Local resident finds purpose in wigs


Sure, diamonds are high-quality, but wigs can be a female’s high-quality friend too.

Just ask Karen Carl. The Seymour resident is a self-proclaimed expert wig wearer with greater than 40 wigs at home, giving her the capability to trade her look on every occasion she desires.

Her love of wigs is not any mystery as she has became it right into a successful business. Carl is the proprietor of Get Wiggy, a wig boutique in Columbus. She opened the store 3 years in the past and currently relocated to a brand new keep front at 2485 Beam Road.

"I can’t consider it’s been 3 years," she said. "We’ve visible a lot of increase."

The save contains around 10 distinct manufacturers of wigs and has greater than three hundred in stock in all shades, lengths and textures, with plans to feature about 100 greater. That’s a long approaches from the 30 wigs the shop had while it opened in 2016.

The majority of the wigs are synthetic due to the cost and high protection of human-hair wigs.

Before beginning in Columbus, Carl stated she might should tour to Greenwood to purchase her wigs.

"Everybody knows me because the wig woman now," she stated.

Besides selling wigs, the shop is likewise a Merle Norman Cosmetics retailer and gives makeup training, eyelash utility and facials.

"I actually have an emotional attachment to Merle," Carl stated. "A lot of ladies do."

Seymour residents additionally might also realize Carl from her preceding business, Paws and Claws Pet Resort in Seymour, which she sold  years ago to cognizance on Get Wiggy.

For Carl, wigs have been a technique to a hectic way of life. She didn’t have time to restoration her hair, and she or he didn’t need to spend so much time going to the salon, so carrying a wig was a manner to get some of that point returned.

"Working ladies in this decade are honestly busier than ever," she stated. "Why might we now not try to make our lives a bit less complicated?"

Although she’s worn wigs for extra than a decade, she hasn’t been so open approximately it inside the past.

"I turned into secretive approximately carrying wigs," she stated. "I felt shame."

As a toddler of the ’60s, she grew up in a time when wigs had been famous, however they didn’t appearance as sensible as they do today.

"They regarded so wiggy," she stated. "It became like wearing an ugly outfit."

But the enterprise and feelings about wigs have changed over time, she said.

"Now, humans don’t recognise you’re carrying a wig," she said. And famous developments in hairstyles hit wigs before they hit salons, she added. "We’ve got to the factor in which our wigs are like jewelry. It’s an accent to us."

The foremost transition for the appearance and luxury of wigs got here in response to the variety of women wanting to wear them because of dropping their hair to most cancers treatment or other scientific situations along with alopecia, thyroid troubles and trichotillomania, a hair-pulling ailment. A lot of people additionally have thinning hair or hair loss from medicines they take.

Although Carl opened her business only for fun, it became extra non-public and emotional.

Get Wiggy now gives a wig financial institution to those in want who can’t find the money for a wig, Carl said.

Around forty% of Get Wiggy’s customers are those undergoing remedy and 35% are the ones experiencing thinning hair. The rest are expert wig wearers or people who simply want to strive it.

"I’m on a undertaking to educate ladies," she stated. "I’m looking to recover from that taboo with wigs. We attain out to our girls. We try and lead them to experience higher. We even pray with them if they're in remedy."

And it’s running.

"Wigs are coming returned round," she said. "The right wig on someone surely makes them look younger and extra glamorous."

The evidence may be visible by way of flipping on the t.V., wherein you spot almost every celeb wearing a wig or some sort of hair extensions.

The changing attitude about wigs is a good factor, Carl added.

An estimated 1 in 4 ladies wears a wig now, said Get Wiggy worker Jade Girdler.

Besides Carl, Get Wiggy has two different personnel, Girdler, who is Carl’s remarkable-niece and Ruth Ann Bird. The boutique additionally has a hair stylist that comes in to reduce human beings’s herbal hair.

Carl and her body of workers are educated in slicing and customizing wigs and making cap changes. The enterprise also offers services and products for men and children.

When customers shop at Get Wiggy, they discover ways to contend with their wig and get hints and guidelines for wigs which can be most flattering for their face, Carl said.

"You don’t get that whilst you buy a wig on the net," she added.

They also provide a wig of the month application and a wig club rewards card.

Carl’s so committed to wearing wigs, she cut off all of her herbal hair or what's referred to as bio hair to make it less difficult and greater at ease to wear wigs for long durations of time.

When a purchaser is available in, Carl said the most important component is to cause them to feel comfy and to find out their want.

"Do they need to appear like they appearance or are they just here for a laugh?" she said.

The first-class part is that with such a wide selection, someone can stroll out of Get Wiggy with the wig they attempted on and no longer ought to wait for it to be ordered.

"Here at Get Wiggy, each day is a high-quality hair day," Carl said.