How Do I Care For My Wig?

Proper care of your hairpiece will keep it looking healthy and new for as long as possible. Hand-tied wigs are more delicate, as each hair is hand-tied, so please handle more carefully. Aggressive brushing will cause the knots to loosen. If not treated delicately you may experience hair loss after a few months. If your wig is losing much hair within its' first month please call us and let us know.

*Special Instructions For Hand-Tied, Monofilament, & "Pull-Thru" Bases:
When washing hand-tied, monofilament, or pull-thru hairpieces, make sure to always wash and rinse with the base top-side up. Do not swish the piece up and down in the water, as the knots at the base might "push through" to the other side of the material. You want the water to pass through the base in a downward direction, from roots to ends. An easy way to accomplish this is to pin the piece to a styling block before washing.
When blocking, always use thin straight pins on the monofilament or polyurethane sections of the base. Using T-pins can leave a permanent hole in these materials.

As a general guideline, you should wash your hairpiece every 10 to 15 wearings. Once weekly for hand-tied wigs. Allowing styling products and dirt to accumulate will make your hairpiece dull and rough looking. Regular conditioning will keep your hairpiece shiny and protect it from damage.

Washing Synthetic Fiber Hairpieces
Use shampoo and conditioner specifically designed for synthetic fiber. Regular shampoos are too harsh and can dry out the fiber, leaving you with a brittle hairpiece. Wig conditioners coat and protect synthetic fiber, leaving it shiny and preventing damage and color fading. Check out our selection of shampoos and conditioners.

Fill a sink or basin with cool water and mix in a cap full or two of shampoo. Immerse your hairpiece and let it soak for five minutes.
Gently swish the hairpiece back and forth, then rinse with cool water until all the shampoo is removed.
Gently swish the hairpiece back and forth, then remove from water WITHOUT RINSING.
Refill the sink or basin with cool water and mix in a capful or two of conditioner. Immerse your hairpiece and let it soak for two minutes.
Gently blot with a towel. It's a good idea to spray your piece with a leave-in wig conditioner. Allow your hairpiece to air dry on a wig stand (a Hairspray Can can work in a pinch). You can hang add-on pieces on a hanger. DO NOT USE HEAT to dry your hairpiece. This will melt the fiber. DO NOT comb or brush the hairpiece until it is completely dry.
When dry, gently shake your hairpiece, then style as usual.

Washing Human Hair Hairpieces:
Each hairpiece made with human hair is unique. Human hair comes from a great many different individuals and it varies in thickness, texture, and degree of wave. Most hairpieces are made with human hair that has been dyed and chemically treated to remove the cuticle. This hair is more fragile than hair in its original state and must be treated gently in order to keep it looking good. Human hair that retains the cuticle is called Remy Hair. Remy Hair is stronger than cuticle-free hair, but is still more fragile than unprocessed hair.

Conditioning is crucial to maintaining the look and longevity of your human hair hairpiece. Always use shampoo and conditioner designed for color-treated or damaged hair.

Human hair wigs should be washed in cool to lukewarm water with a mild shampoo and conditioner. (Using conditioner is highly recommended to reduce tangling.) Do not scrub the wig, just immerse the hairpiece for five minutes and then swish it from side to side and dunk it up and down. Then rinse with cool water until all shampoo is removed.

Remove hairpiece from sink and spray with a high-quality leave-in conditioner.
Blot hair with a towel and put it on a styling block or wig stand. Run a wide-toothed comb gently through the hair to give it root direction. If you use rollers, you can put the piece under a hot dryer or you can let it air dry naturally. After it dries, you can use styling brushes and curling irons

Wigs should be hung to dry. (Human hair wigs may also be set when wet. See Styling below.)

Once dry, spray sheen or detangling spray onto the wig and comb or brush depending on the type of wig you have (See Combing and Brushing below).

Setting:
Human hair wigs can be set quite easily by following these instructions:
After washing, comb the hair (as instructed below) then set in rollers with rolling papers and setting lotion
Put the wig under a sitting hair drier on low heat for 40 to 50 minutes. If you do not have access to a sitting drier, the wig may be left on a wig stand (smaller than wig) overnight or until completely dried.
Once dry, take out the rollers and style the wig as desired.

Styling:
Hot tools may be used on human hair wigs. Hot blow driers, curling irons, flat irons and similar tools may be used in the same way as they would on your regular hair. Most wig caps are designed to be unaffected by heat. Additional care must be taken when styling a wig with a skin-like cap as the plastic in the cap material can melt under heat.

If wig hair gets frizzy, try any sheen spray or wig spray to calm the frizziness and then comb. If not, wash then set with setting lotion to get the frizziness out. When wigs are tangled, use any detangling or sheen spray then comb the hair.

Combing and Brushing:
Comb or brush your wig using the following guidelines*:
Length Style Style With
Short Straight / Wavy Any combs or brushes
Short Curly Wide-toothed comb or brush out with fingers
Chin Length Straight Any combs or brushes
Chin Length Curly / Wavy Wide-toothed comb or brush out with fingers
Shoulder Length Straight Any combs or brushes
Shoulder Length Curly / Wavy Wide-toothed comb
Long / Very Long Straight / Wavy Wide-toothed comb
Long / Very Long Curly Brush out with fingers

* Important Note: Spiral curl and dreadlock wigs should not be combed or brushed in any way, as this will undo the curls/dreads.

Hair Products
Any hair products can be used on wigs, such as hair spray, mousse, gel, etc. since the wigs are washable and reusable.

Wig Storage
While wigs are not in use, they may be stored in a hair net and plastic bag or on a wig stand (smaller than your wig to avoid stretching.
When traveling, a styled wig may be carried in a wig box to prevent flattening.

How Do I Care For My Wig?

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