I Tried Out Three Very Affordable Wigs And TBH I Was Seriously Impressed

NEW AFRO WIG, WHO DIS???

Zoë Burnett / BuzzFeed

What's good, readers? Patrice, here. I'm a beauty writer at As/Is and I LOOOVE me a cute wig. It's the easiest way to experiment with different hair textures, lengths, and colors without damaging my own strands.

Patrice Peck

Like any good ~connoisseur~, I'm always on the hunt for fun, new wigs to add to my growing collection. So when I discovered Toni Daley's line of affordable, synthetic half wigs on YouTube, I knew I had to try them out!

youtube.com / Via Toni Daley

Unlike lace-front wigs or parted wigs, half wigs give you the option of leaving out the front half of your hair for a natural blend.

Zoë Burnett / BuzzFeed

The Blow Dry Wig in 1B, which henceforward shall be called Dionna in honor of the OG #BigHairDontCare divas Diana and Donna, is big, bold, and has personality for DAYS!

Patrice Peck / BuzzFeed

When the Toni Daley wigs arrived at the office, I went straight from the mail room to the bathroom, snatched off the trusty, but dusty, wig I was wearing, and pulled out Dionna, like, "De powa of de Bleck Pentha shell now be reeturned to de Keng."

Dionna has a matte finish and a soft yet coarse texture that matches my own 4C hair when it's blown out on medium heat. So she looked like she could very well be growing out of my own scalp, which is an automatic WIN in my book.

As every wig master knows, no true wig review is complete without a test drive, and I'm happy to report that Dionna rides like a dream. She bounced around me like a true hype woman, and stayed put when the petty-ass wind tried to expose me.

Patrice Peck / BuzzFeed

My own hair was already styled in two-strand twist bantu knots. So I put on my wig cap, pulled the wig's hairline to my own, and gently teased my edges so they stood up and blurred the demarcation line (aka the line where the wig meets your own hair).

I normally would NOT advocate wearing a half wig without leave-out, because then we're entering wiggy territory. But in this case, Dionna (1) matches my natural texture and (2) has enough lift and volume that can justify/mask its raised hairline. Also, I got my brows threaded later that day, and my go-to threader who was obviously all up in my forehead area told me my hair looked great and asked if I'd done anything new with it. She hadn't even noticed my hairline and was SHOOK when I revealed what was really going on!

The Blow Dry Wig is $39.00 at Toni Daley.

Zoë Burnett / BuzzFeed

The Toni Wig straight out the box looks cute in this pic, right? But IRL Toni was serving Shirley Temple realness with a little Sideshow Bob. Dionna looked real, whereas Toni looked real wiggy.

Patrice Peck / BuzzFeed

Whether you buy wigs online or in person at the beauty store (my preferred method, TBH), it's important to remember that what you see isn't necessarily what you're going to get. I've tried on display wigs at the store and been like, "OKAY PATRICE!!" and then went home, put on the exact same wig and been like, "Hold up! It didn't look like this in the store!" I would always feel bamboozled as hell.

But then I quickly learned that some wigs require extra ~finessing~, whether that means teasing the curls, tweezing the hairline a bit, or giving it a lil' trim. And Toni is definitely one of those wigs (to be fair, the website does provide a few example pics of what to expect, but it's not super clear what the true curl pattern is).

Let me remind y'all that I'm low-maintenance when it comes to wigs, so I was a little irked that Toni wasn't ready to wear as is. But TBQH, I only spent like four minutes one morning jujing and trimming it before work (I had a train to catch!) and it turned out BOMB!

Patrice Peck / BuzzFeed

I can't take credit for this finesse, folks. After a quick YouTube search, I found beauty vlogger nappyheadedjojoba's excellent tutorial where she demonstrates how to transform Toni into this gorgeous, effortless beauty.

I was a little self-conscious about Dionna's hairline, but I didn't have to worry about that with Toni. Yes, she's also a half wig, but like most curly wigs, Toni's hairline wasn't really visible because the hair lifted up and out and not straight down.

Get the Toni Wig for $59.00 at Toni Daley.

Zoë Burnett / BuzzFeed

*WE INTERRUPT THIS REVIEW TO BRING YOU AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE: TIGHTEN YOUR WIG STRAPS ACCORDINGLY...OR ELSE THIS MIGHT HAPPEN!!!*

Patrice Peck / BuzzFeed

OMG y'all!!! THIS IS MY WORST NIGHTMARE. Here's what happened: First, I did the side-to-side shake test, which went swimmingly. Then I thought, "You know what? Lemme throw in this hair flip test to show the nonbelievers that wigs are VERSATILE."

What I did NOT do was adjust my straps tight enough, because I try to avoid any and all tension on my hairline whenever I can. Nor did I fasten the two combs located at the top and nape of the wig. Why? Because I've never had any issues with hold.

WELL, as you can see, my head came back up, but you know what didn't? MY WIG O_____O. I'll never forget the feeling of Toni sliding clean off my stocking cap like, "GIRL BYE!" Turns out Toni was heavier than I thought. Thank god it was hella cold outside that day and no one else was outside on the office rooftop!

Zoë Burnett / BuzzFeed

Rounding out the bunch was the Big Chop Wig in Ombre. Let's call her Shuri, shall we? #WakandaForever. She's basically a tapered-cut version of Toni, so I did some more jujing and trimming to create the perfect shape for my face.

Patrice Peck / BuzzFeed

The Big Chop wig is what actually led me to Toni Daley. I've wanted a tapered cut since before I even knew what the style was called, but I've also been patiently growing my own hair out into a full 'fro after having done my third big chop last April. My search for a noncommittal tapered-cut wig turned up a lot of YouTube tutorials, but they all focused on cutting and shaping a larger wig into a tapered style. Ummm, I buy wigs because I want LESS work to do, not more, so they were a no for me, dawg. But then — BOOM — I came across the Big Chop wig and here we are!

Full disclosure: Customizing Shuri required a little more time, patience, and resourcefulness than her cousin, because cutting and shaping your own wig is HARD, especially if it's curly.

Patrice Peck / BuzzFeed

I LOVE Shuri's texture and color, but couldn't quite execute the shape I had in mind. So I'll probably try looking for some YouTube tutorials on how to best customize this particular wig, and if all else fails, I'll just take her to my hairstylist for a professional cut. If you also decide to do the latter, make sure you go to a stylist who specializes in curly hair. The last thing you want to do is waste money on a wig AND a hair appointment.

Get the Big Chop wig (on sale now) for $49.00 at Toni Daley.

Zoë Burnett / BuzzFeed

Toni Daley wigs are the TRUTH! And I'm picky when it comes to these things, so that's saying a lot. The textures, curl patterns, and colors are believable. And, as long as you put them away properly after each use, they get better with age, just like a good twist-out.

Patrice Peck / BuzzFeed

If you're an experienced wig wearer, you'll be just fine with these wigs. However, some beginners will need a little bit of guidance and confidence in order to get the most out of these three wigs. Luckily, there are a bunch of informative and instructional YouTube tutorials showcasing Toni Daley wigs and the different ways to style them. BTW, if you've never worn a wig before, or have but didn't totally LOVE it, then I highly recommend getting a style that's (1) curly, (2) more matte than shiny, and (3) as close as possible to your hair texture. That way you don't have to worry about blending or being "exposed."

What's better than finding beautiful wigs? Finding beautiful wigs sold by a company that acknowledges and caters to ALL of its customers (including its black customers) and has a service-driven, inclusive mission. And that's exactly what I found in founder Toni Daley, a self-proclaimed "online content creator dedicated to helping women love their natural hair and beauty since 2007." Did I mention that each wig comes with a free pair of cute AF earrings and a tube headscarf?! As I mentioned earlier, I prefer buying wigs in person, and that hasn't changed. But I'll make an exception for black women–owned businesses, like Toni Daley. Because by doing so, I'm encouraging and cultivating a more diverse beauty industry and national workforce overall.

So there ya have it, folks. Which wig should I try next? A long-ass purple one? A box braids one? A hella expensive one? Lemme know in the comment section below!