Wig Making and Styling: A Complete Guide for Theatre & Film

I already own a copy of the first edition, a paperbound book, as well as the e-book version. I wear a hair system to cover over my balding head and was wondering what was involved in making a hair system; consequently, I purchased this book after doing an online evaluation of books on wig making. What a treasure this book is for anyone wanting to know about wig making, as well as someone who actually wants to do it. I was so inspired by the documentation that I actually purchased all the tools needed (canvas head, good quality lace, human hair, ventilating tools and a fine scissors). I watched several youtube videos (as well as the ones by Ruskai and group on their website) and started ventilating my lace cap. It took a while for me to get the hang of it but I thoroughly enjoyed making my own toupee. It looks as good as the ones I purchased from a wig maker. I will probably continue making my own toups from this point on.I will not repeat all of the good comments others have made on this superb book, but will emphasize that it comes with a lot of clearly written directions, excellent illustrations and good references. I talked extensively with Gabriel at De Meo brothers in New Jersey, suppliers of high quality hair and lace netting for professionals in the film industry and the theatre, and he agreed that this is THE book one should get in order to proceed with this venture.I like that this edition is now in hard cover that is wire bound (Wire O Binding). This is accomplished by gluing the last, thick page of the book onto the heavy, glossy back cover so that the whole book is held onto the cover by means of the last page. The front is not bound to the hard cover at all. This enables the reader to open the book so that it lies completely flat on your work surface. HOWEVER, be very careful not to turn the front cover back onto the back cover (like you would with some spiral bound documents) as this will cause the book to completely separate from the hard cover. It took me awhile to re-join the two and I did damage some of the holes. In order to prevent this from happening again, I will run a wire to completely close over the gap in the Wire O binding at the back of the book where the pages may escape.A better way of binding this book would be to use a spiral (rather than Wire O) binding that penetrates holes in the front and back covers, making it impossible for the two to separate. It would not look as nice as the present binding, but it would permit one to completely open that book so only one page is viewed at a time. Plus, this would make for a much sturdier binding that will last much longer than the Wire O binding.

Phenomenal read and sets you on the right track for professional wig making. I suggest getting the next Volume for in depth styling techniques through the ages (I purchased Victorian to Present), as this book focuses more on the basic foundations of caring for, washing, storing, steaming and even building wigs. I personally was up to speed with most of the chapters, but there were amazing details about adding lacefront to hardfront wigs and ventilating/lace and hair direction and head measurements and tracings. It’s like my new bible for ventilating.

Wonderfully detailed photos and description of the ventilation process as well as many other techniques and terms used in the business. A comprehensive text that I plan to refer to a lot in the future. I also recommend Allison Lowery's other two other texts entitled Historical Wig Styling.

For anyone truly interested in actually making/building/repairing lace wigs, this book is a treasure! I was actually a little surprised that it goes into such detailed depth with regards to not only wigmaking, but all the other kinds of hairpieces and how they are made and when to use them(when working in theater or tv). The pictures are all clear, and well lit. There's even a few very short companion videos on an accompanying website showing knotting and sewing techniques....The only thing i think would make this book better is an accompanying dvd to show more techniques in real time, and more websites/sources to actually buy tools and lace and hair from. The author makes references to one website in particular, which i visited, and there's very little actually on the website, sent them an email, to which i never received a reply. It can be hard to find all the tools/materials you need for wigmaking in one spot, so i've had to piece my kit together from several different places, including ebay. You've gotta shop around though, cuz several people sell the exact same things, some very reasonably, and some mark prices up dramatically to make a larger profit...So in a nutshell, i would definitely recommend this book. It's like the "textbook" of wigmaking. The book, combined with the author's short vids, and user uploaded vids on youtube are all you need to learn to make/build/repair/knot lace wigs.

I ordered this book because I want to learn how to add hair to a lace top wig and instructional material is scarce. I was a bit put off by the price of this book but I think it is worth the money. This book is written by two people that have years of experience making and caring for wigs. They photos are great, the different techniques are great and they really go into great detail in the art of making theatrical and non-theatrical wigs.

Amazing book! It has all about the different types of laces and hair and needles. It shows you how to take measurements when making custom wigs. It teaches you ventilating and wefting. Great facial hair chapter and styling chapter. Full of beautiful pictures! There's also a really cool section on building wigs with cage bases and finding jobs.

Absolutely fascinating -- the walk through of how to make wigs also indirectly explains why they are so ridiculously expensive to buy pre-made.. This book is very straightforward and methodical, and includes a lot of pictures to help visualize the techniques it explains. I would give it six stars if I could.

Love this book.. Best thing I've brought all year

Excellent guide, with good images and clear step by step instructions. Great book for professionals. Highly recommend.

This book is worth every penny for anyone interested in making wigs. theatre etc. Very informative and excellent photographs as a guide to instructions. An excellent book!

The reason I chose to give a 4 star rating, is that this book is American and they use things that we dont consider the best products.Like T Pins, we would never use T pins on a wig, they just cause so much damage when removed.

fantastic book, plenty of pictures with step by step instructions, comprehensive lay out explanations with plenty of tips and advice for lay to understand.