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How to Make Colonial Powdered Wigs

One way to make history come to life is through dress. While tights and shoes with buckles come to mind as common attire of the Colonial period, dressing up like historical figures also needs to account for other trends and styles, such as how hair was worn in that time. In Colonial times, it was common for men to sport powdered wigs. To that end, knowing how to make a Colonial powdered wig could be just what it takes to set off your historical costume.

Things You'll Need

  • Roll of cotton quilt batting or cotton balls
  • White knee-high sock
  • Fabric glue
  • Plastic wrap
  • Rubber band
  • Ribbon
  • Scissors
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Instructions

    • 1

      Stretch a white knee-high sock to fit over the head of the person who will be wearing the wig. Place the knee-high sock so it covers all of the hair.

    • 2

      Make a knot at the top of the knee-high sock using a rubber band. Going forward, this will be referred to as the cap. Remove the cap from the top of the head.

    • 3

      Make a cut just above the rubber band to cut away the excess.

    • 4

      Cover the head of the wig wearer with plastic wrap.

    • 5

      Turn the cap inside out. Place the cap on top of the head over the plastic wrap.

    • 6

      Shape the quilt batting into pieces that closely resemble the Colonial powdered wig.

    • 7

      Glue the formed pieces of quilt batting on to the cap made from the knee-high sock with fabric glue.

    • 8

      Continue to cover the cap with the quilt batting. Use the excess batting to form curls and rolls and glue them to the cap and existing “hair” with fabric glue. Leave some long pieces of quilt batting for the next step.

    • 9

      Fashion a ponytail from the long pieces of quilt batting and secure it with a ribbon.

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