Where Do You Get Wigs?

I get it, wigs aren’t for everyone. They can be tangly, itchy, hot, and overall uncomfortable—but they can really bring an outfit together, especially if you have a more unnatural hair color or style, like the hot pink asymmetrical cut I had in college.

Wigs can also be incredibly helpful for those of you who are interested in trying a new hairstyle, whether for your coord or for day-to-day life. Have long hair and want to get into ouji? Wigs aren’t a necessity most of the time but they can be a great asset to your wardrobe and are there when you want them.

Of course, we’ve all seen those terrible wigs from Party City over the Halloween season. They’re sticky, shiny, and just all around bad. If you’re like I was a few years ago, when you think of wigs you think of these bad boys. Either that or balding people. And while there’s nothing wrong with getting older or going bald, it might just not fit your aesthetic.

So. Where do you go to ensure you don’t get a party wig that you’ll want to burn 10 minutes after putting it on? There are actually quite a few resources, for a variety of budgets. People with trichotillomania (the hair-pulling disorder) or alopecia universalis (unable to grow hair anywhere) often find that wigs can be a lifesaver or just something to invest in. The wigs that these people buy can be human hair or synthetic, but most of the time those wigs are going to be of a lot higher quality than those I will be listing below (and also for a much higher budget) because they wear them every day or nearly every day and need them to look, feel, and act like real hair.

I get my J-Fashion wigs from the same places I get my cosplay wigs. I just have different criteria for selecting them. My top suggestions for where to get Lolita and Ouji wigs are below.

Gothic Lolita Wigs’ Boy Cut Short in Black

1: Gothic Lolita Wigs
As the name implies, this company is targeting those in the fashion already. They have wilder colors and styles (including lacefront), and styles labeled as “Cosplay” styles, but for the most part pretty much everything is good quality and aimed towards the fashion already. Because their fibers are a bit more tangly than the other name brands listed here, I’d avoid them for super long wigs that you don’t want tangling at all. Their poofier styles, like their popular Rhapsody style, are great, but just be aware that they require a bit more care than their shorter styles.

Their website is easy to navigate, but it can be difficult to find a certain style, as they are sorted into brand buckets that really aren’t that descriptive. Prices are reasonable, but a bit more expensive than the next two brands. Despite that, I’d still recommend them.

It is worth mentioning that they have a different deal of the day, every day, with really good markdowns on a certain style and color. There’s no option to sample wigs from this brand, so if you’re curious about them, keep an eye on the deal for the day for something you want!

Edit: They seem to have a 25% off sale for Halloween right now with code BOO25 until Oct 31.

Epic Cosplay’s Hermes in Natural Blonde

2: Epic Cosplay
I have ordered more from Epic than I have any other wig brand. Their website is really easy to navigate and their wigs are great quality overall. I’ve had just two shipping issues in the past three years, and in both instances they worked with me quickly to make sure I was satisfied. No one else I know has had any issues with them (so I guess I’m just special).

Their fibers are super silky (not shiny) and they are the only company I’ll go to for long wigs. While their colors and styles are more for the cosplay world, their wigs can and do work well for J-Fashion in their natural colors. Styles are pretty general and toned down, which work well for J-Fashion. My personal favorite in this brand for J-Fashion is my blonde wig in Hermes!

They offer color samples and have a (pricey) color ring for sale with all their colors on it, which you can use to find the exact shade that matches with your coord. They also have a lacefront store, but I haven’t ordered any of those yet. Soon!

Something worth mentioning is that their wig cap sizes run very large these days, and they seem to be creeping larger and larger. If you have a larger head, or if you have a full head of hair, this makes it easy and more comfortable to wear all day. However, it can be annoying if you don’t have either because the cap tends to bunch in the back and move around.

Closeup of Epic Cosplay’s Chronos in Wolf Grey

3: Arda Wigs
Like Epic Cosplay, they target cosplayers more than anything else, but there are still quite a few gems to be found. Their collection is generally broken into two parts: classic and silky wigs. The colors are different for each collection, but they do have a color comparison on their site so you can find the closest match if you were looking at a specific color from the classic collection, or visa versa. Their styles have a more distinct DIY style-it-yourself attitude as well—for example, they offer longer wigs in a certain style, but not a shorter version of it. You’d have to cut it yourself. On the flip side, if you find that you need/want a more custom cut fringe, most Arda wigs allow you to cut your own to whatever length you want.

I can’t speak to colors or fibers on the silky collection, but the few wigs that I have from the classic collection are a bit sticky (the fibers stick together a bit more) and more tangly than Epic. They look a lot more natural than Epic’s colors though, as there’s lowlights and highlights in every color and the sheen is better. They, too also sell two color rings for sampling (one silky and one classic), and there’s is a lot more reasonably priced. Classic wigs are definitely not shiny, but their silky collection is. They also offer lacefronts.

Wig from a local shop. I think I paid about $30?

4: Local Stores
Never underestimate local wig shops! I got one of my favorite wigs from a local shop last year. It was very nice being able to see exactly what I was getting, the fit, the color, and perhaps try it on. You can also find human hair and other higher quality wigs in natural colors, which can be valuable if you need to do some fiber research.

Of course, prices and quality may vary.

5: eBay
You can find quite a good selection on eBay and Amazon if you know what to look for. For this reason, I’d suggest to steer clear if you’re new to wig buying. The first few wigs I’ve ever bought were from eBay, and they turned out awesome—but the reality is that I just got lucky.

If you do want to go this route, make sure to read all reviews and find a seller that has pictures of the actual wig instead of pictures of the models. A lot of sellers (especially eBay) will use a picture of a model or famous person who is not wearing a wig to advertise theirs. Of course, there’s a slim chance that these wigs are actually quality.

A lot of eBay stores will also recycle images from other sellers of the wigs—in other words, false advertising. They’re not supposed to do this sort of think per the eBay rules, but that doesn’t stop them most of the time. Look around to see if that wig photo has been used in other listings for other sellers. If it has, steer clear, especially if it’s cheap. If you’re lucky, you might be able to find the original owner of the picture that you were looking at. When this is the case, you’ll be able to see different angles, etc. of the wig rather than just those one or two pictures that have been stolen by everybody else. Even when you find what you suspect to the original seller, purchase with caution, and always always take what the seller says with a grain of salt.

The cheapest I’d ever go for eBay wigs is $25, and even those are iffy. If you’re looking for long or longer wigs, avoid eBay or Amazon in general, as the fibers in the long wigs offered by brands such as Epic Cosplay or Arda were meant to be tangle resistant. Assume anything from eBay’s aren’t.

There are, of course, other places to get high quality wigs from. I’ve heard of people having great luck with places like Taobao or Lockshop, but I haven’t had any experience with them so I can’t speak one way or the other.

lightningsavage

Kal from Lightningsavage Photography specializes in creative portrait photography for J-Fashion enthusiasts and more. He has served as the J-Fashion event photographer for Oni-Con 2016–2020, as well as fashion shows, meetups, and personal shoots. He is also a co-owner of Kuroshiro Kawaii. You can follow him on Instagram at @lightningsavage_photography and @kaldec_

He is currently into visual kei and EGA fashions.