A good wig install starts with a flat base. The base references the way your own natural hair lays under the wig. We do not want to see any bulky wigs installed in 2021. Not anymore, and not with all the information available to wear wigs these days. Today I’m sharing how I prep my natural hair under my wigs.
First off I might not be the right person to talk about prepping natural hair because I suffer from hair loss and hair breakage. This is the main reason I started to wear wigs, which is also why I created Into Wigs. A fun place with alternative solutions to help other people that are suffering from hair loss too. It is very depressing and stressful dealing with hair loss of any sort. Seeing clumps of hair falling down the drain as you wash your hair is heartbreaking, trust me I know… it’s painful to see. I have a blog post where I share my hair loss story, you can read it here.
What is a flat foundation?
As mentioned a good wig install starts with a flat foundation. This is the way people prep their hair before a wig install. It may vary per person. Some people braid their hair in cornrows and some people can easily prep their natural hair by tucking it away under a wig cap. This depends on the thickness of the natural hair.
The type of braid people usually do under their wigs is cornrows. It is important that the cornrows are small to medium-small in size. Big and chunky cornrows result in bumpy and bulky-looking wigs. No matter how flat the wig is made, if the base isn’t flat the wig will not lay flat.
My natural hair has an afro curly texture. My hair is not thick but I don’t have the ease of tucking it away. If I tuck my natural hair away to put my wig on, my wig and head will end up looking like a bumpy balloon. I mean literally because my natural hair poofs up when it’s not braided.
I have to prep my natural hair with cornrows all the way to the back. Usually, I make a total of 6 – 8 braids. I’m not the best braider and I have to admit that my braids don’t look neat.
How I achieve my flat foundation
The way I achieve my flat base is by starting my cornrow at the back of my head. After sectioning my hair and before I start a cornrow, I smooth the front part out with a soft brush. I also use an edge control or some sort of gel with a medium to strong hold to lay that section down. The goal for using a gel or edge control is to keep my hair smooth for at least a week. Then I start the cornrow on the back of my head.
Braiding my hair like this gives a nice flat foundation, perfect for me to start installing my wig. The front of my hair lays flat. I can part my wig in whatever section I want without having to worry that there will be a braid in the way. The cornrows at the back of my head are in a medium to small size and this works well enough for me. As far as I could see there aren’t any lumps or bumps visible. I can keep the braids in for at least a week. After a week the braids start to loosen up and I repeat this step all over again after washing my hair.
The method I use to prep my natural hair
The type of products I use to prep my natural hair under my wigs is based on the method I use. I use the LOC method to cornrow my hair. The LOC method stands for Liquid (or leave-in), Oil, and Cream. It is a way of applying or layering products to style your natural hair. The LOC method helps to keep your hair moisturized for a few days. It is a well-known method in the natural hair community and this method can be used in whatever way works for you. I mean instead of using the LOC method, you can use the LCO method, LC, LO, CO, or just one single product on its own. Do whatever works for you.
The products I use to prep my natural hair
My leave-in conditioner is the Melanin Multi-Purpose Leave-In conditioner. The Oil I use is also Melanin Oil. As a cream I use the Qhemet “Burdock Root Butter Cream and the Gel I use is the Flaxseed Gel from Curly Kids.
My plan B products
There is also another brand I really like to use. The Melanin products are not available in the Netherlands and I bought these products in bulk at the very moment the product line launched. But having it shipped from the US to Europe and the tax fees I had to pay on top of that makes the products extremely expensive.
I have a plan B product line that is more accessible to me in the Netherlands and these are Mielle Organics and Camille Rose. The products I use from Mielle Organics are the Almond Mint Oil and the leave-in conditioner. And I use the flaxseed gel from Camille Rose. I love these products.
Why I use these products to prep my natural hair
I am dealing with my scalp issues this is the reason that I am very selective when it comes to the type of products I use on my hair. On top of that, I have sensitive skin. I am allergic to shea butter and castor oil and the products I mentioned above are free from these ingredients.
It’s also important to me that the products are made with clean ingredients. When it comes to my haircare I choose products that are free from mineral oil, parabens, sulfates, silicones, and petroleum. These ingredients don’t add any value to your hair and some products block the moisture to get into your hair. I might write a review on these products in a future blog post.
I hope this post was helpful in any way and please don’t hesitate to leave a comment or ask any questions.
