What Is a Postiche?
A fancy French word for a hairpiece you may already know. What it means, how to say it, and how to choose one.
Wigs. Wiglets. Toppers. Falls. And just when you thought you had the vocabulary down: postiche.
Hairpieces come in a variety of styles, colors, sizes, and names, and this one sounds like something you’d order with a glass of Bordeaux. It’s a hairpiece. Pour yourself something French, and we’ll tell you what the word means, where it came from, and how to find one that disappears into your own hair.
Shopping for one? Most stores, ours included, file them under hair toppers.
so, what is a postiche?
Sounds kind of fancy, right? That’s because it’s French, by way of Italian.
The Italian word posticcio means added on, or fake, the way a fake beard is a barba posticcia. French borrowed it as postiche, and English borrowed it from French in the mid-1800s.
In English the word has two jobs. As a noun, it means a hairpiece made of false hair. As an adjective, mostly in architecture and sculpture, it describes something added on afterward, or something fake. So a postiche is, quite literally, hair that has been added on. We couldn’t have named it better ourselves.
Technically, the word covers almost any false hair worn on the head or face: full cap wigs, hair extensions, even human hair eyebrows! In a wig shop, though, a postiche almost always means a hair topper, or what some shops call a wiglet: a hairpiece that clips into your own hair to cover thinning or balding spots on top of the head and add volume. Pressure clips hold it to your hair at the crown, the hairline, or along your part.
where else you’ll hear it
Postiche gets around. Outside the wig shop, it turns up in two other places.
- Backstage. In theater and film, postiche is the wigmaker’s word for false facial hair and small hairpieces: mustaches, beards, sideburns, and eyebrows. If an actor’s beard came out of a box in the makeup trailer, it’s postiche.
- In French. Postiche is an everyday word for fake. A moustache postiche is a stick-on mustache, and un postiche on its own is a hairpiece. So if a French speaker raises an eyebrow at your topper, that’s the word they’re thinking of.
postiche, wiglet, topper or wig?
Four words, a lot of overlap, and plenty of stores use them interchangeably. Here’s how they line up at Headcovers.
| word | what it is | how much it covers | how it stays on |
|---|---|---|---|
| postiche | The older, all-purpose word for a piece of false hair. In shops today it usually means a topper. | Depends on the piece. | Usually clips into your own hair. |
| wiglet | A small hairpiece, often worn for extra volume. Many brands use it as another word for topper. | A small area, most often the crown. | Clips into your own hair. |
| hair topper | A hairpiece on a base that sits on top of the head to cover thinning at the part, crown, or hairline. | From a small patch to most of the top, depending on the base size. | Pressure clips into your own hair. |
| wig | A full cap of hair. It needs no hair of your own to hold it. | The whole head. | Fits like a cap, with adjustable straps at the nape. |
Not sure whether you need a topper or a full wig? Our guide to wigs vs. hair toppers walks through how to decide.
who needs a postiche?
If your hair is thinning, especially in the early to moderate stages, a postiche or hair topper is an excellent choice. Thinning can happen for many reasons, including aging, illness, medications, vitamin deficiencies, or hormonal changes.
A topper can also help as hair grows back thin or patchy after chemotherapy. While chemo is taking all of your hair, though, a topper has nothing to clip onto, and a wig is the better fit.
And postiches aren’t only for thinning. Plenty of women wear one simply for more volume.
Noticing more scalp than you used to is upsetting, whatever the reason.
It might be a wider part in the bathroom mirror, or a thin spot at the crown in a photo someone else took. A topper leaves what’s happening underneath alone. What it can do is give you back the hair you’re used to seeing, and most people around you will never know it’s there.
Still deciding? Read how to tell when you need a wiglet.
picking the perfect postiche
The right postiche depends on where your hair is thinning and how much of it. Four decisions, in this order.
Every postiche lists its base size. Look for a base about an inch larger than your measurement in both width and height, which gives you an extra half inch on each side. That margin is where the clips grab your own hair.
A monofilament base lets you part the hair any way you like and looks like scalp at the part. A classic base has hair sewn onto it by machine in rows called wefts, and it lets you pull some of your own hair through the topper for a more blended look.
Synthetic, heat friendly synthetic, or human hair. Our guide to human hair vs. synthetic covers the trade-offs.
If you’re unsure of the color, our free color matching takes the guesswork out.
And that’s it! When your postiche arrives, check the base size, color, and length against what you need. For a deeper look at every step, our hair topper buying guide has you covered.
where to buy a high quality postiche
You have two main places to shop, and each has its perks.
online
A credible online wig store gives you a bigger selection and lets you shop at your own pace, and toppers are often less expensive online than in a store. Send our certified wig specialist a snip of your hair and we’ll match the color for free, from the comfort of home. We have plenty of guides to help you choose, and we’re always a phone call (1-800-264-4287) or an email away.
in a store
A wig store lets you try pieces on and get in-person help choosing a postiche from a sales associate.
our favorite postiches
With so many toppers to choose from, it’s hard to know which one is best. These are a good starting point, one for each spot where thinning tends to show.
for your part: easiPart by Jon Renau
The easiPart comes in several lengths and two hair types, heat friendly synthetic and human hair, so you can find the right postiche for part coverage.
EasiPart HD 12 Inch Hair Topper by Jon Renau
Coverage along the part, in several lengths and two hair types.
shop →
for your crown: easiCrown by Jon Renau
The easiCrown also comes in several lengths and two hair types, heat friendly synthetic and human hair, so you can find the right postiche for crown coverage.
easiCrown HD 12 Inch Hair Topper by Jon Renau
Coverage at the crown, in several lengths and two hair types.
shop →for fuller coverage: Milan by Noriko
Milan by Noriko is a great postiche when you need more coverage. The monofilament top keeps it light, and the realistic synthetic hair is comfortable to wear while it adds plenty of natural-looking volume.
An elegant word for an elegant product.
Postiche may not be a word you hear every day, but it’s still a big part of the wig world, and today’s postiches are made with more comfort, realism, and style than ever. What other words have you heard for wigs or toppers? We’d love to hear them. Send them our way.
postiche questions
how do you pronounce postiche?
paw-STEESH, with the stress on the second syllable. It rhymes with quiche.
is a postiche the same as a hair topper?
In most wig shops, yes. Postiche is the older, broader word for any piece of false hair, and today it is used mostly for toppers. At Headcovers you’ll find them under hair toppers.
is a postiche the same as a wig?
Not usually. A wig covers your whole head and doesn’t need any hair of your own. A postiche usually covers part of the head and clips into the hair you have.
what does postiche mean in French?
Fake. A moustache postiche is a stick-on mustache and a barbe postiche is a false beard. As a noun, un postiche is a hairpiece.
what size postiche do I need?
Measure the area you want covered, then choose a base about an inch larger in both width and height. That gives you an extra half inch on each side for the clips to grab your own hair.
keep learning
This guide is for informational purposes only. It does not replace advice from your physician. If you have questions about your specific situation, please consult your care team.