Lace Front Human Hair Wigs: How Do They Compare To Synthetic Wigs?

May 10 2010
If you've heard about lace front wigs, you may be wondering what the difference is between a human hair lace front wigs and a synthetic lace front wigs. Both are great hair options, but just so you know the difference, let's see each in a bit more detail.

Synthetic Lace front wigs

They are just as good in terms of the way you'll look in the end, but they have subtle differences. These differences come mainly because they are made of synthetic material.
1. Synthetic wigs are made from mono-filament fibre. These are strands of synthetic material that are initially manufactured untwisted and then can be specially treated to add a twist or a curl or a wave. Think of it as really fine, specially treated fishing line which has been made to look like hair. The special manufacturing process they undergo make the wig come out looking perfectly natural, and when the filaments are woven into a lace base, you can hardly tell that they are not one's own hair.
2. The manufacturing process implants in them a curl or wave "memory". That's the reason why they don't lose their curl or wave in the long run as a human hair wig would. Even when washed, they'll still retain bounce and shine and curl.
3. Since they are made of mono-filament fibre, you cannot heat treat them - they would get damaged. They would shrink and frizz, and at the worst they may shed. There are special styling irons for these that come at very low heat, but are not usually necessary in every day care as your wig maintains its curls naturally. You must also be careful when getting close to heat sources - the flames may reach your wig and damage it.
4. You cannot color, perm or dye a synthetic lace front wig. The nylon in the fibre won't take any color. The color is incorporated into the wig at the time of manufacture so what you choose is what you'll stay with until you decide to get rid of the wig.
5. They need to be cleaned more often than human hair wigs - every 2 weeks. To clean them, you need special products designed for just synthetic lace front wigs. Your supplier should be able to advice on this. After washing, they are left to dry naturally. 5. Lastly, they tend to be cheaper than human hair wigs. If you think you will be changing you hair do very often and cannot afford the more expensive human hair option, a synthetic lace front wig would be the thing to go for.

Human Hair Lace front wigs

As the term suggest, they are made from human hair. Do not have any qualms about this, all women who donate hair do so willingly and are compensated well for it. Human hair lace front wigs have the following characteristics:
1. They can be heat styled. Since they are made of real hair, they will not suffer any damage from heat. That gives the wearer more options in terms of styling.
2. They tend to last for longer - they will outlast a synthetic wig easily. And this is because they are natural.
3. They can be colored, highlighted and permed just like real hair. They'll take in color or perm well and will not suffer any damage.
4. They will feel lighter than a synthetic wig, and this is because they are made of actual hair.
5. Because of all the above reasons, you'll need to pay more for human hair lace front wigs.
The choice is really yours. If you change hair styles frequently and want to spend less, then a synthetic wig would be perfect for you. Since they tend to cost less, you can have several of them and with good care, you can get several re-uses out of them.
On the other hand, human hair lace front wigs will last longer, and because of the versatility in styling, you can wear it in many different ways.
Whatever you choose, make sure to go for lace front wigs - you'll look natural either way.