Ask Katie: Which Wig Color Suits me Best? A Crossdressers Guide

Our reader asks: “ Hi Katie, I’m fairly new to wearing wigs and honestly have no idea how to choose a wig color. Which wig color suits me best and will help me create a natural, feminine look? -Lucia”

In this article, we’ll cover:

• Choosing a wig color for your skin tone
• Matching your wig with your eyebrows
• Comparing blonde, brunette, and red wigs
• How makeup affects wig color
• Why trying different colors is important

Dear Lucia,

How to choose a wig color is such a common problem, especially when you’re buying your first few wigs. You see a gorgeous blonde wig on a model, order it, put it on, and suddenly wonder why it looks completely different on you! Learning the best wig color is partly about your skin tone, but there’s more to it than that. Your eyebrows, makeup, age, wig style, and even your personality can change which colors look best. And I’ll let you in on something we’ve learned from helping customers over the years: the color you think you want isn’t always the one you end up loving most.

How to Choose the Best Wig Color for Your Skin Tone?

If your main question is “How to choose a wig color for me?”, your skin tone is a good place to start. You don’t need to make this complicated. Look at your skin in natural daylight without heavy makeup. Does it lean warm, cool, or somewhere in between?

• Warm skin tones often look great with warmer hair colors such as honey blonde, caramel, warm brown, chestnut, and auburn.
• Cool skin tones tend to work well with ash blonde, cooler browns, darker brunette shades, and some cooler reds.
• Neutral skin tones have a little more freedom. You may find that both warm and cool shades work for you.

There are no hard rules here. Think of this as a starting point rather than something you have to follow.

Don’t Automatically Reach for Blonde

We see this all the time. Many people exploring their feminine side make blonde their first choice. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. Blonde can be fun, feminine, and a dramatic change from your everyday appearance. But don’t assume blonde will automatically be the most flattering choice. Sometimes a brunette wig frames the face much better. 

If you’re deciding between blonde wigs and brunette wigs, try both if you can. Try to visit a specialist store that has a good selection of wigs to fit a crossdresser like Glamour Boutique. That way you can try different colors and different size wig caps. You may be surprised by which one you prefer once you see the complete look in person.

Don’t Forget About Your Eyebrows

Your eyebrows matter more than you might think. If you have very dark eyebrows and choose an extremely light platinum blonde wig, the contrast can be quite noticeable. That doesn’t mean you can’t wear blonde. You may simply find that a darker blonde with highlights blends more naturally.

The same applies in reverse. You don’t need your wig and eyebrows to match exactly. In fact, an exact match can sometimes look less natural. You just want the two colors to look like they belong together. This is one reason rooted and highlighted wigs can be so useful. A darker root can make a lighter wig blend much more naturally with your face.

Look for Dimension, Not Just One Flat Color

If your goal is a realistic-looking wig, pay attention to the different tones within the hair. Natural hair usually isn’t one identical color from root to tip. There are lighter pieces, darker pieces, and subtle variations. Wigs with highlights, lowlights, or rooted colors can recreate that effect. They can also be more forgiving against your complexion than one very solid shade.

So when you ask yourself ‘how to choose a wig color, don’t just compare “blonde” with “brown.” Look at the individual shades within the wig. A honey blonde will look very different from platinum. A chocolate brown will look different from an ash brown. 

Should You Match Your Natural Hair Color?

You can, but you certainly don’t have to. Staying reasonably close to your natural hair color can be helpful when you’re new to wigs. It often feels less dramatic when you first look in the mirror, and there’s a good chance the color will already work with your complexion.

But one of the fun parts of wearing wigs is getting to experiment. You might have naturally dark hair, but discover that you love yourself as a redhead. Or perhaps you’ve always imagined yourself blonde and find a warm honey shade that completely changes your look. Give yourself permission to try something different.

Think About the Look You’re Trying to Create

There’s another question I like to ask customers: Who do you want to see when you look in the mirror? Maybe you want a subtle, everyday feminine look. In that case, natural browns, dimensional blondes and softer shades are often easy places to start. Maybe you want something a little more glamorous. A bright blonde, rich black or striking red might give you exactly the transformation you’re looking for. This is where finding the right wig color becomes personal. A color can technically complement your skin tone and still not feel like YOU. You have to like the woman looking back at you.

Your Makeup Can Change Everything

Don’t judge a wig too quickly if you try it on without makeup. A hair color that initially looks too strong may suddenly make sense once you’ve applied foundation, brows, eye makeup, and lipstick. Your lipstick in particular can make a big difference. A warmer lipstick can complement warmer hair, while cooler pinks, berries, and reds can work beautifully with cooler shades. This doesn’t mean you need a completely different makeup collection for every wig. Just remember that you’re looking at the whole picture.

Try Wigs On Whenever You Can

Photos online are helpful, but nothing beats actually putting a wig on your head. If you have the opportunity to try different colors in person, take advantage of it. Try the shade you think you want, then try one lighter and one darker. Having the luxury to try on wigs in person takes the guess work out of the question how to choose a wig color. You’ll know the right color when you see it. Bear in mind that trying on wigs is best done with your femme makeup already done.

Take a few photos too. Sometimes we stare at ourselves so closely in the mirror that we start picking everything apart. A photograph gives you a different perspective and can make it much easier to compare several colors. If you’re shopping online, a wig color chart can help, but remember that colors can look different depending on your screen and lighting.

Don’t Be Afraid of Getting It Wrong

Lucia, here’s probably the most important advice I can give you: your first wig does not have to establish your hair color for the rest of your life! Wigs give you freedom that natural hair doesn’t. You can be brunette on Friday, blonde on Saturday, and a redhead on Sunday if that’s what makes you happy.

Once you understand the basics of how to choose a wig color, start experimenting. Pay attention to which colors brighten your complexion, work with your makeup, and make you feel good when you look in the mirror.

And if you’re still asking yourself, “What’s the best wig color for me?”, try not to overthink it. Start with a shade that complements your coloring, then have some fun. You may discover that the wig you would never have picked from the shelf becomes the one you never want to take off.

With love,

Katie

Remember, if you have any questions about crossdressing, Katie can help with everything from relationship advice to tucking to sizing. Ask away, and Katie will gladly answer all emails sent to [email protected]. Make sure to add ‘For Katie’ into the Subject Line.