When you buy a frontal, you will have to do some work to make it perfect for you. Fortunately, it is very possible to customize your frontal to your exact preferences! The better your frontal is customized, the better your installation will look overall.
What is a Lace Frontal?
A lace frontal is a hair piece made with lace on the bottom that completes a weave on the top part of the head. Its function is to blend the hairline and natural skin, to give the illusion of the scalp.
A frontal is wider in length than a closure – extending from ear to ear and going about 5 inches to the back of the head. The size of a frontal enables you to part the hair wherever you would like in the front while still giving the illusion of a scalp on the bottom.
Also read: What is the Difference Between a Frontal and a Closure?
1. Bleach the Knots
The first thing you need to do when customizing your lace frontal is to bleach the knots. What are knots you might ask? If you look at the root of the hair strands, where the hair is attached to the lace, you may see little dark knots on the bottom.
The reason why this is a problem is that those knots will be visible when you install your frontal, which is not what a natural scalp looks like. The better you can make the hair look like it is coming out of your scalp, the better it will look.
Some frontals already come with the knots bleached, and you can certainly seek out those specific ones. However, if you see knots on your frontal, you can easily bleach them to make them lighter and hard to see against the lace.
How to Bleach Knots
- First, you will need to add some beach powder to a mixing bowl. You do not need a specific amount, just enough to cover the areas you want to cover. I recommend bleaching the knots wherever you plan on making the lace visible. You could also bleach the bottom of the entire frontal so that you are not limited to where you can part your hair in the future.
- After you have added the powder to the mixing bowl, you will need to add some 30-volume developer. Only add in enough developer to give your mixture a thick and spreadable consistency. If your mixture is runny, the bleach will seep down the hair shaft and bleach more than the knots.
- Next, spread your mixture along the bottom of the lace frontal. After you have spread the mixture, let it sit on the frontal for about 30 minutes. You can periodically check the frontal to see how the lightening process is going.
- Once you see that the knots are no longer visible, simply rinse off the bleach and wash your frontal – make sure all of the bleach is rinsed out.
2. Pluck the hairline
After you have washed your frontal, you can begin plucking the hairline. Many frontals have an unrealistic amount of hair along the hairline, which can cause it to look bulky on your head. You can create a natural-looking hairline by first plucking out some of the hair on the frontal.
How to Pluck Your Frontal
- I recommend plucking while the hair is wet, though some prefer to do it while it is dry. Make sure your frontal is wet before you start to pluck. If your frontal has dried already, then you can use a spray bottle to wet it as needed.
- Try to refrain from plucking the very front of the hairline, unless it is really thick in that area. Use a fine-toothed comb to part the hair in the front, so you can part right behind the hairline. If you part the hairs in the front of the hairline (along the scalp) then you can push the hairline back too far.
- Start to pluck the hairs with a tweezer behind the hairline, but not right on the part. When you start to see the hairline flatten and have natural-looking gaps, you will know you have plucked enough.
It is up to you how flat you want your hairline, and what you want it to look like. You can even customize your frontal to mimic your natural hairline.
3. Tint the Lace
When you have received your frontal you may notice that the lace does not match the color of your skin. Usually, the lace is lighter than your skin color. Even if your scalp is lighter and the lace matches it, it may not match your forehead – where the lace will also show.
You can either tint the lace only along the forehead area or tint all of the lace on the bottom of the frontal. There are several ways you can tint your lace, which range from very simple to a little effort.
Tinting Spray
You can buy a tinting spray that is the same color as your skin. What is great about tinting spray is that you can tint all of your lace at one time very quickly. In order to tint your lace with the spray, you simply spray the bottom of your frontal and dry it using a blow dryer on the cool setting.
Foundation
Another easy method to tint lace is using foundation. Similar to the tinting spray, you can apply your powdered foundation to the bottom of your frontal. Many people also prefer to apply either a powdered or liquid foundation on top of the lace where their part is. Using a brush to blend in the foundation will help create the most natural look.
Dye
Another way to tint your lace is to dye it. Dying the lace is a good option if you want to have a more permanent option. First, boil some water (enough to cover the bottom of the frontal) and place it in a bowl.
Then, mix a tablespoon of semi-permanent dye that matches your skin tone into the water and mix. Once the dye is thoroughly mixed into the water, then place your frontal into the bowl, with the lace on the bottom. Leave your frontal in the dye for 20 minutes, and then rinse it off.
4. Create Your Part
When you part your frontal before you part your hair, it helps to achieve a better part and make it easier. Once you have installed your frontal, determine if you want a middle or side part.
After you have decided on where your part should be, take a rattail comb and part in that place. Your part should only be as far back as the frontal goes because that is the only place the scalp can be imitated.
When you part the hair on a fresh frontal, you may see that the hair sticks up on each side. In order to make the part area look natural, you may need to pluck some of the hairs along the part line. Plucking the hairs will help the hair lay flat, and give the natural look of hair coming out of your scalp.
5. Lay Your Edges
Many people have issues blending the lace onto the scalp. It takes some manipulation to cover the lace with baby hairs so that the grids are not noticeable. The best way to make sure your edges are laid flat is to glue the lace onto your forehead.
You glue your lace by applying wig glue along your forehead, letting it dry, and then press the lace onto the glued area. You can help the glue to dry completely by blow-drying the area. Using gel or foam for the edges and brushing them in swooping motions will help you to conceal the lace.
You can also frame your face the way you want by the way you lay your edges. You will need to cover your edges with a scarf for at least 10 minutes after styling them so that they will not become frizzy.
The Final Word
In customizing your own frontal, you will definitely be doing a bit more work, but you can also ensure you are achieving the right look for you!