As we progress in our cosplays, I can say that one of the major improvements that is easily noticed is our wigs. Custom-styled wigs are now readily available to buy from Taobao and other wig shops. But most of the time, the custom wigs we receive gets deformed or ruined from the packaging during shipment and that we still have to fix them ourselves or have our fellow cosplayers, who do amazing wig styling, to fix and re-style them for us. That is why it is important to have a proper storage for our custom wigs to preserve the style and keep it safe.
To store my custom-styled wigs, I made cardboard protectors.
For my wigs like Cinderella (with a bun), Ariel (with high bangs), Sailor Moon (high bangs, buns, ponytails) and other similar characters, one trick that I do is have a cardboard protection around the wig before putting them inside the ziplock plastic bag.
It is made of used cardboard taped together to form a fence-like rectangular shape. I also place a separate cardboard underneath so it is easier to slide the whole wig in and out of the plastic.
Remember that the measurement for the cardboard depends on the size of your wig and plastic storage. So make sure you check your ziplock plastic before cutting the board.
Mine is 4in x 6in x 8in for Cinderella. I also placed a thin cardboard flap to put hairpins on because I need to use a lot to hold my wig in place during cosplay.
Sometimes, you may need to provide a bigger actual box for more complex and larger wigs. For example, Rapunzel's wig, or wigs with spikes like Goku's.
I make my cardboard protectors from used milk boxes. But you can also use plastic shoe boxes, juice boxes, cereal boxes, or the cardboard that comes along with the wigs from the suppliers.
You can use two of white thin wig cardboard and put them together with
tape. Once you have the cardboard taped together, you can customize it any way you like: cover it with colored paper, place stickers on it, write the character name - go crazy!
Cardboard protectors aren't good just for storage but also for handling the wig during trips to the event. You can easily pack it in your luggage without having to worry about your wig getting squished by your other costume parts.~
As an extra tip, here is how I pack my costume inside my trolley suitcase in hierarchy:
wig
light prop/accessories
fabric costume parts
shoes/heavy prop
So there! Wigs are totally love so let's do our best to take care of them.~
