I bought a wig for Comic Con last year[0], and it was an interesting experience. The local shop carries 3 grades, with an option to spend even more.
The entry level is polyester, with colors not normally found in nature. The mid-grade polyester (what I got) normally sells in the $180-230 range. Natural hair starts at $400, and obviously looks the most realistic.
Most of the hair is sourced from outside the US, from India and Asia. So the colors are usually very dark. They will bleach it to produce lighter shades, but if you need/want true Blonde, you'll have to buy either a bleached darker shade and hope for a good match, or spend significantly more for northern-European sourced hair.
Hair length is an issue - waiting for your hair to grow long before selling it obviously takes a while, so it sells for a premium.
And now I know a lot more than I ever thought I would about aftermarket hair supply. :)
The entry level is polyester, with colors not normally found in nature. The mid-grade polyester (what I got) normally sells in the $180-230 range. Natural hair starts at $400, and obviously looks the most realistic.
Most of the hair is sourced from outside the US, from India and Asia. So the colors are usually very dark. They will bleach it to produce lighter shades, but if you need/want true Blonde, you'll have to buy either a bleached darker shade and hope for a good match, or spend significantly more for northern-European sourced hair.
Hair length is an issue - waiting for your hair to grow long before selling it obviously takes a while, so it sells for a premium.
And now I know a lot more than I ever thought I would about aftermarket hair supply. :)
[0] I went as Lucius Malfoy (Draco Malfoy's father) from Harry Potter: http://nebula.wsimg.com/773ae27d6ab68c28500b6986588b0da2?Acc...