Frozen Wigs

I worked as a wigs maintenance crew member for the 2024 season, this included daily touch-ups, and scheduled washing and restyling of every single wig in Disney’s Frozen, Anastasia, and Jersey Boys.

The reality of synthetic wigs on stage is that they will experience friction and this will cause matting. When I joined the wig maintenance crew and first touched up the Bulda wig, I knew the combination of synthetic hair type and costume pieces that tangle into the fibers, was going to cause trouble. Once this wig came around to be washed I began to take down the style and found many tangled mats. I had to wait to fully wash and restyle this wig until there was a long enough break in Disney’s Frozen performances to do a restoration. 

When de-tangling synthetic wigs it is best to use a steamer to assist in this process. The heat and water reduce the friction of the comb and also help straighten the fibers. Once the wig is completely de-tangled and straightened the roll set can be set according to the wig design bible. The wig then is steamed and set in the wig drying cabinet, before finally being restyled. 

The Queen Iduna wig after washing was put into it’s roll set, steamed, and the dried in the wig cabinet. Then the curls are placed carefully across the head to create these distinct ridges, rolls, and twists, which are then enhanced by the rollers pinned strategically across the style. Additionally small sections of hair are curled around the ears and neck to soften the line of the wig. The steaming and drying process is repeated and then the style is complete.