If you haven't been paying attention (and that's alright, I know I'm not KamuiCosplay or anything) I've been on a bit of a wig kick lately. In the past few months, I have really stepped out of my comfort zone when it came to wigs and instead of cosplaying characters with sad, flat hair, I've attempted to really step up my wig game. My first big wig styling adventure was Blastoise and seeing how beautiful that wig came out and how it looked on me really inspired me. So I'll talk about just what you'll need to get started styling your first big wig project.
Obviously, first off, you need a wig. I highly, highly recommend Arda Wigs or EpicCosplayWigs. You are always more than welcome to order off of Amazon or Ebay, but you can't always be sure the fibers will be heat resistant and that'll just ruin your day and your budget. You'll also need wig heads. You can find them here, here, and here. If you're like me, you basically need to order bulk! So you wait your time and it feels like 14 year (in Azkaban!) and it finally arrives! Well, you might also want to get some of Arda's styling tools as well, if you don't already own these bad boys.
You'll want to brush out your wig fresh from the package, so you'll want to get brushes and combs, of course! Arda has an awesome assortment here, and you can find it on Amazon or Sally's Beauty Supply. I always suggest buying two, so you can keep one in your wig styling kit and take the other to cons. You'll also want to get teaser combs, which are a life saver if you need to tease your wig at any point. You can find those conveniently here, here, and here. I got my detangler and teaser brushes from Sally's, but only because I needed it immediately and didn't want to wait for shipping. If you are paying more than $8 a brush, I would look elsewhere. You can also get combs just about anywhere and they run you for pennies on the dollar. You'll also want detangler spray, which can also be found here, here, and here, and has been a life saver for me in at least a hundred situations since I started using it for my wigs. It also helps keep your wigs from getting tangled (of course) when you're preparing to cut them.
If your wig needs to be shortened at any point, you'll need sheers. Conveniently, Arda has them here, Amazon, and Sally. For this, I would definitely go to Arda, just because they are cheaper, and you don't want to throw down a bunch of money if you aren't sure how the tools work. I recently bought the standard shears from Arda and they work fantastically. You specifically want to get actual barber shears instead of using basic scissors because the difference is astounding. Like, barber shears are specifically for cutting hair, and if you can get them relatively cheap, then go for it. You also want to blend it a little, to make sure it doesn't look so choppy. I would suggest getting thinning shears or shaper shears since they are shaped to make it look more natural. (Found here, here, and here.) Shaper shears look really silly, but are really nifty! Please exercise caution, as they all are very sharp. (Found here and here) You may need to buy replacement blades eventually, and make sure to keep the blades sharp.
After you cut, it should be time to style. I specifically use my blow dryer, clear tacky glue, and hair spray. Depending on the wig, you may need different accessories to put up your wig, like I know OrangeCorgiJess used styrofoam for her Giorno donuts, and I even used fabric and made stuffed cones for Blastoise's buns. I also occasionally use a curling iron, but haven't needed it extensively in my latest wigs. I am extremely impatient when it comes to styling, so I use the tacky glue, then style it how I want, and blast that sucker with my blow dryer (which you can find here, here, and here) for about 15-30 seconds and it usually stays. Sometimes, you need to hit it with a little extra, so you use hair spray, which I would always suggest using Got2B glued. It's relatively inexpensive and it gets the job done (here, here, here). You can also use curlers, bobby pins, and hair clips to keep things how you want. It's all about experimenting!
I wish you the best of luck styling your next big project, or if you are local to me and either don't have the confidence or will to do it, I offer my services. I am willing to either have you come over or I go to you and help you style, or you can drop it off with me and I do it for you! I really want to get better at wig styling and will have some tutorials in the next couple weeks, so please be on the lookout for that!