How to Wash a Wig

How to Wash a Wig

Every eight to fifteen wears for most units, sooner if you use a lot of product or wear it in heat. Cool water, always downward, never wrung or piled, and dried on a stand. The single biggest difference from washing your own hair is that you never scrub a wig, because the cap and the knots holding each hair are the fragile part, not the hair.

Synthetic units

Cool water only, since heat relaxes synthetic fiber and can permanently alter the style. Fill a basin, add a small amount of gentle shampoo or a shampoo made for synthetic hair, and swirl the unit through it without rubbing. Rinse in clean cool water, apply a synthetic conditioner to the lengths only, keeping it off the cap, and rinse again. The whole thing takes minutes.

Human hair units

Wash with a sulfate-free shampoo, working from cap to ends in a downward direction under running water, never in circles. Condition the mid-lengths and ends generously, since a unit gets no oil from a scalp and dries out faster than your own hair. A deep conditioner every few washes is worth doing. Rinse cool to close the cuticle.

Drying

Blot in a towel, do not wring, and do not twist. Put it on a wig stand or a mannequin head and let it air dry completely. A stand keeps the cap in shape and lets air reach underneath; drying flat on a towel leaves the cap damp and the style crushed on one side. Never dry a wet unit with a hot dryer, and never leave a wet unit hanging by the lace, which stretches it.

How often, and what shortens it

Every eight to fifteen wears is a normal interval; a unit worn daily in summer needs it sooner. Heavy oils, dry shampoo and hairspray shorten the interval, since they build up on fiber that cannot self-clean. Washing too often is also a real problem, particularly on synthetic units, where each wash costs a little of the style. Between washes, a light spray of water and conditioner on the lengths and a stand at night does most of the work.