Inserting the Hair
DID YOU KNOW: Each hair is individually inserted into the head! And there can be over 10,000 hairs on one head!!
It takes up to 4 weeks to insert a full head of hair. We always use real human hair, which is donated, so that we can wash, cut and style the hair. We can also use a variety of styling products and tools that would not work effectively on synthetic hair. No matter what type of hair the celebrity has, we can find it! We can source all sorts of hair: straight, wavy or curly and in a wide variety of colours so we are always able to get it 100% the same as the celebrities!
Once the perfect hair has been selected the hair artists begin… The wax head is heated slowly with a warm lamp to make the insertion easier and neater. Each individual hair is inserted into the wax using a small tool (see picture below) made by cutting the eye of a regular sewing needle into a small fork.
The root of the hair is always inserted into the wax allowing the hair to fall as it naturally would.
The hair artists are careful to follow the unique hair growth pattern of each celebrity making certain the hairs crown and parting are in the right place.
We often have to mix several different colours of hair together; if the hair is going grey or if the celebrity has highlights or dyed roots. On occasion we have been requested to ‘be kind’ to the celebrity, and have been known to thicken thinning hair and avoid bald areas!
The hair is then shampooed, conditioned, cut and styled to replicate the celebrities’ chosen style and if we’re really lucky we sometimes get advice from the celebrities’ personal stylist!
Find out next time how we bring the celebrities to life by colouring the wax with oil paints!!!