How to Measure Your Head for a Wig in Three Steps

To measure your head for a wig, record three distances with a flexible tape: around the hairline, from the front hairline to the nape, and from ear to ear over the top. Prepare your hair as you will wear it underneath, keep the tape in contact with your head, and repeat each reading.

Circumference is the starting measurement for basic wig size. Front to nape and ear to ear over the top help you check the cap’s proportions. Record all three before comparing a particular wig.

For an EWIGSC full wig, keep the product measurements beside your record: 21.5 in around, 14 in front to nape and 13.25 in ear to ear over the top. The 4-inch layered pixie and 8-inch blunt bob share these cap dimensions despite their different hair lengths. These are cap measurements, not guaranteed head-size ranges.

Save all three numbers with their labels. Once you have them, the wig size chart and EWIGSC cap measurements will help you interpret the results.

Prepare your hair and measuring tape

Use a flexible fabric tape, a mirror and somewhere to record the readings. A second mirror or another person can help you follow the route at the back. Check which side of the tape shows inches and which shows centimeters.

Wrap, braid or pin your own hair close to your head in the arrangement you plan to wear. Spread the hair evenly so a bun or thick fold does not lift the tape away from your scalp. If you plan to wear a thin liner, keep that setup consistent and note it in your record.

Let the tape follow the head’s curve without squeezing your skin. Keep it flat and remove twists. Record the reading as measured; adding an allowance now makes it harder to compare with a chart later.

1. Measure circumference around the hairline

Place the zero end at the center of your front hairline. Follow the hairline above one ear, around the nape at the back, above the other ear and back to the starting point. Read where the tape meets zero.

Use the mirror to check that the back of the tape follows the intended cap-edge route. If it has climbed up the back of your head, reset it at the nape hairline. Hold the overlap in place while reading so the loop keeps its shape.

2. Measure from the front hairline to the nape

Start at the center of the front hairline. Run the tape over the center of your head and down to the nape hairline, where the scalp meets the neck. Keep the tape resting on the head throughout.

Check the endpoint in a mirror or have someone hold it for you. Measuring farther down the neck adds length that the wig cap does not need to cover. Write this reading as “front to nape” so it cannot be confused with hair length at the back.

3. Measure ear to ear over the top

Place the tape immediately above the point where one ear joins the head. Guide it over the crown to the corresponding point above the other ear. Keep it touching the scalp along the whole route. A second person can hold one endpoint while you check that the tape is running over the crown.

For the EWIGSC comparison in this guide, use this over-the-top route. Some other fitting forms also request ear to ear along the front hairline. That is a different path, so keep the complete label beside each reading.

The National Breast Cancer Foundation’s fitting guide describes the same three core measurement types. When following another maker’s specific diagram, use its stated landmarks consistently.

Repeat the readings and keep a measurement record

Release the tape and start each measurement again. If the two results disagree, check the endpoints, tape tension and hair underneath. Repeat until you can reproduce the reading; averaging two different routes would hide the error.

Keep your original units when recording. To convert inches to centimeters, multiply by 2.54. For example, 21.5 inches equals 54.61 cm, or 54.6 cm rounded to one decimal place. Save the hair arrangement and liner used beside the numbers.

Fix the measurement before changing the size

• The circumference changes each time: check whether the tape is taking the same route at the nape and whether the overlap moves while you read.
• The front-to-nape reading seems long: confirm that the endpoint is at the nape hairline, and that a thick fold of hair is not lifting the tape.
• The ear-to-ear reading looks different from another guide: compare its landmarks. Across the forehead and over the top are separate measurements.
• Your readings change after adding a liner or grip: repeat the full set with the accessories positioned as you will wear them, and note that setup beside your readings.

Use the readings with EWIGSC product specifications

The eight EWIGSC full wigs use the shared cap dimensions given above. Our bob wigs and pixie wigs therefore need the same three measurement checks. Choose hair length separately from cap fit; neither a cropped cut nor a long front makes the cap smaller. The side-by-side pixie photos show how two cuts with the same cap measurements can frame the face differently.

The separate wig cap size chart puts our dimensions beside a general size reference and explains what to do when the readings point in different directions.

Questions about measuring for a wig

How do you measure your head for a wig without a soft tape?

Follow each path with nonstretch string or ribbon, mark the endpoint, then lay it flat against a ruler. Start again for the second reading. A stretchy cord or a mark that slips can change the result.

What if my front hairline is difficult to see?

Use the intended front cap-edge position as your landmark and record where you placed it. An earlier photograph can help identify the original hairline. If that position remains uncertain, have a fitter locate it before relying on the measurement; moving it changes both circumference and front-to-nape readings.

Why do some forms ask for six measurements?

Custom or more detailed fitting forms may add ear to ear along the front hairline, temple to temple around the back, and nape width. Complete the measurements requested by that form using its diagrams. Keep the three readings here as the starting record for this EWIGSC cap comparison.

Keep the same setup for the fit check

Bring your saved readings into the sizing comparison, then prepare your hair the same way when the wig arrives. The beginner’s wig placement guide explains how to position the cap before checking its fit.

When you move on to choosing a haircut, compare our short wigs by the shape you want around the face and neckline. Keep your measurement record with the style you select so the fit check stays separate from the hair-length choice.