Daenerys Targaryen Cosplay Wig Review/Comparison
Looong, photo heavy post!
Disclaimer: these are the first wigs I’ve ever bought or worn! I am not a pro by any means, so I don’t know all the terms or much about the materials, but I just thought my photos and thoughts might help if you’re trying to decide which wig to get on a budget without having to test them all out yourself. Also, I didn’t put the wigs on properly for these quick pics, so I’m sure they’d look better if you go to the effort of hiding your own hair, etc.
I decided to buy three different wigs from Amazon, all under $20 (at the time I ordered), all Prime eligible (thus free shipping for me), so I could compare and contrast and return the ones I didn’t want. I purchased:
the Angelaicos Fluffy Cosplay Wigs for Game of Thrones Daenerys Targaryen Long Blonde - $19.89 (wig #1 for this review because these are some long names...),
the Anogol Free Hair Cap+ Game of Thrones Daenerys Targaryen/khaleesi Barbarian Bride Costume Beige Braids Long Wavy Hair High Quality Cosplay Wig - $16.88 (wig #2)
and the Costume Culture Women's Barbarian Bride Wig - $15.43 (wig #3)
(The names of the wigs above are also links to the Amazon listings)
None of these wigs are lace front (to keep the price down) and they are all shades of white-blonde that would work for a Dany cosplay. I won’t say that one is better than the other as her hair texture and exact shade vary based on the season and lighting:
(btw in all the back view photos, I pull all the hair behind my shoulders to show the volume. Front views only have part of the hair in front)
Length: The listing doesn’t say how long it’s supposed to be, but it was the longest of the three I got, approximately 30 inches (~76 cm) from the roots to the longest point.
Color: This is a very white light blonde, cool and almost grey, probably close to the first and second photos from the show above.
(compared to my (unnatural) hair color and shine just as a control example)
Shine: The hair is pretty much matte, only slightly shinier than my own hair (which is pretty dull) and is quite realistic on this front.
Waves: This wig is advertised as “fluffy”, which is accurate. It’s a wavy texture, but the waves are all kind of fluffed together in a mass, like the opposite of well-defined curls/waves, similar to the second and third pictures from the show above, texture wise. The waves also pretty much end a few inches before the ends, where the hair is pretty much straight.
It comes with thin (about 3/8 inch or 1 cm wide) braids, two on each side, with the top two and the bottom two braids rubber-banded together in the back, about 13/14 inches along the braids. The two pairs are not connected to each other, and neither is connected to the main bulk of the hair, so you can lift them to smooth the hair underneath. The braids aren’t super neat and don’t hide the hairline/cap very well in the front because on each side, the two braids start from about the same point, so they don’t lay terribly flat without some adjusting.
The part looks like it could almost be a real scalp, and the hairline isn’t too bad for non-lace front. Restyling might make it better.
Thickness/coverage: Since the hair is very fluffy, it feels the thickest of all the wigs I got, and it has good coverage. It fans out widely so appears to have a ton of hair.
Size: the cap (might be the wrong term - I mean the part that holds onto your head) is snug and stretchy in two dimensions (along the length, front to back, as well as the rim/band around the cap) with stretchy straps that can hook onto loops near the bottom/back to make it tighter. It’s actually a bit too snug on my head, even without using the adjustable straps at all, but perhaps I just don’t know what I’m doing or just have a big head.
tl;dr: Realistic, light white blonde, longest, fluffy
This one is quite similar to wig #1
Length: Just a few inches shorter than wig #1, about 24 inches (~61 cm) from the roots to the longest point.
Color: Light yellowish blonde, just a couple shades darker and warmer than wig #1
Shine: Similar to wig #1, pretty matte, only slightly shinier than natural hair (unless you have nice shiny hair then it’s probably the same), quite realistic.
Waves: Again, similar to wig #1, but the waves are a bit more defined, less fluffy and frizzy. The wave pattern goes all the way to the bottom of the hair.
Thin (about .5 inch or 1.25 cm wide) braids, starting with two on each side in the front. The top two braids combine into one thicker braid about 10 inches down in the center back, then the thicker braid continues for about 3 inches, then is rubber banded together with the bottom pair of thin braids. All the braids are attached together at this point, but not connected to the main bulk of the hair, so you can lift them to smooth the hair underneath. This is my favorite style of all three, looks the nicest and neatest, and may not need restyling depending on which look you’re going for.
The part is just like #1, fairly realistic. The hairline is a little better because of the arrangement of the braids, but restyling may improve it more.
Thickness/coverage: Good coverage, not quite as much as wig #1 because it’s not as fluffy, but when holding the hair like a ponytail between my fingers, it seems that the actual quantity of the hair is about the same, it just has less volume.
Size: See wig #1 above: the cap is identical (thus, a bit too tight on me.) I wore this wig for one night at its loosest setting and ended up with a headache as it was too tight around my head, and left a mark on my forehead. Again, maybe I have a big head.
tl;dr: Realistic, light blonde, long, wavy
Length: About 28 inches (~71 cm) from root to longest tip
Color: Very light blonde, almost pure white.
Shine: Pretty shiny, almost translucent, plasticy. What comes to mind when I think of cheap Halloween wigs
Waves: Wavy, but some areas are straighter than others.
Two thick (about 1 inch or 2.5 cm wide) braids, one on each side in the front. They are rubber banded together about 8 inches along the braids in the center back.
The part and hairline are pretty unrealistic.
Thickness/coverage: Oddly seems to have about the same quantity/thickness of hair as the others, but it’s less fluffy so looks like less hair. Possibly also have less coverage because of the slight translucent nature of the hair.
Size: Cap is stretchy in one dimension along the back band, but not adjustable. Larger than the others (so fits me better) but may be loose on people with smaller heads. Good for people with a lot of real hair to shove in there.
tl;dr: Not very realistic, white blonde, longer, wavy
(^ natural light, wigs #1, #2 and #3 in order)
Wig #1 and #2 seem to be decent quality, and are very similar, perhaps the same manufacturer, though not the same seller. The shine, texture, and color of the hair is matte, realistic and applicable to the character. The slight difference in color and length is really subjective and totally depends on what you’re going for. Again, I’m not a pro, so I don’t know much about fibers or restyling, but both #1 and #2 say in their descriptions that they are heat resistant synthetic fibers. In my limited experience, I would guess that these are pretty high quality for the price. Wig #1 actually says on Amazon that the original price was $99.99.
Wig #3 seems to be lower quality, even though it’s only a few dollars less than the others. Doesn’t say it’s heat resistant, and probably isn’t. It’s barely less expensive than the others, and not worth the few dollars saved at all. The only benefit over the others in my view is that the cap is larger. However, since it’s not adjustable, that’s probably a bad thing to most people.
I mainly tried these three because they would arrive quickly and free, and I could return them if necessary. There are surely many other options out there! Hope I could help you on your search!
