PriceCheck: Gokudera

So we all know there are some things in every cosplay--or almost every cosplay--that we just can't make, or don't have the time to. I'm no different; even with a costume as simple as the one I'm getting my fingers into for Gokudera, there are a few things I cannot pull out of thin air. That's what these segments are for! Little what-nots and things you'll need to finish a costume off.

Personally, the only thing I really need to purchase for Gokudera costume that I can't find locally, is a wig.

 That's right! A wig!

Unfortunately, as amazing as even I can be, I was not born with that naturally silver head of hair. ;P

But no need to despair! Put on your creepy grin and follow me for a good run down on some good places to get your silver-hair fix.

...well...more specifically your Gokudera hair fix. We're exiling  Squalo from this particular segment, on the grounds that he has too much silver hair.

Alrighty. Let's do this thing.

So when we look at Gokudera's nice head of hair, the first thing to come to mind is obviously 'silver'. But if we just go looking for silver wigs, we'll be stuck here forever and a day. We need a specific style! And a specific shape! And a specific length! But its wishful thinking looking for all that in one. So we'll start simple by looking through some familiar cosplay shops and using google to help flesh out some more. Another good idea is to look through well-rated wig stores and check out advice from other cosplayers! There's a lot of information at cosplay.com.

So from my hunt, I gathered a few wigaroos:

Cosplayfu.com

milanoo.com

cosplayhouse.com

Now, one has to realize that when you order a wig from a main place, you're not going to get a perfectly styled one. What you can hope for is for the cut to be as close as possible to the real thing, and then you can use some special styling materials--things that don't require real hair to work--to force your wig into the right shape. 

There are also a lot more than the three I've shown here--these are just a few I like best. You can also find a lot of wigs on Ebay, and some of the main cosplay sites have some sellers who will style and dye a wig for you!

But here's a brief overview of the three from what I can gather.

Keep in mind I've never used any of these sellers, and would be making my best estimate for reliability and overall value before I made any purchases.

The first is from cosplayfu.com. The site itself is clean and easy to navigate, which is something I like! The wig itself costs about $38 dollars, but that's with a 40% discount! However, there is a 100% refund if something is wrong with any of their products. 

The wig is cut pretty close to the actual character, and would be perfectly usable with a little bit of gravity-defiance in the back. This site also has an older version of Gokudera.

The second place is milanoo.com. This place has a little bit of everything, an I mean everything. Its a wonder to search through, but it isn't a bad place. I've never heard of it before finding it, so I don't really know about its quality, but its fairly easy to navigate and has a return/exchange policy worth gandering over.

As for the wig, it costs about $39 buckaroos, but appears to be of a fair quality. The fact that its cut very close to the character makes me happy, and they also have an older version of Gokudera that's quite accurate!

The last place I'm "showcasing" is cosplayhouse.com. While cosplayhouse.com has some gorgeous costumes and accessories, I gotta say, this particular wig is the least styled out of the group at first glance. However, it is also the least expensive at about $34 dollars and is still of a fair quality. It is a reliable site with a lot of products, and while the wig isn't "cut to perfection" its great for those looking to get a really accurate style who have the capability of styling...or at least have no fear of possibly needing to use scissors once in a while.

So all in all, there are three fair places to be glancing around for a possible Gokudera wig. After looking them over, I'm still not really sure which one that I'd pick, although narrowing it to three is very helpful!
Before I make a rash decision and be all like "eeny meeny miny moe" I'm going to look a bit more into shipping prices, reviews, and whether or not I have any friends who are particularly good at styling things...because I'm not.

But just because a wig might have been almost selected doesn't finish the game!

Now, a lot of people will just buy a wig and toss it aside, but there's more to it. In order to keep your wig in good shape(and this part I have quite an opinion in since I've seen what happens to abandoned wigs.... -eyes theatre building sneakily-) you'll need a safe and stable place to put it. i.e...a wig home!

The best option is a styrofoam head. They're cheap and easy to find--I can't tell you how many times I've found armies of them at craft stores like Hobby Lobby and been tempted to hide behind them and talk to scare people.
I personally encourage you to get one for each wig, but depending on your space availability or your number of wigs, this might be a bit ridiculous in theory. Keeping them all on their own head would make certain they keep their shape--so long as you don't stack them on one another. And you can always draw mustaches and funny faces on the heads, which makes them all the more irresistible to wig!

Another thing I recommend for your wig is a comb--note, a comb, not a brush. Brushes are made to pull out loose hairs, something that isn't good for your wig. A comb simply combs out things! Its useful to the extreme!--a wig cap, and bobby pins. The wig cap is good to keep your hair under control, and if you have longer hair, its made to help disperse your hair over your head and keep your wig from bein' all lumpy. You can get a good quality wig cap from cosworx.com in a variety of colors--even neon ones! Bobby pins, of course, just help the wig stay in place. They work especially well with wig caps, although you do need to be careful to make sure the color of the pin/cap don't stand out too much with a wig. I wouldn't recommend a black wig cap and black pins with a white wig, for example.

So there ya go, a short price check on Gokudera...that turned into a wig tutorial. xD; But it all works, so accept my knowledge! -shakesfist-

Price of Wig:  +++   +++   +++ Average of $37 US Dollars

Price of StyroHead: +++   +++   +++ Guesstimated $5 US Dollars

Price of Comb(1 time only~!): +++   +++   +++ Guesstimated $3 US Dollars

Price of Bobby Pins: +++   +++   +++ Guesstimated $3 US Dollars

Price of Wig Cap(cosworx): +++   +++   +++ $3 US Dollars

Total: +++   +++   +++ $51 US Dollars