Caring for a wig is more important than wearing it. Gentle and soft caring extends the duration of your wig and makes the unity shinier and more natural.
Welcome to my new guide about the mesmerizing topic of wigs. I am Rosalba and the care of my wigs is a real obsession. I apply several steps to care for my unities. This way, I always obtain wigs ready to be admired by the entire world!
In this guide, indeed, I’ll teach you how to care for your wig properly.
Detailed Steps to Take Care for a Wig
Follow this step-by-step guide and learn how to take care of your wig in an easy and practical manner.
Step 1: Recognize the Type of Wig You Have
This is not a real step, but a pivotal process you must undertake before caring for your wig.
First of all, you must know what type of wig you have. Is it Synthetic or with Human hair? Synthetic and human hair wigs need different frequencies of washing, for instance. Synthetic wigs are also very sensitive to heat, while human hair wigs are more sensitive to humidity.
Furthermore, their different textures require different styling tools. As regards wig washing, instead, the method of caring may be identical or only slightly different.
Synthetic wigs can be washed under running water or in a basin previously filled with water. Human hair wigs, by contrast, must be washed only under running water in order to avoid tangles.
An important detail that synthetic and human hair wigs have in common is the temperature of the water. You must absolutely wash them with cool or cold water. Heat is always detrimental both for synthetic and human hair.
Now that you have learnt these preliminary details, you can follow the further steps to care for your wig. Remember that the steps will be (nearly) identical for synthetic and human hair wigs from this moment on.
Step 2: Disentangle the Hair of Your Wig
Before washing, you must disentangle the hair of your wig. This step must be carried out with a large-tooth comb or a brush.
Don’t use common combs and brushes, but only specific combs and brushes for synthetic or human hair wigs.
These tools, in fact, depending on the type of hair of wigs. Make sure to use the proper tool for the type of hair of your wig, hence.
Comb or brush the unity on a wig stand. Don’t use a mannequin head to brush the wig, because it can stretch the cap. Don’t start brushing from the crown, but only from the ends to the roots.
Perform gentle movements in order to not rip the lace and the knots.
Step 3: Wash the Unity
After you remove the tangles, you can proceed with washing your wig. Always use shampoo and conditioner specifically formulated for the type of wig you have. These products have a gentle action on the fiber of wigs and keep them healthy for a long time.
Several wig wearers use common detergents to wash their synthetic wigs, but I am not sure about the effectiveness of these products.
For this reason, I advise you to wash your wig with specific shampoos. It is better to stay safe than sorry, in this case. Dry shampoo works pretty well as a temporary solution, but you need to use proper shampoo to wash it before storage.
Put the wig under running water, and a small amount of shampoo on your fingertips. Start washing the cap, first, to remove stains of oil, sweat or remaining glues. Massage gently to not rip the cap or the lace. Rinse carefully and proceed to wash the hair of the wig.
Massage with the shampoo from the ends to the roots. Rinse again, to eliminate all the suds.
After this process, add a small amount of conditioner in the same way used to apply the shampoo.
Let the conditioner rest on the wig for a couple of minutes. Then, rinse under running cold water and when the water is perfectly clear, squeeze the wig slightly to remove the excess of water, don’t press further, otherwise, you’ll end up ruining the fiber of the wig during the squeezing.
Also, in this case, many wig wearers say that they prefer to comb the wig during washing instead of squeezing. But wig brushing and combing must be made only when the unity is dry, otherwise, you risk damaging the hair of the wig.
Maybe you can comb a wet synthetic wig, but you must never comb a wet human hair wig.
Step 4: Dry the Wig
Wrap the wig on a towel to remove further water. Press and tap always gently in order to avoid hair breakage, lace ripping, or the stretch of the unity.
Dry the unity on a wig stand. Don’t use a mannequin head in this stage, because this causes the stretching of the wig cap.
Don’t use a hairdryer for your synthetic wig, this type of unity is indeed very sensitive to heat, even the one labeled as heat resistant.
In this stage, keep disentangling with your hands. Only when the wig gets perfectly dried, start combing with a specific comb for wigs.
The hairdryer is permitted on human hair wigs, instead. Set a mild temperature and dry your wig to your liking, always by your hands. When the wig is dry, you can style it with curly iron or hair straightener.
You could style your human hair wig as you wear it, but a wig stand allows you to better style the back of the wig, as well.
Step 5: Store Your Wig When You Don’t Wear It
After drying the wig, it is the moment to store it properly, especially when you don’t wear it.
The way you keep your wig influences its beauty and resistance. The wig storing is also a way to properly care for your wig.
A dried wig can be placed on a mannequin head, away from sun rays, heat, or humidity. Cover the unity on the mannequin with a plastic bag. This way, your wig will be kept dusty-free.
If you don’t have a mannequin head, you can keep the wig in a satin bag. Satin is a perfect material for a wig. It maintains the unity dried and without dust. It’s a good idea to apply some hair oil to your wig before storing them.
FAQs
To learn more about the care of your wig, check the FAQs section. I am sure you’ll find interesting information to maintain your wig like the first day.
How Do You Take Care of a Cheap Wig?
The care of a cheap wig is identical to all the steps of this guide. However, if your wig is really cheap, it means that all its components are cheap: cap, lace, structure, fibers of hair, texture, and knots.
Hence, you must wash this wig gently and avoid wearing it frequently. Indeed, the more frequently you wear it, the more frequently you will have to wash it.
Unfortunately, frequent washing has a stressful impact on the fibers of a cheap wig. But even a rare and infrequent washing can damage a cheap wig.
Sweat, oils and hair sprays can, in fact, adverse the structure of the wig and cause shedding.
The matter of the wig washing is very burning, nowadays. As regards this aspect, keep reading the following FAQ.
Should You Wash Your Wig Every Day?
You should wash your human hair wig every two months. The average schedule is every 10 wears.
If you wear the wig every day and style it with oils and hair sprays, you should wash it more often. In this case, wash the wig every two weeks, with the method I explained in this guide.
Don’t wash your human hair wig every week if you aim to extend its duration.
A synthetic wig can be washed after 30 wears, instead. This difference depends on the synthetic hair. This type of fiber maintains a silky and shiny texture for a longer time.
How Do You Brush a Wig Without Ruining It?
To brush your wig properly and without damages, and as already said, use a brush formulated for your type of wig. This kind of tool has a sort of small cap on the bristles which avoids breaking the hair of the wig.
Furthermore, always brush from the bottom of the wig, never from the crown. This way you’ll avoid ripping the cap and lace. Also, always perform soft brushing to prevent hair breakage.
For the full control of the back of the unity, always brush on a wig stand and not on a mannequin head. The latter causes the stretch of the wig cap.
Wrapping Out
As you can see, taking care of your wig is extremely easy, but it is likewise important to maintain this beauty tool healthy and durable over time.
Try caring for it as I described in this guide. Always start to disentangle the wig, after this process, wash the unity, gently, dry carefully and always use tools formulated for the type of wig you have.
If you care for your wig in a soft manner, you can preserve even the cheapest wig!
And now, if my guide has been helpful to you, send me your comment. Your words will be extremely encouraging for me.
1 comment:
Thanks for informative article. i have both synthetic and human hair wigs. I tried curling synthetic wig at proper temp. HA had to increase temp. took an hour to curl bangs and ends. and still didnt work. Its shaggy on ends.
Havent tried care of human wig yet. its darker but need to find a wig cutter to trim bangs and thin it out. It makes me look like a muppet right now.
just a note, had bad burn on half of head so my original hair is gone.
just appreciate your advice. Ill go back and reference as needed.