How Do I Become a Wig Maker?

Wig making is a large industry, which may come as a surprise to some. Most wig companies produce thousands of wigs, beards, and other hair-related items for their customers. If you want to become a wig maker, you don't need anything more than high school education, though you should be prepared to take additional beautician's courses or to begin in an entry-level job where you will be trained how to use the equipment. Prospective wig makers need confidence and concentration to meet their daily quota. They also need to be flexible as working conditions in a wig making factory can change very quickly.

If you want to become a wig maker, you probably already know that the job is often misunderstood even though it is an important part of a number of industries. A wig maker generally makes wigs and beards in an industrial work environment and, at most companies, may be asked to make more than 100 wigs in a day. In general, wigs are made by using a machine to thread artificial, or sometimes real, hair through needles.

Although you don't need post-secondary education to make wigs, it is a good idea to take beautician courses,or something similar, at a technical school or community college. Avoid spending money on short online courses as they provide little in the way of useful training. Most companies do offer on-the-job training, which often consists of three months or more of learning how to use the wig-making machinery. The companies generally pay minimum wage to begin with, though there may be some kind of pay ladder which you can move up as you gain more experience.

To become a wig maker, you need to be extremely confident in your ability as you will be creating dozens, if not hundreds, of wigs a day without much supervision once you become more experienced. It is also vital for you to have a high level of concentration. When you are dealing with powerful machinery, losing concentration can not only cause you to damage the wig you are making, it also increases your chances of sustaining a serious injury from the machines.

If you want to become a wig maker, you must also be flexible and creative. These are important skills because companies routinely change wig and beard designs. The pressure is then on the employee to quickly learn and perfect the new design without delay. You must also have patience, as moving up a company's ranks takes years of hard work and persistence.