How to successfully wash your wigs at home!

I remember the very first wig I bought, I was so excited. My wig was a long wavy black one, back then it was called a “french body wave”.

I wore my first wig for about a week and I decided to wash it because I was in a hurry and needed it to look a certain way. So I took it off my head and just started wetting it. To my horror the wig became completely matted to the point I could not do anything to fix it. Needless to say I ended up having to buy another wig that same day. As I became a hairstylist and learned more about hair and extensions I realized that I was not properly educated in how to wash my wig or hair extensions. I did not realize that beauty shop “hair” is not really hair. Have you ever noticed when you buy hair that it seems to get matted or tangled after washing it just a couple of times? That’s because its literally disreguarded hair from the temples or hair collected from brushes and combs. Ugh anyways, the point I am trying to make is that I did not purchase good quality hair to begin with, nor did I know how to wash it correctly.

So, I thought perhaps you may want to know how to successfully wash your wig at home. First let me start by saying if you search online you will see many different examples of how to wash a wig at home. Some suggestions are good and some are not. I am sharing my experiences of trial and error by washing my own wigs at home. You must decide which suggestions works best for you.

Tip 1

Deciding how often you want to wash your wig is a personal choice. However, many women choose to wash their lace wigs and hair extensions every one to two weeks. In the Summer the hot weather can be a bit of a challenge, in such cases it’s a good idea to simply rinse hair with lukewarm water and apply conditioner sparingly to avoid buildup. If the hair begins to feel sticky or dry, it may be time to give it a good shampoo.

The same goes for if the wig begins to lose its curl or volume. Remember, washing your wig will limit its lifespan, so you don’t want to over wash it. If you wear a wig cap underneath and remove your wig before going to bed, you can help reduce the number of times you need to shampoo and condition it.

Ada Leroux Hair offers real satin bonnets in different colors. These bonnets will protect your wig and hair extensions while you sleep at night because it reduces the amount of friction your new hair will experience. Plus it extends the lifespan of your wigs, extensions, and toppers.

Tip 2

Before you purchase your next wig please buy a styrofoam head or a canvas block head. You can find them both on Amazon but the styrofoam head can be found at your local beauty supply store for next to nothing.

Now I normally start with a canvas block head that is smaller than my actual wig size. For example, I wear a small to medium wig cap so I would get a small canvas if you don’t want to overstretch your wig. Next I take my wig and pin it down to the canvas block head then I put one more pin in the back so it doesn’t fall off. Once I’ve done that the next thing I’m going to do is comb the wig out make sure there’s no tangles in it at all. Of course you want to get the right shampoo (sulfur-free) for the rest of the steps.

After I’ve combed it out, take the wig and set it down into the sink. Just begin to wet it with water until it’s fully saturated. Once it’s fully saturated put it in your hand in and rub it around a little bit and then slowly add more shampoo to it. Remember to keep the shampoo and conditioner away from the lace because the lace has been hand knotted and if it gets wet then hair will start to shed more so be careful.

Tip 3

Carefully rinse the shampoo and conditioner out of the hair, which is very easy to do because you have the wig sitting on the wig head. It’s been my personal experience over the years that this is actually the best way to shampoo and condition your wig. Instead of trying to hold the wig in your hand and doing all that other stuff this is it’s better with a block head. It’s stress-free and you allow the wig to keep its shape. Most well-made wigs have a shape that it fits around your head and if you mess around with that too much  it will literally cause it to collapse and it will lose its shape. So when you’re not wearing your wig it’s always a good idea to put it on the styrofoam head  or on a canvas block. Now the hair should feel really soft and I’m also suggest you remove your wig off the styrofoam head or canvas block head and lay it on top of a soft towel and gently roll it to remove the excess water. For more info and to see the full live demo please click here to view it on YouTube.

I hope this informal blog about how to wash your wig at home is helpful but should you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact me directly.

All the Best

Ada Leroux Hair

Want more info about how hair is collected ?

https://www.cosmopolitan.com/style-beauty/beauty/news/a50279/facts-about-human-hair-wigs/