Purchasing wigs: Being transgendered, be it a transvestite or a transsexual isn't easy. Getting the right advice can be hard and sometimes misleading, depending upon where you are and who you ask. However don't take the first piece of advice that you are given and always ask someone else, independently for a second opinion and see if their answer matches the first. In this article I'm not going to look at overall image (make up, clothing and accessories) but concentrate on wigs. I know from talking to many ‘transgendered girls' that they tend to spend quite a lot of money on those fabulous shoes to match that expensive outfit that they have purchased for that big day out or evening event, as we've all seen transgendered girls whilst out ourselves. Some girls get their overall image very right indeed, but most don't. For those that don't they all fall down in one main area, and that is wigs! There is very little point in letting down your image down with a tatty old wig, or a wig that isn't suitable at all for your face shape. No matter how good your make up is, no matter how much that outfit and accessories cost, if your hair lets you down you stand more chance of being spotted as a bloke. Once your identity has been compromised you have then lost most of your credibility as a woman and may well be treated differently or even be referred to by use of the wrong pronoun! This is not what you want and this can create social problems for you in the long run. In the next section we will look at what to look for in a wig, selecting the right style and what to avoid, so that you don't make any expensive mistakes. Just because you have gone into a wig shop, doesn't mean that you will get what you need and a style which will really suit you, as some wig shops only carry a limited selection of popular styles to suit their regular female clients. I've spoken to many ‘girls' who have purchased from shops and bought something because it ‘looked right'. They accepted what the sales person had said to be being true, without really understanding what they were looking for, because the person hadn't fully done their research beforehand. Remember that shop sales people will try and sell you something to justify their time and it's quite alright not to purchase a wig if they don't have exactly what you are looking for. Many decide to shop on line as Internet retailers tend to have a better stock holding of wigs, as they are not having to pay for premises and can therefore afford to hold more stock. On line staff are just as knowledgeable and will generally give good advice because they want to help. Different wig styles: In this section we will look at wig styles and face shapes and hopefully this will give you more of an idea of what style of wig might suit you better. Face shape is the key here and not body height or body shape. A good example here is to look at the actors from Little Britain, as over the years they have played a plethora of characters, many of them female ones and each character has a different wig style to suit that character. After all, when transforming yourself into your female persona, you take on the image of that persona or character and don't try and make ‘him' look feminine by dressing in women's clothes and wearing a wig. Most people have an idea of what type of woman they become and purchase a wardrobe of clothes to match in keeping with that persona to match your lifestyle. Let's look at this point in a little more detail before we move on further. You may find that you look good wearing blouses and skirts, accessorized with belts and long necklaces, creating a more business type look, because you go out during the day for lunch, or opt for a more party, clubbing look because you go out more in the evening to those events. It's always best to dress suitably for the right occasion and if you need to dress in casual attire (jeans and a casual top) for a day out, then do so. Just look at the women around you wherever you are for inspiration and get some ideas. What you need is a wig which best reflects our chosen persona, that will compliment your appearance and give you a believable and credible appearance whilst out. Those people with a more rounded face can in many cases wear shorter styles as the overall shape of your face will in many cases complement the wig. Whilst referring to short styles, I'm not talking about very short spiky hair or boy cut styles, which many women wear with a great degree flattering elegance, but more styles which are long enough to cover below the ears and at the same time provide enough length to change and enhance your appearance without looking noticeably short. There are many amazing styles available which fit into this category, which when styled correctly will enhance your overall image. What about people with long faces? Here the clue is in the question, as short wigs will probably look inappropriate on you, as the bottom of your chin is noticeably further away from the front hair line of the wig compared to someone with a more rounded face shape. In this case you would need to look at wigs which come down below the shoulders, as the length of the hair will soften your face, making that long chin look artificially shorter than it really is because the hair length has framed your face softening your overall image. What you have to remember here is that you can't alter your face, only hide or mask your natural features by disguising them, using cosmetics or longer wigs creating the illusion of a female appearance. As to whether a straight or curly wig would work better, that would be down to your preference and what works best for you. Those with face shapes that are neither round or long in appearance, would probably opt for an intermediate wig style, one that sits above the shoulder and below chin level, but again this would be down to which style would suit you better. It's all a question of trying and seeing which would work best for you. When in doubt always opt for the more longer style, as these have a better tendency to work better for most transgendered people.
Colours and wig styling: Now that we have looked at styles, we should turn to colours as selecting the right colour is equally as important as style. The idea of selecting an image is not to stand out in public, but more to try and blend in with others, remaining in the background without drawing unwanted attention to yourself and selecting clothes that are appropriate for where you are going. This is the same with hair colour, as wearing a blonde wig might make you look noticeable, but a blended shade of brown or a subtle auburn colour could be better for your appearance and help you blend in whilst in public. We need to have a starting point in order to start eliminating unsuitable colours, so start by trying on a medium brown colour to see how that looks. From there you can go darker or lighter, or try a brown/auburn blended colour and see what works. In the initial stages it's simply a trial and error exercise to see what works and what doesn't. Even though you might feel that you have found the most suitable wig style for your face, the colour will affect how this wig looks on you. You may look great in a red wig but a pale blonde would change your appearance so much that neither the style nor the colour would do you any favours. Always keep a note of what styles and colours you have tried on for future reference, as this saves time revisiting styles and colours that you have eliminated in the past. Also stick to a well known manufacturer (Noriko or Rene of Paris are popular) as when it comes to changing or updating the wig, you already have a starting point, which will make selecting something different much easier. When purchasing again from the same retailer, they might also be able to advise you better if they are familiar with the style that you currently wear. Now that we have selected a suitable wig style in the most suitable colour for you, it would be beneficial to personalise the wig to suit you the wearer. By this I'm referring to cutting and styling. If purchasing from a wig shop, the shop should have an experienced hair stylist who would be able to do this. The various styling options may include layering up the side to give added shape, cutting in a fringe or trimming back a fringe or other enhancing styling options. If purchasing wigs on line, there are many competent hair stylists who would be able to do this, many of whom are well used to transgendered clients. After all, there is no difference to having you as a regular customer compared to one of their female customers. Be sure that the stylist has many years of experience at cutting wigs, as there is a difference to cutting and styling a wig, compared to someone's own hair. After all if they make a mistake, they will ruin the wig and it will be unusable. Having a suitable wig in the right colour, expertly cut and styled will do wonders for your appearance and give you so much more confidence whilst out and about. Purchasing a wig is the most important expense in compiling a wardrobe for your female persona, so take the trouble to get it right. Buying from Wigtopia: Here at Wigtopia we have had many transgendered customers over the past nine years and are well used to helping you and giving the right advise, which is why so many people come back to us time and time again, recommending us to their friends. It's important for us to know what you look like, as this makes helping you much easier, so don't be afraid to send us a photo of yourself (in female mode) or point us to your web site or Flickr page. Once we know what you look like, we can help you far better and give you some really honest advice and help you out as best we can. Depending upon where you live, we can put you in touch with a suitable hair salon who are able to cut and style wigs and give you the image that you are looking for. All correspondence is in total confidence and all parcels are sent out under plain packaging, so have no fears on your secret being out. Another reason many ‘girls' use us apart from our huge stock holding and efficient service is our pricing. We have wigs starting from around £70 rising to around £200 for some of the better brands with monofilament tops. For a good quality Noriko wig, you would be looking to pay around £100, which will give you a really trendy style and indeed Noriko wigs are the most popular brand in the country and a brand preferred by so many women.