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Are you losing your hair and considering a human hair wig?
Maybe you’ve been wearing wigs for a while and are considering a new purchase or upgrade.
We understand there’s a lot of confusion surrounding the purchase of a human hair wig. There are a lot of unfamiliar terminologies. You may be wondering where to begin and even what questions to ask.
We’re here to help.
We aim to clear up some of the confusion and make the wig-buying process as simple and easy as possible. Here at Daniel Alain, we are proud to be the industry leaders in human hair wigs. Our collections are renowned for their beauty, craftsmanship, and discretely natural look. Women have been wearing our luxury human hair wigs for over two decades, and there’s not much we don’t know about helping our customers find the right wig for them.
We’ve asked one of our real-life customers, Mirna Wilson, to share her thoughts on one of our most popular human hair wigs. Mirna has been wearing wigs for five years, and the René collections from Follea by Daniel Alain for three. We hope that sharing her honest opinion of one of our pieces will help you decide whether or not it’s the right wig for you.
A human hair wig is a considerable investment, but knowing what to look for will get you closer to finding your perfect match.
Mirna has alopecia areata and kept her hair loss a secret for years, only confiding in her husband and parents. Enduring the erratic and unpredictable nature of alopecia areata alone and in silence, she tried multiple treatments to cure her hair loss, to no avail. Coming to terms with her bald patches and frequent hair fall and discovering natural-looking, beautiful human hair wigs allowed Mirna to regain her confidence.
These days she’s an outspoken wig-wearing advocate who proudly shares her story of strength and endurance on her social media. Mirna is passionate about talking openly about hair loss and wig-wearing so that anyone following in her footsteps can accept their hair loss, seek support, and find their first wig without shame, stigma, or embarrassment.
“When you’re going through hair loss you feel very alone. When you’re hiding it, you don’t feel like yourself. You don’t feel natural.” says Mirna. “I just didn’t feel good about myself. I didn’t like what I saw in the mirror and I was embarrassed. Wigs became my beacon of hope. Wearing my René wig makes me feel beautiful again.”
What is the Follea René human hair wig by Daniel Alain?
The René wig uses a blend of Chinese and Indian hair. This hair type is thicker and coarser than 100% European hair, and the René wig is fuller and denser than our other wig collections. Return hairs are shorter strands tied to the wig cap to provide extra volume and density to the piece.
The René features a hand-tied lace top. Hand-tied refers to the way the hairs are knotted to the wig cap, one of two strands of hair at a time. The sides of the René are machine-wefted, meaning the hair is sewn into strips and then sewn onto the wig cap by machine.
The lace top of the wig gives a less natural-looking scalp appearance, and if you have bio hair under your wig, you might see it through the lace top. (Keep reading - Mirna has a great tip to make the lace top appear completely natural, even under close scrutiny!)
The René has a lace front across the forehead to create a natural-looking hairline, and this collection is available in 4 lengths and 16 colors.
What Mirna loves about her Follea René human hair wig
The features Mirna loves about her Follea René are:
Hair density
Hair quality
Hand-tied lace top
Faux widow’s peak
Hair color
Hair density
While some people prefer a more sleek, less dense look, Mirna enjoys the fullness of the Chinese and Indian hair used to make the René wig. “I love the density of my René wigs compared to other human hair wigs. I feel like there’s a lot of fullness, especially at the crown,” Mirna explains.
Some of the wig’s fullness is attributed to the use of return hairs. “The return hairs give the René extra volume and end up looking like natural baby hairs. They’re a really nice feature that make the whole look very realistic.”
Hair quality
European hair is considered the gold standard in human hair wigs due to its scarcity. By contrast, Chinese and Indian hair is more easily sourced, coarser in texture, and also less expensive.
“The hair used to make the René is not European hair, it’s a blend of Chinese and Indian hair. But the quality is fantastic. Out of all the wigs I’ve ever worn, this is by far the best Chinese and Indian blend hair I’ve ever worn,” Mirna exclaims.
One way to discern quality is to see how the hair stands up to the test of time. Washing, wearing, and styling will impact the hair, and a good wig must withstand these practices.
Mirna enthuses that her René looks good year after year. “The René doesn’t need a lot of styling, unless of course you choose to do that. I air dry my wigs and they look pretty darn good without even using heat tools like a blow dryer or curling wand. They have a smooth, natural wave. Other brands I’ve tried get frizzy when they dry.”
Hand-tied lace top
“The beauty of the lace top is that it’s hand-tied. The hair is multidirectional and you can part it wherever you want,” says Mirna, who enjoys switching up her part and maximizing the versatility of the lace top.
The René wig features a lace top that, unlike a skin top that gives a true-to-scalp appearance, does not look completely natural. Mirna’s secret hack for making her lace top look undetectable?
“To make the lace top look more natural, I flip my wig inside out and put silicone scar tape along the underside of the part line. It gives you the appearance of a real scalp.”
Faux widow’s peak
Mirna’s René wig looks so natural you wouldn’t know she was wearing a wig unless she told you (she’s likely to tell you!) Part of the natural look comes down to the flawless transition at the front hairline.
“A thing I love about the René is the faux widow’s peak. It’s not a harsh straight line across the forehead. Everybody has some sort of widow’s peak and that adds to making the René look really natural.”
Hair Color
The Rene is available in 16 different colors, and Mirna enjoys being able to switch up her looks daily. The color range offers something for everyone.
“The variety of colors is incredible. I love that a lot of the options have a shadow root which means the colors blend together beautifully. I can be a brunette with a dark root or a blonde with a dark root, and they both match my eyebrows and eyelashes perfectly. I love that.”
What Mirna doesn’t love about her Follea René human hair wig
The features Mirna doesn’t love about her Follea René are:
Can’t wear high ponytails or buns
Tangling
Can’t wear high ponytails or buns
The machine-wefted sides mean that the René is not for people who want to wear high ponytails or buns. Pulling the hair up into these high styles will expose the machine-wefting. On the other hand, if low ponytails are your preference, Mirna has some tips for making them look as natural as possible.
“I’ve found a way where I can pull it back in a low ponytail and keep the machine-wefting hidden. You can cut some baby hairs at your nape to disguise the bottom of the wig, and you can pull out some hair around the ear tabs. This will conceal the ear tabs so nobody will know that you have a wig on.”
Tangling
All wigs are prone to tangling because the hair isn’t getting the benefits of the scalp’s natural oils. While Mirna is quick to point out that the René is no more prone to tangling than any other wig, brushing and maintenance are part of any wig ownership to ensure tangles are kept at bay. Wearing wigs does not mean you are exempt from brushing and combing your hair.
“With every wig, tangling is annoying. It’s not rare that wigs tangle, and you need to take care of them and brush them regularly. It’s exactly the same with bio hair. It all needs to be brushed.”
Overall, Mirna’s passion and excitement for her René wig enable her to overlook the downsides. Wearing her Follea human hair wig makes Mirna feel as beautiful on the inside as she looks on the outside.
“When I’m getting ready for the day, I don’t feel like myself without my René. I put my wig on, and I instantly feel the shift. I’m ready for anything.
You have to like what you see in the mirror. You have to feel it deep down. Anyone can give you a compliment or insist you look good, but it doesn’t mean anything until you can feel it for yourself. My René wigs make me feel beautiful from the inside.”
Is the René wig right for you?
Buying a wig can feel overwhelming. Panic purchase, indecision, and buyer’s remorse can be as real as the wig sitting unworn in the back of a closet.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. Finding the hair of your dreams can be as exciting, life-changing, and freeing for you as it was for Mirna. Hopefully, we’ve cleared up some of your big questions about our René wig.
There’s nothing wrong with handing over the reins to the experts to guide you through the process of buying a wig. If you’d like to know more about our Follea René wigs, or any of our other wig collections, booking an appointment for a consultation with one of our experienced stylists is the best way to get started.