As a cosplayer, one of the most important things you can do is make sure your wig looks great. But taking care of your wig can be tricky, especially when you’re traveling to a convention. Here are some tips on how to store and transport your styled wig so that it stays looking its best.
Preparing the Wig at Home
Our first tip is to style the wig on a foam head at your home. Once you get it looking exactly as you want, you’ll then be able to more easily pack it for the trip whether that’s just walking from a hotel a few blocks away or flying across countries.
We prefer using a foam head for the styling as it’s easy to see the wig from every angle, and we bought our favorite foam head from Amazon for under $5. .
Pack and Transport the wig on a foam head
Once you get the wig styled on the foam head, there are a few options. The best is to put the entire foam head with the wig attached in a rigid container. I use the cardboard box that it arrived in, and just place this in the bottom of my hard side suitcase. If you don’t have the cardboard box, we found a nice 12″ cube box at Walmart for under $2.
If you’re worried about the foam head moving around too much inside the box, you can tape it to the bottom of the cardboard box. Since the wig and the head are so light, it doesn’t take very much take to ensure nothing moves around.
Don’t use bobby pins or metal clips if you are flying
If you are going to take your outfit on a carry-on through an airport, you’ll need to go through airport security. While you know precisely what is inside your luggage, this is not something that will have a common outline and could raise suspicion by the TSA agents. As such, I would recommend using toothpicks or other non-metal clips to affix the wig to the foam head.
Use a hairnet over your wig
Another big tip is to place a hairnet over the wig before sealing the box. This will greatly reduce any tangles and will help the wig stay in a reasonable shape. If it is an extremely heavy wig, you may want to use more than one hair net. We also like keeping any ponytails separate.
Some people recommend a dedicated hairnet for each ponytail or long part, but we prefer to use clingwrap. This will allow it to stay together and complete inside to avoid any tangling with the other parts of the wig.
Secure the top of the wig in the box
While the foam head won’t move side to side once it’s taped to the bottom of the box, it can tilt from side to side or move up and down while inside your luggage. To avoid any damage on this, I use a few sealed air bubbles taped to each side of the box, and another one on the top flap.
This creates some space between the box and the wig. It also weighs nearly nothing to help you avoid going over any weight limit on your luggage. Even if you’re not flying and just driving to the event, it doesn’t hurt to keep everything as light as possible.
Remember, after the convention, it’s not as important to keep the wig styled so you can fold up the cardboard box which will give you extra space to bring home any souvenirs or other treasures you find at the conventions.
How to store and move a cosplay without a foam head
Before I learned the benefits of using the foam head, I would use some old sale papers that I crumpled into a ball. This is great because they are effectively free since they just come in the mailbox. They can easily be tossed in the recycling bin once you no longer need them.
One tip is that you want to make sure the ink from the ads won’t rub off on the wig. I normally try rubbing it against some old towels or a white t-shirt to ensure there is no color fade.
Storing the wig after the convention
Styling on synthetic wigs can last for years if they are stored in sealed dry, dust-free areas. I have a large Rubbermaid tub with rows of wigs in boxes. I clearly label them so that I can easily get the wig I need.
I know a lot of people choose to store their wig in a simple zip lock bag after a convention. This means that every time you need to get it out, you will need to style and detangle it. This may be the best option if you live in a small dorm room or apartment without a lot of space.
If this is your situation, we suggest using one gallon-size bag per wig. I have a lot of friends who store their bagged wigs in their dressers. They easily stack well, and this is a great way to keep them in a dark place.
Storing the wig overnight at the convention
When people start in cosplay, they may only have one wig, and they want to wear it every day at the convention. If you take your wig off each night, you can put it on the foam head or on the ball of newspaper to be able to wear it again the next day.
If you are going to wear it on multiple days, we recommend using a wig cap between your head and the wig. This will create a barrier to keeping the wig fresher for extended wearing. Remember, especially on the first day you may be waiting outside for hours to get your badge. The wig cap will help keep any perspiration away from the wig. This will also help you care for your cosplay wig.
Conclusion
So that’s our guide. We hope it’s been helpful, and we love learning tips and tricks from members of our cosplay community. If you have any advice you’d like to share, we’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. If you’re new, we’ve also written a lot about cosplay wigs and what they are.
