This has been my go-to wig for a while. When new, it does wonders for my face. When worn out, it cries for replacement. Today, I broke out my replacement wig and wore it to dinner. No, I an not going to stop using my old wig for a while. I intend to continue wearing it to work until the end of the month.
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As much as I want to replace this wig in my usual color, I decided to go a shade darker to see how it looks on me. This wig will likely not make it to work for a while. Instead, I will wear it less often, so it can last a while. But I will replace the old wig in its color the next time it goes on sale at one of my usual online outlets.
Years ago, my former cruise partner criticized me for wanting to keep wearing an old wig until "My" expiration date - 3 (or 4) months after start of daily use. There are two equally valid points of view here. First, I allocate so much money in my budget for wigs each year. And if I break out a wig earlier than planned, I will need to replace it earlier than planned. Since no one on a cruise ship will ever see me again after a cruise, who cares if they think I'm having a bad hair day? The other viewpoint involves her wanting me to look my best, and damn the costs involved. Give in to this urge too easily, and one will be buying expensive human hair wigs and not getting one's money worth from these purchases. And to make the equation more interesting, my former friend wanted me to buy my wigs from the same places which supply human hair wigs to Ultra Orthodox Jewish women. They are of the highest quality, and their prices reflect that quality.
The price/value equation for wigs was always a point of contention between me and my former cruise partner. And I was not going to let her dictate to me how I should spend my money. So, when I compute the cost per wear for these wigs over a two year period, I find that I get the same value by replacing wigs every 3 months that I might get from replacing a human hair wig every 2 years. Yes, the human hair wig should last longer if properly cared for. But I know that I am tough on my wigs, and would likely ruin a human hair wig early in its use. So why spend good money on a wig that I couldn't maintain properly?
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There are less expensive human hair wigs that I could buy. But I haven't seen any in a large cap that I could style to my liking. If I were to buy one of these wigs, it would need to be a special occasion wig, for use at weddings and other important occasions. Since I don't go to too many of these soirees, it doesn't make much sense to buy one.
What do you think?
2 comments:
You might want to look at Paula Young's site for Ashlee or Shannon. They are less expensive than RW wigs, and these two are heat-friendly and style-able. The Shannon wig does come in a large size. It's my go-to hair.
Connie -
I'm not worried about the cost. Instead, I am worried about value and keeping my purchase price tolerably low. If I were buying Paula Young Wigs, I'd be replacing them every month. Raquel Welsh wigs should be replaced every 3 months with constant use, and I've stretched my current wig out one month too long. But this allows me to wear a brand new wig in December.
Right now, I've worn a new RW wig only once, and have a second in a slightly darker shade I want to try when not working. If it looks good on me (from what my friends say), I'll go with the darker color in colder weather, and the lighter color in warmer weather. This means I will need a backup wig in each shade.
Lately, I've been toying with buying a Jon Renau wig in a color similar to the RW wigs I buy. If I like them more than my RW wigs, I'll switch. Then, I'll have to go thru the process of having backups all over again. It all depends on how much wear I can get out of a wig.
My former cruise partner wanted me to spend the money to buy human hair wigs. My friend Vicki said that this former friend wanted me to look like a Human Barbie Doll. I'll always be a little torn in how I look at the past couple of years and the toll taken on my life by people and by Covid. But I know to trust my instincts when it comes to money - wig choices involve the same tradeoffs that I've had to make all my life in building up enough savings to afford retirement.
Marian
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