Frontal wigs in South Africa: 13x4 prices, fit and care

Frontal wig prices across SA stores

The 12 cheapest 14 to 22 inch 13x4 frontal wigs, at most two per store, cheapest first. Checked 6 Oct 2026. Prices change, so confirm on the store's page.

Stylists who install frontal wigs, by city

City pages go live once three stylists there are verified.

Frontal wigs, explained

What a frontal wig is

A frontal wig has a lace panel that runs from ear to ear across your hairline. Glamour South Africa describes frontals as 13x4 or 13x6 inches of lace, extending from ear to ear across the entire hairline, and says they need more installation skill and maintenance than a closure. The numbers are the size of the lace in inches. A 13x4 is 13 inches across and 4 deep, which Kes Wigs works out at 52 square inches, against 78 for a 13x6.

The extra two inches of depth matters when you part your hair. Kes Wigs says a 13x4 limits a part to about 1.5 to 2 inches from the centre, while a 13x6 allows a part up to 4 inches from the centre. In South African stores, 13x6 is hard to find. On 6 Oct 2026 only four wigs with 13x6 in the title were in stock, two at The Hair Trader and two at Takealot, one of them synthetic.

What a frontal wig costs in South Africa

We checked 27 SA stores on 6 Oct 2026 and found 198 frontal wigs with 13x4 lace in stock at 13 of them. Counting each wig at its lowest price, half of them start between R749 and R3,799. Takealot lists 59 of the 198, at R379 to R1,399. We could not check who sells those or what they promise, so read the seller and returns terms on the product page before you pay. The other 139 wigs come from 12 specialist stores and start higher. The middle half runs from R2,069 to R4,499, with a median of R3,190.

Length drives the price. At the specialist stores, the median price for a 13x4 frontal wig at 10 inch was R2,000 (35 wigs), at 14 inch R2,429 (19 wigs), at 18 inch R3,800 (36 wigs) and at 22 inch R4,320 (33 wigs). A 24 inch wig was R5,244 at the median (18 wigs).

Some lace costs more again. 360 lace wigs, which have lace all the way round, start at R2,199 and run to R6,849 (13 wigs at three stores, median R4,400). Only five of the specialist 13x4 wigs say HD in the title or options, at R4,730 to R8,000. Five wigs is too few to prove anything, but it fits Glamour's description of HD lace as the more expensive option.

Lace, density and hair: what to check

Glamour South Africa says HD lace is ultra-thin and blends almost invisibly into the skin, but it is also more delicate and more expensive, and it suits professional installs. Transparent lace is the more practical everyday choice, more durable and generally cheaper. Density is the other big lever. Glamour calls 150% the sweet spot for natural fullness, 180% fuller and more glamorous, and 200% and above dramatic but heavier, and it advises more density the longer the wig is.

Few South African listings tell you the density. Of 1,319 wigs at 16 stores (not counting Wigs.co.za), only 7 give a density in the title or size options, so ask the store before you buy. About one in four, 340, say glueless, wear and go, ready to wear or pre-cut. Hair City says all its wigs are designed to be glueless and ready to wear, that its glueless Brazilian bob comes with adjustable straps, an elastic band and combs, and that a melted hairline, with pre-plucked and bleached knots, costs R250 extra.

Delivery, returns and cutting the lace

Delivery and return terms differ more than prices do. The Wig Factory says orders are processed in 1 to 2 business days and delivered in 3 to 5, and takes back unworn units in original packaging with the lace uncut within 7 days, but not worn or altered wigs. Hair Majesty allows 14 days from delivery for unused, unworn wigs in original packaging and does not accept returns on customised wigs. Shara Hair sells some units as clearance with no exchange and no refund. At The Wig Factory, a wig with cut lace no longer qualifies for a return, so cut last.

Mayvenn's steps for trimming a lace front are to put the wig on, pull it forward until its hairline sits just in front of yours, mark the line with dots, and leave about 1/8 inch (roughly 3 mm) between the hair and your cut. Cut small sections with sharp scissors, keep the lace pulled taut so you do not nick the hair, and avoid a perfectly straight line, which looks less natural. Hair Majesty also offers customisation: bleaching the knots so the small dark bulbs look almost invisible, and plucking the hairline for a smoother transition.

What installers charge

Salon listings on Fresha, read on 6 Oct 2026, give a feel for the labour. In Johannesburg, Hairddict in Woodmead lists a sew-in with frontal at R950, and Freeman Beauty Palace in Marshalltown lists a double frontal install at R1,250 (3 hours) and a Lagos hairline install at R650 (2 hours). KendriQ in Fourways charges R700 for a glue install of a wig and R500 for a spray install. Basic wig installs in the same city start at R150. Prices rise with styling, washing and treatment, so ask what the price includes.

Looking after your hairline

The British Association of Dermatologists lists the attachment of weaves or hair extensions among the causes of traction alopecia, hair loss from constant pulling. It says the hair can regrow completely if the problem is caught early and the tight style is stopped, while longstanding cases can cause permanent destruction. The American Academy of Dermatology says that if you feel pain or have a headache, the hairstyle is too tight. Wigs are not named in either source, so apply the same test to wig lines and glue.

Glue adds a second risk. A review in the International Journal of Women's Dermatology notes that bonding and taping may lead to contact dermatitis, especially from wig adhesives such as acrylates. That is why the care steps above start with a patch test.

Frontal wigs: questions