Do you ever get excited about a brand new wig only to put it onto your head and realize it looks way too bulky? You’re not alone. Bulky wigs are common because wig manufacturers would rather give you too much hair in your wig than not enough.
Certain face shapes look better with thicker wigs, while others require the wig to be thinned out before they start to look natural. If you’re planning on wearing your wig up in an updo a thick wig can make that really difficult.
So when you find yourself in this scenario and you’re looking for ways to thin out your wig (without going to a professional for it), we’ve got you covered.
So how do you thin out a wig? There are a few different ways you can do it, like using thinning shears, a razor comb, or regular tweezers. It’s not recommended that you use regular scissors for this since it can ruin the wig.
In this post, we’re going to cover the best ways to thin out a wig at home so that you can get your wig looking exactly how you like.
How To Thin Out A Wig Using Thinning Shears
Thinning shears are the best tool for thinning out a thick wig because they allow you to do it without creating any blunt edges. Thinning shears are used for a wide range of haircuts on real hair and synthetic hair.
They allow you to remove bulkiness from sections of hair in a natural and subtle way. They’re ideal for thinning out wigs that have bulkiness all throughout the length of the wig, especially at the top.
So if you can get your hands on a pair of thinning shears, we highly recommend it. You can find thinning shears at most beauty stores and online. For example, these thinning shears are affordable and have thousands of great reviews.
Once you have a good pair of thinning shears, it’s time to get to work. Follow the steps below to effectively thin out your wig in the most natural way possible:
1. Figure Out The Game Plan
The first thing you want to do before you start cutting off parts of the wig is figure out the game plan. You need to figure out which sections of the wig require thinning.
Put the wig on your head and stand in front of a mirror. Ideally, you’ll have a second mirror so that you can see the back of your head too.
Assess where the wig appears too bulky and note which sections will require the most thinning.
2. Place Your Wig On A Mannequin
Remove the wig from your head and place it on a mannequin. It’s much easier to work with that way.
If you don’t have a mannequin for your wig, you can use an upside-down jar or another type of surface that somewhat mimics the shape of a head.
3. Begin In Sections
Separate the hair into sections that are easy to work with. We usually go for a front section (bangs), side sections, back crown section, and bottom back section.
But if your wig is too thick, you might need to separate the hair into more sections.
4. Clip Away The Top Layer
When you’re thinning out a wig, it’s very important to avoid using your shears on the very top layer of the hair. This will help you avoid tiny hair sticking out from the crown of your head.
So clip away the top layer of the hair and begin working on the layers underneath that.
5. Begin Thinning The Wig
Pick a thin layer of hair from the section you want to work on. Put the shears against the base of the hair and close them. Make sure you’re placing the shears as close to the base as possible to avoid small hairs from sticking out.
Once you close the shears on the hair, you can keep them closed and gently pull them out towards the tips of the hair.
This removes certain hairs from the base while keeping the other hairs intact, which allows the wig to maintain its shape while becoming less bulky.
6. Repeat
Repeat this process throughout the rest of the wig in sections that you’ve identified. Remember to always clip the topmost layer of the hair out of the way because you don’t want to cut that off.
Feel free to try the wig on throughout this process to keep tabs on how it’s looking. You can repeat the thinning steps until you’re happy with the way it looks.
Remember to start slow because it’s better to have to cut off more hair than to cut off too much!
How To Thin Out A Wig Using A Razor Comb
A razor comb is another great tool that makes thinning hair easier. There are some great razor combs on Amazon, like this one.
Razor combs are ideal for wigs that have a lot of thickness in the mid-shaft of the hair. They’re a little harder to use when you are trying to remove bulk from the crown of your head – thinning shears work much better for that.
If you’ve got a lot of bulk in the lengths of the wig, a razor comb makes it super easy to remove. Follow the steps below:
1. Figure Out The Game Plan
As always, start by placing the wig on your head, looking in a mirror, and figuring out where you want to remove some bulk.
2. Start On The Mid-Shaft Of Hair
You can keep the wig on your head for this, or place it on a wig mannequin.
Start by placing the razor comb near the mid-shaft of the hair and glide it down the length as you would with a regular comb.
You will notice that some of the hair will be getting removed as you do this.
Avoid going anywhere near the “roots” or the base of the hair because you don’t want to end up with short hairs sticking out at the top of your wig.
3. Continue Thinning The Wig
Continue sliding the razor comb down your hair starting at various lengths – wherever you feel like there is too much bulk.
Within a few minutes, you will notice that your wig is looking much thinner.
If you do find yourself needing to remove some thickness at the base of the wig, you can try doing that with a razor comb by placing it as close to the base as possible. However, make sure to avoid the topmost layer of the hair.
Thinning your wig with a razor comb is more of an art than a science. You’re freehanding a lot of it, so just take it slow. You’ll be getting a hang of it quickly once you start!
Here’s a great tutorial from Magdaline 1ONLY on YouTube.
How To Thin Out A Wig Using Tweezers
Tweezers offer another way to thin out a wig, although it’ll take you a lot longer.
Tweezers are great for thinning out small parts of the wig, such as the area around the hairline or the bangs area to make it look more realistic.
However, if you’re looking to remove bulkiness from the entire wig, tweezers might not be the best option because it will take you several hours to get the job done. You will be tweezing one hair at a time with this method.
Thinning your wig with tweezers is pretty straightforward:
1. Figure Out The Game Plan
Begin by figuring out which areas of the wig need to be thinned out.
2. Place Wig On Mannequin
Place your wig on a mannequin or another similar object so that you can work on the hard-to-reach parts.
3. Begin Plucking
Next, begin plucking by placing your tweezers at the base of each hair and pulling out. Be careful not to remove many hairs that are close together – try to leave hairs in between the ones you pluck to avoid a “bald spot.”
4. Continue
Repeat the plucking routine in all the areas of the wig that you wish to thin out.
How To Thin Out A Wig With Regular Scissors
We really don’t recommend going at your wig with regular scissors in an attempt to thin it out. Regular scissors are great for trimming the ends of your wig or even adding some stylish layers.
But using scissors at the base of the wig in an effort to thin it out will only result in uneven edges, short hairs sticking out from the top of your wig, and blunt pieces of hair.
If all you have are regular scissors, consider investing in one of the tools we recommended above, or simply go to a hairstylist who can thin the wig out for you.
Final Thoughts
Thinning out a wig is often a necessary part of the process. You can successfully do it at home as long as you have the right tools and the right technique.
We hope this blog post helps you figure out how to get your wig to the right thickness so you can wear it with confidence!
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