Where do I get my wig bases from?
Every stunning wig starts with a solid foundation. The base of a wig, its cap, structure and quality of the wefts determines the final outcome looks and feels. Just like a well-built house needs a sturdy frame, a wig requires a decent base to ease up the styling effort and timing. In this post, I’ll talk about the top 3 stores that I get my wig bases from and my thoughts about them. Keep in mind that all these wigs are sourced from Taobao, so you may need to translate and use a proxy service to access them.
ManGong provides heat resistant wigs that withstands around 200°C. They have a huge variety of colors to choose from and also has color samples for sale. This is especially helpful if you are looking for specific colors and would like to see it in real which one matches the shade you’re looking for the best. The base is constructed with rose net and each row of weft is thick enough to entirely cover the wig cap, so you won’t need to worry about it showing through. The wigs come in a variety of styles to choose from, whether you want is straight, curled, center parted, a short bob or short layered hair, they have it all. On top of that they have individual wefts for sale so if you’re looking for pieces of highlights to add onto the wig, these are perfect for that!
Shipping times for their wigs vary depending on the stock availability. It may be shipped out within days to weeks so it may be good to check with their customer service assistant beforehand if you’re in a rush.
Variation ★★★★☆
Color Accuracy ★★★★★
Heat Resistant ★★★★★
Shipping ★★★☆☆
ManQi is known for their huge variety of colors as they have 192 shades to pick from! They have a full color sample chart which comes in an accordion style so it can be easily stored away. Their wig quality is similar to Mangong where it withstands around 200°C and comes with a rose net base. Each weft layer is thick and well constructed as well so there is minimal hair fall. If you’re looking for extra long wigs, they have 120cm and 150cm wigs in limited colors but fret not as the wigs can be custom dyed to the shade you desire. Apart from that, they also have wig parts such as clip on buns and ponytails as well as individual wefts.
While I love their huge selection of wigs, I’ve experienced shipping issues where their wig took months to be shipped out. The wigs are also often out of stock with no estimated restocking dates so it wouldn’t be a good choice if you have a strict dateline to meet.
Variation ★★★★★
Color Accuracy ★★★★★
Heat Resistant ★★★★★
Shipping ★★☆☆☆
ManMei is usually my third option when it comes to picking base wigs. Their wigs have a lower melting point, somewhere around 180°C-200°C so I’m usually more careful while crimping these wigs to prevent the ends from frying. While they have a lesser variation of color and styles, what made them stood out is their pre-crimped wigs! Pre-crimped wigs are machine made so they feel different from hand-crimped wigs. Based on personal experience, these pre-crimped wigs tend to get tangled easily so they would be good for things like braids and updos but not as much for flowy long styles. The wigs come with a rose net base as well however the wefts are pretty thin and often has issues where they weren’t sewn down properly and would need additional fixing before styling the wig. This only happens with their non-character base wigs tho, the character wigs are often pretty thick!
Of all the stores listed here, they have the fastest shipping services. Orders are usually shipped within the same day or the next day so I tend to pick them when I need wigs in a hurry!
Variation ★★★★☆
Color Accuracy ★★★☆☆
Heat Resistant ★★★★☆
Shipping ★★★★★
Back when I first started cosplaying and had limited access to wigs, I got a bright pink, non-heat resistant party store wig. I was unable to heat style it because it will fry the wig so all I did was trim the bangs. Needless to say, it didn’t look good on me at all, so over the years of cosplaying I’ve learned that when picking the right wig base for styling, always take into consideration for its quality, wig construction time and shipping speed if you have an upcoming convention date. A good base helps in saving lots of effort and time taken into styling the wig plus it will make your cosplay crafting experience more fun. Say goodbye to those cheap party wigs!