Irish Dancer has just been testing a wig supplied by Kirkit Champion Wigs.

Read on to see what we think of it! . . . . . . . . . . .. . .Back

We recently had a little chat with Susan from Kirkit Champion Wigs (see here) and she told us why she thinks her wigs are better than others that are currently available. Here at Irish Dancer we thought we ought to see whether their wigs really are as good as they say, or is it just the usual sales pitch?

I contacted Susan and suggested that we put a wig to the test under feis conditions. Susan was more than happy to agree to let us try one, which I took as a good sign that she knew that her products would stand up to our scrutiny.

I inspected the wig very closely and it seems to be very well made with plenty of hair. The two large combs are perfect for keeping it on the head. I always find a good test is to hold it up to the light and look through it from the inside. Lots of wigs have gaping holes showing through when viewed this way, but I was pleased to see that the hair curls were dense enough to completely cut out the light.

Next step was to try it on...............

As our Siobhán is our resident guinea pig I ordered a two tone wig as that is the type she usually uses. This is a mixture of light and dark blond. The reference number for the colours (18/24) is the same for most wig manufacturers, but frequently the colours vary. This proved to be the case with the Kirkit wig as it was a lighter blond than Siobhán's current "hair". Fortunately the colour still suited Siobhán.

This mustn't be regarded as a criticism of the wig, or the supplier, but it does highlight the need for caution when ordering any wig. This would have been avoided if I had used Susan's Wig Fitting service (see here) of course!

Siobhán and Mum went through their usual routine and then she did a little twirl for Dad.

It was immediately obvious that there was a lot of hair! Not only was the hair a very good length but it is also very thick all over. This gives a lot of height on top and body all around. This helps to make the curls look fairly natural (Irish dance ringlets Natural???) and actually look like you might have spent hours curling them! Siobhán then jumped around a bit and the hair bounced nicely without looking like springs, as it does with some wigs. Turning in her steps made the hair sway loosely, whilst still looking neat & controlled. I always feel that here's nothing more distracting than a dancers hair springing all over the place, and doing its own thing during a dance.

Siobhán loved it straight away, and she can be real hard to please sometimes! She thinks it looks good on her, and hangs nicely. She loves the amount of curls and says it also feels very secure and fairly lightweight considering how much hair it has.

Personally I loved the way it looked, as it's the nearest I've seen to Siobhán's own hair when Mum used to spend hours rolling it, and tweaking and teasing the ringlets to make them hang just right. It hangs right, it looks right, and the hair looks very real. It has a very natural sheen which is all too often the thing that lets other wigs down. Some just look like they are made of nylon.

So all in all I'd say we are very impressed!

But it doesn't stop there.........read on!

We decided to spring the wig on Mr Teacher, totally unannounced. (Unfortunately Miss Teacher wasn't at the class.) At the end of the lesson Siobhán & Mum went into the back room to put the wig on in secret. As she came out she caught Mr Teacher's eye and his face lit up with a big smile. "I really like that, dance around in it so I can see properly" was his immediate response! She danced a reel and he just kept nodding and smiling. When she finished he asked where we'd got it and said that it was just right. If only you knew how many conversations about wigs I've seen between Mr Teacher and parents, you'd realise what a positive reaction this was!

I hadn't realised that there were still other parents, and dancers, in the hall and their reaction really took me by surprise. As soon as she stopped dancing she was surrounded by her friends asking where she got the wig, and saying how good it looked. Several parents immediately said they wanted to buy a wig like it, and asked if I could order wigs for them.

I think that really says just about everything there is to say about how good Kirkit wigs are!

Or does it..............................

After the strength of the parents reaction I thought I'd better mention to Mr Teacher that Susan offers a unique Wig Fitting service (see here). His instant response is could she come on the 5th July?

(update - see what we thought here)

I got in touch with Susan and she has booked us in, so I'll let you know what happens then!

One final note, Siobhán has now worn the wig at a feis and it looked as good as we expected, so I think "old faithful" has finally lost its place in our dancing suitcase for good!

But wait, now there's even more...........

Last weekend (22nd June 2003) we attended another Feis and Miss Teacher was there. Remember she wasn't at the class that we originally took the wig to, so she hadn't seen it. We'd forgotten this, but when Siobhán appeared she looked at her very curiously. She came straight over and asked whether she was wearing TWO wigs! When we said no, it was just a new one, she was delighted. She loved the extra volume of curls and said it looked great.

At the same feis a very well known adjudicator and teacher also asked Mum where the wig was from as she wanted to let her own dancers know. We were also approached by another teacher, who we happen to know quite well because she teaches one of Siobhán's closest friends. She commented on how well turned out Siobhán looked and that the wig looked really good. Later I was asked by the mum & dad of Siobhán's friend for contact details for the wig as their teacher was really impressed.

So if you want to get noticed..........

Wear a Kirkit Champion Wig!

I met Susan on the edge of town and led her to our class. The dancing was over and we had started a "dress rehearsal" for the Nationals. Each dancer was having make up checked and dresses adjusted etc.. Obviously wigs play their part in this too!

Susan unloaded her stuff and the first person came over. One after another came forward and Susan discussed each ones hair colour, style they preferred etc. before selecting the wig she thought would suit. She then helped with the actual fitting until the dancer and mum were happy. I then called the teachers over and they gave the wigs the once over. In nearly every case they were delighted and the wig was bought. Things were so frantic that Susan began to run short of certain colours so orders were placed to be forwarded on. Susan displayed great patience throughout, was rediculously helpful, and kept a lovely smile on her face despite the pace of work. I highly recommend this service to anyone, as it really is unique!

Check them out here Kirkit Champion Wigs