The Mane Thing ...

Three very important items to be aware of if you don't have long enough hair and are using a wig:

- Don't skimp
- Choose a reasonable color
- Trim it!


Don't Skimp

Don't get the cheapie nylon ones - these look just like what they are - costume. And they're also hot and uncomfortable. Make sure you get a man's wig - they have an additional piece to cover the sideburns. You also want to get a monofilament wig with a skin top. My recommendation is the "Jordan" from International Wig. This goes for about $50.

Choose A Reasonable Color
Unless you are planning on shaving your head, don't go too much lighter or darker than your natural hair color, regardless of "who" you're currently dressed as. You WILL look stupid and everyone will laugh at you. I have golden brown hair, and fortunately for me, the "Jordan" has something almost exactly my color. (In fact, this particular wig has a very wide selection of colors.) This makes it much easier for me to hide the edges of the wig with my own hair. And, people will love to run their fingers through your "hair". At one event, one poor soul must have been convinced by his GF to dress up as Legolas. Now, this guy had a 9 o'clock shadow (think of a 5 o'clock shadow starting 8 hours earlier) and a cheap blond wig. Great outfit, though. And coming from me, that's a very substantial compliment! (His GF, on the other hand, was large enough to have her own event horizon. If I were to keep this metaphor in LOTR terms, when she sat around Lothlorien, she sat AROUND Lothlorien...) His dark sideburns were sticking out of the sides of the wig and he was terribly self-conscious. I spent a lot of time with Danny that night because I really felt for him - he perked up when we started talking since he didn't feel the total idiot. I explained what I did and he was rather surprised - "That's not your real hair?" and I can almost guarantee a dark brown wig was ordered and in the mail the next day.

Trim It
Lastly, faces are different shapes and sizes. Once you get the wig, go to your stylist/barber/etc and have them trim around the face and cut it to the proper length. If not, you will be brushing it out of your face every five minutes AND it will look fake! I use my wig for Aragorn, Boromir, Faramir and my generic Ithilien Ranger. It also works quite well for my generic pirate outfit! When you have something that blends in with your own hair, people don't really notice the subtle color differences. They just assume you have naturally long hair. The "Jordan" came to the middle of my back out of the box. If you're going the Rohirrim route, or possibly an Ithilien Ranger, you may not need to shorten it, but you will always need the trim around the face.