They Look Cheap and Shiny
Technology has advanced, new fibres have been developed improving the appearance of synthetic wigs. The dyeing process and techniques have advanced and designers like us are creating bespoke blends to deliver even more beautiful synthetic wigs.
Older waxy and static fibres such as Modlon are less commonly used now, you will mostly likely experience those on ultra-fast fashion websites, the high street and on supermarket shelves during Halloween. Costs are cut with materials and you will likely experience cheap, thin and shiny wigs if you dont invest in thoughtful suppliers.
They Are Hot And Uncomfortable to Wear
Again due to development of technology and materials, fibres are much more lightweight, open cap wig structures offer better ventilation and more comfortable to wear for longer periods of time.
If you purchase cheaper wigs, you'll likely receive structures made with cheaper man-made materials for the wig cap construction and cheaper fibres which can feel heavy and waxy..
You Can Curl Them With Appliances If They Are Heat Resistant
I see debates about this a lot. I feel the confusion comes from some wig companies using a picture of electric straighteners to show they are heat resistant and consumers taking that as an indicator that the wig can be straightened and curled with that appliance. To clear up the confusion - there is absolutely no synthetic fibre that you can curl the same way as you curl human hair. While the fibre remains hot - it will just drop straight down.
The illustration of a human hair appliance purely indicates the wig is heat resistant. You can use appliances, however you will need to hold the curls in shape till they go cool. You will get a smoother straight look by steaming and much more consistent curl by setting the wig on rollers with steam. Having used hair appliances myself on wigs, the curls can look inconsistent and I witnessed the fibres deteriorating as they stretched while being straightened and wrapped around hot curling irons.
Human Hair Is Better
Human Hair looks great, having owned human hair wigs myself I loved the look of them.... initially! When I was doing drag, the expectation was that human hair was the next step up and I finally gave in and bought some. After an hour or two of wearing them, I appreciated why synthetic wigs were so amazing!
I feel human hair wigs are good if they are short and straight. Long ones look absolutely fabulous fresh on, with bouncy curls. However - from my experience - they quickly drop, the hair absorbs humidity, it can start to feel heavy and washing them is just something else! I ended up with tangled messes and I had to buy a lot of expensive products to tame them and get them looking sleek. If you are amazing with human hair and have plenty of time for maintenance, then you'll enjoy them.
One of the bigger issues I have, is how the human hair is sold. Some wigs labelled as human hair do not one strand of human hair in them. The sourcing of human hair can be unclear, causing ethical concerns.
Synthetic wigs have come such a long way in regards to appearance and they last longer. They dont suffer split ends, hair breakage and they hold the style in all kinds of extreme conditions. They can easily be washed and a the fibre completely taken back to close to new with a steaming and be set into something completely new.
You Have To Replace Synthetic Wigs Once They Become Frizzy
I was the the worse wig owner you could imagine. I screwed my wigs up and bundled them into a drawer after wearing them, took them out weeks later and raked a brush through horrible tangles. My wigs were matted and the ends frizzy, however every once in a while I would chuck them all in a bath of soapy water and let them soak. Then I would get my hand steamer out, put each one on a wig block and I would brush them through with hot steam. My entire hair wardrobe would like brand new!
Steam will straighten fibres and frizzy ends will look as fresh as the day they were made, ready to have brand new curl patterns or crimps added for a restyle.