I finally made it to Wilshire Wigs and the drive was not as bad as I thought it would be. I am also thankful I printed a map prior to leaving the house because the store does not sit on a main street, it’s on a side street and if it weren’t for their directions stating the store is three doors from the corner, I would have missed the place.

The parking lot is pretty small but I found a park. The building itself is a nice sized building but the display room for wigs is to the left as you enter the front door. The wig show room was not as big as I expected but my goodness, did they have wall-to-wall wigs. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen that many wigs in one place.

Online you will find a number of African-American wigs. In the store, that’s another thing. There were big displays for Revlon, Noriko and others but MotownTress and Beverly Johnson were hit and miss. You really had to look around and find them mixed in with other manufacturers. There were very few lace fronts wigs too, very few, in fact I think I saw two.

Having said all of that, the store if filled with all sorts of wigs in varying styles. If you’re interested in finding something for Halloween, this is the place to go for some very creative, outlandish, interesting and frightening wigs. I saw one that would put Frankenstein’s wife to shame and it came complete with a weird high collar.

If you wish to try a wig on to see how it fits, they have private fitting rooms. I thought that was nice because those going through chemo who have little hair atop their heads can try one on privately without being stared at. One woman who obviously had alopecia did take her wig off at one point to try on another and did she ever get stares. Why? Heck if I know. I don’t know if she noticed this or not but I did see her snatch away into one of the fitting rooms and her husband began bringing her wigs.

The place was pretty crowded as they were doing a good amount of business. Women were in there buying lots-o-lots-o-wigs. There is a clearance section in the back — didn’t see any prices on any of the wigs — and those were going like hot cakes. Don’t you just love clearance racks? I do but I wasn’t there to purchase a wig. Tempted? Yes, but I was trying to stay focused on what I came to purchase. Maybe later.

The Showroom: View from the entrance

I was thrilled to see wigs for children and men. They also have hairpieces for men as well as partials and they sell everything needed to affix them to your head. They have every kind of adhesive, adhesive removers, shampoos and conditioners for wigs — what I came for — name it, they have it but again, it’s not within eye view. You will have to ask one of the three employees there for assistance.

I have read this on the interwebs and many of my friends have told me the same, getting help is difficult at best and you may have to wait longer than what you might expect to get said help. The three salespeople are taking calls every 30 seconds it seems. The phone rings off the hook. Some of the people I saw today were stylists — probably Hollywood or theatrical stylists — and they take up a boatload of time asking questions and looking at products. While the salespeople wait on these folks, your time waiting seems like forever.

I will also say the salespeople are not the most animated folks I’ve seen either. After looking at all of those people in the store, listening to that phone ring more times than I could stand, and listening to question after question being asked for those being waited on, I will venture to say these folks are about dead by noon. If you walk in after noon you might just find yourself talking to the walking dead.  I don’t know, maybe today was an extremely busy day.

My friend warned I should print the items I wished to purchase and take it with me. She said many items on their website are hard to find once you enter the store and she was right. I saw no combs, none of the products I wanted to purchase were within eye shot and I did not see wig caps or other accessories. The only wig cap I did see was being purchased by a woman and apparently, it is a popular item for chemo patients. I was told the wig cap, Comfy Fit, dissipates body heat, prevents wig discomfort, reduces skin shear and prevents pressure sores. It is a cute little cap with a thick gel-filled headband. Again, the cap was in a customer’s hands, I did not see it on display in the store.

Since I did as I was told, I approached the counter, spoke to the gentleman — I think he was the Sergio I’ve heard so much about — presented my pre-printed list of items and he went about the store looking for the items, first in front and then he went to the back to retrieve whatever he couldn’t find in front. Very friendly guy but I could tell he was pretty tired or hot, there was no air conditioning in there.

I heard the one gentleman tell a customer about stylists on the premises. Didn’t see any of them but there are what looked like private rooms in the back with blow dryers that, I guess, could be used for styling wigs for customers. After reviewing their website I know they provide this service but I can’t tell you how one gets from point A to point B. I’m assuming you can purchase the wig and make an appointment for styling or vice versa. Styling, if you don’t know, is having a wig cut and styled for your head.

I also saw a little sign posted for custom ventilation which means they will customize a wig for you. The sign actually said you must make payment first prior to having the service done. I’m guessing there is a place in the back for client fittings because I saw no place up front for such a thing.

My girlfriend tells me the procedure entails having a mold made of your head. Once that’s done a cap is made to fit the mold and you go through another fitting to check the mold. Ventilation is when the hair is weaved into the cap, one strand at a time. A custom wig will cost you a pretty penny. I’ve seen some of my friends custom wigs and though they’re beautiful, they’re very expensive and she flies to another state to have them made which adds to the price.

So, bottom line, if you want to purchase a wig from Wilshire Wigs, buy online. I had to go in today because I wanted to read the bottles, hold them in my hand and make sure the products were something I could use. From now on I will purchase the products online. It’s easier, everything ships within two days and it’s the best way to go. Many of the women I saw today are online shoppers who were there to see what’s hot, what’s not and to check out the clearance section.

Wishire Wigs
http://www.wilshirewigs.com/
Address:
5241 Craner Avenue
North Hollywood, CA 91601
View directions.

Phone:
800-927-0874 (Toll Free)
818-761-9447 Phone
818-761-9779 Fax

Hours:
Mon-Fri: 9:00-5:30 PST
Sat: 9:00-4:00 PST