I always knew about the Liv wigs as I had seen them in the doll aisle many times before, but I never bothered with them because I had always felt they were too expensive for what they were. However Target has started to clearance off some of their Liv wigs and clothing (probably they are summer goods), and at $4 the price became agreeable enough for me to try one out. I will go ahead and write up a review of sorts, but just be sure to keep in mind that this is my first experience with a Liv wig, and I have heard that not all Liv wigs are created equal.
So, first thing out of the box I was surprised to find that the Liv wigs are basically Kanekalon or Saran doll hair that has been rooted onto what amounts to a cheap non-stretchy silicon cap. The part that surprised me was the fact that in a way it’s kind of like buying a scalp. The fiber of the wig is soft and shiny enough, but unfortunately as you will soon see below in the picture that this wig is VERY THINLY ROOTED.
As you can see, there is an unseemly gap at the top of the wig where when the hair falls to either side it reveals a large bald spot. I am imagining that it is difficult to root anything in that area due to the peg which I will get to later, but still, I mean I’ve seen cheap $5 Barbies with better rooted hair than this wig.
Now here is the wig flipped inside out, you can clearly see how it is rooted, and you can clearly see the peg I was talking about. Again I think this picture illustrates just how thinly these things are rooted, but more importantly I want to focus on the peg for now. If you aren’t familiar with them like I was, the peg may come as a surprise. Apparently the Liv dolls and some Monster High dolls come with a slot in their head for the peg to fit and thusly it helps keep the wig on during play. It’s actually a pretty good idea for a playline doll considering how rough the younger girls play with their dollies. However it is obviously going to get in the way if you want to use it on a BJD or another type of doll that has no special slot. The good news is you can clip the peg off quite easily with a good pair of snips or household scissors.
So, with the peg out of the way, the first thing I wanted to do was to try it on my Slinky Neko tiny as I had heard that Liv wigs worked well on Lati Yellow and Pukifee sized heads, and my Slinky Neko girl has a similar sized head with a 5.5 inch circumference. As you can see from the photo, the wig did not fit at all. If the cap had been at all stretchy it probably would have, but the caps on the Liv wigs are surprisingly stiff and unforgiving. So the thing to keep in mind here is that for Pukifees, Slinky Neko babies and other tinies with close to a 5.5 inch head circumference, these wigs will absolutely NOT fit. I am wondering though that perhaps if the doll had a head closer to 5.25 inches then maybe the wig might work, but 5.5 and above, no.
On the bright side though, these wigs work very well on the Monster High dolls. This wig even fits with Draculaura still with her default hair in, which you can see below.
So, here’s my final thoughts on Liv wigs. Initially I was disappointed by their poor quality, but for $4, I mean what can you expect really. The fiber on the wig is quite nice and the style is also pleasantly modern. For now I’ve decided I will be working with this wig and I ordered a hank of Kanekalon which I hope will match well enough so I can fill the wig out more and cover up bald spots. Most people won’t do this I realize, but I’ve been in the mood to reroot lately so it doesn’t bother me. In the end it comes down to this, for a play wig for young girls, this is an excellent bargain. For a doll collector who expects high quality out of their goods, this wig is horrible, a fixer-upper if you will. If you like a fixer-upper, then by all means go for it, if you don’t, then stay far far away, lol. I still however would not pay full price for such a thing…clearance only for sure!!
