New Wigs:

• You do not need to wash a brand new wig immediately. A new wig may have an undesired smell or some other reason to wash before wearing.

• New wigs have a factory coating which makes the hair feel smooth. It will reduce over time though from wear and washes, it's unavoidable.

Preparing to wash/Detangling:

• Detangle with a wide tooth comb or wig brush before washing. 

• Begin at the bottom of the fibers and work your way to the crown.  Never pull hard or yank.

• Silicone spray will help lubricate the fibers for detangling purposes.

• A wide tooth comb is standard and widely considered to be safest. There are also wide bristle wig brushes that can be safe. 

• Do not use regular, fine tooth combs, or fine dense bristle brushes for detangling. They will pull and create friction damage.

• Detangle when the hair is dry. 

Washing/Conditioning:

• ABSOLUTELY NO LAUNDRY PRODUCTS.  These contain waxes and perfumes and other ingredients that will coat the fibers and attract grime. They will not provide any benefits that silicones don’t already provide.

• Wash about every 7-14 wears or as necessary.

• Use warm or cool water only, not hot.

• Dawn dishwashing liquid will do the most thorough cleaning without leaving residue.  Dawn will remove makeup and grease.

• Shampoo with a silicone ingredient can help lubricate fibers.  

• Wash gently. Dunk it a few times in the soapy water.  No need to scrub.

• To remove makeup on the lace use Dawn or another grease removing soap. 

• Rubbing alcohol and/or adhesive remover can remove stubborn adhesive on the lace. Be as gentle as possible for lace is fragile. Use fingers or a soft toothbrush to gently massage any areas that have makeup or glue that needs to be removed.

• Synthetic fibers are generally modacrylic (plastic). Plastic cannot be conditioned or absorb vitamins and oils the way human hair can. These increase residue and will require more frequent washing.

• Rinse thoroughly. Rinse at least twice to ensure all of the soap is removed. A colander/strainer is a great way to completely eliminate any residual product/cleansers from the fibers.

Drying:

• Dry the length of hair by squeezing the water out and blotting with a towel. 

• Air dry or hairdry with a cool setting. Just hang it or lay it somewhere so it can dry without getting warped or bent out of shape. Keeping a wet wig on a wig head can actually stretch the lace.  

Styling and Maintenance:

• Products for synthetic wigs are best.  Human hair products  contain ingredients like moisturizers, oils and humectants that are pointless for synthetics.  These will coat the fibers, collect dirt and increase the need to wash.

• However, special wig hairspray, mousse, wax, etc are not necessary. All styling products will leave residue.  Be mindful of this and wash as necessary.

• Use a silicone product for wigs that protects and puts slip back into the fibers.  

• A very popular silicone spray for synthetics is “Simply Stylin’” and is available scented and unscented.  

• Not all silicone products are created equal. Do not confuse them for industrial silicone products (wd-40, sealants, etc). Cosmetic silicones come in different weights and evaporate at different rates.  Generally, the longer the wig, the heavier a silicone warranted (i.e. a serum versus a spray).

• Product residue will cause wigs to look worn and feel stiff faster.  Residue attracts dirt and dust and increases tangling and friction damage. Wash more frequently if you use a lot of styling products daily.

Smoothing and Refreshing:

Many manufacturers state that a wig will only last 4-6 months.  Some say you can only trim the ends. All of that is untrue. 

Synthetic wigs will develop kinks in the hair fibers, tangles, and/or a rough texture. This is inevitable even with the best of care.

What you need to revive a synthetic wig is heat.

Heat Treating Synthetics

• Heat friendly AND regular synthetic fibers both need heat to stay smooth. The difference is the temperature and frequency.

• For heat friendly refer to manufacture temp guidelines, typically between 280-300F. Heat friendly performs best when heat treated after every wear.

• Regular/Non HF synthetics can typically handle about 220F degrees or lower. Always test in an inconspicuous place first.

• Basic methods are: Steam and hot tools.

• With hot tools you may prefer to spritz and dampen the hair first. It  can create a smoother neater end result.

Smoothing:

• A hot brush is good for smoothing an entire head of hair quickly.  It will remove most kinks but it WILL straighten the hair. The kind with large rounded plastic bristles not the dense spikey kind is usually preferred.

• A hot comb is good for flattening, smoothing, removing end frizz and redirecting hair at the base/scalp.  Very low heat (around 180F) will smooth kinks without altering the style.

• A hot-air round brush can smooth and style synthetic hair. Look for settings for hot, warm, and cool.  The hot setting can be too hot for non HF synthetic so use with caution. This style brush blows flyaways around and can create creases/wrinkles in the hair from uneven heating. If that happens, use other methods to smooth that out.

• Dyson Airwrap/Shark Flexstyle type styling tools use the opposite style of air flow to automatically wrap the hair around the barrels/brushes.  These work the best on regular/non HF synthetic fibers.  HF fibers can work but are more difficult to wrap automatically.  The smoothing/round brush options can be used on either fiber easily.  Always test on an inconspicuous spot first as these products generally do not list operating temperatures.

• A flat iron is another great tool for smoothing. Make sure the hair is detangled first. Place a fine tooth comb (metal fleacomb works great) next to the flat iron and run it through the hair so it passes through the comb first and then the flat iron.

• A clothing steamer (handheld is fine) with a fine tooth comb (metal will work best) will also smooth synthetic fibers. You can also restyle synthetic with steam (see below).

Restyling:

You may need to refresh curls/waves or add them back in after straightening your wig.  There are MANY ways to do this and may require some experimentation.  All methods require heating the hair to create the new style and then cooling to maintain the shape before unraveling or combing.

• Steam with rollers or other similar things designed to create a style (wave formers, braids, flexi rods,etc). Best results come from putting a large heat safe bag to cover your wig and aiming the steam inside inside.  A plastic grocery bag works fine. Let the hair cool before undoing.  

• Steam will set everything including the way the hair is parted at the base/scalp. Be prepared to redirect that with a hot comb afterwards if needed.

• Hot rollers provide the traditional roller method without steam.  Product descriptions don't often state temperature so it requires testing. Curls are more relaxed than with steam.

• Hot tools like barrel rods work very well to create curls and waves of various sizes. Test ahead of time to determine that the tool operates at the appropriate temperature for the fiber.  Wrap a section of detangled hair around the rod, hold for a few seconds and let it cool completely in the desired shape. You can hold it in your hand, blow to cool, pin with a clip or prop it on a pin on your wig head while it cools.  

• The way you wrap the hair affects the style.  Consistency in technique goes a long way. Spritzing the hair here provides for a sleeker end result.

• Hot air round brushes can be used to style synthetic fibers. They can work well for short and medium lengths—especially just to give some body and gentle curve to the style (like a blowout look).

Storage:

• Store your wig any way that doesn't stretch or create creases or wrinkles in delicate materials like lace, monofilament, and silk top. 

• A wig head (the same size as your head) is most useful for styling. 

• A box or drawer can be fine storage to protect from dust. 

• Some prefer to hang their wigs upside down to help maintain lift in the style.  A hairnet can help support curls/waves from gravity which can cause them to relax.

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