic looking.

Depending on your level of loss, you might be able to make do with a smaller base. A smaller base will naturally result in a less-thick overall look.

We’ve already looked at the easiPart HD pieces above, but let’s check out the smaller base.

I typically wear an 8×9″ base, and what we see here is only 2.75″ wide. Unfortunately, this can’t work for me, but it might for you.

Want to try any of these toppers? Remember, all toppers in this post are available for try-on for private Community members.

So what are your plans for growing older with wearing helper hair? Have you seen any other great grays/whites out there? Do share in the comments!