Mar 29 2010
how to wash a good quality human hair wig and what type of shampoo/conditioner should be used?
thanks for your help!
Okay, this is what you do.
Wash it in the tub by holding it over one hand under the sink, or use a removeable shower head. Make sure the water pressure isn’t too strong, or this could be damaging. You want to use luke warm to cool water. Never hot!!
Shampooing:
Apply a regular amount of shampoo in the wig and start massaging it in gently, only using down ward strokes…you can squeeze gently too to make sure it goes all the way through the hair. Do this for a couple minutes, then rinse very thoroughly.
Conditioning:
Do the same with the conditioner, massage it in, focusing on your ends, and then with a wide toothed comb, gently comb through starting at the ends to detangle it. Rinse thorougly and then finish by rinsing with very cold water for a few moments. This will close the cuticles in the hair to make it smoother, shinier and keep it clean longer!
Drying:
Then gently squeeze out some of the water. Do not wring it!!!! God forbid!! Then hang it up for a few minutes to drip dry, while you do some other bathroom type things… Then you can take a clean towel and gently squeeze out the water. (I realize i’ve used the word gently like a million times, but there’s a reason why, and that is because wigs are extremely easy to damage if you’re not careful, and the damage is basically irreversible most of the time, because…well..the hair doesnt grow back.) So squeeze out some of the water with the towel, and then either let it air dry a little longer before you put it on, or just tape or glue it on and let it dry while it’s on you.
Styling:
If you can help it, don’t blow dry. I used to blow dry my wigs all the time, thinking theyd only look good if i did. This is a mistake. If you have a good quality wig, it should dry nicely naturally. Heat tools do so much damage to wigs its not even funny. Not only does the hair not grow back in, but wigs have alot less moisture than real hair, because they don’t get as many oils from our scalp. If you find that the hair is frizzy or kinky, try a couple products, or maybe just use your flat iron or blow drier on select parts to style it nicer. I’m not saying NEVER use heat tools, obviously its fun to try different things, but if you’re blow drying your hair from wet to dry every time you wash it, you’re going to notice alot of damage.
The great thing about human hair wigs is that you can use regular hair products!! So there isnt one special product for wigs. I would experiment, try different brands and see what works best. What i find is hardest is getting the balance of having moisture, and smoothness with volume and not leaving residue. Wigs are very delicate that way, in that it can be easy to add too much oil and moisture, and leave a residue that makes the hair greasy and unmanageable, or not having enough moisture and having the hair be dry and frizzy. Don’t think that just because something is "salon brand" that it’s better, because ive done some research, and salon brands arent nessecarily better at all, they use the same ingredients. Find what works best for you.
I would think about going for a light shampoo, such as a volume shampoo or a clarifying or deep cleansing shampoo. This will help keep your wig clean and healthy and wont be weighed down. You’re not supposed to wash your wig every day, so you dont want to be using products that will make it dirtier faster!
Then pair it with a hydrating conditioner, to give it moisture and smoothness. I use big sexy hair - volume shampoo with hello hydration conditioner by herbal essences. These work great for me! The big sexy gives my hair thickness and volume, and the conditioner makes it super soft and silky. It smells soooo good too and makes it beautiful and shiny without weighing it down.
Then what i usually do is let it air dry, and then blow dry my bangs down, cause they get pouffy haha! and then sometimes add some chi silk reconstructing complex, which is kind of like a gloss, into the ends, for extra softness, shine and moisture. Then..you know..sometimes i use more products and either straighten or curl it…but not all the time. The key for heat styling wigs is always use a heat protection serum or spray. I recommend Chi Iron Guard spray. All the chi products are awesome!
How often should you wash your wig? Umm..it depends! It depends on if it gets rained on, if you use alot of products, if you sweat in it, etc. I usually wash mine every 2nd or 3rd day. Probably an average of 3 times a week….hmm yeah..
And i’d recommend once in a while doing a deep conditioning treatment. Once every couple weeks would probably be good. You can always just use pure coconut oil.
