Check a new wig before you cut the lace

A delivery is not ready for scissors simply because the box looks undamaged. The first check should preserve your options while you decide whether the wig is the item ordered and whether it is in acceptable condition.

Seller rules differ, so this is an inspection sequence, not a promise that a return will be accepted. Read the seller’s current terms first. For products shown on this site, use SoftWig’s return policy.

Before removing the packaging

Find the return window and the condition requirements. Look specifically for rules about cut lace, removed tags, hygiene seals, adhesive, styling products, washing and heat. If a rule is unclear, ask the seller in writing before testing beyond it.

Keep the mailer, box, net, tissue, labels and accessories. Take a photograph of the parcel if it is crushed, wet, open or otherwise damaged. A shipping problem is easier to explain when its condition at delivery is recorded.

Next, compare the label and packing slip with the order confirmation:

• Product or SKU
• Shade and length
• Cap size
• Lace or cap construction
• Any stated density, texture or included accessories

A label mismatch is enough reason to pause. Do not alter the wig to see whether the wrong item can be made to work.

Inspect it off your head

Place the wig on a clean, light-coloured surface in indirect daylight. Indoor bulbs can hide a colour cast, and a dark towel makes loose fibres difficult to see.

Look over the hair from front to nape. Shipping can flatten a style, so lack of volume by itself does not show a fault. Check instead for concentrated bald areas, obvious breakage, severe matting, stains, strong unexplained odour or a texture that does not match the order.

Turn the cap inside out. Follow each seam with your eyes and check that combs, elastic, adjusters and clips are attached. Inspect the lace for tears, runs or holes. A few loose hairs in the net are different from hair releasing continuously when the wig is handled gently.

Do not comb aggressively to prove a shedding concern. Record what happens during light handling and stop before the condition changes.

Check colour in useful light

Compare the wig with the listing in indirect daylight and then in the room where you expect to wear it most. Judge it dry. Wet or product-coated hair reads darker.

Listing photographs, display settings and room lighting can all change how a shade appears. That makes a preference mismatch possible even when the correct shade was sent. It does not excuse a wrong label, a clearly different colour family or colour placement that conflicts with the description.

If the colour is in question, photograph the wig beside a neutral grey or white object without a filter. Do not tone, dye, wash or apply makeup to the lace while the return decision is open.

Try the fit without altering it

Use a clean wig cap if the seller requires one. Fold or hold the uncut lace away from your eyes; do not trim it. Keep adhesive, spray, mousse, oils, hot tools and plucking tools off the wig.

Set the wig at the intended hairline and adjust only the built-in straps. Check:

• Whether the cap reaches the nape without pulling the front backward
• Whether the ear tabs sit at similar heights
• Whether the cap creates pressure at the temples or behind the ears
• Whether it shifts during normal head movement
• Whether the lace area supports the part you expected

Wear it indoors only as long as the seller permits. A loose cap may be reduced with its adjusters. A cap that remains painfully tight cannot be fixed by cutting lace. Use the cap measuring guide to compare the delivered fit with your measurements.

Fault or preference mismatch

A broken fastener, torn lace, wrong item or clear construction defect is not the same as deciding that a correct shade, length or texture does not suit you. Describe what you can observe without diagnosing the cause.

For a possible fault, make a short record:

1. Photograph the whole wig, its labels and the affected area.
2. Record the order number and delivery date.
3. State what was ordered, what arrived and what is wrong.
4. Stop wearing or handling it until the seller responds.

Ask for the next step instead of sending it back without authorisation. The seller may require a return reference, specific carrier or additional photograph.

Cut only after the decision

Once the lace is cut, the hair coloured, the knots altered or product applied, it may no longer be possible for a seller to resell the wig. Those actions also make it harder to show which condition existed at delivery.

Finish every check first. If the wig is correct, sound and comfortable enough to keep, move on to fitting and lace preparation. If it is not, leave it exactly as inspected and contact the seller.