Notes:

- Used a 16 inch synthetic black wig

- Not need for pre-setting, just start styling the wig

- Use rats or hair pads to help create shapes

- Divide the front of the wig into 3 sections; centre front, left and right

- Creat a small ponytail at the crown of the head

- Seperate a small section at the front, backcomb and add hair pad if necessary. Secure to other ponytail

- Use the same technique on the 2 side sections, securing them to the ponytail with bands

- Pin the hair in the ponytail out of the way

- For the back section of the wig, put a comb where you want the hair to fold upwards. Hold the end of this section at the base of the ponytail and pin it in place

- Then roll some of the hair in the pontail into a bun and pin and place

-  Roll the rest around a hair pad and pin in place

 

I think the finished look of the wig is OK, but there the overall shape is nowhere near big enough to be considered accurate. All the japanese geisha wig tutorials i've seen don't use pins, padding or backcombing at all. I will try and use as few as possible, but I think black elastic bands would be a good substitute for the paper string that is traditionally used. I think backcombing is going to be a good substitute for creating the shapes in the hair, as I don't have access to a geisha hair comb which are traditionally used to create the shapes.  Although there won't be the noticable gaps created by traditional geisha hairstyling, the shape will be accurate. This has also given me more of an idea as to how to approach the styling of the wig methodically.