Do you wonder, ‘Why should I wash my wig’? Is it even important? Perhaps you have a series of questions running through your mind.
Do you know washing your hair, regardless of the type, is not difficult and should be part of your hair routine?
Washing your wig is as important as washing used clothes if you wonder why. Then hop with me on this ride where your uncertainties will be answered.
Why Wash Your Wig With Fabric Softener?
These days, wigs are more worn probably because they are easily accessible and encourage the growth of natural hair. Therefore, there is a need to stress the importance of keeping wigs washed to make them attractive and long-lasting.
Depending on your lifestyle, how often you will wash your wig might differ.
Wigs tend to absorb odors, hair products, and dirt easily, which can give an undesirable look.
Washing your wig, either synthetic or real preserves the hair fibers retaining its sheen and lush appearance.
How often should the wig be washed?
There is no perfect answer to this question because there are factors that determine this. Factors like; how often you wear a wig during the day, wig type, and your choice of lifestyle.
Most times a good pointer to when to wash your wig is if it looks unattractive and lifeless. Generally, your wig should be washed after 6-8 weeks or 7-10 wears.
People who wear synthetic wigs are of the suggestion that this routine is preferable in cool weather. So you might need to wash your synthetic wig more frequently in hot weather.
It should be known that too much washing damages your wigs. Therefore ensure to wash at the right time with appropriate products.
What products to use?
There are different products in the market for wig washing that are used for different hair types. You need to know the desired products your wig type wants and be specific.
Your wigs can’t get nourishment from the scalp to maintain it. For this reason, there are wig products that give wigs all the nourishment they need. Avoid the usage of common shampoo and conditioner.
How to wash and dry a wig
Knowing how to wash and dry your wig depends largely on your wig type. The wig type could be synthetic fiber or natural hair. Below, the washing and drying of each hair type will be discussed.
How to wash and dry a synthetic wig
- Brush out your wig carefully, ensuring all tangles and knots are resolved by using a wig brush and not a comb.
Brushing hack: Avoid brushing your wig when wet. If a wig is curly, use a wide tooth comb or your fingers. Do not brush!
- Fill up a basin with tepid water (Do not use cold water).
- Gently put your wig in the basin without scrubbing or rubbing.
- Soak your wig for about 5-10 minutes, depending on how soiled it is, using the appropriate and specific shampoo.
- Ensure all traces of dirt like makeup are gently removed using a toothbrush.
- Shake your wig for a minute and rinse in clean water.
- Apply the specific conditioner if necessary and rinse out after two minutes in clean water.
- Place your wig on a wig head while it dries at room temperature.
- Avoid exposing your wig to heat unless it is heat safe.
- Ensure your wig is dry by shaking it with your hand.
- Your wig can then be styled with a wide tooth comb.
How to wash and dry a natural hair wig
- Comb your wig gently with a wide tooth comb or your fingers from the bottom to the roots.
- Ensure they are free from knots and tangles while combing (Use a wire wig brush for straight or wavy hairs and a wide tooth comb for curly hairs).
- Place the wig on your hand or wig stand (Do not put it in a basin of water for washing to avoid inversion of hair in the cap for handmade wigs).
- Wet your wig with lukewarm water ensuring it runs from the roots to the ends.
- Pour out your specific wig shampoo and distribute it around the wig from the roots to the bottoms.
- To get a lather, squeeze your wig gently strand by strand.
- Turn your wig right side out and apply shampoo to the wig cap in a circular motion while the hair fibers are hanging freely.
- Wash out the shampoo on the wig cap with Luke’s warm water.
- Turn the wig and rinse your hair under running water giving it a gentle swirl to ensure all dirt residue is removed.
- Apply your specific conditioner avoiding the roots along the length of the wig.
- Distribute the conditioner strand by strand; this will loosen any available knots.
- After a few minutes, place the wig under running lukewarm water and swirl your wig to rinse out all residue of the conditioner.
- Gently squeeze (not twist or wring) the hair fibers in your fist to drain water.
- Get a towel and wrap your wig inside it without rubbing.
- Place your wig on a wig stand and apply your desired product.
- Do not comb the wig when it is wet. It can damage the hair fibers.
- Allow your wig to dry at room temperature.
- After drying, your wig is ready to be styled to your taste.
How To Wash A Wig With Fabric Softener
Apparently, fabric softener is ideal for synthetic wigs. It detangles, softens strands, and revives your synthetic wig with ease.
You definitely need to know how to use a fabric softener for your synthetic wigs. Here we have materials to use and two recommended methods to go about it.
Material 1
- 150ml Fabric softener
- 80 mL of liquid dish wash/detergent
- 250mL cold water
Method 1
- Get your wide tooth comb and brush your wig all through detangling and removing knots. Remove tangles and knots by hand if necessary.
- Create a cleaning mixture by using 250ml of water, 80ml of detergent /liquid dish wash, and 150ml of fabric softener of your choice.
- Ensure all materials kept in the cleaning mixture are well mixed.
- Soak your wig for at least 30 minutes. There are cases where the wig is very stiff; you can soak it overnight.
- Gently wash the wig by not scrubbing or rubbing against a brush. Note for curly synthetic, wash it by following the curls pattern.
- Rinse the wig with cold water ensuring all residue from the cleaning mixture and dirt are removed. If the residue does not go off, it invites more dirt than you can imagine leading to more tangles.
- Get your wig and dab it gently with a towel to remove moisture. Do not rub the wig with the towel because this can cause more knots.
- Dry your wig on a wig stand-by air drying.
- After drying, brush thoroughly, and your wig is good as new.
Material 2
- 1 cup (240mL) of fabric softener
- 1 cup (240mL) of cold water
- Spray bottle
Method 2
- Create your cleaning mixture in a spray bottle. Pour 240ml of cold water and 240ml of fabric softener into the bottle and mix vigorously until it all combines. Note you mix the two solutions in ratio1:1. This means the equal volume of water equals the volume of fabric softener.
- Ensure your wig is free from tangles and knots while properly brushing it all out.
- Keep the wig on the wig stand and starts by spraying the top layer of the wig.
- When the top layer is properly moisturized, spray the underneath of the wig, ensuring it is soaked with this mixture.
- Next is to take a cotton towel and gently dab the excess mixture. Ensure not to rub the wig on the towel.
- Next is to leave the wig to air dry, most likely overnight.
- Use your wide tooth comb and brush your wig thoroughly, removing all knots.
- Style to perfection.
