How to Do Marie Antoinette Hair

Creating the Base

Think about your design and have reference pictures ready. You can base your wig off of an existing one, or you can come up with your own color scheme and accessories. If you are making this wig for a themed costume, make sure that the colors and embellishments match. Have the reference images handy. They will help give you an idea of what the wig should look like in the end.

Choose a high-quality wig that is about 20 inches (50.8 centimeters) long. It can be any color you want. White or gray are the most popular, but you can choose an unnatural color, such as orange or light blue. A lace front wig will work the best for this, but if you cannot afford one, you can use one with a regular hairline instead. Purchase the wig online or from a wig shop or costume shop; avoid the Halloween or party supply store.

Set up a stand for your Styrofoam wig head, then place the wig head on top. You can purchase such stands online or in a well-stocked wig shop. You can also make you own by sticking a thick dowel or pvc pipe into a bucket filled with sand or pebbles. The dowel/pipe needs to be thin enough to fit into the hole at the bottom of the wig head.

Pin your wig to a Styrofoam wig head. You need to pin the wig around the outer edge. You will need at least one pin on the forehead, one on each side of the nap, and one on each side burn. Do not put any pins on the top-center of the wig, or they will get trapped inside. You can pin the wig using T-pins or regular sewing pins.

Gather the top section of hair out of the way. The section needs to span the width of the forehead and extend towards the back of the crown. Twist the gathered hair into a bun and secure it with a clip. Use the wefts in the wig as a guide. Separate the hair with the handle of a rat-tail comb.

Curling the Hair

Wrap the wig hair around foam or plastic hair rollers. Wrap thin sections of hair around each roller, making sure to set them horizontally and roll them downwards. You will need two rollers at each temple, one above the other. How many rollers you use for the rest of the wig depends on how dense it is. Wigs are made up of rows of wefts. Use these as your guide when arranging the rollers. Plan on using 1 to 2 wefts for roller. Use 7/8 or 3/4-inch (2.3 or 1.9-centimeter) hair rollers. Wrap the hair around it it, rolling it downward.

Boil some water in a large pot, then remove the pot from the stove. The pot needs to be big enough to fit the wig inside, and the water deep enough to submerge the curls. Most wig hair cannot be curled using the same methods as real hair; the high temperatures from most heat tools will melt the fibers. Set the pot down onto a stable, heat-safe surface.

Dip the curls into the boiled water. Take the wig head off of the stand. Hold it by the neck, then turn it upside down. Dunk the wig into the water until the curls are submerged, then lift it out. Depending on what type of wig you have, you'll need to made the following modifications: If your wig is made from non-heat-resistant fibers, let the water cool to 170 to 180°F (77 to 83°C) first. Dip the wig into the water, then pull it outt. If your wig is made from heat-resistant: dunk the wig into the water immediately, wait 5 to 10 seconds, then lift it out.

Allow the fibers to dry and cool while you work on the rest of the wig. Do not remove the curlers yet; they will help keep the curled hair separate from the uncurled hair in the next step.

Adding Volume and Poof

Unclip the hair on top of head and section off the front. Use the handle of a rat-tail comb to separate a thick band of hair along the hairline from the rest. Secure this section of hair with a clip, and leave the rest of the hair on top of the wig loose. Use the wefts of the wig as a guide when separating out the hair. Plan on making the separated hair about an inch (2.54 centimeter) or o thick.

Tease the rest of the hair with hairspray and a comb. Working one chunk at a time, mist the hair at the top of the head with hairspray, then tease it with a comb. Keep misting and teasing until all of the hair is standing up in a big, ratted poof. Gather the ends of the hair together and smooth them towards the back of the poof. Secure them with a hair pin, if needed.

Unclip the front section and comb it back over the poof. Work in thin layers, otherwise it will not hold. Smooth the hair back over the poof and mist it with hairspray.

Remove the rollers, except for the sets on the temples. Make sure that the hair is completely dry and cool first, then gently unravel them. Leave the two rollers on each temple in place. The hair must be dry and cool. If it is still warm or damp, the curls will come out. The bottom curls from the nape of your wig will be draped over your shoulder when worn. If you want to keep the ringlet shape, leave the curlers in.

Brush out the curls. Start from the ends and work your way up. This will help soften them up and give the wig a more wavy texture. If you want to, you can gently tease the top layers; leave the bottom layers alone, however. For best results, use a ire wig brush. You can also try a wide-toothed comb instead.

Sweep the curls, except for the bottom layer, over the poof, and secure them. Working one to two wefts/rows at a time, sweep the curls over the back of the poof and towards the front. Set them with hairspray, then blast them with a hair drier. Leave the curls at the nape of the wig alone. Secure the curls to the top of the poof with hair clips until they dry, then remove the clips. Don't gather all of the curls at once; work in thin layers/wefts/rows. If you make them too thick, they won't hold as well.

Finishing and Decorating the Wig

Unravel the curls at the temples. Carefully undo the two curls on the left temple, then undo the two on the right. Do not brush them out. You will be coiling them back into shape during the next step.

Roll the curls back into place, then pin them with bobby pins. Use your fingers to roll the top curls back into their original shape, minus the roller. Secure them with bobby pins, then do the same for the bottom set. Spray the curl with hairspray when you are done. Use bobby pins that match the wig's color.

Add some decorations to hair. What is Marie Antoinette hair without a little bling? Choose some decorations that match your costume, including the colors, then add them to the sides of the wig, just above the temple curls. Here are some ideas to get you started: Buy some fake butterflies, then clip them randomly throughout the wig. Cut down fake flowers in various sizes, then stick them into the sides of the wig. Clip a strand of pearls to the top of the wig, so that it drapes down the front like a diadem.

Drape the back curls over each shoulder when wearing the wig. If you left the curlers in earlier, remove them now. If you a softer look, gently brush them out.